Faith is walking around the walls of Jericho everyday for a week knowing the battle is already won. Faith is walking on the day of rest seven times. Faith is rescuing Rahab and her family because God saved her. Faith is walking in what is, before it happens.
Last week we read examples of faith from Hebrews 11 and saw both Rahab and the Walls of Jericho mentioned. The Israelites knew Jericho was theirs but they didn’t know the walls would fall flat out! They knew Rahab was secure but they didn’t know she would be the great-great-grandmother of King David. Faith is making visible what is unseen.
When we Drill Down into God’s word, i.e., allowing God’s word to percolate within us, things start to happen. Our hardened heart becomes malleable, we gain new perceptions, a calmness provides freedom of expression and our innate personal gifts become visible. Drilling Down puts us on our path to be who we already are in Christ. Our Shepherd knows our circumstances.
Faith also makes things within ourselves, contrary to our Lord’s desire, visible. Look what happened to Israel when they got to Ai.
The whole of Israel was elated and anxious to take the next town. Like Jericho, spies were sent in to Ai. It was a smaller village without the protection of a walled city like Jericho. They recommended a small force.
Israel had just taken Jericho by merely obeying the word of the Lord. No blood was spilled, no one was injured. A small army of 3000 men would be more than enough.
Their confidence and expectation was smashed to the ground. Thirty-six Israeli men were killed as they retreated to their camp defeated.
“Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, he and the elders of Israel.” – Joshua 7:6
Sin was in the camp … but faith made it visible.
Now we come to a man who knew God’s word but did not hold it sacred. He walked on dry ground over the Jordan River. He participated in God’s divine decree having marched around Jericho seven days and seven times on the seventh day. He witnessed Jericho’s walls come tumbling down. He listened to God’s words through Joshua, was at the memorial of 12 uncut stones, was circumcised. Who was this man, why did he scorn God’s truth?
Listen to Joshua’s words to the people:
“And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy unto the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.” – Joshua 6:17-20
It was the custom for the victorious army to take as plunder the spoils of the defeated foe. But God designated Jericho, the first city, as His own and the gold, silver, bronze and iron was to be put into His treasury.
In the camp of Israel a desire clashing with God’s holy provisions was steeping. Given opportunity, Achan took possession of “devoted” plunder. He camouflaged some gold, silver, a shinar cloak and hid it among his personal goods. His family and all Israel paid the price.
The Israeli camp of over 2,000,000 people organized by tribes and families were confronted by Joshua. Achan did not come forward and confess. He did not believe God was watching him and was hopeful he would escape notice. He was a believer who didn’t know his God.
Joshua began going through each tribe. He came to the tribe of Judah. He separated them by clans, man by man and then by households, man by man, ‘til finally he came to Achan and his family. Achan confesses to Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”
How contemporary! This man believed God but he had small faith. He believed things about God but didn’t experience God’s reality. He relied upon Joshua and the priests and participated in proscribed things. He relied upon people around him rather than upon the person of God Himself.
How many believers in Christ look outside of themselves for God’s solution to internal issues? We fail to realize own standing in God’s royal court of grace! We are certified to stand before the Lord God of creation and have authorized resurrection power in our risen Jesus to say with Elijah before King Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand”, 1 Kings 17:1.
It is not enough to attend church. It is not enough to be active. It is not enough to teach doctrine and know scripture. We are called to know our Savior on a personal level, with our whole heart, our whole mind and our whole soul. Living in faith is knowing on a conscious level the reality of His living presence. If we don’t have that, we are still walking in our flesh while living in the Spirit. We need to submit to God’s purifying fire.
God’s fire purifies our soul while we render death to the flesh in which we live. He has already laid our corpse it at our feet but it is up to us to use His life to rule over it with His resurrection power.
Life in Christ is His life in exchange for our life. The contrast of His life in us reveals our carnality allowing opportunity to put our self to death. The object is to be in unity with God and with those who share His life. He is holy, we are called into this same holiness. He paid our price in the cross and we must acknowledge Him as Adonai, the owner of all that is. Only then does Jehovah God reveal Himself to us.
His resurrection power is given to us through our new birth in Him. We are able, in Him, to put self to death by growing in His grace, knowing Jesus Christ personally and walking in faith. He will glorify us as He glorifies Himself. It should make us really, really happy, something to boast about!
Our God is a consuming fire! – Hebrews 12:29