Who will bring me to the strong walled city? Who will lead me to Edom? God, surely You have rejected us. You do not go out with our armies.
Help us fight the enemy! Human help is useless. (vs. 9-11a)
What is your Edom? Your stronghold? Is there something (or someone) you fight against and cannot seem to conquer? Edom had been the enemy of Israel since they gained the Promised Land with Joshua. On and off. Rearing its ugly head to subvert, attack and sieze the land assured to them by God. Remember how the children of Israel took the Beautiful Land? The Lord's instructions to Joshua were to have armed men precede seven priests carrying seven shofars. The priests were followed by the ark of the covenant and then the rear guard followed by the Israelites. God's words to Joshua: See! I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors."
Joshua did as God commanded. Marched around the city one time a day for six days. Joshua further commanded the people to not say a word. Nothing. Nada. Until he told them to shout. That wasn't part of God's command, but it was very wise. Just think of the things they would've been saying to each other. "This is crazy!" "A waste of time!" "I don't trust this guy to lead us. He isn't Moses by any stretch!" Etc.
Jericho's walls are doubly fortified as they watch the craziness of a million people circling their city blowing shofars and carrying a box precariously set upon poles. It looked like a massive funeral dirge. By the seventh day, I can only imagine how freaked the residents of the city must've been. The seventh day. Watching the people march around them this day seven times. Around and around in ominous silence but for the trumpeting. The last time around, the Israelites stop. The priests sound an alarm on their horns. A great shout shakes the earth. And the walls of Jericho fall flat! God took the city for His people.
I think I could reasonably say God didn't go out with their army in defeating the enemy. More to the point: God was their army. Maybe our confusion is that we want our God to fight our way. This is what I am going to do, so God come with me. When He lags back (because we put Him back there in the rear guard), we think He has deserted us. The Almighty is not inclined to follow us. And with good reason. He actually knows the way. We shoot in the dark on our best days. Prostrate and crying out for His plan is a much better choice. Human help is worthless if we are going in the wrong direction. I need my God to show the way. To make the walls fall down. To receive what He has promised me. Here's the exciting thing about that. He is probably going to accomplish His will for me some crazy way I wouldn't have even thought of! I can count of His NOT doing it my way. That is pretty exciting in a nail-biting kind of way.
My guess is that the children of Israel were as surprised as the people of Jericho when the walls came tumblin' down. A million people scratching their heads and saying, "Really? All we did was shout!" ....and shut up. No chance to grumble and complain and wreak havoc on their own destiny by diminishing their faith. Just do it. What God told them to. Even if they just knew it wouldn't work. Even if they thought it was the stupidest plan ever. It seems the Father loves to confound the wise. No major military plan for conquering the Beautiful Land. Just obedience. Are you uncomfortable yet? I am.
"For I know the plans I have for you -- plans for welfare and not calamity -- to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me and I will listen. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found by you." God. Jeremiah 29
Help us fight the enemy! Human help is useless. (vs. 9-11a)
What is your Edom? Your stronghold? Is there something (or someone) you fight against and cannot seem to conquer? Edom had been the enemy of Israel since they gained the Promised Land with Joshua. On and off. Rearing its ugly head to subvert, attack and sieze the land assured to them by God. Remember how the children of Israel took the Beautiful Land? The Lord's instructions to Joshua were to have armed men precede seven priests carrying seven shofars. The priests were followed by the ark of the covenant and then the rear guard followed by the Israelites. God's words to Joshua: See! I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors."
Joshua did as God commanded. Marched around the city one time a day for six days. Joshua further commanded the people to not say a word. Nothing. Nada. Until he told them to shout. That wasn't part of God's command, but it was very wise. Just think of the things they would've been saying to each other. "This is crazy!" "A waste of time!" "I don't trust this guy to lead us. He isn't Moses by any stretch!" Etc.
Jericho's walls are doubly fortified as they watch the craziness of a million people circling their city blowing shofars and carrying a box precariously set upon poles. It looked like a massive funeral dirge. By the seventh day, I can only imagine how freaked the residents of the city must've been. The seventh day. Watching the people march around them this day seven times. Around and around in ominous silence but for the trumpeting. The last time around, the Israelites stop. The priests sound an alarm on their horns. A great shout shakes the earth. And the walls of Jericho fall flat! God took the city for His people.
I think I could reasonably say God didn't go out with their army in defeating the enemy. More to the point: God was their army. Maybe our confusion is that we want our God to fight our way. This is what I am going to do, so God come with me. When He lags back (because we put Him back there in the rear guard), we think He has deserted us. The Almighty is not inclined to follow us. And with good reason. He actually knows the way. We shoot in the dark on our best days. Prostrate and crying out for His plan is a much better choice. Human help is worthless if we are going in the wrong direction. I need my God to show the way. To make the walls fall down. To receive what He has promised me. Here's the exciting thing about that. He is probably going to accomplish His will for me some crazy way I wouldn't have even thought of! I can count of His NOT doing it my way. That is pretty exciting in a nail-biting kind of way.
My guess is that the children of Israel were as surprised as the people of Jericho when the walls came tumblin' down. A million people scratching their heads and saying, "Really? All we did was shout!" ....and shut up. No chance to grumble and complain and wreak havoc on their own destiny by diminishing their faith. Just do it. What God told them to. Even if they just knew it wouldn't work. Even if they thought it was the stupidest plan ever. It seems the Father loves to confound the wise. No major military plan for conquering the Beautiful Land. Just obedience. Are you uncomfortable yet? I am.
"For I know the plans I have for you -- plans for welfare and not calamity -- to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me and I will listen. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found by you." God. Jeremiah 29
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