Faith of Joshua

[Thomas Green]

The faith of Joshua is proclaimed in several of the Old Testament
books, but Hebrews 11 chooses the battle at Jericho as an example of
Joshua's faith. Sometimes we overlook the more familiar stories of the
Bible and fail to capture the full impact they can have in our own
lives today.

Joshua was a man of war; as the leader of the children of Israel I'm
sure he was also a great battle strategist. The plan God gave him for
capturing the city of Jericho must have seemed quite strange to him.
Yet he never argued with God; he accepted what God told him in faith.
As a matter of fact the very next two verses in Joshua 6 show his
quick response to the command of God.

Faith of Joshua 6And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and
said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests
bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD. 7And he
said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that
is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD.

How quickly do we accept the commandments of God in the face of our
daily lives and cultures today? The commandments of God seem strange
and archaic to non-Christians today. In fact, the opposite tends to be
the norm. The rebellious and outspoken heroine is lauded in today's
books and movies. The person who determines, by the grace of God, to
live in faith and obedience to the Bible is labeled a "goody goody two-
shoes".

How do you respond to God's commandments? Do they seem strange and
archaic to you, or do you demonstrate the faith of Joshua and accept
them as the guide for your daily life? No one can keep the
commandments of God perfectly; the Christian must continually go
before the Lord crying out for grace to live each day in a manner that
pleases God.

Did Joshua care what the children of Israel thought? Don't you suppose
that many thought that Joshua had really lost it. Whoever heard of
capturing a city by marching around it for 7 days, and then on the 7th
day, march around it 7 times and then at the sound of the trumpet
shout with a loud shout? No matter how they felt, the people obeyed
Joshua, and we know the rest of the story. The walls of Jericho fell
flat and the Israelites went in and captured the city.

Pray today that your life would exemplify the faith of Joshua, and
that you would purpose to be obedient to the commandments of God no
matter what those around your think.