Walls

Joshua 6:1 NLT Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go out or in.

It is certainly one of the most well-known stories from the Old Testament. If you were in church as a small child, you may have learned the song, “Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho.” But there is much more to Jericho than the Israelites winning an unconventional battle.

Jericho was not just a test of the Israelites’ faith and obedience to God, but it is where God demonstrated one of his greatest desires, a desire that is carried throughout scripture. From the Garden of Eden until the return of Christ, God has been in the business of tearing down walls. Walls that separate man from God, walls that keep his sons and daughters in bondage, and walls that keep each of us from fulfilling our God-designed purpose and destiny.

In the story of Jericho (Joshua 2-6), we are introduced to Rahab, a Gentile prostitute who risked her life to make this proclamation of faith, “for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below” (Joshua 2:11). She not only confessed her faith but also acted on it by protecting and hiding the Israelite spies. As a result, Rahab and her family were protected by God and welcomed into the Israelite family. Before Paul was sent to proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles, God was tearing down walls of separation and demonstrating that His love and mercy were for both Jew and Gentile, that salvation was indeed for “you and your household” (Acts 16:31).

But thousands of years later, the walled legacy of Jericho continued as two significant events occurred there. In Luke, chapters 18-19, Jesus was entering the rebuilt city of Jericho when out of the crowd is heard, “Jesus! Son of David, have mercy on me!” Bartimaeus, a blind beggar who sat on the roadside, was crying out for Jesus. Luke 18:39 tells us the people in the front scolded him, telling him to be quiet, but he screamed out even louder until Jesus called for him. Then once inside the city of Jericho, a tax collector named Zacchaeus was doing everything he could to see Jesus. Blocked by the crowds, he climbed a tree to get a glimpse when Jesus called for him. This was much to the displeasure of the citizens of Jericho, who complained that of all the people Jesus could have dined with, he chose a notorious sinner. In both cases, those surrounding Jesus tried to build barriers to keep Bartimaeus and Zacchaeus away from Jesus. Telling them they were not good enough, important enough, or worthy of Jesus’ attention. But Jesus broke down those walls, leading to life-changing encounters for both.

Then Jesus on the cross paid the ultimate price for our redemption, tearing down the wall of sin that separated God and man. Walls of sin, fear, and doubt are standing between us and the fullness of life that God intends for us. If we are to have an impact for God’s Kingdom, we must be about tearing down walls of religious structures that separate men from God, hindering them from seeing the beauty of Jesus as their redeemer.

What walls have you built to keep God out of certain areas of your life? Areas of wounds or hurts carried from past relationships, areas you are unwilling to surrender to God, or pridefully believe we have it all together and don’t need God. Jericho stands as a powerful picture of God’s faithfulness to His promises and His ability to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. But we must surrender our plan, persevering and trusting God, even if the path is far different than we expected. Jesus came to tear down those walls.

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Gary and Sandy Anthony

Hebrews 11:30-31 NLT It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down. It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NIV For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Psalms 89:30-34,40 NIV But if his sons forsake my instructions and fail to obey my regulations, if they do not obey my decrees and fail to keep my commands, then I will punish their sin with the rod, and their disobedience with beating. But I will never stop loving him nor fail to keep my promise to him. No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back a single word I said. But I will break down the walls protecting him and ruin every stronghold defending him.

Micah 5:11 NIV The Lord God, will tear down your walls and demolish your defenses.

Ephesians 2:14-18 NLT For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

Galatians 3:26-29 NLT For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.

Colossians 1:21-22 NLT This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

Ephesians 2:12-13 NLT In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. '

2 Corinthians 5:18 NIV All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.