How much do you trust God? Do you trust Him enough to silently march around a hostile city once a day for six days, and on the seventh day do so seven times? Do you believe God enough to blow trumpets and shout after doing so because He said do it? These are among the things God told not one person, but about 600,000 soldiers of Israel to do because He had “given Jericho into your hands” (Josh. 6:2). Why did they have to do anything if God was giving them the city by His grace? Because grace comes “through faith” (see Eph. 2:8). Israel did not earn Jericho, they showed their faith in God’s promise to give them the city. When they obeyed His word (“after they were encircled for seven days”), the walls of Jericho came tumbling down. Now, why do so many people resist the words of Jesus when He said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mk. 16:16)? If the sinner does not faith enough to be baptized, will he or she be saved? The answer is clear, yet many are told to just believe God will save you, pray to Him asking Him to, and you are saved. No, that is not what Jesus said. When we learn about the faith that Israel had at Jericho, we also learn of the faith we must have to be saved.
Tag Archives: Jericho
The Walls of Jericho #1557
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. (Hebrews 11:30, NKJV)
This is an enlightening statement about the nature of faith that pleases God. We must remember the inspired scribe had earlier stated, “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). We cannot please God without the kind of faith by which the walls of Jericho fell. (And, when we do, we have earned nothing; we have put our faith in God to save us in His Son.) The historical account of Jericho is in Joshua 6, where the Lord said to Joshua, “See! I have given Jericho into your hand” (Joshua 6:2, 16). God’s grace was on full display as He gave the city as a gift to Israel. Still, Israel did not receive this gift from God until they had encircled Jericho for seven days as the Lord the way God commanded. They obeyed God by faith, and the walls fell (Joshua 6:12-20). This is how God saves sinners today “by grace…through faith” (Ephesians 2:8-9). God is the Giver of salvation to all who believe the Son. And, we learn in Hebrews 11:30 that our belief pleases God when we obey His word (Luke 6:46; Matthew 7:21). To be saved, one must obey Jesus, who commands sinners to believe, to confession faith, to repent and to be baptized (John 8:24; Romans 10:9-10; Luke 13:3, 5; Acts 17:30; 2:37-38; 22:16). Sinners who obey God are saved by grace because their faith pleases God.
The Wall Fell Down Flat #1465
So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. (Joshua 6:20, NKJV)
God gave Jericho to Israel by His grace (Joshua 6:2, 16). Yet, it was necessary that Israel obey in faith for the city walls to collapse (Joshua 6:3-5). Please notice that while the walls fell by God’s grace, the army of Israel still had to take the city. The edge of the sword was applied to this godless city after the walls fell (Joshua 6:21). Spiritual victories require us to fight to possess the Lord’s victories (Ephesians 6:10-13). We must be militant against the forces of evil to gain the victory of faith (2 Corinthians 10:3-5; 1 John 5:3-4). Today’s passage also reminds us our spiritual battle is right in front of us. We fight the good fight of faith alongside fellow Christians, exhorting and helping one another each day (Hebrews 12:12-13). We do this even as we engage in our own battles against temptation, trials and trouble. By grace through faith, victory in Christ is assured.
The Lord Keeps His Promises #1333
8 Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, 9 and said to the men: “I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you.” (Joshua 2:8–9, NKJV)
Rahab spoke the fearful expectation that was in the hearts of the Canaanites: They were about to be overrun and defeated by the army of Israel. Why would the happen? Because “the Lord has given you the land.” The inhabitants of Jericho and the land of Canaan had heard of the Lord’s mighty deliverance of Israel from Egypt forty years earlier, and, how Israel had recently defeated the neighboring kings (Joshua 2:10-11). It is notable that Rahab the harlot knew the God of Israel would keep His word and give Israel the land of Canaan. And yet, many, many people refuse to believe the simple word of God that says God did indeed give Israel all the land He promised their fathers. “So the Lord gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it” (Joshua 21:43). The doctrine of Premillennialism denies God gave Israel “all the land He promised their fathers.” It denies the word of God; It is false doctrine. Never doubt God’s promise of eternal life in His Son. God always keeps His word (Titus 1:1-3; 1 John 5:11-13).
Saved By Grace, through Faith #428
1 Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. 2 And the LORD said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. 3 You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. 4 And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.” (Joshua 6:1-5)
A clearer picture of salvation “by grace…through faith” could not be given. Israel took Jericho by grace: “God has given you the city” (verse 2, 16). Yet, their faith in God had to be obedient for seven days (verses 3-5). Then, the walls would “fall down flat” (verse 5). Similarly, sinners are saved by God’s grace when, by faith, they obey Him (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:38-41; Titus 3:5). Obedience does not earn salvation any more than it earned Jericho. Yet without obedient faith, the gift is not received (the walls would not have fallen until Israel obeyed God). Saving faith is obedient as it relies on God’s grace for salvation.
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