Good morning, I hope you look forward to Wednesday as much as I do. Every Wednesday night I have the honor of serving the Lord in a children’s ministry. Helping children memorize and understand the Word of God is a blessing. There is no greater joy than when one of them accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Today we read Joshua 6-8.
Confuse the enemy
Chapter 6 always amuses me. I read how they circle Jericho seven times, day after day for a week.
I get the mental picture of the people of Jericho. The first day they dress for battle and their pulse quickens. They stand ready to engage. Stories of Israel’s triumphs over other kings racing through their minds.
But nothing happens.
The next day, the same thing transpires.
Again, nothing.
By the fourth day, were they gathering at the top of the wall asking each other, “what are they doing?”
Each day brings less anxiety. On the sixth day, they are joking with each other. Shouting insults, “Hey, you trumpeters, play us a tune!”
Then on the seventh day as they watch them circle, they might be shouting, “What, no Sabbath rest?”
Then, with a shout, the walls come down.
Building walls
Let’s examine ourselves now.
Do we have walls we have built up? Resisting the commands of the Lord. Knowing He wants us to change a part of our lives. To give up a sin, which we cling to, as if we think in time He will permit it.
At first it bothers us. We feel shame and guilt.
Then, after some time passes and nothing “bad” happens, we get comfortable with it.
Alas, we soon flaunt it in front of Him. Parading our sins in mockery. Shouting out, “what are you gonna do about it?”
We must not mock God. (see Gal 6:7). There is a day of reckoning when you will need to give an answer. (see Rom 14:12 and Mat 12:37).
My prayer, and the reason I keep writing these devotional messages, and preaching, is that your walls will come down before the shout. It would be much better for you to hear the trumpets call you to glory than to fear the trumpets of destruction.
God forgives sin
We all have sin. Rahab, a prostitute, found salvation in Jericho. We all can choose to seek first the Kingdom of God. This means letting go of the things of this world.
Achan’s covetousness of the robe and shiny metals lured him. The Lord had provided all he needed, but he got seduced. He contemplated that there was more than what God was giving him.
People stoned him and his family for this. The wages of sin are always death. (see Rom 6:23) The only way around that reality is by accepting Jesus as your Lord. Allowing His will to usurp your own.
Don’t let your shortsighted desires ambush you. God offers you much more.
Call out to Him and offer yourself like Rahab had.
