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Walking into Promise

Words of Faith Final

Walking into Promise

Words of Faith 8-28-2020

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2020

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

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Joshua 6

    Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

    [2] Then the Lord said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. [3] March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. [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] When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man 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." [7] And he ordered the people, "Advance! March around the city, with the armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord."

 

      The Jericho of today sits near the ancient ruins we read about in this part of scripture. If you went there today, you would see the glitzy casino named Oasis built by Yasser Arafat 22 years ago. It is now shuttered since the early 2000s.  At one time, Israelis flocked there to gamble. The casino's golden sign still shimmers in the hot sun. Still, the building sits empty, shuttered since the outbreak of the second intifada, the Palestinian uprising. Weeds now grow through the paving stones at the once-grand entrance.

       I have been to modern Jericho when it was thriving. I have also been there when it was nearly vacant and sealed off from the outside world. This seems to be the way things go in this part of the world.

       Shut off by check-points, a special permit is required to travel in or out. Unemployment is about 60%. Fruits and vegetables cannot be taken to market. The beautiful visitor center next to the ancient Jericho dig is nearly empty these days. Everyone hopes things will get better soon, and the city will be open to trade and visitors.

        Interestingly, the situation was somewhat similar 3400 years ago.  Jericho was shut up tight, as Joshua and the Israelites surrounded the city.  Orders had been given by the king to close all the gates to the city.  No traffic was permitted in or out. As Rahab had reported to the spies, Jericho's residents were filled with terror because of the advancing Israelites.

        On the outside, Jericho was an impressive fortress. The Lord Himself promised victory to Joshua and announced that He had given Jericho into his hands. The city, its king, and its army would all fall to Israel. The tense of the Hebrew verb is a prophetic perfect-tense that communicates an accomplished fact. “I have delivered” describes a future action as already accomplished.

        The command from the Lord would appear absurd to us today and probably did also to them. The plan did not fit anything even approaching traditional military strategy.  They were to march around Jericho for six days. Seven priests were to lead the way blowing trumpets followed by the Ark of the Covenant.  Then would come the shout.  The walls would fall, and they would rush in.

        The story is among the most familiar in the Bible. The lessons are simple.  The Lord fights the battle.  The victory is already His.  Obedience is the response.  Faith is walked out in ways that seem absurd.  

        Do you have a big battle ahead of you?  Is there a seemingly insurmountable fortress that stands between you and the Promise?  Listen to the Lord.  The victory is already His.  Your future is His past tense.  He has already accomplished His plan.  Listen.  Trust.  Obey.  Walk into the victory.  

 

          Lord God, give me faith.  Give me faith to hear Your plan and to obey Your direction.  Bring down the walls.  Remove the fortresses.  Give me faith to walk into Your Promise.  In Jesus’ Name.

 

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2005, 2020

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)       

2820 Business Center Blvd.

Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.