Encouragement

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Pastor Kenneth Hagin once preached on the need to do a Jericho March. It is something that every serious Christian needs to do and in this sharing I would like to share some interesting factors that one must consider.

Background
Jericho means “City of the moon or fragrant place.” One can presume that moon worship had been a feature of this city in the days of the invasion by Israel. The city was an early center of worship for lunar deities. It should have been a place where fragrances were a common feature. Also one can note that it was a place that God called the first port of call for Israel. We all know the story of how the 2 spies were sent ahead to scout out the city. It was a fortified city with a wall thick enough to run two chariots parallel to each other. This city was so fortified that Joshua stood wondering how he could penetrate that garrison. If you’ve been to Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba, you’ll probably understand the magnitude of that wall.

The wall was so huge and imposing that some houses were built into it. We find the prostitute Rahab living in the wall at the time the 2 spies came into the city. We also read that the inhabitants of the land lived in fear of the God of Israel, whom they had heard of as having separated the Red Sea when they left Egypt and how so recently He had caused the flooding Jordan waters to stand as a heap. Jericho was also one of the chief cities of the Canaanites. At its capture scripture records that the structure was razed to the ground by fire and Joshua spoke a curse to whoever was to attempt to rebuild it.

We also realize that it took seven days of silent Jericho Marching to cause this imposing structure to fall flat to the ground. At the seventh Jericho March on the seventh day, the power of praise and worship took out what had been an obstacle and paved way for the conquest of Canaan.

The plot of its downfall
In Joshua 5:13-6:5 we see an angelic visitation to the camp of Israel. He was contemplating on how he would be able to defeat his enemy. Already he had assurance that the city was afraid of his forces but there seemed to be no strategy to go in and capture the city. Joshua was standing at a place overlooking Jericho and lifted his eyes and looked about him. There stood a man opposite him with a sword drawn out and this sight caused Joshua to engage in conversation with the man. Was this man on their side or was he fighting for the shut up city? It was baffling to the mind but somehow this man had to state his position or risk being overtaken by events. As the story unfolds we are told that the angel brought specific instructions that were to be followed to the hilt for the takeover to be a successful one.

The 7 day Jericho March
All along, Israel had a set formula for the invasion: the army took the lead and confronted whatever lay ahead. But at that juncture, this man changed the set up. No more was the army to lead the fight against Jericho but the priests carrying the ark would form the fore guard while the army would be the rear guard. The presence of God was leading the assault on this Jericho March in the form of the ark led by the priests armed with nothing but seven ram horns.

The ram’s horn was symbolic in its own way. It was a means of making important announcements, rallying the forces to battle and proclaiming the coronation of kings. The horn, or pair of horns, assumed several symbolic meanings. They were frequently mentioned in the Bible, often in a context of strength and power. It was also a symbol of Christ speaking of the victory that awaited the Church as it Jericho Marched against the enemy. We too need a different lead as we fight the enemies we face in life.

The number seven represented perfection, fullness and completion as there was an assignment that had to be completed. In the Hebrew, seven (Sheh'-bah) is from a root word meaning to be complete or full. In our Jericho March there is an assignment that we must engage with a view to finishing.

The angel told the army to keep silence. Why? He knew that if he allowed people to talk on this mission there was bound to be too much negativity leading to fear rather than faith. As we take the Jericho March it is important to keep silence because once we get into the habit of talking too much we are bound to say things that can offset our faith and cause us to sink quickly into the unfashionable world of the fearful. God knew that if the men were allowed to talk, there was bound to be someone who would eventually discourage the rest of the troops seeing that the walls only fell after 7 days of Jericho Marching. Romans 10:17 tells us how faith comes: it comes by hearing; God knew that the negative kind of faith would come if these men heard discouragement all the way through. Israel Houghton sang a song with lyrics that encourage us to keep pressing on even if it seems there’s nothing in it for us. In the Jericho March one has to go on in silence and speak at the end when the victory has been won.

What were the thoughts of these men you might be asking? Just picture yourself in that Jericho March, days are going by and there seems to be no change. The guys in the city might have been saying, “Look at those crazy people, is that how they expect to defeat us, Jericho marching around in silence? If that’s their strategy then too bad for them.” Someone might have been thinking, “Why are we doing this thing seeing there are no positive results coming out of it? Can these walls really fall? Joshua must be crazy to think he herd God say we should Jericho March. Maybe God didn’t send him after all…” You can imagine what others were thinking on your own. At least it’s easy because that’s how wild our thoughts run when we are obeying God but it seems like nothing is happening. Can you to walk on with such thoughts all around you?

Back home the wives and kids could have been asking, “How far with the Jericho March, any success or should we expect to hear you come home tomorrow and tells us your feet hurt, again.” In our Jericho March there are people who can discourage us and keep us from moving forward. They had to maintain silence and go home believing that the walls were coming down. You have to avoid sharing your hard experiences with people who will shake your faith and cause you to want to give up. Stay in the Jericho March and don’t get discouraged.

There was a symbolism in the 7 day Jericho March. God was doing something in the background and these men had to keep on Jericho Marching. 7 represents perfection. Their faith had to be perfected. We read elsewhere in scripture that Namaan had to dip himself 7 times before he was healed. We read that Elijah had to pray 7 times before the cloud appeared in the sky. There was a stretching of their patience and endurance. A question you should be asking right now is why 7 times on the seventh day. God wanted to bring them to a point of breakthrough and they had to go all the way in order to receive the answer. We too will be stretched but we have to endure. That Jericho March was not an easy one. It was tiresome, it was discouraging, it was embarrassing, it was painful, but they had to stay in it. Our doubts will be dealt with as we Jericho March and all our questions will be answered if only we stay in the Jericho March.

Symbolism of the Jericho March to you and me
1. It is a test of character
God chose a strange method to test Joshua and Israel's character. He will choose the least expected way to test who you are. Look at how He chose the most foolish of ways to bring Jesus to earth and how the people’s characters were revealed when they rejected His Son as the Messiah. How will you respond to such a test?
2. It is a test of endurance
For 6 days nothing happened. Could these men wake up to the next morning, one extra day of nothingness? Can you endure the tests that you are going through? Can you hang in one more day?
3. It is a test of strength and courage
God had said to Joshua, “Be strong and courageous.” Can we be strong and courageous when the odds are against us? Jesus said to his disciples, “He who endures to the end will be saved.”
4. It is a test of faith
Proverbs 24:10 tells us that if you faint in the day of adversity, how small is your strength/faith. Can your faith hold out in a hopeless or changeless situation?
5. It is a test of trust in God
Joshua and his men had to trust the word of God or their reputation and credibility would be violated. We too need to trust God at times when it seems doing so is the only means of our survival. Can you trust God when things are not working out for you?
6. It is a test of obedience
Joshua and his men had to obey. Even though things were moving against them still they had to go on. Obedience was the key to their success and it can be the keys to yours.

Eventually we all know that the walls came crumbling down and the nation had won its fight. According to Wesley’s notes, God chose this way, to try the faith and obedience of the people: whether they would observe a precept, which to human policy seemed foolish, and believe a promise, which seemed impossible to be performed: whether they could patiently bear the reproaches of their enemies, and patiently wait for the salvation of God. Thus by faith, not by force, the walls of Jericho fell down. We too need to take the Jericho March and win our battles.

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