Jericho was not a peaceful civilian village, but an aggressive military fortress. And it wasn’t just a military stronghold, it was a spiritual stronghold because, in the Biblical story, it stands as a symbol of resistance to God. Its fate would therefore symbolise the comprehensiveness of divine judgement. More importantly, the conquest of this city would symbolise the nature of spiritual warfare. God had already given them the land, it was as good as theirs, they just had to go in and claim their prize. The march around the city was a symbol of the fact that God was marking the city out as his own. God would bring the supposedly impenetrable walls of Jericho down. The Israelites had only to go in and take the city. Moving ahead with God can be a real battle. We must fight, spiritually, for every bit of ground we take in fulfilling God’s mission. It is important to recognise though that we do not fight for victory. We fight from victory. When you live for your own agenda, you have the great burden of having to make things happen. But when you give yourself over to God’s agenda you no longer need to worry about making things happen. When you serve God’s purpose you don’t make things happen, God does. When you walk with God you don’t have to make a way for yourself because God will open the way. And he will do so in response to prayer. Circle the ground that God wants you to take in prayer and see him prevail. Pray the way forwards.
Commit yourself to God’s agenda.
Read Joshua 5:13 – 6:27
