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Israel had an unorthodox beginning in its conquest of Canaan. Instead of relying on their military might and tactics, the Lord instructed Joshua to have the people walk around the city of Jericho. As a result, their victory clearly demonstrated that God was the One who won the battle, not them.

The Way of Obedience

In looking at this story, we see that we ought to choose the way of obedience even when we do not understand God’s ways.

God provides the opportunities and the outcomes; we are called to obey. This is the mystery of divine sovereignty and human responsibility. We see this play out in the story of Joshua and Jericho. God provided the opportunity, and Joshua responded in faith and obedience. The Lord then provided the outcome of victory.

The Promptings of the Spirit

Ultimately, the way to victory is outlined in Zechariah 4:6: “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.” We must exercise this radical dependence on God in our lives, trusting Him enough to obey what He calls us to do.

Even in the things we think we know best, we need to be people of obedience and trust, walking by the power of the Spirit. Part of this involves recognizing the difference between chronos time and kairos time. Chronos refers to ordinary “clock” time, whereas kairos refers to moments of opportunity. If we listen to the promptings of the Spirit, we will make the most of those kairos opportunities.

Joshua did this by obeying the Lord in the right way and at the right time. Even though his instructions to the people must have seemed strange, Joshua chose to obey God. The people did so as well, and God won the victory for His people. Only Rahab the harlot and her family were delivered from Jericho. This demonstrates God’s faithfulness to those who have faith in Him.

This teaching is based on Ken’s Handbook to Scripture

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