Here are some more of my Joshua thoughts on "whose side are we on". I just realized I spelled whose wrong before by using who's which means who is!! I knew that 😝- feeling a little foolish right now, but I did manage to change all (I hope) so now I'll continue....
Thankfully God loves imperfect people and directs them in His perfect ways. When the Israelites were getting ready to cross over into their promised land God takes them to the shore of the Jordan river during flood season. ( Joshua 3:15) Before this in Joshua chapter one God promises He will make Joshua great in the peoples eyes just as He had done for Moses. I especially love the fact that God tells Joshua four times to be strong and courageous. (Joshua 1:6,7,8,18) Also He told Joshua to never turn from God's law and meditate on it day and night. This was how Joshua would succeed.
Next they come to the Jordan which is overflowing this time of year. The priests carrying the ark of the covenant must step in the Jordan and trust that God will stop the water so they can cross. (Joshua 3:13) As soon as the priests enter the water God makes it stop flowing and heaps the water up so the Israelites can cross.
There is so much detail to this story that I encourage you to read it but one of the things I really like is the fact that after they cross the Jordan, they are between a flooding river and Jericho (the enemy). Then God says, "Now Joshua, I want all the Israelite men to be circumcised, since in the desert it did not happen." What!! The first time I read this I realized those men would be very weak for several days and very vulnerable to enemy attack. These people are so obedient at this time that they do all that God commands through Joshua. I love it! After they are healed God says now I want you to celebrate Passover. A feast to remember all God had done in taking them out of the slavery of Egypt and saving them from death. It also pointed to a future Messiah that would bring salvation by His death.
Next there is the part that says they eat the food from the land and I know they had flocks of sheep and cattle with them. Passover celebration needed sheep to be slaughtered and roasted over an open fire. At this point they no longer needed manna. Joshua 5:12 tells us the manna stopped coming from heaven. This generation had grown up only knowing manna. Quite the sudden change for them and another thing to trust God with.
They are finally ready - I think - for battle? God gives them a strange command. March around Jericho walls every day once with the priests carrying the ark and rams horns being blown. Then on the seventh day they were to march around seven times and at the end blow the horns and shout! Wow and just like that the walls fell! What is amazing to me is that the warriors of Jericho never threw spears or rocks or anything from their walls. The Israelites had to be sitting ducks walking around the city! I know Israel conquered Jericho because they did exactly what God said. They had faith in God and trusted their leader Joshua was listening to God's commands. Again I am convinced it wasn't about whose side they were on instead it was all about God and what He wanted them to do.
Sometimes people have a hard time with God telling the Israelites to go and conquer people. God does want all people to choose to follow Him and He gives everyone lots of time, even generations, before He allows people to be destroyed. Then, as we saw with Rahab, it is never too late to follow God. He wants us to all turn from evil and follow Him.
As we handle the enemy of Coronavirus, we must all trust God and ask for His salvation in Jesus who is the Lamb of God who takes away our sin. He will make us strong and courageous and show us how to take down the walls of whatever Jericho each of us face today.💪
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