Joshua 6: 1- 20; I Corianthians 10: 13
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”.
The account of the conquest of Jericho brings a significant insight which cannot be overlooked. Jericho was a highly fortified city; the wall – consisting of a 3-level structure – was up to about 17 feet high, and 6 feet thick. Secondly, surrounding the wall’s perimeter was a ditch, 27 feet wide, and 9 feet deep. This structure looked impenetrable; the situation seemed impossible!
However, the striking truth is that God already had a plan for the conquest of this formidable fortress! God gave Joshua a battle plan – a detailed instruction with regards to the defeat of Jericho. Even though God’s instructions seemed somewhat silly and almost unbelievably simple (given the enormity of the task ahead); Joshua followed these instructions to the letter, and the rest is history!
A profound truth (insight) is inherent in this story – the challenges we face today may not be as severe as those at Jericho; but in almost every person’s life, at one time or the other, we are faced with battles that shake the foundation of our faith. A notable lesson in this account (of Jericho’s conquest) is the fact that God equally has a battle plan for every single challenge we come across (at any point in life) – the magnitude (or severity) notwithstanding.
In 1 Corinthians 10: 13, the Bible makes it clear that God will always make a way of escape. But most times we ask the wrong questions in the face of our battles – why me? This is the wrong question to ask. The most important action plan is to inquire of God in prayers ‘Lord, what is the battle plan’? This is the first step to our victory.
Once we have obtained the battle plan from God, the next step is to work the plan; that is, follow God’s direction closely (like Joshua did) in strict obedience. The third and final step of course, would be to thank God in advance for victory, because you believe in the power of His might to rout the opposing force of that challenge.
If we take these three steps, victory is guaranteed in any situation we may find ourselves!