By Faith the Walls of Jericho Fell
“By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.“ ~Hebrews 11:30
This is one of those biblical stories that gets included in every children’s Bible. It’s full of mystery, anticipation, wonder and victory and kids love to act it out in Sunday School or VBS. My 10-year-old-me remembers singing (screaming) "Joshua fought the Battle of Jericho" with 50 other hyped-up children. Bless those poor church ladies who volunteered to teach us.
The story begins 6 days ago. God told the Israelites to march around the city wall silently, except for 7 trumpeting horns, one time for 6 days. Then on the 7th day, they would march around the city 7 times, 6 times the same way but on the 7th time, all the people would shout. And the walls would come tumbling down. Can you imagine the inhabitants of the city? They were already terrified of the Israelites, for their reputation preceded them. They had the city locked up tight and “their hearts melted” as they watched this silent army marching around their city. Day after day this happened. “What was this leading up to?” “What are they doing?” I imagine that the anticipation was gut-wrenching.
The Bible doesn’t tell us, but implies that Joshua didn’t reveal God’s plan until that seventh day. That is the faith this verse in Hebrews is talking about. It’s similar to the faith of Noah, who had never seen rain but believed God as he built the ark. The faith of Daniel to spend the night with ravenous lions. It is absolute trust in God. What is even more astounding is that they didn’t have the indwelling Holy Spirit.
We DO have that incredible, taken-for-granted gift! Yet we worry about the dumbest of things. Our days are spent in a stress-filled juggling act.
Father, instill in us Your peace. Increase our faith so that we are able to walk not by sight, but by Your promises, for You are faithful, always attentive and ever-present. Let us be stable and rock solid, an anchor for those adrift in the world’s chaos, an imitation and reflection of Jesus, the embodiment of faith itself. Thank You and Amen.
Have a blessed day!
Bonnie
Blessed Be Boutique
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