"Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go out or in. But the Lord said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors. You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram's horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams' horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.”
So Joshua called together the priests and said, “Take up the Ark of the Lord's Covenant, and assign seven priests to walk in front of it, each carrying a ram's horn.” Joshua 6:1-6 (NLT)
As a young man, I was an enlisted soldier in the Army in the mid-eighties. I began my military career during the Cold War. I vividly recall sitting on my bed in my Army uniform watching the newscast of the Berlin Wall being torn down on November 9, 1989. It was a sight I never thought I would see. We had trained and prepared for the potential of war with Eastern Europe. The Berlin Wall was a constant reminder that the world was divided. So, it was an unbelievable sight to see the mighty wall that separated East from West, physically and ideologically for 28 years, come down.
When I think about that famous wall, I imagine we all have walls that divide us physically and ideologically. What kind of walls are you facing: marriage issues, family issues, addictions, depression, financial pressure, or maybe health problems? Some of us have walls that are so large and have been up for so long it seems they'll never be torn down. They are immovable. Joshua faced such a wall.
Joshua was Moses' successor and chosen by God to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land. The people of Israel had just crossed over the Jordan River into the Land of Canaan, where they now faced their first obstacle: the unconquerable, walled city of Jericho. It must have seemed like an impossible, even daunting task.
The Bible tells us that the gates of Jericho were tightly shut. Joshua had to trust and obey God's instructions to bring the wall down. Many times, we have difficulties tearing down the walls in our lives because we do not seek and follow God's directions. Joshua and the people were to march around the city for seven days. On the seventh day, the priests were to blow the ram's horns, and the people were to shout. It must have seemed odd that God had the Israelites use ram's horns and yell to bring down that mighty wall! Joshua was never asked to carry a chisel and hammer and dismantle the wall himself. He was just asked to obey and leave the results to God.
Have you been trying to tear down walls by your strength? Are your walls overwhelming you? Why not seek and obey God's directions in your life? Prayerfully "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." Proverbs 3:5-6
Put your hope in God's all for your wall!
