Joshua 6:5: “Then it shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.”

March 27th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

The battle of Jericho is one of the most beloved examples of real faith in the Old Testament. It is a picture of winning the war before the battle even begins, and it is one of the few times in Scripture when the people of God did exactly as He told them to do. The first thing Joshua observed was the visible battle that lay before them. The city of Jericho was a walled city. The walls towered 80 feet high and 30 feet thick, and inside those walls was a well-armed and powerful enemy. What Joshua saw with his eyes was a problem of immense proportions. Every person has some kind of giant, visible problem in their life such as relationships, attitudes, sicknesses, family issues, or a host of other things. Whatever the giant problem is for you, it is real and stands right there in front of you.

As difficult as the visible giant of Jericho was, it was not Joshua’s real problem. The real challenge was the invisible war he had to fight in his own heart. Joshua needed to overcome the challenge of past failures. Every person has a history of failure, but effective people have learned to leave the past where it is and focus on the things that they can still do something about. Joshua also had to overcome his own preconceived ideas of how the battle should be fought. Joshua was not going to be able to fight this enemy his way, he would have to do things God’s way.

On the seventh day Joshua and the people arose early, about dawn, and marched around the city 7 times, as God had commanded. When the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua commanded the people for the first time to praise and shout, since God had given the city to them. They were to give praise and thanks before the city actually fell into their hands. Their faith turned into physical fact as the walls of Jericho miraculously fell down. Faith must be exercised like a muscle because if it is left unused, it will atrophy. Like normal muscles, faith must be applied, used, and depended upon by going out on a limb with God. Lean on God and thank Him in advance for taking down the strongholds of your flesh, as the giant, visible walls in your life fall down as well.

“LORD, we do thank You for what You are already doing in our lives. Give us the courage to follow You anywhere You lead us today.”