Besieging Jericho

     We tend to think of Jericho in terms of the exciting climax of this story.  We imagine the roar of triumph, the cracking, crumbling walls, the sack of the city, and the destruction of all its inhabitants save the family of Rahab.  We would do well, however, to consider what went before this resounding victory.  Six days of faithful adherence to God’s instructions plus one day of special effort preceded the fall of Jericho’s walls.  Here is instruction for us.

     Our occupation ought to be to obey God faithfully as we expectantly await His intervention.  Israel’s soldier’s were obeying the Lord’s instructions exactly during the siege of Jericho.  Day after day they march around the city without so much as a word passing from any lips.  The instructions were very specific, and their obedience was very complete.  So ought we to obey the instructions completely which God gives to us.  We should not deceive ourselves into thinking that He will bless an obedience that is half-hearted and half-done.  That said, it is interesting to notice that for all their obedience they were failing to see any visible results.  This would have been hard for the strong men of action to endure.  It is hard to continue on year after year when we see little, if any, appreciable results.  The Israelite soldiers however, continued onward, waiting for God’s intervention.

     We also need to adopt this practice.  We must remain faithful on the one hand and expectant on the other.  When the seventh day arrived, the army pressed onward for one final, special effort.  They march seven times over all the ground they had covered before, they shouted with the fullness of victorious confidence, and God saw to it that they were not disappointed.  The shout, the rumble, the cracks in the walls, the crash of the stones, the cry of the citizens all combine to picture for us the obstacles which will disappear when God intervenes for us.

Where the Bush Is Burning
Tomm Tice