Marching On To Serve

THE STORY chapter #7

(My home church is participating in the study of THE STORY – The Bible As One Continuing Story Of God And His People. Foreword by Max Lucado and Randy Frazee. Each week, my Friday post will focus on our current study chapter.)

After God’s faithful servant Moses died, God chose Joshua son of Nun to lead His people into the promised land. Like Moses, Joshua was a man of faith who listened to God’s command. But Joshua was also a warrior. Because he followed God’s instruction, Joshua lead the Israelite men into battle against all the current inhabitants, an won. These were the same inhabitants that the Israelites a generation ago, grumbled against and feared going into battle against.

The first city God gave Joshua was the city of Jericho, located just east of Jerusalem. Joshua followed God’s instruction of seven priests, each blowing a trumpet of rams’ horn, marching around the city in front of the ark of the Lord. Armed Israelite men marched ahead of the priests, and a rear guard followed behind the ark. They all circled the city once a day for six days.

On the seventh day, they all marched around Jericho in the same fashion, except on this day as the trumpets sounded the men gave a shout and the walls surrounding the city came tumbling down. The Israelites quickly ran in took control of the city.

Next, Joshua and his fighting men went on and overtook the city Ai. It took Joshua two tries to win the battle against Ai, because one of his men sinned against God after the first battle. Once Joshua found out, the man was killed, and Joshua then won in his second battle against that city.

The Lord went on and delivered the armies of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon into Joshua’s hands. He also conquered the city Makkedah. Even when the troops of Hazor, Madon, Shimron, Akshaph, Arabah, Naphoth Dor, and the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Hivites joined forces together, God still delivered victory into His servant Joshua’s hands, because Joshua lived to serve the Lord.

“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

In all that he pursued, Joshua was given victory when he faithfully followed the LORD’s command. Whose command do you you follow? Do you march according to God’s call or do you march to your own tune because life seems easier just going with the flow?

Image the danger, peril and jeopardy Joshua and his men faced against each opponent, yet they conquered all because they followed God’s command. The next time you face a difficult moral decision, remember the life of Joshua. Remember if we march to serve God, victory can be won.