Victory does not come easy.  It takes a lot of effort, preparation, and patience.  To achieve victory, you cant quit.  Winston Churchill said, “Victory at all costs, victory in spite of terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for, without victory, there is no survival.”  The Lord has given us the victory over the world, but most Christians walk around acting as if they are defeated.

And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. – Joshua 6:2

The world is confident while hiding behind walls

All of the residents of Jericho had retreated behind the wall.  In Joshua 6:1  we read that:

Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.

They were afraid of the Nation of Israel because they had heard of their victories on the other side of the Jordan river.  They felt safe and secure hiding behind their huge walls.  They did not believe that any enemy would be able to penetrate those walls.

The world loves hiding behind its walls.  They like to lob their attacks from behind the walls that they have built up around themselves.  Walls such as:

• Education:  the world likes to feel that they can combat Christianity, and justify themselves, based on their education.  The Bible says that God has revealed himself through nature, and that man would rather worship the creature instead of the creator (Romans 1:18-25).  Therefore, the Lord will turn the wisdom of men into foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:20-21).
• Religion:  the next wall that the world likes to hide behind is the wall of religion.  Salvation is not in a religion, not any religion, Salvation is in a man, The Lord Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5).  Men have tried to work their own way to heaven dating all of the way back to Cain.  Jesus said that he was “the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)  The only way to salvation is by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9).  Just having a zeal for God and doing good, will not lead you to salvation (Romans 10:1-4).
• Great Numbers:  Another false wall that the world hides behind, is the wall of great numbers.  Just because everyone is doing it, does not mean it is the right thing.  Just look at the life of Lot in the book of Genesis for an example of what happens when you go with the flow.  Lot lost his entire family for trying to be just like everyone else.  Jesus said “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:   Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).

Those walls may make the world feel safe and secure, but in the end, they will find, just as the residents of Jericho did, that those walls will fail and come tumbling down.

Victory comes through obedience

And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.
And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.
And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.
And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him. – Joshua 6:2-5

The only way to victory is to follow the Lord’s plan.

The plan that he laid out for Joshua to follow, did not make any sense at all.  How could they get the victory?  The world is bigger and stronger than they are.  Their numbers were greater, and just look at those huge walls!

If the Lord gave them a plan that did not involve his supernatural assistance, they would have received all the glory for their victory, but with this plan, the Lord is the only one who could receive the honor and glory for their victory.

Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power. – Psalm 21:13

The people did not know when victory would come

The Lord told Joshua that they would get the victory on the seventh day, but Joshua did not share that piece of information with the people.  He just simply told them,  on “the day” that he told them, they were to shout for victory  (Joshua 6:10).  He never told them which day that would be, they just obeyed in faith (Hebrews 11:6).

Everyone Participated in the Battle

Everyone participated, no-one had the option to opt-out.  Neither can you decide to opt-out of your battle with the world.  Everyone had a part:

• Men of war (Joshua 6:3)
• Priests (Joshua 6:4)
• All the People (Joshua 6:5)

We will look at each of these groups one at a time:

Armed Men

And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets. – Joshua 6:9

The armed men went first.  They were tasked with clearing the way for the Ark of God and the Priests.  These men were the warriors, they undoubtedly wanted to fight.  But the Lord gave them a different task,  they were to make sure that the Priests could get through with the Ark.  Sometimes you will need to do the not so glamorous work to help the message to get through.  That may be by Prayer, Inviting Others, by Preparing yourself for the message, or anything else that Lord would instruct you to do.  Nothing is beneath you, remember you have been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20).  Just learn to do your part.

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
For the body is not one member, but many.
If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
And if they were all one member, where were the body?
But now are they many members, yet but one body.
And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. – 1 Corinthians 12:12-27

If everyone does not participate, and if they refuse to do their part, the message may not be able to get through.  Do your part!

Priests

And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.
And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets. – Joshua 6:12-13

The Priests were told to continually blow the trumpets.  They did not just blow the trumpets once on the seventh day to announce victory;  they blew the trumpets non-stop to signify that the battle was upon them.  Blowing the trumpet today is akin to Preaching.  The trumpet needs to be sounded.  Preaching is to be continual, no days off, no retirement.  The sound of the trumpets was a proclamation of war on the Lord’s enemies.  They tell the world that judgment is coming.  To the enemies of the Lord (those who have not accepted him as their personal Lord and Savior)  this announcement will cause fear (Joel 2:1, Isaiah 33:13-14)  It is the last chance for them to obtain mercy (Isaiah 55:6).

For the believer, the sound of the trumpet should build confidence in the promises of the Lord

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: – Ephesians 2:1-6

All The People

And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout. – Joshua 6:10

The people were to keep silent.   We are commanded to be swift to hear, but slow to speak (James 1:19).  Unfortunately, most people do just the opposite.  We feel like we need always have noise.  Have you ever noticed how many people walk around every day with earbuds in their ears?  They are attempting in a lot of cases to avoid silence, but silence is sometimes the very thing that we need.  Don’t drown out the sound of the trumpet with unnecessary noise.

Victory comes on the seventh day

And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times.
16, And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.
17, And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.
18, And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.
19, But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.
20, So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. – Joshua 6:15-20

The people needed to exercise patience and wait for the victory and so do we!  They did not know when the seventh day would arrive, they just had to keep marching while keeping silent, so that they could listen to the trumpets sounding off.

The greatest victories take time, patience and faith.  So keep blowing the trumpet of the Gospel and keep walking around this world – knowing that you will get the victory on ‘that day’ that the Lord blows his trumpet!

Our hope at Irvington Bible Baptist Church is that this podcast provided some encouragement and has helped you to develop a closer relationship with the LORD Jesus Christ.