Faith
in Four Positions
“By
faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven
days.”
– Hebrews 11:30
The Lord told Joshua and the children of Israel exactly what they were to do to take Jericho (Josh. 6:3-4), and promised them that Jericho’s wall would fall down flat before them (Josh. 6:5); and it came to pass (Josh. 6:6-25). “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down.” But they did not fall, or even shake, until “after they were compassed about seven days.”
True, saving faith is much more than an idea or an ideal. It is much more than the acceptance of facts, believing specific doctrines, believing that God is, or believing that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose again the third day. Faith in Christ involves confidence in him and submission to him, as well as relying upon the merits of his blood and righteousness. There is much to be learned about faith in the fall of Jericho. That which is recorded in Joshua 6, to which this text refers, shows us four positions of faith.
Here is faith obeying God. That is what faith does. I do not suggest that believers are perfectly obedient. We are not. But believers do bow to and obey the Lord their God. These people were required to march around Jericho for six days in utter silence. They were required to do this for six days, and then a seventh. – Thus the Lord taught them patience (Ps. 37:4-7).
God’s ways often seem strange to us. I am sure every man in Israel, when he heard Joshua’s declaration of God’s word, must have thought, “That sure seems like a strange way to conquer a place.” Who would ever dream of conquering a city with nothing but the blowing of a ram’s horn and carrying an ark?
No matter how contrary it may appear to be to human reason, no matter how unpopular it may be for us to do so, it is our responsibility and blessedness to obey our God’s revealed will (revealed in Holy Scripture) implicitly. We cannot do his work any other way.
The ark that Israel carried was typical of redemption accomplished by Christ. The blowing of the rams’ horns was symbolic of the preaching of the gospel. These and these alone are the weapons of our warfare, by which the church and kingdom of God assaults the gates of hell.
The children of Israel obeyed God and waited for Jericho’s wall to fall. Nothing is more contrary to our proud flesh than waiting on God. We want action, and we want it right now. But faith must and will wait on the Lord. “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” – “Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.” – “Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee.” – “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” – “The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.”
Expecting
Waiting
in faith is not lazy idleness, excused by claiming to believe in divine
sovereignty and absolute predestination. Faith in God’s sovereignty and
confidence in his eternal purpose inspires obedience to his Word and confidence
in his Word. The waiting of faith involves expectation. We wait on God to work
when we expect him to do so.
The faith by which Jericho fell was an expectant
faith (Josh. 6:20). The people shouted before the walls fell down. Because they
believed God, they expected those mighty, huge walls to fall. We who believe
God ought to expect him to do all that he has promised. What could be more
reasonable? If in the middle of a severe drought we pray for rain, we ought to
walk around with an umbrella in our hands. We ought to expect the preaching of
the gospel to bring forth fruit (Isa. 55:11). We ought to expect the triumph of
the gospel. We ought to expect our God to do us good, and nothing but good, all
the days of our lives (Rom. 8:28). We ought to expect goodness and mercy to
pursue us everywhere we go (Ps. 23:6). We ought to live every day in the
expectation of Christ’s coming (Tit. 2:11-14).
Israel took Jericho (Josh. 6:20). The walls fell down flat before them. God made a promise. They believed it. And faith prevailed. They conquered their enemies. Let us likewise believe our God (Matt. 17:20; 1 John 5:4). “Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.” “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” Yes, faith in Christ always prevails. We shall prevail over every obstacle, over every foe (inward and outward), over death, over hell, and over the grave. Read the last chapters of the Book and see (Rev. 19:1-6; 20:6).