Who Shall Stand Before the Lord?

Background Scripture: Joshua 6
Lesson Scripture: Joshua 6:1-5, 10-15, 20-21, 27

Introduction

Our lesson title asks a weighty question, and yet it holds a comforting thought. Jericho, although a formidable city with its mighty walls, was conquered through Israel’s obedience to the instructions God gave to them. Likewise, our modern-day enemies will crumble and fall before the onslaught of God’s army. Victory is attained when God’s people faithfully unite in obedience to His orders.

Key Verse

But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap (Mal. 3:2).

Lesson Scripture

Studying the Lesson

Israel had forty years of wandering in the wilderness, forty years of manna, forty years of heat and cold, dust and drought. They had forty years when babies were born and old people died. And, most importantly, they had forty years to learn to trust in God as they were led by His pillar of fire by night and cloud by day.

Trusting God was a lesson they had learned the hard way after rejecting God in impatience and trying to create their own god. They murmured, and many were burned with fire. They were faithless and fearful, and a whole generation was rejected from entering Canaan. Even Moses, in anger, disobeyed God and struck the rock instead of speaking to it and likewise was barred from entering the promised land. They complained of the hardships of the desert and were bitten by serpents. They allowed themselves to be seduced by Balaam’s wily scheme and were stricken with a plague.

Finally, they were ready to enter Canaan, and Jericho stood before them. It was a well-defended city with two walls running parallel around it. The inner wall was 11 to 12 feet thick while the outer wall was about six feet thick, and both walls stood about 30 feet tall. The Israelites needed more than their desert-worn soldiers to conquer such a city. They would need to apply the lessons they had learned about trusting in the almighty God and let Him be their deliverer.

Practical Truths for Today

Since her inception, the church has faced giants, walled cities, and enemy soldiers. Even today she is facing some “Jerichos.” “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12). Victory in battle is a mark of the true church. She not only resists the evil—she overcomes the enemy. We hear much about technology, materialism, and worldliness. These can become as a “Jericho” in our minds, and it is true that we, of ourselves, like the children of Israel, cannot overcome them. We can choose to be cowed by these things, or we can choose to conquer with faith and trust in God. If the walls of Jericho could not stand before the Lord, without a doubt He can destroy these enemy towers of today.

It is not uncommon for us to build our own walls around us. We see things that cause us to be fearful, or we fear being hurt by others, and so we retreat behind our walls to shield ourselves. The key to the Israelites’ success was that they worked together. Their unified efforts, together with obedience and trust in God, worked a mighty miracle. If we are inside our walls groveling in our own doubts and fearful of the outside world or oblivious to the needs around us, how can we unite with our brethren and rout the enemy? If we are willing to go with faith and courage, God is well able to destroy our walls and use us in His kingdom.

The unity we see in the Israelites is thought-provoking. It must have been an awe-inspiring sight to observe a multitude of possibly 600,000 people marching in unison around the city. Surely the inhabitants of Jericho trembled as they watched the people of God. Now imagine the people of God united in prayer and following the Spirit in the voice of the church and her assemblies. With reason, James 2:19 says that the devils also believe and tremble. They know they cannot stand against the kingdom of God and its forces.

Paul tells us that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. It is doubtful that the walls of Jericho would have fallen solely through the effects of the marches made around them. God must have miraculously intervened. Likewise, we will not win our battles by fleshly means or by standing alone. Our weapons are “mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (2 Cor. 10:4). God’s power alone can save.

One wonders at the difference between these Israelites and those of forty years earlier. At that time, the Israelite multitude had become frightened by the report of the ten spies; and although Joshua and Caleb valiantly tried to encourage them, they trembled in fear of the giants. The difference was courage. Through the forty years they had learned, at least in part, to rely on God for strength. Perhaps we too easily condemn them as we think of the miracles they had witnessed during the escape from Egypt and God’s providence in their journey.

Courage is the willingness to continue, even in face of great obstacles. Courage begets obedience, and obedience brings victory. Victory, in turn, causes courage to increase, and we can more easily overcome our next battle. Faith is likewise increased, “and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4). May God grant us courage to fight and overcome our enemies.

Obedience comes as we humble ourselves and admit that Someone else knows better than we do. Then with courage we follow step by step as God directs. Faith helps us realize that we only need to know the next step. By faith we know the outcome of the journey will be victory because God is for us. Persistence in obedience is imperative to victory. Suppose the Israelites had given up on the sixth day? To come so far and yet fail would have been heartrending.

In modern times, the vision of the need for obedience seems to have dimmed, and perhaps we too readily assume that Jesus’s blood and grace lessens the need of obedience. Key to the Israelites’ success was that they fully carried out the commands God gave them through Joshua. While God understands and knows that we are but dust, He expects complete obedience in that which He asks us to do.

Questions

1. Does every Christian have a “forty years in the wilderness” experience? Is one necessary?
2. What hinders us from believing that our enemies and obstacles can be overcome?
3. How much does God expect in our efforts to overcome our giants?
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Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).