Joshua told the
people “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things
among you.”
Joshua 3:5
Jericho, Land of the
Palms, lies between Mt. Nebo in the east and the Dead Sea in the south.
Underground tributaries transformed her into an oasis teeming with plant life.
The stories of The Good
Samaritan, the baptism of John Baptist, the healing of the blind men, the story
of Zacchaeus and many more Bible stories took place in or around Jericho.
Situated on the West
Bank, she is one of oldest cities in civilization. Next to Jerusalem it is the
most excavated city in the world. Layers of twenty-three civilizations have
been uncovered there.
Excavations have
uncovered the ruins of the walls of Jericho. Even evidence of the burning of
the city has been discovered.
The story of the famous
battle is one of my favorites. Here they were, the new generation of
Israelites. The Lord had stopped the flow of the Jordan River so they could
cross over into the Promised Land. Now they looked to their new leader, Joshua,
to lead them into battle and take the fortified town of Jericho.
About forty thousand
armed Israelites were ready for battle.
Put yourselves in
Joshua’s sandals. Hadn’t he scouted out the Promised Land and given only one of
the two positive reports? Hadn’t
he led the Israelites to the Jordan River and across? He obeyed all the complicated
commands given him concerning the crossing of the river. Now God was
introducing a weird series of directions for the taking of Jericho. I would
have probably thought, Why can’t You just give us the city? You are God.
Joshua trusted God. He
did as he was told. He had the armed men march around the city once for six
days. On the seventh day seven priests blew rams’ horns as the army marched
around Jericho seven times. As the Lord instructed, when the army heard a loud
blast, they all gave a loud shout and the wall of the city collapsed. As the
song says, The walls came tumbling down. The battle was won.
What is your Jericho?
Are there times when you doubt God’s judgment? “Why, Lord, did You allow this
to happen to me? I have served You faithfully, yet you took my child’s life.”
“How could you keep my
husband from getting that job he needed so much? Don’t you know how stretched our budget is?”
God gave humans a free will. Sometimes
our free will leads to disasters such as deaths from drunk driving, addiction,
cancer and other dire consequences. He does sometimes intervene, but not
always.
We need to consecrate
our lives so that we can accept whatever comes our way. Sometimes we can change
circumstances; sometimes we can not. Joshua’s obedience should be an example
for us.
Dear Father, Help me
be ready for whatever circumstances come my way. Give me courage.
Janice Yandell
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