If you are a student of history, you can learn from past events to enhance your chances of succeeding in the future. Such is the case of Joshua who was chosen to lead Israel into God’s Promised Land. During a battle against the Amalekites, Joshua followed the advice given to him by Moses. On the surface this sounded crazy, but low and behold as long as Moses held his hands high, Israel prevailed, Exodus 17:9-11. Perhaps this one event opened Joshua’s mind to the concept of letting your war cry be the praise of God.
And the Lord said to Joshua, See, I have given Jericho, its king and mighty men of valor, into your hands. 3 You shall march around the enclosure, all the men of war going around the city once. This you shall do for six days. 4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns; and on the seventh day you shall march around the enclosure seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets, Joshua 6:2-4.
The boundaries of the ancient land of Canaan included the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, west of the Jordan River. The last step toward taking possession of God’s promised land was conquering the city of Jericho. The greatest obstacle to taking control of Jericho was the vast wall surrounding this city. As strange as it may sound, the Lord gave Joshua unusual instructions in the passage above. Yet, this master plan didn’t seem like a logical idea. Nonetheless, Joshua believed and trusted God, passing on these directions to the entire nation of Israel.
So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. When the people heard the sound of the trumpet, they raised a great shout, and [Jericho’s] wall fell down in its place, so that the [Israelites] went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. 21 Then they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox, sheep, and donkey, with the edge of the sword. 22 But Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, Go into the harlot’s house and bring out the woman and all she has, as you swore to her, Joshua 6:20-22.
Instead of picking up traditional weapons of war, a marching band started their procession. For 6 days, the ark of the covenant was carried along the external walls, once a day with the trumpet section leading the way. On the 7th and final day of God’s plan, this marching band let in rip like an excited progressive band during a competition. Once everyone received the signal from their leader, a war cry of praise in accompany with trumpets hit one of the highest decibels recorded in the Bible. The next time you witness the Lord do the impossible, let your war cry be praise.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 