Tuesday, November
7, 2017
Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people
were afraid of the Israelites. No one
was allowed to go out or in. But
the Lord said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all
its strong warriors. You and your
fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark,
each carrying a ram’s horn. On the
seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests
blowing the horns. When you hear the
priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as
loud as they can. Then the walls of the
town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.” So Joshua called together the priests and
said, “Take up the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, and assign seven priests to
walk in front of it, each carrying a ram’s horn.” Then he gave orders to the people: “March around the town, and the armed men will
lead the way in front of the Ark of the Lord.” Joshua 6:1-7(NLT)
One
of my favorite day-trips is a ride along the Blue Ridge Parkway. One day last spring Elizabeth and I loaded up
on a beautiful Saturday and headed for mountain scenery. One reality of a long drive, of course, is
the obligatory rest stop.
My bride,
Elizabeth, is somewhat directionally-challenged, and some of the rest area
bathrooms have multiple entrances and exits, which, if you’re not paying
attention, can be confusing as to which way you came in – and therefore the key
to which way you must go to get back to your car in a strange land.
As
we entered the rest room building we were about to part to the
appropriate-gender stations and Elizabeth paused, turned to me and said flatly (and
loudly) you meet me RIGHT HERE.
I laughed out loud while a bearded guy wearing a cowboy hat and boots passed by; without looking back he said in a perfect stage whisper: and you better be there, bud!
I laughed out loud while a bearded guy wearing a cowboy hat and boots passed by; without looking back he said in a perfect stage whisper: and you better be there, bud!
For
Joshua and the fledgling nation of Israel a stage whisper was not necessary;
God had not spoken softly. The LORD’s
instructions were clear and definite about overcoming the resistance of Jericho
and its mighty army…just march! No
charges, no ICBM’s, and no threats…just march around the city gates and watch
God do the fighting.
I
think that’s a lesson we can all learn.
For You
Today
If
you’re tempted to let your anger win the day, you’ll be drawn into a fight God
never planned for you. Sometimes the command
is to just keep on marching.
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