Josh 6:1-6
Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.
Not yesterday not years before now, not tomorrow, RIGHT NOW Jericho was shut up! Why was Jericho shut up you ask, because of the Children of Israel, to the extent that none went out and none came in.
Jericho was a city walled in, whose appearance was intimidating enough. Jericho is that thing that keeps you awake in the middle of the night because of its size. The bill is big and the means to sort them out – not in view. You can’t even find an opening into the problem to see how to dissect it. At least if you could go into its core, you can hammer away at the middle till you make a headway, but Jericho was SHUT UP!
Well that’s one way to look at it. Another way which is more positive (and by the way, I shouted when I realised that) is, Jericho, which I have been afraid of from afar, still afraid of every time I think about it, is actually scared of me. How good does it get?! Could it be that I have been living in a world of false fear resulting from ignorance? If only I knew why Jericho was SHUT UP from the onset, it would have helped my faith.
Just maybe, I was quick to forget what God had said to me in the beginning, Joshua 1: 1 -6 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying,
2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.
3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
God promised to give me every land the sole of my foot stepped on, to be with me, literally to take the enemy out for my sake. But by Chapter 6, Jericho comes in view and I cower? This is the same Jericho who has heard about me, heard of the exploits that God performed on my behalf, how He gave me victory, Jericho who quickly shut his gates at the mention of my name? This same Jericho now gives me nightmares. Whatever happened to the courage I was commanded to have? Of course, God knew the enemy was intimidating in outlook, but He told me to ignore that and be strong.
Here’s my thought, whenever you are confronted with a bigger-than-you-situation (like the-giants-in-the-land or them big-man-trouble) or those issues you can’t seem to figure out, revisit the terms of contract that you had with God before you began that journey look through the lines, if you are unclear, hire a lawyer (the Holy Spirit) to interpret the parts you do not understand and let the Master do what He is good at and that is, keeping His promise.
And just so you know, Jericho is coming down! I’m not breaking a sweat pulling it down, but breaking out in sweat rejoicing over its’ fall and that’s my victory. So let the praise begin!
© 2015. Frances Kelvin Otung. All rights reserved
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