Joshua 6 - Irrational Faith

Living a life of faith and obedience is easy when the call seems reasonable. We can understand the "golden rule" and how treating others with dignity and respect will lead to greater kindness on the part of others we encounter. But what happens to our faith when we are called to do something so unusual, so contrary to our reasoning, so improbable that only God could see it to success? Can we be obedient even then?  That is exactly what our friends the Israelites were charged to do. 

They have prepared themselves having completed the circumcision and celebrated the Passover remembrance. The awesome show God displayed in Egypt was fresh in their minds, but how would He overcome this great walled city?  

Gods commands were certainly unorthodox; no military strategist would depend on these. They didn't even make sense, they were to march around the city in full display of the inhabitants, one time silently each day for six days. It must have taken great courage to act in these commands. How could they possible lead to a victory over Jericho?  The people of the city must have been amused, confused and perhaps encouraged by the lack of force used. Then the Isarelite haut left and returned to camp. How odd. 

If it wasn't bad enough the first day, they were to repeat the silent parade five more times before their final day. Each day retuning to camp with no visible progress being made. How could God possibly use this?  Every day the Israelites saw the thick walls of the city with no action taken to strengthen their position and none to weaken that of Jericho, or so it would seem. It took great endurance to continue to obey God's commands when it seemed there was no progress; nothing the eye could measure. 

Finally on the final day, the grand silent parade seven times around.  Nothing, nothing, nothing and the. SHOUT!  For God has given them the City!  The faith that must have taken to persist in obedience in activities that made no sense to human reason is astounding. only God could have seen this through to success. The walls fell and the city was theirs for the taking. 

I don't know if you have ever faced such a challenge. Perhaps you have been praying for the salvation of a loved one for years with no perceivable change. Perhaps you have had pain and suffering so hard to endure with no relief in sight. Perhaps you have been faithfully serving in an assignment with no measurable progress and no one to appreciate your work. 

God is still able. His ways are higher than our ways and we don't always understand his hand at work.   But dear Christian, if you belong to Jesus Christ, you are not forgotten. Be courageous in your faithful obedience.  Though the night is all around, the dawn may be just about to break on your circumstances. God does not let our obedience go unnoticed.  God is writing His story in the pages of your life. He gets the victory, because He is the author and perfector of our faith. 

We read the great story of Jericho as a  great story of victory for the nation of Israel, but we don't look at it from the perspective of those going through the test. They did not see the end from the beginning, but they committed themselves to obedience no matter what.  When we commit ourselves to becoming like Christ and exercising faithful obedience, God shows up!

May God richly bless you as you seek Him and as you serve Him.