Perfect for Mother’s Day and Ladies Fellowship!
This lesson appears in the book: The Holy Land Companion Guide Biblical Sermons & Lessons to guide you through the Holy Land. By: Pastor and Christian Author Jessica Linhart available @ Amazon.com: Jessica Linhart: books, biography, latest update
To get a started with today’s adventure. I’d like to tell you a little joke….
There were four women, in a minivan, who are on their way to Lady fellowship (Country Cousins) retreat. This retreat was an overnight trip. The ladies had plenty of time to fellowship and visit with one another. The Sunday School teacher said: “I’m really glad I came on this trip! You know, the Bible says that we should confess our sins, one to another; so, we could be healed.” (James 5:16)
And she said that she’d like to go first. So, she said, “when I go out of town, I like to gamble a little. Last time, I was on a boat, and I just found myself going to the casino every night! I have a problem with gambling.”
The second passenger; which was the secretary said: Well, when I go out of town, and if I was on that boat with you, I’d be drinking those fruity drinks. I like mixed alcoholic beverages, and sometimes yeah they get me into trouble. I have a little weakness to alcohol.”
So, the third passenger, which was the treasurer said: “I have great trouble with gossip, and I can’t wait to get back to town!”
So, the treasurer thought that she had some juicy gossip! Sandy school teacher, like to gamble and secretary Al problem with alcohol.
Now the fourth passenger was the pastor and she said: “I think we’d better pray for God to break down those strongholds!”
Joshua took over for Moses and he had some big shoes to fill. Grab your Bible or your electronic device and turn to the book of Joshua. We are going to examine how Joshua arose to the challenge.
Today, we want to focus on conquering your Jericho. In scripture, in the Old Testament, the walls coming down at Jericho was one of the most significant miracles that occurred.
Just to get you up to speed, let’s discuss the book of Deuteronomy for a moment. This is where Moses dies and passes the torch unto Joshua. The book of the Deuteronomy is significant, because it is a book of sermons Moses gave to the Israelites.
Moses led the Israelites through the wilderness for 40 years. However, Moses did not get to go into the promised land, but God did allow Moses to see the promised land. So, Moses was told by God to anoint Joshua as the next successor of Israel. (Num. 27:18; Deut. 31:7-8)
In Joshua, chapter 1, God tells him to go and take the land of Canaan for their promised land.
Joshua 1:6-7 “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.”
7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
Remember, the land of Canaan is not a vacant piece of property. The Israelites had to fight war after war to obtain it. So, they came across the Jordan River. They come across during flood season, and once the priest dipped his toes into the Jordan river God parts it and all of Israel comes through on dry land. You see, when God promises you something he makes it happen, but sometimes we have to step out in faith; which, the priest did in this event. When he stepped out into the water, God parted the Jordan river.
Joshua 3:13 “And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.”
Then, they took a stone for each tribe and made an altar for the Lord. (Joshua 4) So, that future generations will be told about the miracle of the parting of the Jordan river.
Then, Jesus appears to Joshua in a celestial form. Joshua asks Jesus if he is for Israel or against Israel. Jesus tells him that he is a Captain of the hosts, and he is for Israel.
Joshua 5:13-15 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
14 “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord[b] have for his servant?”
Then, Joshua says, what does my Lord have to say to me? The captain replies: “Take your shoes off Joshua, for the place you were standing is holy ground.”
The Holy Spirit says to me that God wanted Joshua to know that he was in charge. God wants us to know that he is in charge, and he will fight our battles. God wants us to know that all we have to do is obey him. If we want the promises of God; then, we must obey the Lord! We must not have sin in our lives. We must be sanctified, set apart, and live holy before the Lord.
So, why do we stress out, why do we worry, and why do we fret? Especially when we know God is bigger than our problems, our circumstances, and situations?
So, the first town that Joshua and Israel faced was Jericho. The Holy Spirit would like to mention that Jericho stands in some format in Israel today! It is truth, and it is true that Jericho was one of the first cities.
In Deuteronomy Moses retold what the spies said about the city. Moses said that the people are bigger and taller than the Israelites. The cities were large and fortified together. At this time, it was about 9 acres. Jericho had a double walled that enclosed the city. It had an outer wall that encompassed 9 acres; then, when you entered the city gate, when you were about 15 feet in you had a lower wall. This lower wall wrapped 6 acres of land. You see, the lower wall was an embankment around the hill, because Jericho sat on a small hill. The walls were around 9 feet high, and some historians have quoted 11 feet high. It has some major mortar built on top to help it from decaying. Finally, it’s like looking up at a small seven-story building.
We can spiritually look atJericho as a picture or type of sin. This type of sin is a stronghold in our life. Something in your life or something in my life that is tough or that is difficult is a strong hold. It’s a fortress that it has walls that are fortified. Walls that reach heaven. There’s no way over them, there is no way around them, or under them. When we think about it, the walls just go up, up, and up. The Holy Spirit informs me that everyone listening to my voice has a sin or situation that is tough for them.
The Holy Spirit brought to my mind, the image of Wonder Woman and I recently watched a very old version of Wonder Woman. Her superpower was her strength, her speed, and her ability to fly! The most respected tool she had was the Lasso of Truth. Another weapon of Wonder Woman’s was her magical bracelets. Then, Wonder Woman had a tiara that she through like a boomerang. She did so with incredible precision blocking bullets and other objects
but she, too, had her weakness. She had a vulnerability to kryptonite and being tied up by men.
So, what is your weakness?
What is your kryptonite?
You know, so many of us say I have victory over this, I have victory over that, but my Jericho is this.
For example, many people have trouble with their anger. Their anger just seems to really get control over them. They just get so worked up that anyone in their way is devastated.
Then, some people have a problem with lust. It’s not just sexual lust, but it’s the lust for material things. People lust for the latest, the newest, and the best technology available.
Maybe your Jericho is greediness. Maybe your kryptonite is greed. You just have to have that something before it runs out. You don’t think about others needing the same thing. You think about me, myself, and I. Therefore, your kryptonite is the greed for money. You will just keep driving yourself to obtain money. And this drive has prevented you from building relationships with your friends, with your family, and even God.
Maybe your Jericho might be fear. Maybe your kryptonite is stealing. Maybe you have a tendency to steal at the self-checkout counter, because there are less people watching you. Maybe your Jericho is stealing.
Perhaps, your Jericho is unforgiveness. You just have a real problem forgiving other people of their mistakes. You just like to hold onto those grudges and let them build up. My friend, it’s only hurting you. A grudge does not really hurt -the somebody else.
No matter what your Jericho is God will break down the walls! No matter how hard or how bleak your view looks -God wants to bring down the walls.
The Bible tells us that God can and will do this. In second Corinthians chapter 10 it talks about the flesh, and it says the following:
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 ( King James Version) 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
So, God takes the walls of your Jericho and pulls them down! He sets you free. And what God sets free it is free indeed!
God gave us the perfect picture of the walls coming down in Joshua chapter 6. Let’s begin reading. And verse one.
Joshua 6 (King James Version)
6 Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.
2 And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.
3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus, shalt thou do six days.
The people of Jericho; especially the soldiers, and the king, would come into the city gate and shut the doors. This made them feel very secure, because there was no technology, at that time, that could bring down the walls that surrounded the city. Jericho, had plenty of water; therefore their gardens were good and plentiful. So, they had this false sense of security built up around them.
The Holy Ghost wants to give us the truth today! This truth, we often do not realize when we are in the middle of the battle, and when we are surrounded by fortified walls. However, the only thing that we can do is look up, trust, and obey the Holy Ghost. But the Holy Ghost wants you to know today that we fight from victory. We do not fight for victory, because we’ve already had it!
The Lord had already made it clear to Joshua that Jericho had been given to him. For example, God told Joshua that everywhere you go I have given the land to you!
Joshua 1:1-4 (King James Version) 1 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.
In other words, Joshua if you are walking on dry land, it belongs to Israel! The victory is already yours! Now, go and seize it! God always makes away for his children, and he always goes before them.
Look at verse two, because the Lord says: “See I have given it to you.” See, I have given into thine hand Jericho.”
You see, we do not fight for the victory we fight from victory. The Lord has already conquered, and already made away for us! For example, when Jesus met John on the island of Patmos John sees the Lord in all of his beauty. He records this for us in the book of revelation.
John falls down like a dead man, and Jesus hast to pick him up. Jesus then tells him I am the alpha and omega, the beginning, and the end. (Revelation 1:17 )
The Lord has won the victory, and he has overcome. When we are in Christ, we have won the victory, and we have overcome.
Look at what he says to us in John chapter 16 verse 33.
John 16:33 New International Version (NIV) “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
When Jesus died on the cross, the victory was one for all of humanity. He built the bridge of reconciliation back to God for the children of God. Jesus then said it is finished and the veil was torn from top to bottom. It is finished means it is paid. This literally means our debt was paid in full. The fact that the work of the cross was completed means that this gave us the victory.
Joshua 6:4-7
“4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him. 6 And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.”
These two scriptures three have a lot of sevens in them. Seven days, seven priests, and seven horse that I find that most Christians don’t understand the importance of all three things. I have to admit, I didn’t at first, but now that the Holy Ghost has explained them to me, and I understand better. Therefore, I’m going to attempt to explain the horns to you. You see, the Israelites had two different kinds of horns. One was a silver horn that shouted the alarm for war; wow, the second horn was an ox horn. The Rams horn was to signal celebration. God said that the priest was going to blow the trumpet of a ram, not the trumpet of war. Therefore, it is not an alarm. It is a shout of victory. The Rams horn is a blast of celebration. for example, it was used on that 50th year of jubilee. So, when this was when the deaths were a little released, and the slaves could go free. was a time of freedom, a time of liberty, and a time of Jewish celebration. for these times, they blew the Rams horn. God is saying in this passage: you blow the Rams horn. because we already have the victory. God has already given us the victory. We are victorious. We are victorious. We are working from victory not to victory. So, we are going to blow the sound of victory because we have already won. God has made us victorious.
“5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.” 6 So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the LORD and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.”
God always has the right plan, and it is always a good plan. We see that Joshua was totally sold out to God, because he did not waver in his face. Usually, they would use their own power to overcome the enemy, and this time it was totally God! Sometimes, we have to admit that God, of his own power, delivered us from the evil one, and these incidents make the best testimonies.
God wants us to react with faith and dependency on him. This is why his plans do not always sound realistic to us. It is for sure, that this plant that he gave to Joshua sounded ludicrous, but as we see that Joshua carried it out.
“Romans 10:17 (King James Version )17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Faith is linked to the word of God. It is the word of God that fuels our faith. It is faith that aligns us with God. Without faith, we cannot please each other. I know each, and every one of us want to please the Lord!
We can only claim what God names. That’s why this name it and claim it Dr doesn’t work. If God promises it, then it will come to pass. But God must promise it and we have to believe it.
Today, we must find it in the word before we can step out in it. This is why knowing your scripture in reading your Bible is so important! We can’t just come drop something and expect God to go with our plans. It doesn’t work that way.
We see here in Jericho, that God sees the problem, God gives the command, and people obey. Know that God sees the strong hold in your life. The Holy Spirit names, it or convict you of it, God gives the command, you obey, and the problem, or the walls fall down.
“7 And he ordered the army, “Advance! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the LORD.”
Once again, the people of Jericho should have been afraid, but maybe they thought that the people of Israel were walking around trying to figure out how to get in their wall. They were over, confident that they were secure and safe. God‘s plan always works! He knows people inside and out! God ways are always higher than our ways. We should always yield and submit to his authority, because he knows what is best for each one of us.
Joshua 6:8-11
“8 When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the Lord went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the Lord’s covenant followed them. 9 The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. 10 But Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!” 11 So he had the ark of the Lord carried around the city, circling it once. Then the army returned to camp and spent the night there.”
The priests and soldiers circled the city for six days and they didn’t even utter a word. Could you imagine that? I have a teacher and I’ve never been around a group of students who have never heard a word. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have this obedience to God in our day? If we had disobedience and if we had this faith today, what could God do? What mighty works would we see?
Now let’s read verses 12-15 I have included it here for your convenience, and it is as follows:
“12 Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the Lord and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets kept sounding. 14 So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.”
15 On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times”
In Hebrew language, the following phrase: given over to destruction is a phrase that actually means given to the Lord in its entirety.
“16 The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! 17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted[a] to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent.”
In verse 17, Joshua tells his people that only Rahab and her family can be spared, but all others must be utterly destroyed, because these are God’s instructions.
Here, is something very interesting! God tells the Israelites that this city belongs to him. Jericho belongs to the Lord. Therefore, they are not to take any spoil for themselves. Only certain precious metals are to be kept for the temple of the Lord. Why is this so important? Because we are supposed to give our first fruits to God as an offering. So many people, good Christians, don’t want to give the Lord their purse strings. God gave them their job, and God gives them their wage, but they refuse to honor God with their wealth and finances.
“8 But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. 19 All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.”
This scripture refers to tardiness of our wage with the 10% rule. This doesn’t add up, but it is pennies on the dollar. If we can’t trust God with $.10 out of every dollar; then, how are we going to trust him when we have cancer or how are we going to trust him in death? Seth Harding’s it’s just a little thing, but it’s giving. It’s giving of ourselves. It’s an act of worship. See if you were strong, hold is greed; then giving is your kryptonite. It breaks the strong hold. It might not make sense to you. You say, Pastor, I can’t fall afford to do this; a Spirit says how can you afford not to do this? God knows! I’ve told many new folks joining the church Betty understand your situation, but there is the promise. God wants us to have faith in God wants us to react.
Like Joshua and the Israelites, we never want to rob God of his riches. It all belongs to him anyways. God told the people that Jericho belong to him, and their spoils could come from the other conquered territories. First, we must seek the kingdom of God and then all things will be added into us and you’ll find that in Matthew 6:33.
“20 When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city. 21 They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.”
In verse 20, we see that the walls of Jericho fail, because the people were obedient to the word of God. God, one of the people to walk around seven days, because seven is the number of completions. We have to get serious with the Lord and we have to obey his commandments. This is a good kingdom principle for us to understand today. If we’re obedient to the word of God, miracles can and will happen.
Let’s think about our Jericho. We think about our life and then we think about our sins. And we say: “oh boy, there’s that sin again.” We walked around that sin seven times. We question and we say there’s nothing happening, but instead of having faith we give into the temptation. God says, we keep going, we keep trusting, and we keep learning patience. Gods’ way is waiting. I know societies way is instant gratification. We look at the cell phone and we can text and get immediate response. You can look at the microwave and see that we can warm our food instantly. But we don’t like to wait! We go on gods Tom table and not ours. Sometimes we must be still and wait for the Lord! I’m sure the people were walking around the walls of Jericho, and when they got back to camp, they said nothing was happening yet. We even say that about the Lord coming back, but with patience, we wait for Jesus to come in the clouds of glory. We wait for the trumpet to sound!
“22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her.”
Because we align ourselves with God, the walls come down, but in verse 22, the two spies Went into rehab, the prostitutes house, and brought all everybody that was in her company. This would’ve been her immediate family and some others.
For their protection, rehab and her family were brought out of the city before it was burned to the ground!
23 So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother, her brothers and sisters and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.
24 Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house.
We have problems and we have issues today. I don’t know what your Jericho yes. I don’t know what your kryptonite is today, but you can give those weaknesses to God. God can make the walls fall down. God can burn your problem to the ground. We must align ourselves with him and we must be obedient today.
“25 But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.”
According to verse 25, Rahab actually marries into the Israelites. She becomes a godly woman. She becomes an appropriate role model. You know, as well as I know that when a mother or a father becomes an appropriate mode role model, the children have someone to look up to and the children have higher expectations. Then all of a sudden, the family itself becomes better and changed because of God.
26 At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: “Cursed before the Lord is the one who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho: “At the cost of his firstborn son he will lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates.”
27 So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.
Verse 26-27 tells us that the theme of Joshua and the Israelites spread throughout the earth. This sounded an alarm for other countries that their God was the greatest and that their God was the best. What does your reputation say about God? are you professing to be a Christian and not actually one? Do you realize that you can bring a reproach on the name of the Lord?
One thing to improve your faith, that the Holy Spirit wants to include in this lesson, is the fact that archaeologists have found the heart of the Jericho wall. It is said that this 8-foot wall was part of rehab’s house. I love winter, the words of the Bible are proven scientifically and undoubtably true!
The Holy Spirit has another nugget to give us today! Why is it that God demanded all to be murdered and burnt?
God expects us to be obedient. When God breaks down the walls of your strongholds, never build it up again. 26 is cursed is the man that bring it up. Speaking about Jericho. Never rebuild it. My Bible has a note 1st kings 16:34.
34 It was under Ahab’s rule that Hiel of Bethel refortified Jericho, but at a terrible cost: He ritually sacrificed his firstborn son Abiram at the laying of the foundation, and his youngest son Segub at the setting up of the gates.
When God makes a promise, it happens!
How does that relate to your Jericho? Or we are kryptonite? Well, when you see God, bringing down the walls on your strong hold it, build your faith. kryptonite, or if your weakness is bitterness: don’t ever take it up again. It’s so easy to rebuild when you have a fresh new hurt. But let God help you surrender, and let God help you forgive! Don’t do that. You know who gets hurt, your firstborn and your youngest. Your kids, your children are affected by your Jericho, by your strong hold, and they are your kryptonite!
I so many men have trouble with lust. That adultery had come between them so, for this man, he is Jericho was fast. So, they decided to remove the TV and Internet, and cable. Then, he said this is crud I’m a lawyer, and I can afford these things. So, some time passed by, and of course he was seduced into action again. He rebuilt his Jericho. This time, it was higher than before. So, what happened to him? Well, sin took him further than he wanted to go in his divorce. He lost everything and he lost his job too. He’s now working in a thrift store. He has a wall degree and it’s not even using it.
It is easy to flirt around with Sin, but you can’t manage it. Send us a snowball effect. It always takes you further than what you’re willing to go. You always lose more than you think. You can’t just rebuild your wall with a couple bricks. We must murder sin. We have to kill it. I think that we can handle it, but Bible story after Bible story tells us that we can’t manage it. We put it to death. Just like Joshua and the mighty men of war, they killed everything and burn it. You can’t keep not one part of the sin with Sin. That wall starts tumbling down and we burn it. We kill it. And we get rid of it.
Then, we will be mighty men and women of God. We can be like Joshua and be great in faith! All we have to do is say yes, Lord, and do what he commands. The fame of Joshua went out through the ages. And we will live out eternity in glory!
