Josué 6

Josué 6

William MacDonald - Reason would claim that such an impregnable fortress could be taken only by superior forces. But faith’s methods are different. God uses strategies that appear foolish to men in order to accomplish His purposes...Military experts would write off the method as ludicrous. But it worked! The weapons of the spiritual warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds (2Co 10:4-note). (MacDonald, W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson) Chrysostom - The soundings of trumpets, though one were to sound for ten thousand years, cannot throw down walls, but faith can do all things (quoted by Jamieson) Jack Arnold offers this pithy, practical application - Do you want to be a victorious Christian with a triumphant faith? You say, “Of course I do; every Christian wants that for his life.” Well, then if you want a triumphant faith, you must exercise real faith. It is not enough to talk about faith, but you must actually believe God if you are ever going to see Him supernaturally work for you. Faith is the key to a life of progressive victory in Christ. The Christian’s life, from beginning to end, must be a life of faith in a super­natural working God (2Co 5:7). Without faith, a Christian cannot progress in his spiritual life, no victories can be won, and no fruit can be manifested for God’s glory. In the children of Israel and Joshua, their leader, we have the example of a triumphant faith as God brought down the walls of Jericho. However, this triumphant faith did not just happen automatically, but there were certain promises, precepts and principles that Israel had to obey before the walls came tumbling down. (Sermon) Summary lessons gleaned from Israel's march around Jericho - (from Faith to Conquer and Convert (Hebrews 11:30-31 by Steven Cole) 1) God’s way of victory over these enemies accentuates His power and our weakness. 2) Faith must obey God implicitly. 3) Faith must wait upon God. 4) Faith must wait on God expectantly. The popular old song I Believe In Miracles could have been Joshua's favorite song after the opening of the Jordan and the falling down of Jericho's walls. Mattoon - For years this story has been ridiculed and considered untrue! Archeologist Briant Wood excavated this site and published his findings in the March, 1990, issue of the Biblical Archeological Review. 1. He found the city was strongly fortified. 2. The battle was after the harvest because the granaries were still full even to this day. Pottery jars were full of charred grain. 3. There was no way to flee from the city. 4. The siege was short. 5. The walls were leveled and fell outward. 6. The city was not plundered. 7. The city was burned and the wood and grain were charred. (Treasures from Joshua) Robert Foster in his "Challenge... a biweekly letter from the heart of a man to men" says, Hebrews 11: 30 "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they had been encircled for seven days" The city walls of Jericho were massive ... 30 feet high and about 15 feet thick. This frontier fortress was impregnable with ramparts wide enough for two chariots to drive side-by-side. An impossible obstacle to the ragtag gang of ex-slaves. The spies report was right on: " these cities in Canaan are fortified to heaven." Deuteronomy 1:28. Joshua, the Jewish General, knew that Jericho was invincible . . . except ... God had a plan. "People who walk by faith don't see obstacles • .. they see opportunities." And that is exactly what happened! Israel marched in silence around the city 13 times in seven days . On the last go-round, the priests blew their trumpets...the people shouted as thunder..."and the walls fell down flat." Jericho was taken by men who thought not what they could do but of what God could do with..... through....and for them. They were prepared to believe that their obvious weakness was able for an incredible task. "Human wisdom would have advocated the purchase of slings and catapults and the amassing of huge stockpiles of stones for ammunition. Human wisdom would have suggested digging trenches to enable sappers to creep up to the walls and undermine them. Human wisdom would have called for starving the people of Jericho into submission. But like the Ford Motor Company, faith had a better idea!" The real battle was for men's hearts...not the walls of Jericho . God's purpose was not to impart an expertise in warfare but to provide an exercise in faith. It was seven days as an education in trust in Jehovah ... not to battle "the city of palm trees. " "The strength of a man consists in finding out the way that God is going and then gets in step with Him. The lesson from Jericho is simply this: learn to go God's way! Not passive or active fighting, resisting or revolting against Divine authority, but 'as Thou wilt; what Thou wilt; when Thou wilt'" By faith the walls of Jericho fell . . . not by an earthquake, nor mighty winds off the Great Sea ... nor by the strategy of man's mind. God accomplished the destruction with or without "scientific" means...the glory is the Lord's not Joshua's. God placed an invisible steel band around the foundation of that city wall and tightened it. . .and when God does that to the foundation of any structure , national or personal . .. beware! The absolute and unquestioning obedience of Joshua and the people leads to this moment of great triumph. Their obedient response in faith, believing God, brought triumph in this situation. A C Gaebelein - We must also think here of the walls, the hindrances, the obstacles in our lives as believers, as we pass through the world. The enemy often tries to terrify us by these, as he discouraged Israel at Kadesh by the walled cities. Alas! we often do what Joshua did not do before Jericho. We measure the walls, we study the difficulties, we are occupied with our perplexities and trials. We reckon with the walls, instead of reckoning with the Lord and His power. By faith walls still fall down. Alan Redpath - But, in thinking of these simple lessons of victory, I want more especially to give this text its proper place in all the revelation of God's Word. I would lift it out of the narrow realm of the personal and individual, and show you the tremendous Jerichos which stand in the way of the people of God as a whole. There is the Jericho of sin. There is the Jericho of indifference. There is the Jericho of materialism. There is the Jericho of paganism. Worse than that, there is the Jericho within the church of disloyal Christians, of unconsecrated lives, of people who have become so used to sinners going to hell that they don't care. Surrounding the Church of God today and within her walls stand endless Jerichos which seem to be utterly unconquerable. F B