Mighty fortresses seem impenetrable. Everyone who traveled past the city of Jericho could see how tightly shut up the city was. Jericho was the fortress of safety for Canaan. All of the surrounding towns would have come into Jericho for protection against the massive ranks of Israel’s soldiers amassing on the border.
The children of Israel just crossed the Jordan river after wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. The generation who came out of Egypt had passed on, except for Caleb and Joshua. These two men were the only faithful spies who explored the promised land and gave a good faith report that Israel should obey the Lord and take the promised land.
Every other spy said the walls of the cities were too fortified and that there were giants in the land. They could see no earthly way that God’s people could do what God asked them to do. So, that generation passed away after living out their years in the hot and barren Sinai desert for 40 years.
Sometimes, when God wants to do a miracle, the giants seem too big to conquer and the walls seem too thick and high. The strongholds of Israel’s enemy were entrenched in Jericho for over 400 years. How do we know? God told Abram that in 400 years his descendants would take the land and it would belong to his family for all generations. But, the Lord delayed the take over, because the sin of the people of the land had not reached its full measure. Judgement would not be just. God doesn’t allow judgement until it is deserved and he has given ample time for people to repent. 400 years later, sin had reached the heavens. (God is more patient than I am!) But, the battle simply seemed impossible to win.
God sent an angelic messenger to meet with Joshua to encourage him and show him that he was standing on holy ground.
Joshua 5:13-15 “Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
“Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”
The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
Here we see an incredible spiritual truth. When we are in a great spiritual battle, preparing to take ground for the Lord, the place we are standing is holy ground.
God sees your prayer battles for your children and grandchildren – the future generations. This battle for Jericho was a battle to secure the promise of God for future generations forever. The angel of the Lord was there to meet Joshua and tell him that God’s unseen angels were there. The commander of the Lord’s hosts was there to bring about the Lord’s will and the Lord’s will alone.
Joshua took off his shoes in obedience to honor what was about to happen on this hallowed ground. How often, when you are in a battle of prayer to secure the promises of God for the next generation do you worship God and thank him for what is about to happen? Do we stand in awe of God, knowing that what is about to happen is to happen because of God’s providence and power?
A mother once told me about a time when she was praying for a rift in her relationship with an adult child. God had delivered her from the bitterness and strongholds of the trial so that she had peace. The conflict wasn’t resolved or the relationship healed, yet. But, God told her to let go of her attempts and control. He said to stop talking about it and worrying about it. He said, “The ground you are standing on is holy ground.” The holy ground is where we stand when we are waiting on the Lord to take back the next generation or to secure the promise he has made to us.
This battle for future generations would be a battle of praise.
Joshua 6:1 “Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.
Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”
So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.” And he ordered the army, “Advance! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord.”
The enemy had secured its position. There was no earthly way that the Israelites could break through the walls in their own power. The city was secure and full of food to keep the inhabitants well fed for many months.
Click the link to read more about archaeological digs at Jericho. https://answersingenesis.org/archaeology/the-walls-of-jericho/
The priests led the mission. They were simply to march – taking the ground by walking around the city in silence. It honestly probably felt silly to those marching men to just march and not fight. But, when we take marching orders from the Lord – obedience is fighting! (Even if it means “be still and know that I am God!”) The Lord needed to show Israel that he was the one who would secure this victory for his people.
When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the Lord went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the Lord’s covenant followed them. The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. But Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!” So he had the ark of the Lord carried around the city, circling it once. Then the army returned to camp and spent the night there.
Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the Lord and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets kept sounding. So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.
On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.”
When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city. They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.
Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her.” So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother, her brothers and sisters and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.
(And Rahab is listed as a mother in the genealogy of Jesus our Lord!)
What does God want to do for your family? God knows what he has in store for your family. He has promises that he is ready to fulfill. He wants the next generation to be wholly devoted to him. What is our stance?
There is a time for lament and weeping before the Lord. Then, there is a time for praise and standing in the authority of Christ Jesus. In the first case, we pour ourselves out before the Lord. In this second case, we stand on the promises. We stand in the truth and we stand in hope, knowing that God wants our children and grandchildren to follow him more than we do!
It’s time to take off our shoes and worship the Lord on holy ground. It’s time to let go of the control and manipulation and to allow the Lord to do his work. He has a mighty army ready to secure the territory the devil is dominating in your children. Are we willing to rest in him? Are we willing to shout?
Today, as you seek the Lord for your children, has God given you the order to shout? Have you shouted in your prayer closet, thanking God for his promises and praising him in advance for what he wants to do and what he’s going to do in your family?
Let’s take this to the Lord in prayer today! Put on some worship music, or sing to the Lord in your home before you pray.
Lord, I come to you – mighty in battle – and I thank you that the battle belongs to you!
I thank you in advance for what you are doing in my family and what you are going to do.
I praise you, Lord, for your salvation! I praise you for your deliverance!
I ask that you forgive me for trying to take control or manipulate situations and people. Forgive me for worry. Forgive me for gossip. Forgive me for arguing. Forgive me for living in despair and hopelessness.
Today, I choose you. Today, I am going to pray with strength and faith that you are Lord of my battles! I praise you, Lord! There is no one like you! I thank you for your victory in my family and that the enemy cannot stand in your presence.
I pray right now and declare that the Lord God almighty has given me this city! Lord, you have given me the victory in my family and in my child’s life. The enemy’s strongholds must fall, in the name of Jesus! The plans of Satan may be sly, but God sees all and knows all and he is the victor!
Take time to worship the Lord – shout the victory over your family in the name of Jesus! Strongholds must fall in Jesus’ name!
Song to sing –
A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
our helper he, amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
does seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great,
and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right Man on our side,
the Man of God’s own choosing.
You ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth his name,
from age to age the same;
and he must win the battle.
And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God has willed
his truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo! his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.
That Word above all earthly powers
no thanks to them abideth;
the Spirit and the gifts are ours
through him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
this mortal life also;
the body they may kill:
God’s truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever!
Revealed Ministries 