Joshua 6:8-20
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. 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. But Joshua had commanded the people, "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!" So he had the ark of the LORD carried around the city, circling it once. Then the people returned to camp and spent the night there.
Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. 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. So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.
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. The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city! The city and all that is in it are to be devoted 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. 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. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the LORD and must go into his treasury."
When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city.
It is still surprising that the city of Jericho collapsed under such a move by God. Amazing perhaps? It is also surprising that the nation of Israel was able to submit without any whining or what. Perhaps as a generation grown up with God's providence in the desert has taught them to trust in what God is asking their leader to do. Notice that there was no one complaining and everyone seems to just obey.
Obeying is one thing. But being submissive is another. Obedience can be an outward form, but submissiveness is an attitude. Submiting to God and His authority is a difficult thing to do. Why? Because we have our own ideas, we grow up in a world which operates differently from God's standard. My previous posts have talked about military wisdom and indeed, the wisdom of the world will sometimes call the wisdom of the Spirit foolish. But are we able to continue to submit without complaints and arguments? Philippians 2:14 says do everything without complaining or arguing. Applying to church setting, are we able to do so? How many times do we see people leaving church or straying away because of this issue in submissiveness disguised in the excuse that the leader is not doing anything or disagreement with how the church works? I think that proves the point. Are we supposed to expect that the church works in a way we expect and it doesn't, go and cry father cry mother and shout 'foul'? Sometimes, it's not with the leaders but with the followers.
Today if we find it hard to relate with leaders or the church authority, then we need ask why? It may be the case that submissiveness is the core issue there. It is one important factor in maintaining unity and it's an important attitude we need to have. I will continue to pray for it in our church.
Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. 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. So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.
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. The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city! The city and all that is in it are to be devoted 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. 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. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the LORD and must go into his treasury."
When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city.
It is still surprising that the city of Jericho collapsed under such a move by God. Amazing perhaps? It is also surprising that the nation of Israel was able to submit without any whining or what. Perhaps as a generation grown up with God's providence in the desert has taught them to trust in what God is asking their leader to do. Notice that there was no one complaining and everyone seems to just obey.
Obeying is one thing. But being submissive is another. Obedience can be an outward form, but submissiveness is an attitude. Submiting to God and His authority is a difficult thing to do. Why? Because we have our own ideas, we grow up in a world which operates differently from God's standard. My previous posts have talked about military wisdom and indeed, the wisdom of the world will sometimes call the wisdom of the Spirit foolish. But are we able to continue to submit without complaints and arguments? Philippians 2:14 says do everything without complaining or arguing. Applying to church setting, are we able to do so? How many times do we see people leaving church or straying away because of this issue in submissiveness disguised in the excuse that the leader is not doing anything or disagreement with how the church works? I think that proves the point. Are we supposed to expect that the church works in a way we expect and it doesn't, go and cry father cry mother and shout 'foul'? Sometimes, it's not with the leaders but with the followers.
Today if we find it hard to relate with leaders or the church authority, then we need ask why? It may be the case that submissiveness is the core issue there. It is one important factor in maintaining unity and it's an important attitude we need to have. I will continue to pray for it in our church.
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