Moments with my First Love [UNDER REVISION]

MOMENT 92: I'll Repeat; Don't Quit

Notice what a tired person usually says...
Some of them are those who always work but seems like nothing turns out good.
Some of them are those who always exerts an effort but seems like it's not appreciated.
Some of them are those who always perseveres but seems like everything is always a problem.

Those people usually says,
"I'm tired."
"I quit."
"I give up."

I quit, nothing good is happening.
I quit, I'm just getting more tired.
I quit, I feel like my hope is not true.

Listen to this... When problems seem to be like a cycle, it doesn't mean that nothing good will happen to your life. It doesn't mean that there will be no victory in the end.

Victory is achieved by those people who was hurt, got tired, got frustrated, got no hopes at all but chose to still fight. They are those people who didn't quit!

In Joshua 6:1-27, it was a story where Jericho was shut up inside and outside. No one can come in and no one can come out. People living in there are stocked inside. Jericho is the city just over the Jordan in the land of Canaan which known as the city of fragrance and was surrounded by vast grove of palm trees. It is known for City of Palms. Aside from that, Jericho is the strongest fortress in the land of Canaan.

Now, Jericho set as the main goal for Israelites' more breakthrough! God knows that when the Israelites has conquered this great challenge, they can overcome many more opposition.

In verse 2 of the passage, God told Joshua, "See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor." This only shows that God already gave the promise! God first assured His promise to His people! But God also gave them instructions about how they would conquer and have the promise. The instruction for the Israelites to make the Jericho fall down is for them to march around the city, all their men of war shall go around the city once but for six days. And on the seventh day, they are instructed to march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. And when they already make a long blast with the ram's horn, all the people shall shout with a great shout.

How could you overcome a great thing when you are instructed to do an unrealistic thing?

Imagine how funny it is to see the mighty men, masculine in feature, expert in fighting wars will only march or parade their weapons around the city while sounding the trumpets for six days. If we will take it into reality, the Israelite could have conquered by war, invading the Jericho through sword fight and trading of their lives. But God's instruction is different from what we thought.

As God stated in Isaiah 55:8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth. So are my ways higher than your ways. And my thoughts than your thoughts."

Now God told Joshua the intended result when they followed His instructions. He said in verse "the wall of the city will fall down flat." This is indeed impossible. Too unrealistic. Why? Because the walls of Jericho's dimensions have 2 layers in inner and outer wall. It is 3.6 meter or 11.8 feet high and 1.8 meter or 5.9 feet wide. The walls are made of bricks and inside of it are weapons to kill intruders and has army guards.

What make God's instruction seemingly impossible for the goal? You'll expect God to instruct for great war, because that's how you can overcome a great city right? But He instructed them to march silently. And take note, they'll do this repeatedly for 6 days! For almost one week! It sounds so funny.

Yet, see how Joshua took the instruction form God? In verse 6 to 7, you cannot notice any buts or whys. He didn't overthink. He obeyed immediately and relayed the instruction to the people. "Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord." And he said to the people, "Go forward. March around the city and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord."