Thursday, March 12

Scripture: So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpets, they raised a great shout, and the wall fell down flat; so the people charged straight ahead into the city and captured it. (Judges 6:20).

Observation: This is the story of the fall of Jericho. God commanded Joshua to lead the entire assembly of Israel and the ark of the covenant once around Jericho’s city walls each day for six days straight; then on the seventh day, march around the city walls seven times; then the priests were to blow their trumpets and all the people were to shout. Joshua and the Israelites followed God’s orders, and immediately after the “great shout,” Jericho’s walls fell, granting the Israelites free reign to take all the precious metals out of Jericho and burn the rest. The story must be read in the context on what precedes it: God commands all the Israelites to be circumcised, now that they’ve officially entered the Promised Land (see Judges 5). Circumcision wasn’t practiced during the 40-year wilderness journey, and all the Israelites who had been circumcised in Egypt prior to the exodus had died, save for Joshua and Caleb. All the Israelite males are circumcised (ouch), and then God commands them to overthrow Jericho. The sequence of these stories is a clue to their underlying spiritual meaning. Now that Israel has entered the Promised Land, they must be the holy nation that God intended them to be, and their holiness will be evident in circumcision as God’s outward mark on their bodies and in the people’s daily worship of God. Now we’re back to the people’s march around Jericho: it’s a daily worship service. The priests blowing their trumpets? Those are the musicians leading worship music. The people marching? That’s the congregation assembled to worship. The ark of the covenant orbiting Jericho? That’s the presence of God in the midst of the worship service. The shout? That’s the sound of people praising God. The walls falling at the sound of the shout? That’s the power of worship. The fall of Jericho is a symbol of the importance of Israel’s worship life in the Promised Land. If the people will worship God daily and observe the Sabbath seriously, then the power of God will be real and effective, channeled through the people’s worship and thrust against their real world problems, and God only knows what walls will fall.

Application: How seriously do I take worship? On a scale of 1 to 10, I’ll rate myself at 8. I believe worship is a crucial spiritual discipline for all people of faith, an essential means of grace that God uses to change me, the worshipper. I believe worship is what God created me to do, for no other reason than I’m part of creation and all creation is hardwired to return thanks and praise to the Creator for being allowed to exist. But do I really believe that worship is God’s power channeled through me to cause real change in the world? Most days, no. I’m stuck at an 8 because I see worship only as a behavior I do when, in truth, worship is also a conduit for God’s power to reach where it needs to go. I need to see worship as the wall-breaking way-making force of God it is.

Prayer:

The prayer today is the song “Do It Again” from Elevation Worship. The opening stanza is supposed to be a silent prayer of an Israelite marching around Jericho before the walls come down, wondering if God’s power to act and save is still real.

Walking around these walls
I thought by now they'd fall
But You have never failed me yet
Waiting for change to come
Knowing the battle's won
For You have never failed me yet

Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I'm still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You've never failed me yet

I know the night won't last
Your Word will come to pass
My heart will sing Your praise again
Jesus, You're still enough
Keep me within Your love
My heart will sing Your praise again

Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I'm still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You've never failed
Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I'm still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You've never failed me yet