1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,520 Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church Podcast, 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:06,480 where we are proclaiming the truth to the world. 3 00:00:06,640 --> 00:00:09,720 My name is Pastor Josh and I want to thank you for listening to 4 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:10,480 this podcast. 5 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:14,680 I hope that this podcast can be a blessing to you and strengthen 6 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:16,080 you in the word of God. 7 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:20,160 Now, come along, let's look into the Bible and see what God has 8 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:21,440 for us here today. 9 00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:26,480 If you have your Bibles, we're going to be in Joshua chapter six, 10 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:28,880 Joshua, chapter six. 11 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:32,720 We are going to be looking tonight at the siege of Jericho. 12 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:37,000 And most of you have, at least in some way, probably heard of the 13 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:38,080 story of Jericho. 14 00:00:38,480 --> 00:00:42,160 There's a children's song about it, and certainly one of the 15 00:00:42,160 --> 00:00:45,120 more popular stories in scripture. 16 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:49,120 But there's a lot to be learned in this passage, and we know 17 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:53,000 that in the story of Joshua, certainly there's a lot that we can 18 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:53,400 glean. 19 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:56,870 But one of the many things we know in the book of Joshua is that 20 00:00:56,870 --> 00:01:00,070 God had made a promise to him and the children of Israel all the 21 00:01:00,070 --> 00:01:02,630 way back in Joshua chapter one. 22 00:01:03,030 --> 00:01:06,430 And as we've seen, God has kept that promise throughout every 23 00:01:06,430 --> 00:01:07,750 single chapter so far. 24 00:01:08,150 --> 00:01:10,910 And I think one of the lessons that we can learn as we study the 25 00:01:10,910 --> 00:01:14,510 book of Joshua is that when God gives us a promise, he keeps 26 00:01:14,510 --> 00:01:15,110 his word. 27 00:01:15,270 --> 00:01:19,430 And in the midst of that promise, in the midst of our trials, 28 00:01:19,910 --> 00:01:24,450 he gives us protection, he gives us provision, he gives us power 29 00:01:24,690 --> 00:01:25,810 as we follow Him. 30 00:01:25,810 --> 00:01:28,050 And go back to Joshua chapter one. 31 00:01:28,050 --> 00:01:32,330 Remember, he said, if you want to be successful, if you want to 32 00:01:32,330 --> 00:01:36,210 be prosperous, spiritually speaking, follow my word, obey my 33 00:01:36,210 --> 00:01:39,490 word, and don't just know it, but also put it to practice. 34 00:01:40,050 --> 00:01:42,370 And I think that's another great lesson to learn in the book 35 00:01:42,370 --> 00:01:45,890 of Joshua is it's one thing to know the word of God, which we should, 36 00:01:46,210 --> 00:01:48,810 but it's another thing to apply it and to live it, to meditate 37 00:01:48,810 --> 00:01:53,430 upon it, to allow it to be infused into the way that we think, 38 00:01:53,590 --> 00:01:55,910 into the way that we live, by the way that we respond. 39 00:01:56,150 --> 00:01:59,670 And really, when we are people of the Word and people of prayer, 40 00:01:59,670 --> 00:02:01,950 we grow to be people of faith. 41 00:02:01,950 --> 00:02:04,950 And that's what we're going to see here in Joshua chapter six. 42 00:02:04,950 --> 00:02:07,070 And so if you have your Bibles, look there with me in verse 43 00:02:07,070 --> 00:02:11,110 number one, we're going to see God's instructions for the battle. 44 00:02:11,510 --> 00:02:14,830 Now, if you were here with us last week, we saw the captain of 45 00:02:14,830 --> 00:02:16,830 the host of the Lord come and visit Joshua. 46 00:02:16,830 --> 00:02:21,700 And most commentators believe that was a christophany, a pre incarnate 47 00:02:21,780 --> 00:02:26,860 appearance of Jesus giving a challenge to Joshua letting Joshua 48 00:02:26,860 --> 00:02:30,180 be reminded that he is not in control, that God is in control, 49 00:02:30,500 --> 00:02:32,900 and that if God is in control, that he's going to be with them and 50 00:02:32,900 --> 00:02:34,580 he's going to give them the victory. 51 00:02:34,820 --> 00:02:37,620 And that's really what God does in our life through many different 52 00:02:37,620 --> 00:02:37,900 ways. 53 00:02:37,900 --> 00:02:40,180 He comes and he reminds us of his strength. 54 00:02:40,180 --> 00:02:41,660 He reminds us of his presence. 55 00:02:41,660 --> 00:02:44,500 He reminds us that the victory can only be found in Him. 56 00:02:44,500 --> 00:02:47,710 And so here in the first five verses, we see the instructions for 57 00:02:47,710 --> 00:02:48,190 battle. 58 00:02:48,190 --> 00:02:50,310 And when we see these instructions, they're not going to 59 00:02:50,310 --> 00:02:51,430 make a lot of sense to us. 60 00:02:52,230 --> 00:02:57,230 This would not be typical for a plan for a battle because we would 61 00:02:57,230 --> 00:03:00,030 think that they would just come in and do what they would normally 62 00:03:00,030 --> 00:03:03,390 do by invading or maybe sneaking around the back of the city 63 00:03:03,390 --> 00:03:05,270 or trying to find a weakness in the walls. 64 00:03:05,270 --> 00:03:08,830 But verse number one tells us that Jericho was straightly shut 65 00:03:08,830 --> 00:03:10,550 up because of the children of Israel. 66 00:03:11,050 --> 00:03:12,810 None went out and none came in. 67 00:03:12,810 --> 00:03:17,050 And so very first verse, we see that Jericho is on full alert. 68 00:03:17,130 --> 00:03:17,930 They're ready. 69 00:03:18,810 --> 00:03:20,850 They're not going to be surprised. 70 00:03:20,850 --> 00:03:21,170 Why? 71 00:03:21,170 --> 00:03:24,450 Because they know of what God is doing through the people of Israel. 72 00:03:24,450 --> 00:03:27,009 They know of the prior victories. 73 00:03:27,009 --> 00:03:29,930 They know of the crossing of the Jordan River. 74 00:03:30,330 --> 00:03:33,250 They know that God is with these people. 75 00:03:33,250 --> 00:03:35,330 And so they're on full alert. 76 00:03:35,330 --> 00:03:39,500 So from, from our human perspective, from a battlefield perspective, 77 00:03:40,220 --> 00:03:42,540 this seems like an impossible battle to win. 78 00:03:43,020 --> 00:03:45,500 Israel is coming in and Jericho is ready. 79 00:03:45,500 --> 00:03:47,220 They're the ones that have the home ground. 80 00:03:47,220 --> 00:03:49,180 They're the ones that are fortified. 81 00:03:49,180 --> 00:03:51,180 They're the ones that are prepared. 82 00:03:51,260 --> 00:03:54,740 But we know that from God's perspective, not, not man's perspective, 83 00:03:54,740 --> 00:03:57,420 but God's perspective, the battle was already done. 84 00:03:57,660 --> 00:03:59,500 God had already given the victory. 85 00:03:59,820 --> 00:04:04,180 Because if you remember, he says, joshua, I have given you Jericho 86 00:04:04,180 --> 00:04:04,860 into your hand. 87 00:04:05,170 --> 00:04:06,770 I, I've already given you this. 88 00:04:06,770 --> 00:04:09,130 I. I've already given you the hand of Jericho. 89 00:04:09,130 --> 00:04:10,490 That's what it says there in verse number two. 90 00:04:10,490 --> 00:04:13,490 It says, and the Lord said unto Joshua, see, I have given into 91 00:04:13,490 --> 00:04:17,130 thine hand Jericho and the king thereof, and the mighty men 92 00:04:17,130 --> 00:04:17,690 of valor. 93 00:04:17,690 --> 00:04:20,850 So from the human perspective, it looks like an impossible battle. 94 00:04:20,850 --> 00:04:23,570 Looks like the odds are stacked up against Joshua and people 95 00:04:23,570 --> 00:04:24,210 of Israel. 96 00:04:24,370 --> 00:04:28,450 But in the godly perspective, in the perspective of the Lord, we 97 00:04:28,450 --> 00:04:30,650 see that the victory was already there. 98 00:04:30,650 --> 00:04:34,030 And so up to this point, everything was preparation. 99 00:04:34,110 --> 00:04:35,790 Now it's put into practice. 100 00:04:35,950 --> 00:04:37,950 What they were saying, they believed it. 101 00:04:38,350 --> 00:04:41,430 And that's really what happens with our own life when we face spiritual 102 00:04:41,430 --> 00:04:41,870 battles. 103 00:04:42,110 --> 00:04:45,750 Like, we can prep and we can, we can think about the promises of 104 00:04:45,750 --> 00:04:46,030 God. 105 00:04:46,030 --> 00:04:49,150 We can trust in the promises of God, but the book of James tells 106 00:04:49,150 --> 00:04:50,750 us faith without works is dead. 107 00:04:51,070 --> 00:04:54,390 And so if we believe that God is going to give us the victory, 108 00:04:54,390 --> 00:04:57,390 if we believe that God is going to keep his word, it's going 109 00:04:57,390 --> 00:05:00,820 to take us to walk in obedience to prove that we believe 110 00:05:01,220 --> 00:05:03,740 that God says what he says is true. 111 00:05:03,740 --> 00:05:07,580 And so that's exactly what's happening here with people of Israel. 112 00:05:07,580 --> 00:05:11,580 They're going to move forward in faith, believing in what God has 113 00:05:11,580 --> 00:05:12,100 for them. 114 00:05:12,100 --> 00:05:15,140 And so verse three, he gives them the marching orders and he says, 115 00:05:15,140 --> 00:05:19,500 and ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war and go round about 116 00:05:19,500 --> 00:05:22,300 the city once, thus shalt thou do six days. 117 00:05:22,300 --> 00:05:25,420 And so there were six days supposed to march around the walls 118 00:05:25,420 --> 00:05:26,340 of the earth. 119 00:05:26,690 --> 00:05:31,650 So this was a method of warfare that really does not make 120 00:05:31,650 --> 00:05:32,210 any sense. 121 00:05:32,450 --> 00:05:33,650 We're just going to march around. 122 00:05:34,690 --> 00:05:38,490 Maybe some would argue that this is an intimidation thing, but 123 00:05:38,490 --> 00:05:42,850 this method of warfare was one that would not make sense according 124 00:05:42,850 --> 00:05:45,250 to military intelligence. 125 00:05:46,290 --> 00:05:47,330 But what does that mean? 126 00:05:47,330 --> 00:05:52,170 That means that this victory is going to be completely based dependence 127 00:05:52,170 --> 00:05:56,670 on God, not independence in our own minds, not, not our way of 128 00:05:56,670 --> 00:06:00,750 thinking, not worldly wisdom, but ultimately a complete dependence 129 00:06:00,750 --> 00:06:01,910 on the plan of God. 130 00:06:02,390 --> 00:06:05,550 And I think sometimes in our life that's really what it takes 131 00:06:05,550 --> 00:06:09,550 for us to relinquish our control, relinquish the worldly way 132 00:06:09,550 --> 00:06:11,710 of thinking about something and saying, Lord, it doesn't make 133 00:06:11,710 --> 00:06:14,670 sense, but I'm going to trust in you to give me the victory. 134 00:06:14,670 --> 00:06:15,630 So he says, do this. 135 00:06:15,630 --> 00:06:19,750 And then verse 4 and 7 priests shall bear before the ark. 136 00:06:20,230 --> 00:06:21,670 And you guys know the ark of the Covenant. 137 00:06:21,670 --> 00:06:23,270 Seven trumpets of rams horns. 138 00:06:23,270 --> 00:06:25,990 And the seventh day you shall compass the city seven times. 139 00:06:26,710 --> 00:06:29,270 And so on the seventh day there's, there's going to be a difference. 140 00:06:29,350 --> 00:06:32,310 They're not just going to go around the city one time, they're 141 00:06:32,310 --> 00:06:33,350 going to go around seven times. 142 00:06:33,350 --> 00:06:37,950 And the priest shall blow with the trumpets and it shall come to 143 00:06:37,950 --> 00:06:41,830 pass when they make the long glass with the ram's horn. 144 00:06:41,830 --> 00:06:45,350 And when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall 145 00:06:45,350 --> 00:06:46,710 shout with a great shout. 146 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:49,920 So it's not just them marching around the city, it's not just the 147 00:06:49,920 --> 00:06:52,240 trumpet blast, but it's also the shouting of people. 148 00:06:52,640 --> 00:06:56,600 And the wall of the city shall fall down flat and the people shall 149 00:06:56,600 --> 00:06:58,640 ascend up every man straight for. 150 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:00,600 And so here's the plan. 151 00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:02,640 God says this is what's going to happen. 152 00:07:03,280 --> 00:07:04,800 And really there's a question there. 153 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:07,920 Are you going to follow says, this is what you should do. 154 00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:11,840 It was a plan for victory and it was a clear plan that God gives. 155 00:07:12,730 --> 00:07:14,930 God is though giving them something to do. 156 00:07:14,930 --> 00:07:17,290 I mean, God could have just knocked the walls over, right? 157 00:07:17,530 --> 00:07:20,490 I mean, he could have said, israelites, stay in Gilgal, I'm just 158 00:07:20,490 --> 00:07:22,330 going to knock the walls over, then you guys go in. 159 00:07:22,330 --> 00:07:25,970 I mean, God could have struck the city of Jericho with lightning. 160 00:07:25,970 --> 00:07:29,130 But in this we see the relationship between God and man. 161 00:07:29,850 --> 00:07:32,770 God is the all powerful creator of the universe. 162 00:07:32,770 --> 00:07:35,290 God is the one who is completely victorious. 163 00:07:35,450 --> 00:07:38,210 But it's the partnership with man that's, it's, it's the action 164 00:07:38,210 --> 00:07:41,070 of faith that we see this relationship with God and the people 165 00:07:41,070 --> 00:07:41,830 of Israel working. 166 00:07:41,830 --> 00:07:42,990 And that's how it works with us. 167 00:07:43,150 --> 00:07:47,390 Sometimes God is going to call us to act out in faith, to allow 168 00:07:47,470 --> 00:07:49,870 his plan to come to pass in our life. 169 00:07:50,670 --> 00:07:54,230 And so obviously it was something that God could have done 170 00:07:54,230 --> 00:07:55,390 without Israel. 171 00:07:56,590 --> 00:07:58,030 And that's obvious with us. 172 00:07:58,030 --> 00:08:01,350 God can get his plan done in this world without us. 173 00:08:01,350 --> 00:08:07,320 But God wanted Israel to be a part of his work and God wants us 174 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:08,280 to be a part of it. 175 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:13,520 And so when we come to a spiritual battle in our lives, certainly 176 00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:17,920 there is that point of crisis that we have to say, lord, this doesn't 177 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:18,400 make sense. 178 00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:19,720 I don't know why you're doing this. 179 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:21,720 I don't know why you called me to do this. 180 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:24,040 I don't understand the bigger picture. 181 00:08:24,120 --> 00:08:27,040 But if God says that, hey, this is what you need to do and this 182 00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:30,640 is the victory that comes with it, obviously the only proper response 183 00:08:30,640 --> 00:08:31,800 in faith is obedience. 184 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:35,640 I can't say that I have faith and then act in disobedience. 185 00:08:36,040 --> 00:08:39,040 Because if I'm acting in disobedience, I'm not trusting that 186 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:42,000 God's word is the best, that I'm not trusting that God's plan 187 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:42,520 is the best. 188 00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:45,280 I'm saying, well God, I believe you, but I'm not going to 189 00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:45,880 act on it. 190 00:08:46,280 --> 00:08:50,200 And so really the manifestation of our faith is obedience. 191 00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:52,200 Now obedience does not equal faith. 192 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:53,720 A lot of people flip that script. 193 00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:56,960 A lot of people say, well, if I obey, then that's what saves me. 194 00:08:56,960 --> 00:09:00,720 If I'm acting and obeying God perfectly, that's when God is going 195 00:09:00,720 --> 00:09:01,640 to give me salvation. 196 00:09:01,640 --> 00:09:03,400 And that what's, that's what equals faith. 197 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:05,760 It's not that obedience doesn't equal faith. 198 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:10,640 Faith actually, and, and so it's works don't save us, but true 199 00:09:10,640 --> 00:09:13,440 salvation, true faith is produced in works. 200 00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:16,840 And that's what we're seeing happen Here in Joshua chapter six. 201 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:20,680 So verse six, we're going to see the response. 202 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:24,200 God has given his plan, God has given his word. 203 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:28,520 And now the Israelites specifically with Joshua at the lead, 204 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:29,880 have a choice to make. 205 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:31,120 Are we going to follow this? 206 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:32,660 Where are we going to do our thing? 207 00:09:33,540 --> 00:09:36,460 And for us, so what does this look like for us? 208 00:09:36,460 --> 00:09:39,300 Because, because we want to take the things in the word of God, 209 00:09:39,300 --> 00:09:39,580 right? 210 00:09:39,580 --> 00:09:43,020 And we want to take application because this is a story 211 00:09:43,020 --> 00:09:47,060 about real people in a real place a very, very long time ago. 212 00:09:47,540 --> 00:09:50,700 And, and so sometimes people see it just as that which it is a 213 00:09:50,700 --> 00:09:51,380 true story. 214 00:09:51,540 --> 00:09:55,180 And it is an important thing to remember exactly what happened 215 00:09:55,180 --> 00:09:56,100 here in Jericho. 216 00:09:56,180 --> 00:09:59,140 But at the same time, if we keep it just in a book as a history 217 00:09:59,140 --> 00:10:02,210 lesson, we miss the application that we can take with 218 00:10:02,210 --> 00:10:02,890 us in our own. 219 00:10:03,530 --> 00:10:04,890 So what does this look like for us? 220 00:10:04,970 --> 00:10:06,810 Well, how does God speak to us today? 221 00:10:06,810 --> 00:10:09,210 Well predominantly God speaks to us through the Bible. 222 00:10:09,930 --> 00:10:13,530 And so when God gives us something clearly in his word to 223 00:10:13,530 --> 00:10:17,330 do, especially when it comes to fighting the enemy, we know who 224 00:10:17,330 --> 00:10:17,930 our enemy is. 225 00:10:17,930 --> 00:10:20,930 Ephesians chapter 6 tells us that we wrestle not against flesh 226 00:10:20,930 --> 00:10:23,610 and blood, but against principalities and powers and workers 227 00:10:23,610 --> 00:10:25,210 of darkness, evil in this world. 228 00:10:25,460 --> 00:10:28,260 And so it's a battle of good and evil in our life. 229 00:10:28,660 --> 00:10:31,740 And so God's not calling us to take a sword in our hands and, and 230 00:10:31,740 --> 00:10:36,180 go fight the enemy across the, the seas necessarily when it comes 231 00:10:36,180 --> 00:10:36,980 to our faith. 232 00:10:36,980 --> 00:10:39,660 But what he does say is that we need to fight evil around us. 233 00:10:39,660 --> 00:10:42,340 And so when we have these temptations and these trials and 234 00:10:42,340 --> 00:10:45,900 these attacks coming from the outside, God has exactly in his word 235 00:10:45,900 --> 00:10:47,220 what we are supposed to do. 236 00:10:47,380 --> 00:10:48,980 He gives us his marching order. 237 00:10:49,540 --> 00:10:52,540 And sometimes when we read things in scripture, they don't make 238 00:10:52,540 --> 00:10:53,220 a lot of sense. 239 00:10:54,210 --> 00:10:57,890 Love our enemy, do good to those that hurt you. 240 00:10:58,850 --> 00:11:04,050 Don't retaliate, be patient, have unity. 241 00:11:04,050 --> 00:11:05,210 That doesn't make sense to us. 242 00:11:05,210 --> 00:11:08,890 But what God is telling us is if you believe in the bigger picture, 243 00:11:08,890 --> 00:11:12,650 if you believe in the truth of the gospel, if you believe that I 244 00:11:12,650 --> 00:11:15,850 am who I say I am, then here is what you need to do to fight the 245 00:11:15,850 --> 00:11:16,290 battle. 246 00:11:16,370 --> 00:11:19,690 So we're going to see Joshua and the people's response here in 247 00:11:19,690 --> 00:11:20,880 verse number six. 248 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:23,400 Joshua is going to tell the priests and the people to obey. 249 00:11:23,880 --> 00:11:26,760 And Joshua the son of nun called the priest and said unto them, 250 00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:30,240 take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear 251 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:33,080 seven trumpets of rams horns before the ark of the Lord. 252 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:36,319 So it takes a leader sometimes to say this is What God has said, 253 00:11:36,319 --> 00:11:37,240 we're going to do this. 254 00:11:38,280 --> 00:11:41,200 Now, we don't know exactly what would have happened if Joshua 255 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:43,720 would have hesitated, because we know in Scripture that Joshua 256 00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:44,280 obeys. 257 00:11:44,360 --> 00:11:47,360 But nonetheless, we see the influence that Joshua has on the 258 00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:48,650 life of the people of Israel. 259 00:11:48,650 --> 00:11:49,770 He says, we're going to do this. 260 00:11:49,850 --> 00:11:50,410 Verse 7. 261 00:11:50,410 --> 00:11:53,690 And he said unto the people, pass on and compass the city, and 262 00:11:53,690 --> 00:11:56,970 let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the Lord. 263 00:11:57,770 --> 00:12:00,050 And so Joshua tells the priest to get ready. 264 00:12:00,050 --> 00:12:03,610 Joshua had to tell the priest because what they were about to do 265 00:12:03,610 --> 00:12:05,410 was outside of their comfort zone. 266 00:12:05,410 --> 00:12:07,450 It was different than what they're used to. 267 00:12:07,930 --> 00:12:11,730 Normally the priests weren't going into the paddle that was left 268 00:12:11,730 --> 00:12:12,650 for the men of war. 269 00:12:13,130 --> 00:12:16,810 And so the ark would be the prominence of focus in the victory, 270 00:12:17,660 --> 00:12:20,300 obviously, as it was when it was crossing the Jordan River. 271 00:12:20,300 --> 00:12:23,660 But obviously Israel had to keep their eyes and their hearts 272 00:12:23,660 --> 00:12:24,340 on the Lord. 273 00:12:24,340 --> 00:12:25,700 And that was the way they could do that. 274 00:12:25,700 --> 00:12:28,740 The Ark of the Covenant was that symbol, that picture of keeping 275 00:12:28,740 --> 00:12:30,460 their eyes and their hearts on the Lord. 276 00:12:31,020 --> 00:12:35,340 And so Joshua tells the people, Joshua leads them, but ultimately 277 00:12:35,340 --> 00:12:38,380 it's the Lord leading the people into this battle that seems 278 00:12:38,380 --> 00:12:40,460 impossible to accomplish. 279 00:12:40,460 --> 00:12:43,340 And so we're going to see, starting in verse number eight, Israel 280 00:12:43,340 --> 00:12:44,840 following Joshua's instructions. 281 00:12:46,110 --> 00:12:48,910 So God speaks to Joshua, Joshua speaks to the people. 282 00:12:48,910 --> 00:12:50,230 The people are going to respond. 283 00:12:50,230 --> 00:12:52,870 And we know in this case, the people respond in obedience. 284 00:12:52,870 --> 00:12:53,430 Verse 8. 285 00:12:53,430 --> 00:12:55,870 And it came to pass when Joshua had spoken unto the people 286 00:12:56,110 --> 00:12:58,990 that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of the ram's horns 287 00:12:58,990 --> 00:13:01,950 passed on before the Lord and blew with trumpets and the ark of 288 00:13:01,950 --> 00:13:03,630 the covenant and the Lord followed them. 289 00:13:04,590 --> 00:13:09,470 I think it's important to see here that in the people's obedience 290 00:13:09,710 --> 00:13:11,310 we see the presence of God. 291 00:13:12,020 --> 00:13:14,020 Sometimes we think that we're alone in the battle. 292 00:13:14,100 --> 00:13:16,420 God calls us to fight this battle. 293 00:13:16,660 --> 00:13:18,740 God calls us to take a step of faith. 294 00:13:18,740 --> 00:13:21,540 And sometimes we're tempted to feel like we're alone in that. 295 00:13:21,540 --> 00:13:24,940 And it might feel that way in some regard, but the Bible says that 296 00:13:24,940 --> 00:13:27,060 he is never going to leave us nor forsake us. 297 00:13:27,860 --> 00:13:31,380 So sometimes, if some of you remember being in school, it's been 298 00:13:31,380 --> 00:13:35,100 a while since some of us have been in school, but I was a teacher 299 00:13:35,100 --> 00:13:35,780 for a while. 300 00:13:36,340 --> 00:13:41,140 And when I was teaching, I, I, I would teach my students as much 301 00:13:41,140 --> 00:13:43,660 as I could before the test, right? 302 00:13:43,660 --> 00:13:46,180 We would, we would go, we would usually have tests every two, 303 00:13:46,180 --> 00:13:46,740 three weeks. 304 00:13:46,740 --> 00:13:48,980 And we would, I would be talking about history. 305 00:13:48,980 --> 00:13:51,020 And some of you like history, some of you don't like history. 306 00:13:51,020 --> 00:13:53,780 If you don't like history, you might be like, most of my students, 307 00:13:53,780 --> 00:13:55,420 they would sit there and go, yeah, yeah, yeah. 308 00:13:55,500 --> 00:13:55,980 And I'm. 309 00:13:55,980 --> 00:13:57,820 I'm sitting there trying to, like, make history exciting. 310 00:13:57,820 --> 00:13:59,420 I'm like, guys, this was amazing. 311 00:13:59,420 --> 00:14:00,380 We don't want to repeat. 312 00:14:00,380 --> 00:14:01,980 And they're like, sitting there nodding their heads, and I'm 313 00:14:01,980 --> 00:14:02,460 like, okay. 314 00:14:02,630 --> 00:14:05,110 And then I get to Friday, Friday, you know, we're going to 315 00:14:05,110 --> 00:14:06,830 have a test on Monday, and Friday is the review day. 316 00:14:06,830 --> 00:14:09,030 And I say, okay, guys, I'm going to give you everything that's 317 00:14:09,030 --> 00:14:09,510 in the test. 318 00:14:09,750 --> 00:14:10,910 I'm going to give you everything here. 319 00:14:10,910 --> 00:14:13,630 And I would walk through with them, and they didn't know it, but 320 00:14:13,630 --> 00:14:14,790 I was giving them the answers. 321 00:14:14,790 --> 00:14:18,630 I was like, okay, I might ask you, you know, in what year was, 322 00:14:18,790 --> 00:14:21,390 you know, John F. Kennedy assassinated and where was it? 323 00:14:21,390 --> 00:14:22,190 And I would like to. 324 00:14:22,190 --> 00:14:23,150 I'm giving you the type. 325 00:14:23,150 --> 00:14:23,990 You just wrote it down. 326 00:14:24,070 --> 00:14:25,270 You have all the notes. 327 00:14:26,070 --> 00:14:27,670 So then the test comes, right? 328 00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:31,040 And then I drop tests on the desk. 329 00:14:32,160 --> 00:14:34,640 They start out, and then, you know, it never ends. 330 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:38,400 Every time someone raises their hand, what do you mean by this? 331 00:14:39,040 --> 00:14:39,840 And they want to start. 332 00:14:39,840 --> 00:14:41,680 I'm like, now's not the time to ask questions. 333 00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:43,280 I've got to be silent during this test. 334 00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:45,240 And that's. 335 00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:45,640 Sometimes. 336 00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:48,640 I know it's not the exact same thing, but sometimes when. 337 00:14:49,040 --> 00:14:52,160 When the Lord is allowing us to go through a test, he's seen if 338 00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:54,620 we paid attention to the lessons that we have been taught. 339 00:14:55,650 --> 00:14:58,530 Now, I. I used this analogy a while ago, and Brother Bob brought 340 00:14:58,530 --> 00:15:00,050 this up to me, and I think this is a good point. 341 00:15:00,050 --> 00:15:02,570 The good thing about being a Christian is that we have an open 342 00:15:02,570 --> 00:15:03,690 book test, right? 343 00:15:03,690 --> 00:15:04,490 We have it right here. 344 00:15:04,490 --> 00:15:06,090 We have everything we need right in front of us. 345 00:15:06,090 --> 00:15:09,050 So when we're going through the trial, we can crack open the 346 00:15:09,050 --> 00:15:11,250 notes and see everything that we have right there. 347 00:15:11,890 --> 00:15:14,450 And in some cases, when I was a teacher, I had open book tests. 348 00:15:14,450 --> 00:15:16,930 If it was really hard, those are the ones that the kids enjoyed. 349 00:15:17,170 --> 00:15:22,040 But the reality is, is that as Christians, we might feel like God 350 00:15:22,040 --> 00:15:25,680 is not there with us in the midst of that trial, but God is there 351 00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:27,120 with us in the midst of the battle. 352 00:15:27,120 --> 00:15:28,240 And that's what we see there. 353 00:15:28,240 --> 00:15:30,760 In verse number eight, it says that God was with them, that the 354 00:15:30,760 --> 00:15:31,880 Lord followed them. 355 00:15:32,360 --> 00:15:35,640 And so Joshua doesn't hesitate to do what the Lord told him to do. 356 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:37,920 And I think that's also important as well. 357 00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:41,640 I mean, if we're talking about obedience, when God gives us an order, 358 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:42,840 we don't delay. 359 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:46,610 You know, when we're teaching our children how to obey, we don't 360 00:15:46,610 --> 00:15:48,570 say like, hey, obey us when you feel like it. 361 00:15:48,570 --> 00:15:49,810 It's obey us right away. 362 00:15:50,050 --> 00:15:53,210 And that's exactly what God wants from us, is immediate obedience. 363 00:15:53,210 --> 00:15:54,850 And that's what we see with Joshua here. 364 00:15:55,410 --> 00:16:00,250 And so we see that they're going around and Jericho wasn't a 365 00:16:00,250 --> 00:16:01,250 humongous city. 366 00:16:02,210 --> 00:16:04,770 They could easily march around it in a day. 367 00:16:04,850 --> 00:16:08,210 And so, I mean, obviously it was a massive, massive city. 368 00:16:08,210 --> 00:16:09,490 They wouldn't be able to do that. 369 00:16:09,970 --> 00:16:13,130 But I couldn't help but think about the people of Jericho, what 370 00:16:13,130 --> 00:16:13,890 they're thinking about. 371 00:16:13,890 --> 00:16:17,790 Seeing these guys, you know, marching around our city and eventually 372 00:16:17,790 --> 00:16:19,710 blowing trumpets, that's, that's going to seem weird. 373 00:16:19,710 --> 00:16:22,350 But ultimately the world's going to think that the things that 374 00:16:22,350 --> 00:16:23,150 we do are weird. 375 00:16:23,630 --> 00:16:25,310 Just be, just, just being honest. 376 00:16:25,310 --> 00:16:28,910 I mean, when we live boldly as Christians, the world does not understand 377 00:16:30,190 --> 00:16:30,990 what that means. 378 00:16:31,310 --> 00:16:34,670 They don't understand the obedience of, of following the word 379 00:16:34,670 --> 00:16:35,150 of God. 380 00:16:35,310 --> 00:16:38,190 And so they do this, they do this over and over and over again. 381 00:16:38,190 --> 00:16:38,630 Verse 9. 382 00:16:38,630 --> 00:16:41,880 And the armed men went before the priest that blew the trumpets. 383 00:16:42,040 --> 00:16:47,120 And the reward came after the ark, or the re reward came after 384 00:16:47,120 --> 00:16:50,120 the ark and the priests going on and blowing with the trumpet. 385 00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:53,520 And so coming through this we see that they're going to follow 386 00:16:53,520 --> 00:16:57,320 in obedience and follow to the t exactly what God called them to 387 00:16:57,320 --> 00:16:57,440 do. 388 00:16:57,440 --> 00:16:57,840 Verse 10. 389 00:16:57,840 --> 00:17:00,440 And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, you shall not shout, 390 00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:04,160 nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed 391 00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:08,030 out of your mouth until I the day I bid you shout, then shall you 392 00:17:08,030 --> 00:17:08,350 shout. 393 00:17:08,350 --> 00:17:08,910 Meaning this. 394 00:17:09,310 --> 00:17:10,590 Don't get ahead of ourselves. 395 00:17:11,150 --> 00:17:12,910 Don't, don't, don't get anxious. 396 00:17:13,150 --> 00:17:15,910 Don't allow yourself to say, you know what, we've been doing this 397 00:17:15,910 --> 00:17:19,790 for three days, four days, five days. 398 00:17:19,790 --> 00:17:20,910 Why do we have to wait today? 399 00:17:20,910 --> 00:17:21,270 7. 400 00:17:21,270 --> 00:17:22,910 Can't we just do what we're gonna do? 401 00:17:22,990 --> 00:17:24,670 And that's sometimes what God does for us. 402 00:17:24,670 --> 00:17:28,550 Because when we're in a trial, when we're fighting a battle, sometimes 403 00:17:28,550 --> 00:17:32,230 it's a patience of test, sometimes it's, are we going to be 404 00:17:32,230 --> 00:17:34,590 willing to follow completely what God has said? 405 00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:37,520 And so Joshua says, don't get ahead of yourself. 406 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:40,720 Don't, don't call out until I tell you. 407 00:17:40,720 --> 00:17:41,280 Verse 11. 408 00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:44,840 So the ark of the Lord can pass the city going about at once. 409 00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:47,520 And they came into the camp and lodged in the camp and Joshua 410 00:17:47,520 --> 00:17:50,240 rose early in the morning and the priest took up the ark of the 411 00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:53,160 Lord and the Seventh priest bearing seven trumpets of rams horns 412 00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:56,520 before the ark of the Lord went on continually and blew with 413 00:17:56,520 --> 00:17:58,560 the trumpets and the armed men went before them. 414 00:17:58,800 --> 00:18:02,400 But the reward came after the ark of the Lord and the priest going 415 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:04,040 on and blowing with the trumpets. 416 00:18:04,040 --> 00:18:06,840 In the second day they can pass the city and returned to the 417 00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:07,080 camp. 418 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:08,680 So they did six days. 419 00:18:09,640 --> 00:18:12,520 So we see that they followed through with what God had called 420 00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:13,040 them to do. 421 00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:15,880 And so in this it's a complete reliance on God. 422 00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:22,560 Through these six days of marching in silence, they had a good 423 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:25,160 look at the walls, they had a good look at Jericho. 424 00:18:25,160 --> 00:18:28,600 And they knew that this battle was bigger than what they could accomplish. 425 00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:31,560 This was a realization of a complete need. 426 00:18:31,560 --> 00:18:33,780 And Lord and I think all of us need to see that. 427 00:18:33,780 --> 00:18:37,900 When we come into a spiritual battle in our lives, sometimes we're 428 00:18:37,900 --> 00:18:40,820 tempted to think that the spiritual battle can be accomplished 429 00:18:40,820 --> 00:18:41,940 through worldly means. 430 00:18:42,900 --> 00:18:47,300 Sometimes we think that our wisdom, our strength, our understanding 431 00:18:47,300 --> 00:18:51,140 is enough to deal with something that's beyond our comprehension, 432 00:18:51,140 --> 00:18:52,340 what's beyond our control. 433 00:18:53,380 --> 00:18:56,660 And I think that for all of us, a good lesson to learn and actually 434 00:18:56,660 --> 00:19:01,200 trust in is to know that the struggles that we fight in our spiritual 435 00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:03,800 life, they go beyond our comprehension. 436 00:19:03,800 --> 00:19:07,400 They go beyond our control and we have to completely be reliant 437 00:19:07,400 --> 00:19:07,960 on the Lord. 438 00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:11,840 Going back to my teaching years, I remember told the story 439 00:19:11,840 --> 00:19:14,160 so many times because it's such a vivid memory for me. 440 00:19:14,240 --> 00:19:16,000 I can remember it like it was yesterday. 441 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:20,280 I remember they called me in to be a teacher for the first time. 442 00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:23,280 I was substitute teaching and they called me in to be a full time 443 00:19:23,280 --> 00:19:26,500 teacher in January of the year. 444 00:19:26,500 --> 00:19:28,860 So halfway through the year they're like, okay, can you come 445 00:19:28,860 --> 00:19:29,060 in? 446 00:19:29,060 --> 00:19:30,260 I said, sure, what do you need? 447 00:19:30,420 --> 00:19:31,060 They're like really? 448 00:19:31,060 --> 00:19:33,300 Our really biggest need is like senior high English. 449 00:19:34,100 --> 00:19:35,060 So I came in. 450 00:19:35,300 --> 00:19:38,220 Some of you were like, that's, that's my favorite subject. 451 00:19:38,220 --> 00:19:40,660 Some of you were like, I hated, you know, senior level English. 452 00:19:42,260 --> 00:19:43,300 English literature. 453 00:19:43,780 --> 00:19:44,300 Okay. 454 00:19:44,300 --> 00:19:48,620 You know, so like all those classic stories, Beethoven or not 455 00:19:48,620 --> 00:19:50,820 Beethoven, Beethoven was the music. 456 00:19:51,810 --> 00:19:53,930 Shakespeare, I was thinking Shakespeare, Shakespeare and all 457 00:19:53,930 --> 00:19:54,090 that. 458 00:19:54,090 --> 00:19:57,530 So anyway, long story short, I remember driving to, to work on my 459 00:19:57,530 --> 00:20:00,770 very first day thinking I'm gonna ruin these kids lives. 460 00:20:00,770 --> 00:20:02,530 I, I don't know enough about this. 461 00:20:02,530 --> 00:20:05,090 I'm, I'm beyond what my knowledge of all this. 462 00:20:05,090 --> 00:20:08,250 I'm not ready for this because I was 22 years old and I was teaching 463 00:20:08,250 --> 00:20:09,170 18 year olds, okay. 464 00:20:09,170 --> 00:20:12,450 I gone to school with some of these kids, to be honest with you. 465 00:20:12,850 --> 00:20:16,970 And I remember just being in tears driving to to work that day 466 00:20:16,970 --> 00:20:19,410 thinking, like, I'm gonna ruin these kids lives, they're never gonna 467 00:20:19,410 --> 00:20:20,290 be able to go to college. 468 00:20:20,980 --> 00:20:22,020 I'm going to teach him wrong. 469 00:20:22,100 --> 00:20:23,500 And it was a complete. 470 00:20:23,500 --> 00:20:26,820 Like every morning I would wake up and from the moment I would 471 00:20:26,820 --> 00:20:29,300 wake up to the moment I started teaching, I was praying. 472 00:20:29,620 --> 00:20:33,180 Like I, it was a long drive to work, but it was, it was, I was driving, 473 00:20:33,180 --> 00:20:35,980 I was praying, lord, help me, help me today, help me in every way. 474 00:20:35,980 --> 00:20:40,420 But you know, after a while, after a while, one or two years in, 475 00:20:40,740 --> 00:20:42,860 started getting really complacent because I was like, now 476 00:20:42,860 --> 00:20:43,660 I know what I'm teaching. 477 00:20:43,660 --> 00:20:45,140 I've taught this two or three times. 478 00:20:45,220 --> 00:20:47,460 I can go into the classroom or you know what I'm going to say. 479 00:20:47,860 --> 00:20:53,140 And really it was those times of pride, those times of selfishness 480 00:20:53,140 --> 00:20:55,940 to think that I've got this, that that's really where I was tested. 481 00:20:55,940 --> 00:20:58,420 And I think that all of us need to go back to that complete 482 00:20:58,420 --> 00:20:59,260 reliance on God. 483 00:20:59,260 --> 00:21:04,220 Not in fear and not in anxiety, but in a complete reliance 484 00:21:04,220 --> 00:21:06,100 on the Lord to say, lord, this is beyond me. 485 00:21:07,060 --> 00:21:08,820 Another similar moment in my life. 486 00:21:08,980 --> 00:21:11,940 And some of you maybe have these moments that you could give 487 00:21:11,940 --> 00:21:15,550 as testimonies, but I remember the first time we brought Micah home, 488 00:21:15,550 --> 00:21:16,270 our first child. 489 00:21:16,990 --> 00:21:18,590 I was like, I can't do this. 490 00:21:18,910 --> 00:21:20,750 Like, I have a life that's right here. 491 00:21:20,830 --> 00:21:22,510 I can't even take care of myself. 492 00:21:22,990 --> 00:21:24,510 I'm like, how is this gonna happen? 493 00:21:24,590 --> 00:21:27,790 And I remember Micah was just laying in, in the, in the crib there, 494 00:21:27,950 --> 00:21:29,510 and I was just weeping over him. 495 00:21:29,510 --> 00:21:30,790 And Alicia's like, are you okay? 496 00:21:30,790 --> 00:21:31,390 What's going on? 497 00:21:31,390 --> 00:21:33,070 I'm like, I don't know what to do. 498 00:21:33,070 --> 00:21:34,830 I'm like, this is, this is intense. 499 00:21:35,790 --> 00:21:38,710 And, but, but I think in a good way, it was a complete reliance 500 00:21:38,710 --> 00:21:42,110 on the fact that I need God to, to intervene in my life because 501 00:21:42,110 --> 00:21:43,150 I don't know what to do. 502 00:21:43,630 --> 00:21:45,150 And that's where we're really seeing them. 503 00:21:45,150 --> 00:21:47,550 They're, they're marching around the city going, lord, we need 504 00:21:47,550 --> 00:21:47,790 you. 505 00:21:47,790 --> 00:21:48,990 Completely we're helpless. 506 00:21:49,310 --> 00:21:53,270 And so verse 15, that starts the, the final march on the seventh 507 00:21:53,270 --> 00:21:53,430 day. 508 00:21:53,430 --> 00:21:55,350 This is the, the big day, so to speak. 509 00:21:55,350 --> 00:21:59,230 And it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early 510 00:21:59,310 --> 00:22:02,350 about the dawning of the day and compassed the city after the 511 00:22:02,350 --> 00:22:03,550 same manner seven times. 512 00:22:03,950 --> 00:22:06,790 Remember on the, the last day, the seventh, the seventh day, they 513 00:22:06,790 --> 00:22:07,870 have to go around seven times. 514 00:22:08,310 --> 00:22:10,950 Only on that day they can pass the city seven times. 515 00:22:10,950 --> 00:22:14,390 So they again obey God specifically and completely. 516 00:22:14,870 --> 00:22:15,470 Verse 16. 517 00:22:15,470 --> 00:22:19,270 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priest blew 518 00:22:19,270 --> 00:22:20,150 with the trumpets. 519 00:22:20,390 --> 00:22:25,270 Joshua said unto the people, shout, for the Lord hath given you 520 00:22:25,270 --> 00:22:25,750 the city. 521 00:22:26,470 --> 00:22:27,590 And I can't. 522 00:22:28,630 --> 00:22:31,230 I guess I can imagine somewhat what the shouts would have been like. 523 00:22:31,230 --> 00:22:33,390 If you've ever been to a big sporting event and you hear all the 524 00:22:33,390 --> 00:22:35,300 shouts, okay, just think about that. 525 00:22:35,300 --> 00:22:38,540 And think about they've been quiet for seven days, and now it's 526 00:22:38,540 --> 00:22:41,620 time to cry out and know that they have the victory. 527 00:22:42,500 --> 00:22:46,260 I think of this in many different ways, but the one way that 528 00:22:46,260 --> 00:22:48,420 I think about it is it's a shouting of joy. 529 00:22:48,420 --> 00:22:49,580 It's a shouting of victory. 530 00:22:49,580 --> 00:22:52,340 It's shouting with the confidence in the Lord. 531 00:22:52,340 --> 00:22:55,260 And so they had been patient, and the command was given to the 532 00:22:55,260 --> 00:22:55,980 people to shout. 533 00:22:55,980 --> 00:22:59,380 And after those days of silence, this comes, as I believe, 534 00:22:59,380 --> 00:23:02,130 a recipe recognition of the power of God and the presence of 535 00:23:02,130 --> 00:23:05,530 God to give them what was promised to them. 536 00:23:06,090 --> 00:23:11,850 And so, Micah or Nora, can you bring me shofar? 537 00:23:11,930 --> 00:23:13,930 I brought this as a picture lesson. 538 00:23:14,010 --> 00:23:16,850 I don't know if the trumpets would have looked specifically like 539 00:23:16,850 --> 00:23:22,770 this, but when we were in Israel, in Jerusalem, I wanted a 540 00:23:22,770 --> 00:23:24,570 shofar, a ram's horn. 541 00:23:25,130 --> 00:23:30,400 And there was one up on the wall, and it was like, this big, 542 00:23:30,720 --> 00:23:32,920 and it had, like, silver inlay. 543 00:23:32,920 --> 00:23:33,960 And he ever riding on. 544 00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:35,080 And I'm like, I want that one. 545 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:36,520 And I asked him how much it cost. 546 00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:39,800 And when he told me how much it cost, I was like, okay, I want 547 00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:40,240 that one. 548 00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:41,360 So I got this little one. 549 00:23:43,280 --> 00:23:44,920 So I keep this in my office. 550 00:23:44,920 --> 00:23:47,120 If you've ever been to my office, I just keep it in my office. 551 00:23:47,120 --> 00:23:49,360 And for me, it's a reminder of a lot of things. 552 00:23:49,360 --> 00:23:52,370 That's a reminder of our trip to Israel. 553 00:23:52,370 --> 00:23:53,010 Not going to lie. 554 00:23:53,010 --> 00:23:53,330 It was. 555 00:23:53,330 --> 00:23:54,370 It was an amazing time. 556 00:23:54,370 --> 00:23:57,130 And again, I'm always thankful for the church to send us there. 557 00:23:58,010 --> 00:23:58,650 But the. 558 00:23:58,890 --> 00:24:02,410 The other reminder, it is for me, and I. I think back to this story 559 00:24:02,410 --> 00:24:05,730 in the book of Joshua, story of these trumpets being sounded. 560 00:24:05,730 --> 00:24:08,930 And it's the sound of the presence of God, the sound of the 561 00:24:08,930 --> 00:24:09,690 power of God. 562 00:24:10,250 --> 00:24:14,010 And I was thinking tonight, I was, like, praying about. 563 00:24:14,010 --> 00:24:15,570 I'm like, should I just blow the shofar? 564 00:24:15,570 --> 00:24:16,930 But I'm like, I'm going to mess it up. 565 00:24:16,930 --> 00:24:19,550 But you know who is the best shofar blower than I know? 566 00:24:20,670 --> 00:24:22,670 I think Nora is actually probably the best. 567 00:24:23,150 --> 00:24:24,990 Nora, do you want to come blow the show far? 568 00:24:25,550 --> 00:24:26,510 You want to try it? 569 00:24:27,150 --> 00:24:28,190 All right, let's see if you can do it. 570 00:24:28,190 --> 00:24:28,670 Nora. 571 00:24:28,830 --> 00:24:30,510 Nora's usually pretty good with this. 572 00:24:31,950 --> 00:24:33,230 Yeah, I'm putting pressure on you now. 573 00:24:33,230 --> 00:24:33,790 You got it. 574 00:24:39,630 --> 00:24:40,510 Getting nervous. 575 00:24:42,590 --> 00:24:43,390 There you go. 576 00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:48,080 Normally. 577 00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:48,800 Normally, yeah. 578 00:24:48,800 --> 00:24:49,320 She blows it. 579 00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:49,720 Micah does it. 580 00:24:49,720 --> 00:24:50,840 You want to do it, too, Micah? 581 00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:51,760 You want to try? 582 00:24:51,760 --> 00:24:52,360 Okay. 583 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:55,640 Now, the only reason I'm letting my kids do it and not your 584 00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:57,640 kids do it is because your kids probably don't want to come 585 00:24:57,640 --> 00:25:00,240 and blow on a show far that you're supposed to clean them. 586 00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:01,800 But I don't think I've cleaned it very much. 587 00:25:02,120 --> 00:25:02,520 All right. 588 00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:04,040 You don't mind your sister's germs? 589 00:25:05,160 --> 00:25:06,800 Oh, now, I made him think about it. 590 00:25:06,800 --> 00:25:08,120 All right, you can try it. 591 00:25:12,130 --> 00:25:14,490 Oh, you forgot how to do it. 592 00:25:14,490 --> 00:25:14,930 All right. 593 00:25:15,970 --> 00:25:17,570 That's how I would do it, too, probably. 594 00:25:18,850 --> 00:25:24,250 Anyway, so it's a reminder, obviously, of. 595 00:25:24,250 --> 00:25:25,290 Of the presence of God. 596 00:25:25,290 --> 00:25:29,090 And so they blow these trumpets, they blow the ram's horns, 597 00:25:29,090 --> 00:25:30,410 and they see the victory. 598 00:25:30,410 --> 00:25:31,330 Now what happens? 599 00:25:31,890 --> 00:25:35,890 Okay, because they shout and verse 17, and the city shall be accursed, 600 00:25:36,990 --> 00:25:39,830 even it and all that are therein to the Lord. 601 00:25:39,830 --> 00:25:41,710 Only Rahab the harlot shall live. 602 00:25:42,030 --> 00:25:43,030 And so in right. 603 00:25:43,030 --> 00:25:46,630 Right in the middle of this challenge for them to blow the horns 604 00:25:46,630 --> 00:25:52,750 and to cry out, we see that there is a remembrance of the promise 605 00:25:52,750 --> 00:25:54,110 that was given to Rahab. 606 00:25:54,190 --> 00:25:56,750 Again, in the midst of this, we see pictures of salvation. 607 00:25:57,070 --> 00:26:00,910 If you remember back all the way in Joshua, chapter two, remember, 608 00:26:00,910 --> 00:26:04,230 Rahab was there, and she had faith in the God of Israel. 609 00:26:04,230 --> 00:26:07,010 And then there was the promise to her that she would be with her 610 00:26:07,010 --> 00:26:09,250 family, spared if she put out the red cord. 611 00:26:09,330 --> 00:26:10,650 And so this is that. 612 00:26:10,650 --> 00:26:14,330 This is that a command to remember Rahab. 613 00:26:14,330 --> 00:26:18,210 So Joshua was careful to remember Rahab because God remembered 614 00:26:18,210 --> 00:26:18,690 Rahab. 615 00:26:18,690 --> 00:26:23,490 It was her faith in the God of Israel that would allow her to find 616 00:26:23,570 --> 00:26:24,210 salvation. 617 00:26:24,290 --> 00:26:26,210 So it is that reminder there. 618 00:26:26,210 --> 00:26:30,530 And so it says, and she and all that are with her in the house 619 00:26:30,530 --> 00:26:32,610 because she hid the messengers that were sent. 620 00:26:33,520 --> 00:26:35,520 And so verse 18. 621 00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:38,800 And ye in any wise, keep yourselves from the accursed thing, 622 00:26:38,960 --> 00:26:42,360 lest you make yourselves a curse when you take of the cursed 623 00:26:42,360 --> 00:26:45,200 thing and make the camp of Israel a curse and trouble it. 624 00:26:45,760 --> 00:26:47,280 But then we see verse 19. 625 00:26:47,280 --> 00:26:51,240 But all the silver and golden vessels of brass and iron are consecrated 626 00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:54,560 unto the Lord, meaning the Lord is taking all these materials, 627 00:26:54,560 --> 00:26:57,200 and they shall come into the treasury of the Lord. 628 00:26:57,600 --> 00:27:01,510 And so Joshua had commanded the people of Israel to stay away 629 00:27:01,510 --> 00:27:02,870 from the accursed things, all right? 630 00:27:02,870 --> 00:27:03,110 Not. 631 00:27:03,110 --> 00:27:06,190 Not to allow themselves to get caught up in the evil things. 632 00:27:06,190 --> 00:27:09,670 By this, he means the idols and the things that were associated 633 00:27:09,670 --> 00:27:13,350 with the demonic worship that was there in Canaan. 634 00:27:13,830 --> 00:27:15,670 And then actually there is that. 635 00:27:16,630 --> 00:27:17,990 We're going to talk a little bit about the. 636 00:27:17,990 --> 00:27:19,150 The curse there of. 637 00:27:19,150 --> 00:27:20,070 Of Jericho. 638 00:27:20,470 --> 00:27:23,630 But then he says, okay, you avoid all the bad things, but all 639 00:27:23,630 --> 00:27:27,110 the viable things that belong to God allow that to be the first 640 00:27:27,110 --> 00:27:30,550 fruits that are given in worship to the lord. 641 00:27:30,550 --> 00:27:31,270 So verse 20. 642 00:27:31,750 --> 00:27:34,270 So the people shouted when the priest blew the trumpets. 643 00:27:34,270 --> 00:27:36,950 And it came to pass when the people heard the sound of the trumpet. 644 00:27:36,950 --> 00:27:40,230 And the people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down 645 00:27:40,230 --> 00:27:40,710 flat. 646 00:27:41,110 --> 00:27:44,350 So that people went up the city, every man straight before him, 647 00:27:44,350 --> 00:27:45,430 and they took the city. 648 00:27:45,430 --> 00:27:47,710 So this is where we see the victory. 649 00:27:47,710 --> 00:27:51,670 The walls come down, miracle of God happens. 650 00:27:52,390 --> 00:27:54,550 No other city had been conquered this way. 651 00:27:55,450 --> 00:27:59,410 So Israel is trusting in God and God keeps his word and gives 652 00:27:59,410 --> 00:28:01,930 them the victory by knocking down the walls. 653 00:28:02,010 --> 00:28:02,690 Verse 21. 654 00:28:02,690 --> 00:28:04,890 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city. 655 00:28:04,890 --> 00:28:08,250 This talks of a complete victory, both man and woman, young 656 00:28:08,250 --> 00:28:11,530 and old, a locks and sheep and ass and the edge of the sword. 657 00:28:12,570 --> 00:28:16,570 And so Israel was commanded to practice complete destruction because 658 00:28:16,730 --> 00:28:18,490 they did not want to have the. 659 00:28:18,490 --> 00:28:23,660 The Canaanites spiritual of darkness pervading them and allowing 660 00:28:23,660 --> 00:28:27,820 that to be a conflict for them and a compromise. 661 00:28:28,460 --> 00:28:32,060 And that you've seen in Deuteronomy, chapter 18, God's plan. 662 00:28:32,700 --> 00:28:33,660 So they took the city. 663 00:28:34,140 --> 00:28:36,300 They took the city that God gave to them. 664 00:28:37,420 --> 00:28:39,260 Clearly God gave it to them. 665 00:28:39,340 --> 00:28:43,100 And then we see in verse 22, on to the end of the. 666 00:28:43,420 --> 00:28:45,580 The end of the chapter, there's the finishing of battle. 667 00:28:45,580 --> 00:28:48,890 But Joshua sentence, two men that spied out the country go into 668 00:28:48,890 --> 00:28:52,130 the harlot's house and bring out thence the woman and all that 669 00:28:52,130 --> 00:28:53,690 she hath as she swear unto her. 670 00:28:53,690 --> 00:28:56,690 And the young men that were spies went in and brought out Rahab 671 00:28:56,690 --> 00:28:59,130 and her father and her mother and her brother, and all that she 672 00:28:59,130 --> 00:29:01,970 had, they brought out all of her kindred and left them without 673 00:29:02,530 --> 00:29:03,130 Israel. 674 00:29:03,130 --> 00:29:05,090 So I think that's a beautiful picture. 675 00:29:05,090 --> 00:29:09,050 We often don't think about the story of Rahab as much in the story 676 00:29:09,050 --> 00:29:11,810 of Jericho, but we should, because Rahab was spared. 677 00:29:12,540 --> 00:29:14,900 And there's a couple of unique things about Rahab. 678 00:29:14,900 --> 00:29:19,060 Obviously she's saved out of life, sin, but also she. 679 00:29:19,060 --> 00:29:21,500 She isn't part of the people of Israel. 680 00:29:21,500 --> 00:29:25,100 But yes, this is a picture of how God is not just the God of Israel, 681 00:29:25,100 --> 00:29:28,940 even though he is the God of Israel, he's also the God of all 682 00:29:28,940 --> 00:29:29,500 nations. 683 00:29:29,900 --> 00:29:33,700 And beautiful picture of Rahab being brought into the family of 684 00:29:33,700 --> 00:29:33,980 God. 685 00:29:33,980 --> 00:29:39,890 And we know that the line of the Messiah Is mark the line of Rahab. 686 00:29:39,890 --> 00:29:42,410 So interesting, interesting story. 687 00:29:42,890 --> 00:29:44,250 So verse 24. 688 00:29:44,250 --> 00:29:46,810 And they burnt the city with fire and all that was therein, only 689 00:29:46,810 --> 00:29:49,290 the silver and gold and the vessels of brass and iron they put 690 00:29:49,290 --> 00:29:51,050 into the treasury of the house of the Lord. 691 00:29:51,050 --> 00:29:54,129 And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive and her father's household 692 00:29:54,129 --> 00:29:55,210 and all that she had. 693 00:29:55,290 --> 00:29:59,010 And she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day, because she hid 694 00:29:59,010 --> 00:30:02,570 the messengers which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. 695 00:30:02,890 --> 00:30:07,170 And Joshua j them at the time saying, cursed be the man before 696 00:30:07,170 --> 00:30:10,230 the Lord that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho ago. 697 00:30:10,550 --> 00:30:14,310 He shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and his 698 00:30:14,310 --> 00:30:17,270 youngest shall he set up the gates of it. 699 00:30:17,910 --> 00:30:19,750 And that's an interesting statement there. 700 00:30:20,150 --> 00:30:22,790 I was like, okay, that's, that's interesting. 701 00:30:22,790 --> 00:30:23,870 What's that a reference to? 702 00:30:23,870 --> 00:30:26,990 Well, that is actually fulfilled this curse. 703 00:30:26,990 --> 00:30:30,670 And, and the firstborn being laid in the foundation is fulfilled 704 00:30:30,670 --> 00:30:33,030 in First Kings chapter 16, verse 34. 705 00:30:33,750 --> 00:30:37,550 And we don't have necessarily the time to go there to cross reference 706 00:30:37,550 --> 00:30:37,750 that. 707 00:30:37,750 --> 00:30:42,680 But that all actually comes to pass in a story where, where they 708 00:30:42,680 --> 00:30:44,080 tried to rebuild Jericho. 709 00:30:44,080 --> 00:30:47,440 And this, this guy had his son laid in the foundation. 710 00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:51,040 His firstborn, his youngest son was set up in the gates according 711 00:30:51,040 --> 00:30:53,960 to the word of the Lord, as it says in First Kings chapter 16. 712 00:30:54,520 --> 00:30:57,120 And so that actually was a curse that was laid out there in 713 00:30:57,120 --> 00:30:57,720 Jericho. 714 00:30:57,720 --> 00:30:59,880 So verse 27, then we'll be done. 715 00:30:59,880 --> 00:31:03,560 So the Lord was with Joshua and it speaks of the presence of 716 00:31:03,560 --> 00:31:06,970 God and his fame was noise throughout all of the country. 717 00:31:08,170 --> 00:31:12,330 And so this completes the story of Israel's victory at Jericho. 718 00:31:12,490 --> 00:31:13,290 Power of God. 719 00:31:13,290 --> 00:31:15,850 And there's a few things that I'd like us to learn from this. 720 00:31:15,850 --> 00:31:17,290 Number one, it's a story of faith. 721 00:31:17,930 --> 00:31:23,010 Obviously Joshua and the people of Israel believe in plan 722 00:31:23,010 --> 00:31:25,810 of God and they follow the plan of God. 723 00:31:25,810 --> 00:31:27,610 And so with faith comes obedience. 724 00:31:27,610 --> 00:31:28,970 And so it's a story of obedience. 725 00:31:29,930 --> 00:31:35,770 Joshua and Israel not only said that they believe and, and followed 726 00:31:35,770 --> 00:31:38,290 with their minds, but also followed with their actions. 727 00:31:38,530 --> 00:31:40,850 And I think that's a lesson for all of us that if we believe 728 00:31:40,850 --> 00:31:44,130 the battle plans of God, then we follow in obedience as well. 729 00:31:44,130 --> 00:31:45,370 It's a story of courage. 730 00:31:45,370 --> 00:31:49,770 It's a story of, of not physical courage necessarily as much 731 00:31:49,770 --> 00:31:50,690 as it is spiritual. 732 00:31:50,850 --> 00:31:53,970 Now there was physical outpouring of that courage. 733 00:31:54,210 --> 00:31:57,490 But a lot of times we as Christians are failing in the area 734 00:31:57,490 --> 00:32:00,540 of being brave for the cause of the gospel cause of the Lord. 735 00:32:00,860 --> 00:32:03,860 But we believe in the word of God and we're Obeying him, our lives 736 00:32:03,860 --> 00:32:07,260 will be marked with courage, even if there is aspects of danger 737 00:32:07,260 --> 00:32:07,900 involved. 738 00:32:08,140 --> 00:32:09,180 It's a story of. 739 00:32:09,180 --> 00:32:10,700 Of patience or endurance. 740 00:32:11,580 --> 00:32:14,420 Israel followed the battle plan over a period of time. 741 00:32:14,420 --> 00:32:16,540 It wasn't like, hey, God, give it to us today. 742 00:32:17,100 --> 00:32:18,020 We want it today. 743 00:32:18,020 --> 00:32:20,500 No, they wanted it today, but God said, no, it's going to take 744 00:32:20,500 --> 00:32:21,020 this time. 745 00:32:21,020 --> 00:32:22,900 And they followed in obedience. 746 00:32:22,900 --> 00:32:24,780 And then ultimately it's a story of trust. 747 00:32:25,830 --> 00:32:28,550 They didn't trust in their own plans, but they trusted in the plans 748 00:32:28,550 --> 00:32:28,830 of God. 749 00:32:28,830 --> 00:32:31,910 And I think it's a story that all of us can apply to our lives 750 00:32:31,910 --> 00:32:35,030 when it comes to these spiritual battles that we have to 751 00:32:35,030 --> 00:32:35,430 face. 752 00:32:35,510 --> 00:32:39,590 Now, I wish I could tell you that the rest of the story for the 753 00:32:39,590 --> 00:32:42,990 rest of the book of Joshua means that they'll never turn away, 754 00:32:42,990 --> 00:32:44,750 that they'll follow in obedience. 755 00:32:44,750 --> 00:32:48,990 But we know that just as we have ups and downs, so the people 756 00:32:48,990 --> 00:32:50,670 of Israel have ups and downs. 757 00:32:50,670 --> 00:32:55,730 And so there's going to be times where sin bathes the people 758 00:32:55,730 --> 00:32:56,450 of Israel. 759 00:32:56,610 --> 00:32:58,130 It sin gets into the camp. 760 00:32:58,530 --> 00:33:01,410 And when sin gets into the camp, we see that there's going to 761 00:33:01,410 --> 00:33:05,810 be losses and there's going to be despair and there's going to be 762 00:33:06,770 --> 00:33:07,530 hopelessness. 763 00:33:07,530 --> 00:33:10,330 And so ultimately they have to come back to a place of repentance. 764 00:33:10,330 --> 00:33:15,210 And Joshua is going to lead his people back to a place of repentance 765 00:33:15,210 --> 00:33:15,970 and revival. 766 00:33:16,530 --> 00:33:19,410 And so the story of Joshua and the story of the people of Israel 767 00:33:19,410 --> 00:33:22,440 in the promised land is a story of ups and downs. 768 00:33:22,440 --> 00:33:25,840 But ultimately we see a story of God being completely faithful. 769 00:33:26,400 --> 00:33:30,760 It's, it's, it's we, the people who are varying up and down, 770 00:33:30,760 --> 00:33:32,480 but God is the one who's faithful. 771 00:33:32,480 --> 00:33:35,840 So though we look at Joshua being kind of the main character 772 00:33:35,840 --> 00:33:38,120 of the book of Joshua, the main character is the Lord. 773 00:33:38,120 --> 00:33:38,880 It always is. 774 00:33:39,200 --> 00:33:42,000 It's his hand of blessing upon the people of Israel. 775 00:33:42,240 --> 00:33:43,680 And that should be the story of our life. 776 00:33:43,680 --> 00:33:44,840 The story of our life should. 777 00:33:44,840 --> 00:33:46,960 We shouldn't be the main star of our story. 778 00:33:48,100 --> 00:33:50,420 The main focus of our story should be Jesus. 779 00:33:50,420 --> 00:33:54,500 It should be the Lord working in our life and everything that we 780 00:33:54,500 --> 00:33:54,820 have. 781 00:33:54,820 --> 00:33:59,060 Any victory that we have, any blessing that we have, any testimony 782 00:33:59,060 --> 00:34:01,220 that we have is all to the glory of God. 783 00:34:01,220 --> 00:34:04,220 It's all because of what he has done for us. 784 00:34:04,220 --> 00:34:07,380 And so there's so much more that we could look at when it comes 785 00:34:08,180 --> 00:34:11,100 to Jericho and Joshua. 786 00:34:11,100 --> 00:34:13,860 But I think that that's the biggest story is it's a story of 787 00:34:14,410 --> 00:34:14,650 faith. 788 00:34:14,650 --> 00:34:15,850 It's a story of obedience. 789 00:34:15,850 --> 00:34:19,450 It's A story of patience and a story of trust in, in the Lord. 790 00:34:20,090 --> 00:34:24,010 And so, hey, who knows, you know, maybe one day you'll get to 791 00:34:24,010 --> 00:34:27,090 go to Israel and you can see Jericho and drive by and see it. 792 00:34:27,090 --> 00:34:30,730 Now I, you know, I had the opportunity to see Jericho and there's 793 00:34:30,730 --> 00:34:32,730 a lot of other things that actually happened in Jericho too. 794 00:34:32,810 --> 00:34:34,450 We won't get ahead of ourselves there. 795 00:34:34,450 --> 00:34:36,810 But there's some stuff in the New Testament that happens there 796 00:34:36,810 --> 00:34:38,170 and ultimately old. 797 00:34:38,730 --> 00:34:43,770 But what I would say is find a time in your life, a day in your 798 00:34:43,770 --> 00:34:46,370 life where you can maybe it's not a chauffeur. 799 00:34:46,690 --> 00:34:48,130 I mean, it is. 800 00:34:48,130 --> 00:34:50,210 But for you, it might be something else in your life that 801 00:34:50,210 --> 00:34:53,770 you can look to as a reminder of God's presence and provision in 802 00:34:53,770 --> 00:34:54,210 your life. 803 00:34:55,890 --> 00:34:57,050 No, I don't. 804 00:34:57,050 --> 00:34:59,210 I'm not a huge fan of having to have symbols. 805 00:34:59,210 --> 00:35:00,410 Some people have to have symbols. 806 00:35:00,410 --> 00:35:03,450 You don't have to have a symbol, but allow yourself to be 807 00:35:03,450 --> 00:35:06,530 reminded of those things in your life that God has done for you. 808 00:35:07,010 --> 00:35:10,330 And we see that in the book of Joshua, Remember, they crossed the 809 00:35:10,330 --> 00:35:10,890 Jordan River. 810 00:35:10,890 --> 00:35:11,330 What do they do? 811 00:35:11,330 --> 00:35:12,770 They set up the memorial stones. 812 00:35:13,090 --> 00:35:14,290 They remind their families. 813 00:35:15,090 --> 00:35:18,690 And so, yeah, you don't have to have something like that in your 814 00:35:18,690 --> 00:35:21,450 life, but I would encourage you to pray about God does. 815 00:35:21,450 --> 00:35:24,370 Press upon your heart to have a reminder in your life about to 816 00:35:24,450 --> 00:35:27,650 tell your children about why we're praising God. 817 00:35:27,730 --> 00:35:30,330 We try to tell our kids all the time some of the good things 818 00:35:30,330 --> 00:35:31,810 that God has done for us in our life. 819 00:35:32,700 --> 00:35:36,020 And they go, yeah, yeah, stories kind of go over their heads. 820 00:35:36,020 --> 00:35:39,580 But eventually, hopefully they can look to those stories and then 821 00:35:39,580 --> 00:35:42,540 have stories of their own testimonies of God working. 822 00:35:43,420 --> 00:35:45,740 So I encourage you to think about that. 823 00:35:45,740 --> 00:35:48,179 Well, we'll come back next week and look at Joshua, chapter 824 00:35:48,179 --> 00:35:51,420 seven, Israel is going to sin. 825 00:35:51,820 --> 00:35:55,660 And we're going to see how God works in their life now. 826 00:35:57,580 --> 00:36:00,220 Thank you again for listening to the Middletown Baptist Church 827 00:36:00,220 --> 00:36:00,860 podcast. 828 00:36:01,100 --> 00:36:03,090 I hope that this sermon has been a blessing for you. 829 00:36:03,240 --> 00:36:03,480 You. 830 00:36:04,120 --> 00:36:06,400 If you would like to find out more information about our church 831 00:36:06,400 --> 00:36:09,880 or this sermon, you can find us at middletownbaptistchurch.org 832 00:36:10,120 --> 00:36:12,680 or find us on Facebook or YouTube. 833 00:36:13,480 --> 00:36:18,360 You can also email me directly at Josh Massaro, Middletown BaptistChurch.com 834 00:36:18,840 --> 00:36:22,360 if you've enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and follow 835 00:36:22,360 --> 00:36:25,160 along for future podcast and updates. 836 00:36:25,800 --> 00:36:26,760 Thank you so much. 837 00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:27,720 God bless. 838 00:36:27,960 --> 00:36:29,240 Have a wonderful day.