Jericho Conquered - Part 2 of 2

The Baptist Bible Hour now comes to you under the direction of Elder Lacerre Bradley Jr. This is Lacerre Bradley Jr. inviting you to stay tuned for another message of God's sovereign grace. O my soul, praise him, for he is my health and salvation. O ye who fear, now to this temple draw near, join me in glad adoration. Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee. Sure be his goodness and mercy, here daily attend thee.

Ponder anew what the Almighty can do, if with his love be befriend thee. Praise to the Lord, who let all that is in me adore him. All that hath life and breath come now with praises before him. Let thee, amen, sound from his people again. Gladly, for aye, we adore him.

The need is always especially great during the summer months, and so if you can help us at this time with the support of the program, we'll certainly be grateful for it. Our address is Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. We continue today with the message Jericho Conquered. This is from the book of Joshua, chapter 6, beginning with the first verse. We see here a sure promise, and then a faithful obedience on the part of God's people, and finally a great victory. When we walk with the Lord in the light of his word, what a glory he sheds on our way.

What we do is goodwill, he abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey. Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus. But to trust and obey.

Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies, but his smile quickly drives it away. Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear, can remain when we trust and obey. Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus. But to trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share, but a toil he doth richly repay. Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross, but it's best if we trust and obey. Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus. But to trust and obey.

Then in fellowship suite we will sit at his feet, one will walk by his side in the way. What he says we will do, where it sins we will go. Never fear, only trust and obey. Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus.

But to trust and obey. Not only are they afraid, but they say, what on earth are they doing? What's the purpose? What's going to happen next? So they march around one day, and they may have breathed a sigh of relief and said, well, at least they've gone back to their camp. And then the next day they show up again. And they march around the city and they're blowing these trumpets. That must have been an eerie sound. Constantly blowing the trumpets, blowing the trumpets.

It would indeed be unsettling. What's going to become of us? Well, day two they at least go back to their camp.

They're gone for now. They won't come back. Day three they show up again. March around the city, march around the city blowing the trumpets, blowing trumpets, blowing trumpets.

Come back day four, day five, day six, keep showing up every day. And even among the Israelites, there may have been some question, not only among those who thought the plan to start with was rather strange and maybe inappropriate, but at this point they could be saying, I told you this was a bad plan. We've marched around this city for six days and there's not even a crack in the wall. Why are we doing this?

We're getting nowhere fast. Well, the reason for doing this is that the captain said, do it. This is the order that came from the Lord, march around the city. It may not seem like a good plan to you. It may not seem like a workable plan, but it is the best plan because it comes from the Lord.

And we need to keep that in mind. When it comes to the way we are to serve God today, it's so easy to be influenced by the world and say, well, why aren't we doing this or that? Our plan seems to be so basic. I think it ought to be a little more complex. I think we don't want to cave in and be like the world, but we don't want to offend them either.

We want them to feel comfortable and we need to work out a plan to make that happen. But we're authorized only to follow one plan and that's God's plan has given us in his inspired word. Verse 9 it says, and the iron man went before the priest that blew with the trumpets and the rear ward came after the ark, the priest going on and blowing the trumpets. Repeated here over and over, the priest going on and blowing the trumpets. Now, not only were they told to march, they were to march in order. There was a place designated for the priest, for the armed men, for the people and for the Ark of the Covenant. Then just say, okay, everybody pack up and get ready for a day's march. Just fall in wherever you want to.

Let's just march around the city. No, this was planned. There was the priest going forward, blowing the trumpets. There was the Ark of the Covenant.

There was the rear ward coming up. Every place was designated according to what was going to be the ultimate success in seeing the walls come down. In 1 Corinthians 14 verse 33, it says, for God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. So there was no confusion here. It was not a disorganized group just going out, going in any direction that they might please.

It was an orderly procession as they went around the wall. Every man in his place, each one recognizing, I have a place to fill. I've got a role here and I want to be in my appointed place at the right time. And certainly that presents a picture for us in the Lord's church.

God is not the author of confusion. He has a structure in place and each member needs to be in his or her place realizing I'm not just here to occupy a pew. That's the first step. But I want to be active and zealous. I want to be a prayer warrior. I want to be ministering to others. I want to be growing in grace.

I want to fill my place. And then furthermore we note that the ark was in its appointed place. The ark represented the Lord himself. This is the ark of the covenant. It was a sacred thing, always representing the presence of the Lord.

You remember crossing the river Jordan. You remember that the priests had to go out in the middle of the river and stand there with the ark of the covenant holding it in place as the people crossed. And they had to stay there and you can imagine that took some time for well over a million people to cross the river. And they had to stand there patiently with the water in sight knowing that if it came forward on them they were going to drown, they were going to be dead.

And they were trusting God. And the fact that they were holding the ark of the covenant was symbolic of the fact that they were depending upon the presence of the Lord to protect them and sustain them so that they could all come successfully across the river. So the ark was made the center of interest and that's still the same as they come here to conquer Jericho. The ark is the center. And this indicates to me that principle that's seen throughout scripture that the Lord is to be the center of our lives.

Our focus must be upon Kim. Yes, there were other things transpiring. There were people who were involved but the focus had to be on the ark. Here's the presence of God with us. The Lord's presence was absolutely vital for the victory.

People could have marched day after day after day and marched till they dropped from exhaustion and there would have been nothing happened without the presence of the Lord. And we can work and labor and go through the motions but if the Lord is not present our labors are in vain. The ark is mentioned 16 times in chapters 3 through 5. And here in this section of chapter 6 from verses 6 to 13 it is mentioned 9 times.

So there is tremendous focus put upon the ark of the covenant knowing it was vital recognizing, symbolizing the presence of the Lord. And this should be a reminder to us we're not going to win any battle no matter what it is. Your battle against the flesh, your battle against the world, your battle against any temptation.

You're not going to win it in your own strength. It requires the presence of the Lord. Yes, the ark was a place of focus and they carried it as they marched around the walls. And then we note that it was a daily thing. They marched every day.

It wasn't left to somebody to say, Well, I don't see that's necessary. I think I'll stay home today or I've got a headache. I don't think I'll go today.

I don't know. They marched on a daily basis. And true Christianity has to be lived out on a daily basis. It's important that we come to church to worship Him and to sing praises to His name. But what happens on Monday? What happens on Tuesday?

What happens the rest of the week? There needs to be daily prayer. Daily time to be spent in the Word of God. God uses the preaching of this word, but also you need to hide it in your heart that you might not sin against Him as we're told in Psalm 119.

And that means that there is something to be done on a daily basis. There was patience required as they're waiting for victory. We already pointed out that there was a delay, which might have at least been considered a delay, but the people, it wasn't as far as God was concerned because God was leading them step by step in the way we'd have them to go. But there was a delay as far as any immediate effort to go toward Jericho. They were camped nearby, but one of the things that delayed it, they had to institute once again circumcision.

And they had to observe the Passover. And so some of them might have thought, why don't we move on? Well, they could not move until these requirements were met. And then as they're marching, somebody might have felt, it just seems that we're losing time.

If we're going to conquer the land of Canaan, this is just one city and we need to be getting on with it. So there was patience required. And sometimes that's one of the biggest challenges we face, is learning to have patience. Not to be idle, not to be indifferent, but learning when the Lord arranges things in such a way that we need to wait on him, that we learn to wait.

Wait on the Lord. And then self-control was required because they were told not to speak. Verse 10, And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until I bid you shout, then shall you shout. Well, there couldn't be anybody to go away saying, I wonder what Joshua meant by that. Did he really mean we couldn't talk at all?

It couldn't have been any plainer. You shall not make any noise with your voice. A lot of times people read description that doesn't quite suit them and say, well, you think it really means that? Don't you think there's got to be some exception to that?

Can't we look at it in a different light? And then if that wasn't enough, he says, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth. Make no noise with your voice. Don't speak any word. That means be quiet. Well, you can imagine that was difficult for some people because some people talk a lot. They don't do very well when it comes to listening, but they do real well when it comes to talking on and on and on. So you can imagine one of these talkers marching and something comes to mind and they feel like you're going to burst if they don't say it, but they remember Joshua said don't speak. So I've got to shut up. There's a time to speak and there's a time to be silent. And some people have never learned when to do which. They often are speaking when they should be silent and silent when they should be speaking.

We need to pray that God will give us wisdom, that we know when to speak and when we speak, what we should speak, that it may be to the glory and honor of His name. And then we see there was emphasis on the seventh day. The number seven is emphasized. There were seven priests, seven trumpets, seven days of marching and seven times on the seventh day. We see that throughout scripture. God created the heaven and the earth and He rested on the seventh day.

The Old Testament feast of unleavened bread and the feast of the booths, both were for seven days. You go to the book of Revelation and you find seven seals, seven angels, seven trumpets, seven plagues, seven golden vials. So it is evident that the number seven is a significant number throughout scripture.

It speaks of completeness, of perfection. And so people were to march seven days and seven times on the seventh day, which indicated complete obedience. And that's what the Lord requires of us. We like to figure out some way to excuse ourselves that, yes, I'm willing to do some things, but I don't want too much to be expected of me. But you know, the Apostle Paul wrote in this vein, I want you to be involved in every good work.

He always put the standard all the way up to the top. I don't want you just to work, I want you to be involved in every good work. So the Lord expects of us that complete obedience. Even though they may have thought that nothing was being accomplished on day one, day two, day three, this was all a part of what was necessary to get to the seventh time on the seventh day.

So even though they might have been discouraged, it was crucial that they continue to march. Now you may sometimes get discouraged in your effort to serve the Lord. You say, I'm marching, I'm praying, I'm reading God's Word, I'm trying to minister to other people, but it seems like I'm not making much progress.

I feel like giving up. Galatians chapter 6 verse 9 says, and let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

And then we see a great victory. Look at verse 13. And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of ram's horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually. So when I keep coming back to this, these men were marching and blowing trumpets.

We're not exaggerating it, we're just trying to put the same emphasis on it that we find here in the text. And they blew with the trumpets. And the armed men went before them, but the rear ward came after the ark of the Lord. The priests going on, and guess what, blowing with the trumpets.

So they're going on their way, they're marching around the wall, and they're continually blowing the trumpets. Verse 14. And the second day they compassed the city once and returned into the camp, so they did six days. Verse 15. And it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early about the dawning of the day.

That's another thing you find throughout this portion of scripture. Joshua, so often, was getting up early in the morning. The people were getting up early in the morning. They were about their task.

They weren't slothful. They weren't postponing it. They'd say, let's go on and get to done what needs to be done today. So they rose early, and they came at the dawning of the day and compassed the city after the same manner seven times. And it came to pass that the seventh time when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, shout, for the Lord hath given you the city.

Verse 20. So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets, and it came to pass when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, that the people shouted with a great shout that the wall fell down flat. So the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. Now with the wall flat on the ground, it was easy to get in, wasn't it? But they had to wait until they did what God required, and God brought down the wall. He didn't just open the little place for them to get in.

He brought the whole wall down flat to the ground. See, there was a time to shout, but only at the given signal. And when they shouted, God brought down the wall.

It was evident then that this was not something brought about by military strength, by somebody's unique plan and ingenuity. This was brought about because God was in charge. The people listened to his command.

They have followed it. They obeyed, and God brought down the wall, and God receives the glory. God gives victory. He gives a complete victory. The city was shut up so that nobody could enter, and now it says that they went straight way into the city. No obstacle in their path, nothing to hold them back.

Now it's easy for them to proceed. Sometimes we may try to enter into a situation. We may have a desire to serve in a particular capacity or a desire to make some particular change in our life. And there's an obstacle, there's a barrier, there's a wall in the way. And if we try to get out the battering rams and knock down the wall, we only complicate things. But if we walk in obedience and wait on the Lord, and he brings down the barrier, he brings down the wall in our path, then we're able to move forward.

Too many times somebody's trying to knock the wall down, and they should be marching. We need to pray for wisdom to make the right application of God's truth in our lives. And furthermore, we observe that it was by faith that the victory was won.

Hebrews chapter 11 verse 30 says, By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were compassed about seven times. When we face the walled cities in our life, the world, the flesh, and the devil, we can overcome by faith. Not in the energy of the flesh, not by sheer willpower and determination, but by faith, by trusting God, by depending upon Him. First John chapter 5 verse 4, For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world. There may be times that the child of God will stumble and falter, but the general tenor of his life is toward godliness. For whoever is born of God overcometh the world, and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God. Where are you today? Are you facing an enemy or an obstacle in your path that stands there like a walled city? Are you impatient, wanting to move on, but the fact is the signal hasn't been given. There's no evidence of the unfolding of divine providence that you ought to move forward. Are you weary of marching? I remind you today that the walls of Jericho came down because they trusted the promises of God and they followed God's plan. Worldly influences have invaded your life. Remember these words from First John. Faith is the victory. It's by faith that you overcome the world. It's by faith that you overcome the weakness of the flesh, the temptations that so easily beset you. And the overcomer is the one who is a believer in Jesus Christ. Have you believed in him? Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus is the Savior of sinners, the only way, the truth, and the life. Faith is the brightest evidence of things beyond our sight.

It pierces through the veil of sense and quells in every light. Oh, let us remember that declaration that faith is the victory that overcomes the world. And surely we'll often have to say, as did the man who was asking Jesus to heal his son, Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief. I hope that you will write and let us know that you've listened to the program and helped with the support if you can. Till next week at this same time, may the Lord richly bless you all.

The present view brings distant prospects home of things a thousand years ago. The Baptist Bible Hour has come to you under the direction of Elder LeSaire Bradley, Jr. Address all mail to the Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. That's the Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. And faith assures us, though we die, that every building stands.