Walking Around Jericho

And Father, I thank You for bringing this group out, even in the midst of the rain. Lord, that we would be in Your midst tonight, that You would reign upon us with Your Holy Spirit. Lord, even that You would reign in our lives tonight, and that You would do a great work in each of our hearts. I thank You for the time that You've given us to worship You, as we've sung praises to Your name.

Now, as we look into Your Word, would You speak to us? Would You open each of our hearts and expose any area that may not be right tonight, so that we could lay it down and take up that new life that You've given to us, the life of Christ? Father, we thank You, and we praise You. In Jesus' name, amen. You can be seated.

Open your Bibles to Joshua chapter 6. The people of the city of Jericho, as we saw several weeks ago in chapter 2, were fearful. The Bible says that their hearts did melt within them when they saw this group of the Israelites camped on the other side of the Jordan. Now the children of Israel had crossed the Jordan River, and they were just a couple of miles, maybe, from the city of Jericho. The people of Jericho were fearful.

As we read here in verse 1, it says, "Now Jericho was straightly shut up because of the children of Israel. None went out, and none came in." They had closed the city, the city that they had thought for so long was so secure. The walls of which, as we've looked at, had a double wall, in fact. One of the walls may be three to six feet wide and 25 feet tall. The second wall, the inner wall, was 12 feet thick and 25 feet tall.

These people thought that they were secure, that they didn't have anything really to worry about until they saw this group of people walk over on dry ground through the midst of the Red Sea, and the news spread. Then they saw these people take over their enemies in the wilderness. They had seen with their own eyes these people cross the Jordan River on dry ground, and they were fearful. So they shut the gates and locked up the city, hoping and thinking, "Maybe they'll just pass by. Maybe they'll leave us alone."

But their city wasn't quite as secure as they thought. The Bible says in Psalm 127, verse 1, "Except the Lord keeps the city, the watchman stays awake in vain." Unless the Lord is the one who is keeping watch over a city, those who watch over it are in vain.

They do it in vain. In this city, Jericho was not being watched over by the Lord. No, in fact, the Lord was spying it out, as was Joshua, as we saw last week. Joshua was there in the plain of the Jordan, walking around and spying out the land. He was considering the city they were getting ready to take.

As he was doing this, he came across a man standing in the middle of the desert area with a sword drawn in his hand, waiting for the Lord. He was wearing armor and was ready for battle. Joshua asked him, "Are you for us or for our adversaries?" The commander of the army of the Lord replied, "No. But as the commander of the army of the Lord, I have now come." Joshua bowed himself to the Lord and worshiped him. He said, "Lord, what do you want your servant to do?" The Lord said, "Take the sandal from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground." Joshua did so.

Now the Lord begins to speak with Joshua, the man who had been looking and considering his opponents. He had been examining the city, figuring out a strategy. How could they take this big, impenetrable fortress and get rid of the inhabitants? The Lord had called them to come against Jericho, but what were they supposed to do? As Joshua worshiped, the Lord began to speak to him.

In verse 2, the Lord said, "Joshua, see, I have given into your hand Jericho and the king thereof and the mighty men of valor." The Lord emphasized to Joshua, "Don't you see? I've given this into your hands. I've given you the land."

It's interesting that Russ, while he was up here earlier, quoted that passage of Scripture in 1 Samuel when Samuel went to the house of Jesse. He looked upon the sons of Jesse, seeking to anoint a king. When he looked at the first one, he said, "Surely this is the one, Lord. He looks like it." But the Lord said, "No." Samuel then looked at the second one and thought, "Oh, this has got to be him. If the first one wasn't, then this guy is it too." The Lord spoke to Samuel and said, "I do not see as man sees. For you see, we look at the outer appearance of things, but the Lord looks at the heart."

In every situation, the Lord does not see the things that we see. In the book of 2 Kings, perhaps you remember the story of Elisha, the man of God, also known as the seer or the prophet. During this time, the Syrians were coming against the children of Israel, planning to attack the army of Israel. The Lord spoke to Elisha and revealed exactly what the king of Syria had planned to do. Elisha then told the king of Israel, "Hey, this is what he's going to do." As a result, Israel went and found the Syrian invaders who were hiding out.

The king of Syria was wondering what was going on. How did these people know about his private meetings? He asked all his advisors if one of them was a spy. Who among them was for the Israelite king? One of his advisors replied that none of them were. However, the man of God, Elisha, told the king everything that the king of Syria thought and said in his room. The Lord revealed these things to Elisha, and Elisha conveyed them to the king.

The king of Syria decided they needed to get rid of Elisha. He ordered his advisors to find out where Elisha was. One of his advisors informed him that Elisha was in Dothan. They knew exactly where he was. That night, while Elisha slept, the Syrian army surrounded the city of Dothan. In the morning, one of Elisha's servants opened the doors and looked out, only to see the entire city surrounded by the Syrian army. Fearful, he ran to Elisha and asked, "What are we going to do?" This is recorded in 2 Kings chapter 6.

Elisha reassured him, saying it was no big deal and not to worry. However, the servant was still anxious. Elisha called out to the Lord, asking Him to open the servant's eyes so he could see. The Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he saw chariots of fire and soldiers surrounding the Syrian army. Elisha then called out to the Lord, saying to strike the Syrians with blindness, and the Lord did so.

Oftentimes, we perceive things much differently than the Lord does. We face trials and tribulations, and little obstacles stand in our way, causing us to become fearful. We see the challenges before us, perhaps like a Jericho, or we feel surrounded by an army. But the Lord sees something completely different. It is often my prayer, "Lord, help me to see what You see." In the midst of challenges, I realize there are many things I have never seen before. In certain situations, I wonder how anything good can come from them.

This week, I was counseling a man going through a difficult time in his family and marriage. As we talked, I reminded him that the Lord sees something he does not. The Lord is seeking to do a work in his life. We know what the Word says; Paul wrote in Romans chapter 8, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to His purpose." We know this is the truth of Scripture. I am sure many of you in this room have that verse underlined and have turned to it during difficult temptations and trials in your life. Lord, I know that You are going to do something good in this situation.

Many of you know the story of Joseph in Genesis and remember how his brothers sold him into slavery. He was in Egypt for thirteen years as a prisoner and as a slave. When his brothers finally came to him and things were restored, he told them in the very last chapters of Genesis, "What you meant for evil, God intended for good to save many alive."

A lot of times, the things that we go through have a purpose; God uses them to show us off. We are a spectacle to the rest of the world. People look at our lives and wonder how it is that we can go through such trials. How is it that we can have a smile on our faces? Most often, the people who think that and say that are those in our own families. Just like with Joseph, his own family didn't see what was going on. But Joseph said, "The Lord intended this for good to bring about a good thing and to save many people alive."

The hard things you're going through in your life are going to be used by God to save many people alive. I praise the Lord for trials. People think I'm nuts when I tell them that I've prayed for trials; they look at me like I'm insane or a fool. Yet I know the scripture in James chapter one, where the Bible says that the testing of our faith produces patience. Patience will have its perfect work in you, making you complete or perfect, lacking nothing.

I don't like trials, but I like the fruit of trials. I don't enjoy the obstacles we face, but I appreciate what they do in my life. Those trials, as Romans chapter five says, produce patience, and patience produces character. Character will produce hope, and hope does not disappoint. We go through these difficult things so that we learn to rely on the Lord.

That's exactly what Joshua did. As he stood there with all his worldly wisdom, he considered the city of Jericho and knew in his heart that there was no way they could get through this with their army. The people of Jericho were bigger and stronger than they were. They couldn't stay in that region for long; they didn't have water, but the Jericho inhabitants did. As we talked about last week, there was likely a spring of water in the city of Jericho.

In his mind, as a strategist and a general, Joshua thought, "I don't see how this is going to happen." Yet the Lord came, and Joshua fell before Him and worshiped. The Lord began to speak, saying, "See, I've given it to you. It's yours." All the promises we have in Christ, the Bible says, are yes and amen. All the promises, all the things that God has given to us, are ours for the taking. The Lord says, "See, I've given it to you."

But that doesn't mean that we just sit back and say, "Well, that's great. Cool. Thanks." That is not what Joshua will do here. The Lord says in verse two, "I've given Jericho into your hand, even the king thereof and the mighty men of valor." And you shall—underline that in your Bibles—you shall do what? You shall compass the city, all you men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus, you shall do for six days.

God says, "I've given this land into your hands. I've given Jericho, its king, and its mighty men of valor into your hands. But you are to do this. I've promised it to you, but this is the requirement. This is the responsibility. It's yours for the taking." In the economy of God, all of the promises that He has made to us are ours, but we have to reach out and lay hold of those things.

As we've talked about many times, there in Philippians chapter three, Paul said that he may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of him. Christ Jesus has laid hold of you so that you would have the abundant life spoken of in John chapter 10, verse 10, where Jesus said, "The thief has come to steal, to kill, and to destroy, but I have come that you may have life and that more abundantly." That is the life that Jesus has appropriated and given to us to take, but we have to lay hold of that for which He has laid hold of us.

Remember in the Lord's Prayer, where we pray that His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven? The Lord's will is done in heaven, and the promises He has given to us must be seen here on earth in our lives. That comes through laying hold of it. "Lord, I want to take hold of this that You've given to me."

There are specific things in Scripture outlined that you and I can do practically to lay hold of the Lord. We've been discussing this in the Christian Life and Witness class for the last couple of weeks, focusing on grasping and laying hold of the Word of God. How do we do that? As we spend time hearing the Word, reading the Word, memorizing the Word, and meditating upon the Word, we lay hold of the Word of God, and it goes into our hearts.

We know what Romans says: faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. When we stand before tribulations, when we face Jericho in our midst and see those hard things, we may experience a lack of faith. Sometimes we get worried or bummed out. However, as we take up the Word of God and begin to incorporate it into our lives daily, our faith is increased. Faith is built up because faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

The Bible also says in Romans that God has given to each of us a measure of faith. We all have a little bit of faith that God has planted into every single man, and that faith is increased and built up as we spend time in the Word. It is not just about coming to church on a Saturday night, a Sunday morning, or a Wednesday night, but about spending time in the Word every single day.

Remember the commandment that God gave to Joshua in Joshua chapter 1, verse 8, where God said, "This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate therein day and night." Why? "That you may observe to do according to all that is written. For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." Joshua, do you want to have good success? Do you want to have a prosperous way? Absolutely, Lord. Well, then meditate in My Word day and night. In doing that, you'll be able to observe that which I've called you to do, and you will make your way prosperous. You'll have good success.

It doesn't mean that you're going to be driving a BMW or something like that. There have been those who have taught that, and really, to their own shame. When the Bible says that you're going to make your way prosperous and have good success, it doesn't mean that you're going to have lots and lots of money. We are called to store up riches where? In heaven, not here on earth. Those who store up their riches and seek the pleasure and the things of this world have their reward. But store up your riches in the bank of eternal securities—in heaven, with the Lord—where moth does not come and eat it away, rust does not come and destroy, and the thief cannot steal. Store up your riches in heaven.

We need to be doing that, reaching out and saying, "Lord, I want to take hold of that which You've given to me. I want to make my way prosperous. I want to have good success." And the Lord says, "Well then, be in the Word. Meditate therein day and night." Did you know that it was commanded to the king of Israel, as stated in the book of Deuteronomy, that the king was to write the entire book of Deuteronomy—the entire law of God—in his own hand? He was to have his own scroll that he wrote out of the Word of God, and he was to meditate therein day and night. He was to read through it constantly. Why? So that the king would know the Word, that he would know the law of God, and that he would not transgress it.

We see throughout the history of Israel what happens when a king did not do that, and we see the great pain it brought to the children of Israel when their king turned away. Well, you're the leader of your family. You're the king, men, of your household.

If you want to see your family prosper—not in wealth or money, but in seeing your children walking with the Lord—then train your children in the way that they should go. When they are old, they will not depart from it. I encourage you, men; I exhort you to be in the Word. Meditate therein day and night so that you may make your way prosperous and have good success.

Well, that's exactly what Joshua did. His faith was increased and built up so that he could stand there and look at the city. He said, "All right, Lord, what do you want me to do? I'm bowing before You. I'm giving You everything that I have. What do You want me to do?" Just like we sang tonight, "I surrender all to You." That's exactly what Joshua did. He didn't battle with the Lord and say, "No, I'm the commander of the army." He didn't do any of that. He said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?"

The Lord began to tell him, "You're going to go around the city. All of the men of war are to go around the city once every day. You're going to do this for six days." In verse four, it says, "And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of ram's horns, and on the seventh day you shall encompass the city seven times. The priests shall blow with the trumpets, and it shall come to pass when they make a long blast with the ram's horn. When you hear the sound of the trumpet, the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up, every man straight before him."

Here is the commander of the army of the Lord speaking to the lesser commander, Joshua—a man who has fought battles before and thought up strategies for taking cities. As he stands before the Lord, God says, "This is what you're going to do. You're going to take your men, your mighty men of valor, your men of war." Remember, 40,000 of them crossed over the Jordan River with Joshua from the two and a half tribes.

You are to take these men armed for war, and they will make a line in front of the people. Then you will get seven priests, and they will take ram's horns and trumpets. They will stand right behind those mighty men of valor. The priests will bear the ark right behind them, and then right behind the ark will be the rest of the people of God, the rest of Israel.

You are to walk around the city one time and then go home. The next day, do it again. Walk around the city a second time and then go home. Do this for six days. On the seventh day, you will walk around the city seven times while the priests blow the trumpets. After you have gone around seven times, the priests will make a long blast with the trumpet, and all the people, the children of Israel, will shout.

And when they do, the walls are just going to fall over flat, and everybody's just going to go right up into the city. Now, if you were a general, if you were a strategist, if you're Tommy Franks and you're over in Iraq right now, just outside, and President Bush said, "This is what you're going to do. You're just going to walk all the way around Baghdad seven times," would you be thinking, "Are you foolish?"

You see, I have a lack of faith in those areas a lot of times. I think, "What? What are you telling me to do, Lord? That really sounds goofy. We're just going to walk around the city. We're going to walk around, and all these people, they might shoot arrows at us. They might do all this different stuff. You just want us to walk around for six days, and on the seventh day, walk around seven times. How is that going to accomplish anything, Lord?"

And God says, "When you do this, and when you shout, then the walls of the city are going to fall flat, and everybody's just going to run straight up before Him." Joshua didn't argue.

In verse six, it says, "And Joshua, the son of Nun, called the priests, and he said unto them, 'Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of ram's horns before the ark of the Lord.' And he said unto the people, 'Pass on and encompass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the Lord.'"

And it came to pass, in verse eight, when Joshua had spoken unto the people that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of ram's horns passed on before the Lord, and they blew the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them. The armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rearward, or the gathering, the whole group of people came after the ark, and the priests going on and blowing with the trumpets.

Joshua had commanded the people, saying, "You shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth until the day that I bid you to shout, and then you shall shout."

So Joshua immediately goes and tells the people, "This is what we're doing tomorrow." He didn't waste any time. "Tomorrow when we wake up, we're getting up early in the morning, and you priests, you take up the horns, and then the rest of the priests gather the ark, and you mighty men of valor go out in front, and the rest of us, we're going to go to the back, and we're going to walk around the city. We're going to do what God has told us to do."

What a step of faith! They didn't go and make swords. They didn't make battering rams to try and blow down the gates. They didn't come up with some strategy to dig trenches or anything. They just said, "All right, Lord, we're going to do what you've told us to do," even though it sounds foolish. And you know what? Oftentimes in our lives, faith is foolish.

Taking a step of faith can seem foolish to the rest of the world. When churches announce plans to build a new building without any money, people often react with disbelief. They might say, "Are you nuts?" However, the church responds, "No, God has told us to do this, and we're going to do it."

Similarly, when individuals feel called by God to go into the mission field, others may question their decision. They might say, "You've got a great job. Why would you do anything like that? That's stupid." Faith often appears foolish to those with a worldly mindset. To the outside world, a step of faith may not make any sense at all.

Yet, the children of Israel obeyed God, even when it seemed strange or confusing. They might have wondered, "How is this going to work?" But they took action because God had proven Himself faithful time and again. He provided food for them for forty years in the wilderness, giving them manna to eat every morning. He brought water from rocks and opened the Jordan River. God consistently showed His faithfulness to His people.

The Lord will also demonstrate His might and faithfulness in your life as you take steps of faith. If you find yourself wondering why you never see miracles or great things happening, it may be because you are not taking any steps of faith. Even a small step, like asking the Lord for a parking space, can be significant. You might think it's trivial, but trying it could lead to a demonstration of God's provision.

When we pray for people with headaches, we often have faith that God can heal them. However, when someone comes forward with a brain tumor, do we maintain the same level of faith? Our faith grows as we spend time in the Word and witness the Lord's great works in our lives, one small step at a time.

If you desire to see God do great things in your life, you must take a step of faith. If you are not experiencing God's provision or care for your needs, it is likely because you are not taking any steps of faith. You can usually trace this back to a lack of engagement with the Word, as faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

People come and they'll ask, "I just don't see God working in my life." The first question I ask them is, "Are you spending time in the Word?" When they respond, "No, not really," I tell them they need to do that. It may not make much sense in our minds, but the Bible tells us in Hebrews that this Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. It is not just a word; it is the Word of God. It is able to cut deep into our lives and to divide between joint and marrow, and soul and spirit. It is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of our hearts.

This Word of God is living and powerful. When you take the step of faith to say, "All right, Lord, I'm going to read from Genesis to Revelation," even if it takes you ten years—like it has for me—you will see the Lord begin to increase your faith. You will get to know the God who sees, the God who knows what you're going through, and the God who provides everything you need when you need it.

Remember when Moses, in Exodus chapters 3 and 4, asked the Lord, "Who shall I tell them sent me?" The Lord replied, "I am that I am." Whenever we face an obstacle or a situation that seems beyond our reach, God tells us, "I am that I am." He is all that we need for those situations. He is enough. He has provided, and He will continue to provide. He has given it to you; all you have to do is go and take it, even if it seems foolish.

Consider how Joshua instructed the people: "You are not to say a word. You are not to shout or scream. You are not to say anything." Why? Because there were probably some people in their hearts thinking, "This is really dumb," as they kicked rocks while walking. They might have wondered how this would accomplish anything, protesting silently. The Lord didn't want to hear that out loud, as it could discourage the rest of the army. On the other hand, there were those who were so ready and excited that they would have screamed, "Let's go now! Let's not wait!" But the Lord said, "Be quiet."

The Lord tells us the same thing in the Psalms: "Be still, and know that I am God." When you are still, you will see the Lord do great wonders among the nations. The phrase "be still" can also be translated as "be quiet." We live in a society where we feel the need to have something going on all the time. I experience this myself; I get in my car and immediately turn on the radio. I need to hear something—background noise. But it is often so hard just to be quiet and sit down. We need to be still and get to know God.

This afternoon, when I first came down to the church, I entered the sanctuary and started moving some things around. The rain really started coming down, and since the roof is made out of metal or something similar, it was really loud. I sat down and listened to it. It was awesome to hear just silence.

A couple of years ago, Rick Kirstead, Josh, and I went out to the desert and hiked up into a little crevice. We were up there for a couple of hours, and it was just really quiet. We weren't talking or saying anything. After a while, our ears started to adjust, and we no longer heard that constant background noise. Then we began to hear some people coming up the trail, making all kinds of noise. Rick made a sound like a mountain lion, and they all left really quickly. It was great to be in silence and just sit there, asking, "Lord, what do you want me to do?"

A lot of times when we pray, prayer is meant to be a two-way conversation. I don't know about you, but I tend to treat prayer like going through the drive-through. I want this, this, this, and this, then I pull up to the window, pay, and go. There are times in prayer when we keep going, saying, "Lord, I want this and this and this," and then, "Amen, got to go. See you later." Instead of stopping and being quiet, we should ask, "Lord, what do you want to speak to me today?"

It's a hard discipline because our minds are filled with all the different things we should be doing and could be doing right now. Several years ago, Pastor Richard said that when you take time to pray and have blocked out some time for it, you should take a notepad with you. Write down all those things that come to mind, like, "Oh, I need to call this guy," or, "I need to do that." You can take care of those later, but you need to spend time with the Lord. This advice is not just for me as a pastor; he shares it with every single Christian who struggles with prayer.

If you have a hard time being still and quiet, try doing that. I promise you, you'll get to know the Lord a little bit more. You'll find out that the Lord is never in a hurry. He's never late, and He's never too quick. He's always on time. When we spend those moments in silence with the Lord, we begin to understand Him and how He works. Often, the Lord is just quiet, but we struggle with that when we're praying.

That trial or that obstacle in front of us can be overwhelming, and we often find ourselves crying out, "Lord, please, come on, say something. Anything. You tell me to do whatever; I'll do it." I was doing that this last week. "Lord, whatever, just tell me, what do you want me to do, one way or the other, and I'll do it." Then, we sit in silence, waiting for a response. "Come on, say something. Let's go, Lord."

We sometimes try to drum it up like the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18. They were cutting themselves, jumping up and down, and screaming to get their false god to pour out fire from heaven, but it didn't happen. Sometimes, the Lord just wants us to be silent and realize that He is not that kind of God. We jump up and down, making a lot of noise, thinking that will prompt Him to act. We might say, "All right, Lord, I'm going to fast. I'm going on a hunger strike until You answer me." But He won't respond that way. Holding our breath until He answers will only lead to needing paramedics to revive us.

Taking the time to be still before the Lord allows us to truly know Him and see the One who works. I praise the Lord often for being the God who works. Philippians 2:13 says He works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Isn't it an awesome thing to know that God is constantly at work? He is not like many deists who believe that God is off in the universe somewhere, having wound up the clock and let it go, wanting nothing to do with His creation. How hopeless is that? It leaves people wondering, "Well, I don't really know why I'm here."

But God is intimately involved in every single one of our lives. He knows the hairs on our heads. You might wonder why the Bible says that; it seems kind of goofy. But even the goofy things about us, God knows. If He knows that strange, goofy thing, then He knows everything else. He is intimately present and involved in every aspect of our lives. Yet, He wants us to come to Him and pour out our hearts before Him. We should lay before Him and say, "Lord, I'm just going to be quiet."

And don't fall asleep! There were a couple of times when I thought, "I'm just going to lay here on my bed in the morning and pray. I'm just going to rest and pray." Then I hear the alarm going off for the second time, and I think, "Oh, goodness, I've got to go." But we need to actually get on our knees and be still before the Lord.

And that's what Joshua did. As he did, God spoke to him, saying, "This is what you're going to do." And he did it. You might wonder, "Why don't I see great things happening in my life?" I'm trying to do those things; I'm listening to the Lord and spending time with Him, but I'm not seeing Him do great things. Well, are you obeying what He's told you to do? Those who are quick to obey will see God do great things.

If God tells you to teach the three and four-year-olds on Wednesday nights and you say, "Maybe next time," consider that maybe next week would be the time when you lead one of those little kids to the Lord. You might wonder why you never see those great things or awesome works that God does. The answer is simple: listen and obey. There are blessings in obedience. We don't obey because God has some big lightning bolt ready to strike us down if we don't comply. We obey because the Lord wants to do a great work in our lives. As we obey, we get to see Him work in and through us. Our obedience should be an act of worship to Him, stemming from pure love.

"Lord, I want to serve You, and I choose to honor You. Lord, pour out upon me." And He will. The Bible says that the eyes of the Lord look to and fro throughout the whole world, searching for someone whose heart is loyal to Him. He will show Himself mighty on that person's behalf.

However, what a sad report we read in the prophets. I believe it was Isaiah, or maybe Ezekiel, where the Lord said, "I sought for someone who would stand in the gap, and I found no one." It breaks my heart every time I read that verse or think about it. I pray that this would never be the testimony of my life—that the Lord was seeking for me to stand in the gap, to intercede on someone's behalf, but I was too busy that day or simply didn't have time.

Sometimes we think, "It's just foolish. You want me to say something to this guy on the other side of the gas pump? Why? That's goofy." I'm sure those thoughts went through Joshua's mind and the minds of the people in his army when he said, "We're just going to walk around the city." But they witnessed a great and incredible wonder and work of God that day because they listened and obeyed.

In verse 10, actually verse 11, it says, "And so the ark of the Lord compassed the city going about at once."

They camped and lodged in the camp. They circled the city one time, and then they sat down in the camp, saying, "Wow, that was neat!" I'm sure there were a lot of people who thought, "That was dumb. My leg hurts. I stubbed my toe on a rock. Did you see that snake? I don't want to go out there tomorrow." Those guys on the wall were probably laughing at us. Many people likely had those thoughts, thinking, "Oh, this is goofy."

On the other hand, there was another group of people who said, "Man, what are we going to do tomorrow?" You see, attitude has so much to do with the way we live our lives as Christians. I've met many Christians who have the attitude of, "Oh, this is so hard. I'm dying." But don't you see the good in what the Lord is doing here? Some might respond, "I can't see it. This is horrible."

I used to talk with the kids in the junior high group about how it's amazing how little things can mess us up and ruin our whole day. I'd ask the kids, "Have you ever had one of those days where you wake up and things seem to be going okay, but then you're brushing your teeth and you get toothpaste on your favorite shirt? You think, 'Oh, man!' Then you go in and change your shirt, but you can't find your shoe. You find one but not the other. Then you can't find the socks that match the shoes because, if you know junior hires, they like to wear socks that match their shoes."

These little things can wreck your whole day. You get to school and think, "I'm having a horrible day. Don't talk to me. I got toothpaste on my shirt." And I just wonder, "What?" There are those who are so distracted by little things that they just don't know what they're doing. I pray that the Lord would help me not to be stirred up too much by those little things.

I think of Paul when they were shipwrecked. They came ashore, and Paul was a prisoner at that time. Immediately, he started gathering wood to put in the fire. As he went to put one of the pieces of wood in the fire, a snake came out and bit his hand. What did he do? He didn't fall on the ground and say, "Oh my, this is a bad day. Shipwrecked and snake bite, what's going on?" No, he just shook it off into the fire.

The natives of that island watched and thought, "Ooh, he must be really a bad prisoner; that snake bit him. The gods are angry with this guy." Yet, he didn't die.

Nothing happened to him, and then they started to say he must be a god. Look at this; he lived through it. You see, why does God allow those trials? Why does God allow the snakes to bite us? So that He can be exalted. So that people can see us go through it.

If, when we have a trial, we're wallowing in the mire, saying this is horrible and I can't do this anymore, then it's not for His glory anymore. It's for your sympathy. It's for your self-pity. A.W. Tozer said that is one of the most reprehensible sins of man: self-pity. And boy, do I fall into it constantly. I'm sure many of you do as well. The Lord would call us to confess it and say, "Lord, I don't want to be like that. I don't want to be like that anymore. Help me when the snake bites, when the trial comes, to be able to give You praise and give You glory."

Paul the Apostle said he had come to that place where he was content in any state. Now, he never lived in California, but he was content. He didn't have to pay $2.05 a gallon for gasoline, yet he was content in any situation, and he would be even in that situation. Through trials and tribulations, he had come to that place where he could go through it because he knew that God was with him. Even if this seems really foolish, I think of Paul and Silas while they were in prison. They were in stocks and chains down in the lower parts of this prison, and they were singing worship songs.

I'll be very honest with you; I doubt I would be singing worship songs at that point in time. I'd be crying, "Oh, where's my mom? Somebody bail me out of here." And yet, there they are, singing and worshiping the Lord. You know what I think the greatest miracle in that story is? It's not that they were singing and worshiping the Lord; it's that when they had the opportunity to escape, they didn't.

You see, that's the amazing thing about going through a trial with the Lord. When you're going through a trial with the Lord, you suddenly don't even begin to realize that you're standing in the middle of a fiery furnace like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. What happened to them while they were in that furnace? The bonds came off. The things that they were tied with came loose, and they were walking in the midst of the fire. Pharaoh looked and said, "What? Didn't we throw three guys in there? Yeah, but there's a fourth, and He looks like the Son of God."

And they had to call them to come out of the fire. "Hey, guys, come out of there!" They didn't get loose and run out the other side, thinking maybe they could escape. No, they were in the fire with the Lord, and they were not burned. There was no smell of smoke upon them when they came out. The rest of the world was astonished; they were blown away. This event brought about a small revival at that point in time in Babylon.

When the Lord looks at us as we go through those trials and fires, walking around Jericho and doing whatever the Lord has told us to do—even if it seems foolish—the world will watch and wonder, "What is up with these people? Why do they do this?"

So they rose early in the morning, as noted in verse 12, on the second day. They took up the ark of the Lord and the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of ram's horns before the ark of the Lord. They went on continually, blowing the trumpets. The armed men went before them, and their rear guard, or the gathering, followed after. The ark of the Lord and the priests went on, blowing with the trumpets. On the second day, they continued this pattern, encompassing the city once before returning to the camp. They did this for six days.

It came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day. They encompassed the city in the same manner seven times, but on that day, they compassed the city seven times. It came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people, "Shout, for the Lord has given you the city!" What great faith this man Joshua had! God said He had given it to them, and Joshua just trusted God.

Many of you have heard the saying before: "God said it, I believe it, and that settles it." Well, I like to take the middle part of that out: "God said it, that settles it." It doesn't matter if I believe it or not. If God said it, that's it. God said, "This is what's going to happen," and Joshua was one of those guys who said, "All right, that settles it. I don't care if I believe it or not; that settles it."

"You said it, I believe it completely, because that does settle it." When God says, "This is what's going to happen," that is what will happen. That's the way God is. He's a man of His word, and He is not a man, as the Bible says, that He should lie. He's not like us. Every single one of us in this room has said something...

And done another thing. Most likely, those who are younger than you pointed it out. You hypocrite! You told me not to do that. And that famed saying, "Do as I say, not as I do," comes to mind. Kids, be quiet. Children are to be seen and not heard. Praise the Lord when people point out areas of our lives that are just not right, even if it's a young child.

We may think, "Well, you're supposed to respect us." However, respect doesn't mean that they don't say anything to you when you're wrong. Your children will respect you when they see you doing right, and that's what the Lord would desire. Train up your children in the way that they should go.

How do you train children? It's not taught; they catch it. It's caught when they see you living a life of integrity, and they will follow in the same way. Joshua told the people to shout, for the Lord has given the city to us.

Skipping down to verse 20, it says, "So the people shouted." When the priests blew the trumpets, it came to pass that when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, they shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat. The people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

So the trumpet blew, and the people shouted, and the walls fell flat. Many archaeologists have looked at this area of Jericho, and many of them believe that the outer wall just fell straight down like a ramp, allowing the people to run straight up into the city. Isn't it wonderful the way that the Lord does things? He removes the hurdles as we faithfully obey Him.

They didn't have to come up with some plan or strategy. Joshua waited upon the Lord, and as he waited, God said, "This is what you're going to do." He faithfully obeyed and led the people to do the same. They did all that the Lord had commanded them that day. They shouted when the trumpet blew, and the walls came down.

I heard a guy several years ago giving a teaching on this, and he said, "You know, that's where that song, 'Our God is an Awesome God,' came from." Little kids in their beds that night sang, "Our God is an awesome God."

He reigns. They saw the Lord do miraculous things because our God is an awesome God. He reigns in heaven and on earth, and He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can think or ask. You have seen God do exceedingly abundantly in your lives. You've seen the Lord remove the walls of Jericho many times.

Yet, oftentimes, we falter in the very next trial. I think of Elijah in 1 Kings chapter 18 when he slaughtered the 400 prophets of Baal. Immediately after he was done, after the fire fell and he saw the Lord consume the sacrifice that was drenched in water, what was the very next thing he did? He ran from Jezebel because he was afraid that she was going to kill him. He ran and he ran and he ran, hiding out in a cave. The Lord came to him and said, "What are you doing?" Elijah replied, "Oh, she's going to kill me."

You see, we have Jerichos a lot of times, but then we go right to Ai. In a couple of weeks, we're going to see Ai and what happens when people falter, step up in pride, and don't seek the Lord. This is an awesome picture of God's grace when we step out in faith—grace more abundantly than anything we can imagine. The Lord desires to pour out this grace upon every single one of us in this room if we would come boldly before His throne of grace to obtain mercy and grace in our time of need. God is desiring to do that in your life tonight.

If you don't know Him, you can't have that. But you can know Him tonight. You don't need to leave in that place of despair. You can reach out like Rahab, and we will look a little bit more into the life of Rahab next week. She knew that your God is the God of heaven above and earth beneath. He's amazing. She wanted to know that God, and she had her opportunity.

Tonight, you may be here and you don't know the Lord. You might say, "I'd like to have that life, but I don't know it." I assure you, within two seats from you is probably a Christian—someone who does know it.

Take that step of faith and say, "Can I talk to you for a second?" I want to be a part of this journey for you. I think, God, you're going to be a part of this journey for you tonight as we finish up.

For those of you in this room tonight who may have been like some of those other people in the army of Israel, as you've walked in this life, you might think, "This is dumb. I'm not going to talk to that person across from me. There's no way. They'll think I'm a fool. They're going to laugh at me." Or perhaps you've been one of those people that, when Jericho comes, you agree with him that that's sin and lay it down, saying, "Lord, I don't want to be like that."

You see, if you recognize that in your life, know for sure that God sees it, and He is bringing it to your attention so that you can leave it here before you go. The Lord is so wonderful and gracious to show us when we're in error or just a little bit off. I praise the Lord for Nathanaels who have enough courage to come up and say, "You know what? This isn't right in your life."

At first, I don't like it. At first, I'd like to say, "Go away. You don't know what you're talking about." At first, I'd like to react like Joab when David was leaving Israel because his son Absalom had taken the throne. As they went, there was a man throwing stones at David and cursing him. I believe it was Joab or one of David's other advisors who said, "Let me go and cut his head off." But David said, "No. Let him speak. What he has to say may be true." And he walked on.

Now, when the Lord reestablished David, he had that man killed. However, to hear the correction of others, although it hurts, is important. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, better than the kisses of an enemy. Those who will come alongside you and say, "Yeah, that's great, man. Right on, whatever, just do what you want to do," are not the advisors you need.

You need advisors like the prophets of King Ahab, who came and told him, "Yeah, you go, get rid of those guys up there in Syria. Kill them all. The Lord's going to go with you." Jehoshaphat responded, "Don't you have any prophets around here who actually speak for the Lord?" Ahab replied, "Yeah, but I don't like that guy because every time he comes in here, he says something bad to me."

Boy, if that's the way your heart is, get on your knees tonight.

Because the very next chapter talks about Ahab being killed, he was shot in the chinks of his armor. This happened because he was a prideful man who wouldn't receive correction from the man of God. Praise the Lord that David said, "I am the man." You're right, and he confessed it. His joy of his salvation was able to be restored that day.

If maybe these last several weeks you haven't had the joy of your salvation, it could be because you've been rejecting the Nathanael that's been speaking to you and saying, "Lay it down." But for those of you tonight who can hardly wait to wake up tomorrow and walk around Jericho again, praise be to God. Our God is an awesome God, and He reigns.

Let's pray. Father, I thank You for Your Word, Lord, that it is sharper than any two-edged sword. There are times when it cuts deep and it hurts. But Lord, I also thank You that You're able to show me where my heart is wrong. You're able to discern between the thoughts and the intents of my heart. When that sword goes in, the junk of my life, the dirt of my life comes out.

Lord, teach us to be those who are skilled in the Word of God, who, by reason of use, are able to discern both good and evil, as Hebrews chapter 5 says. Help us to be able to discern those things that are good and those things that are wicked. Expose the dark areas of our hearts and let us lay it down, Father.

God, that we could see the walls that have been built up in our lives for years fall down flat, so that we could go in and apprehend the life that You've given to us. For we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.