YOU WANT US TO DO WHAT?!
Opening Prayer
Give me eyes to see, ears to hear, and the heart to understand with today, Father God.
Read Joshua 6:1–11
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
6 Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.
2 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”
6 So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.” 7 And he ordered the army, “Advance! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord.”
8 When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the Lord went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the Lord’s covenant followed them. 9 The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. 10 But Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!” 11 So he had the ark of the Lord carried around the city, circling it once. Then the army returned to camp and spent the night there.
Reflect
Think of a time when you have tried to do something in your own strength rather than with God’s help. How did it go?Jericho was shut up and secure against its enemies (1). The shutting of the city also represents the Canaanites’ closing themselves up against the living God. They had seen God’s miracles which had allowed His people to cross the river (5:1), but they were closed against God. Verse 2 is the key to this passage. How do you think these words would have encouraged Joshua? What part do you think his earlier encounter (5:13–15) might have played?
The Lord’s instructions to Joshua must have seemed unusual – after all, he had prepared the Israelite army for battle (4:13). These directions must have seemed an odd way of approaching a battle. But if verse 2 was key to winning Jericho (‘I have delivered’), then Joshua’s obedience to God’s instructions was also vital. He went on to follow these to the letter (6–10). Everyone had their own job – the priests, the warriors, and the people. Read verses 6–10 again and picture the procession in your imagination. Verse 11 shows that the focal point of the procession was the Ark of the Covenant. This was the vital sign of God’s presence with His people.
Apply
Where are you still trying to lead in your own strength or with your own agenda? Can you give your will over to God today and trust Him to guide you in each step and to handle the outcome?
Closing prayer
Lord, may I learn to rely on Your strength in all that I do, rather than trying to do things in my own strength.
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