When we face challenges in life, our natural instinct is often to rely on our own wisdom and strength. But what if God is calling us to trust Him and follow His seemingly unconventional methods instead? The story of Joshua and the Battle of Jericho offers powerful insights into what it means to partner with God when facing obstacles.
What Does It Mean to Face Unexpected Challenges?
Life rarely unfolds exactly as we imagine. Like hiking a mountain trail in the pouring rain instead of under blue skies, our journeys often include unexpected difficulties. These challenges can be categorized as different types of experiences:
- Type 1 fun: Enjoyable in the moment (like kayaking on a beautiful calm morning)
- Type 2 fun: Not enjoyable during the experience but fulfilling in retrospect (like paddling against the wind)
- Type 3 fun: Neither enjoyable during nor afterward
The deeper growth often happens during "Type 2" experiences - those challenging moments that shape us and create the stories we tell later. Similarly, our spiritual growth accelerates when we face difficulties that push us to depend more fully on God.
How Did the Israelites Face Their First Challenge in the Promised Land?
After 40 years of wandering in the desert, the Israelites finally crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land. They likely expected to find a welcoming land of milk and honey. Instead, they encountered their first major obstacle: the heavily fortified city of Jericho.
Standing before those massive walls, they must have wondered: "We wandered for 40 years to get here, and this is what we find? This is going to be much more difficult than we thought. Is this going to be worth it?"
The biblical account shows several significant transitions happening at this moment:
- They celebrated Passover in the Promised Land for the first time in 40 years
- The manna stopped, and they began eating from the produce of the land
- They faced their first major battle for the territory God had promised them
Who Was the Mysterious Figure Joshua Encountered?
In this pivotal moment, Joshua encounters a mysterious figure with a drawn sword. When Joshua asks, "Are you for us or for our enemies?" the figure responds, "Neither, but as commander of the army of the Lord, I have now come."
This encounter reveals something profound. Joshua was asking the wrong question. Instead of asking if God was on his side, he needed to ask if he was on God's side. The figure (possibly a theophany or christophany - an appearance of God or pre-incarnate Christ) makes it clear that this isn't Israel's battle with God as their helper. Rather, it's God's battle with Israel as His agent.
This challenges our perspective. Do we want a God small enough to serve our purposes, or are we willing to follow a God big enough that we serve His purposes?
Why Did God Give Such Unusual Battle Instructions?
God's battle plan for Jericho was unconventional, to say the least:
- March around the city once a day for six days
- On the seventh day, march around seven times
- Have priests blow trumpets
- Shout, and the walls will fall
Imagine receiving such instructions today - like being told to walk around a company's campus for a week and then sing a worship song to receive a job offer. It seems absurd by human standards.
This pattern of God asking people to trust His unusual methods appears throughout Scripture:
- The first time Israel reached the Promised Land, they refused to trust God's plan, resulting in 40 years of wandering
- Moses struck a rock instead of speaking to it as God instructed, preventing him from entering the Promised Land
- Abraham and Sarah tried to fulfill God's promise through Hagar rather than waiting for God's timing
- Adam and Eve chose their own way rather than trusting God's command
The question for the Israelites at Jericho - and for us today - is whether we'll trust God's methods even when they don't make sense to us.
What Does It Mean to Partner with God in Challenges?
The deeper reality of the Jericho story isn't about conquest but about partnership with God. It illustrates how God extends His hand and invites us to trust Him, even when His methods seem counterintuitive.
The Israelites succeeded at Jericho because they chose to trust God and follow His instructions. The key was that God was with them. They weren't left to their own devices or forced to face Jericho alone. They simply had to discern what God was doing and say yes to it.
This pattern continues throughout Scripture until we find Jesus - the one who perfectly trusted God's way, even to the point of death on a cross. The amazing truth is that the same Holy Spirit that was in Jesus now lives in us, empowering us to trust God when our own wisdom seems more prudent.
Life Application
New beginnings inherently include new challenges and battles. Rather than being disheartened by these challenges, we can recognize them as opportunities for growth and deeper partnership with God.
When facing obstacles, we have a choice: rely on our own wisdom or trust God and follow His way. Consider these questions:
- Is there a challenge you're facing where things don't look like you envisioned?
- Is there anything causing you to say, "I came all this way, and this is not what I expected"?
- Where might God be saying, "I know you had this idea of what life would look like, but I have something better"?
- In what area is God extending His hand and inviting you to join Him in what He's doing?
Remember, you don't have to face these challenges alone. God is with you. The Holy Spirit is in you. You're never alone, and you don't have to do everything by yourself.
Will you choose to set aside your expectations and agendas to say yes to where God is calling you?