Last night I had a thought about the David Crowder song "We Win!" we've sung during services a couple of times now, and the associated story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho.
I think we probably all know the story: after the 40 year wilderness wandering, the Israelites cross the Jordan River and encounter the city of Jericho, the first obstacle to claiming the Promised Land (besides the Jordan River itself). God tells Joshua to take the fortified city by marching around it 7 days in a row (accompanied by soldiers, priests, and the ark of the covenant, of course), and on the 7th day, to make 7 laps. After the 7th lap, God instructed Joshua to have the priests blow their horns and the people "shout with a great shout." Simple enough.
What I realized last night, for the first time (and believe me, I have heard this story many times) was the order in which the events take place. In our modern culture, which Daniel talked about a few weeks ago, we have a very linear way of thinking. Think about it: "I" before "e" except after "c." Don't eat your dessert before the main meal. Don't try to get the cart before the horse. Work before play. We are a read-from-left-to-right society, and we approach everything with that perspective. We think that's organization.
That's why the Jericho story sticks out to me. God had them do it backwards! He had the Israelites shout their victory before the walls came down. Just like Crowder's song lyric: "We're gonna shout loud, loud until the walls come down." What!? "Until" implies a lack of finality. What did they have to cheer about? The walls were still standing when they shouted for victory. Can you imagine a sporting event where fans cheered before the big moment? Try. You know those moments in a football game where the running back gets the hand-off? He busts through the defense. . .an amazing dodge here. . .a spin with some fancy footwork. . .and he's off. . .30 yd. line. . . the fans stand. . .20 yd. line. . .the fans murmur, anticipation growing. . .10 yd. line. . .will he make it?. . .still a few more tackles to dodge. . .wait!. . .the crowd's gone crazy!. . .the announcer calls the touchdown!!. . .the fans are shouting and hugging each other for joy!!!. . .the sound of their cheers is deafening!!!!!
Sounds bizarre to me, but that's exactly what God had the Israelites do. He had them shouting for victory before anything happened! Apparently, God didn't understand that you have to wait for the victory before cheering. . .
Wait, God already knew the outcome, didn't he? And He let the Israelites enjoy the thrill of certain victory, for a whole week. That must have been pretty satisfying.
I don't really have any more insight into this (hence the title of today's blog), but it really struck me last night. Can someone help me out with the relevance? The only thing I can think of right now is somehow we've got to get out of this reactionary, linear type of thinking. God is bigger than that. Why wait for the outward sign of victory (i.e. the "walls" flattened) before celebrating the victory? We've already won. We've already won! And because of that, we have hope that does not disappoint.
Other interpretations are welcome. And you will get extra points if you can detect the method to my mad use of exclamation points in the last 4 lines of the 4th paragraph. :) The answer is forthcoming.
But in all seriousness, be encouraged. We win!
Jeff
wanderings, musings, and general commentary on the process of becoming more like Christ
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Jeff, I have been thinking about your insight. What came to me was the difference between participants and spectators. Even in the natural realm the team chants their victory chants and get themselves all fired up. Successful coaches seem to have an ability to get the team to believe they can win before they leave the locker room. However, spectators are mostly responders and if the team doesn’t deliver they tend to stay away or even find a team to cheer that is winning.
I liken that to faith in the sense that God wants us to be participants with Him, not just spectators. As spectators we want to see the outcome, but as participants we unite our faith with His faithfulness, releasing His grace into a situation.
This seemed to be the situation with Moses and the people of Israel. Moses was a man who engaged with God, even face to face. He led the people by faith through impossible situations, but they just whined until they saw the outcome. David makes reference to this in Psalms 103:7 (NIV) “He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel.” The difference between being a spectator and being a person who steps out in faith and obedience, shouting victory before the battle even begins is a person who knows God’s ways and grows in their faith.
I pray that I will be a person that is in the category of the person who is a participant, growing in faith and knowledge of God’s ways.
Rod
Hi all,
Hmm, I have a take for both Jeff's comments and Pastor Rod's comments.
We, as people alive well after Jesus Christ physical time on Earth, should be able to understand this better than the folks who were alive with him and before him. Jesus died and rose again for us. Our victory was won well before our great-grandparents or anyone of our ancestors that we could even trace were born. We were victorious before we breathed. We just need to claim that victory. I will admit that this thought is not completely my own. When I admitted to a friend my frustration with constant or at least repeated failure, he said to me, "When did God die for you?" I didn't follow what he was saying at first but he pointed out that it was before I had even sinned.
To go along with what Pastor Rod said, why would we even play if we didn't expect to win? I think that is why the NCAA basketball tournament is so powerful, people know that an underdog can pull through. It is possible for the team that nobody expected to win to pull off a victory – but that team has definitely got to believe that the victory is theirs for it to happen. In fact, in sports it is happening right now. Fresno State University just made it to the championship game in the College World Series. They were the lowest seeded team to ever even GO to the CWS. Now they are in the championship! I wouldn't be surprised if they win it all and then we see a story in the Evangel about some Christian influence behind the victory.
Sorry for rambling, I didn't want to do that and that is why I hadn't posted before.
The word Victory reminds me of the old song, "Victory in Jesus my Savior forever, He sought me and He bought me with His redeeming Blood. . ."
Anyway, the snippet I think about
is living out lives knowing that we do have victory and we do win when our hope and trust is in God. As already stated, being obetient to God is like showing our commitment to Him and that we do trust Him. By trusting Him there is victory. Maybe that is just way to left-to-right thinking, but in simple terms it is more easily graspable.
Yeah, having the mindset "we win" within a Biblical context, makes sense being aware of the already expectant, and the already present reality of our salvation. Being saved and continually being saved as a process of victory. That it is God that saves and God that brings the victory. Then we are the ones that choose to reject or walk-out in belief - that He will do good for those that put their trust in Him.
I hope that makes some sense, but as I think about it, it makes sense.
Just thought I'd update you all … Fresno State did win the College World Series. Let's see if a christian belief comes from it.
I agree with all these comments.
I have always thought that the story of the battle of Jericho was about the incredible power of praise.
Think about it, the people were tired of walking, tired of eating the same thing three times a day, 24/7, they were tired of seeing the same old dirt, they were tired of a journey that seemed endless and pointless. And just when there seemed to be an end in sight, there was a huge obstacle- a gigantic wall that would have taken days to walk around. Do you think they felt like cheering?
And yet they did and the walls fell down. Walls that were fortified, amazingly strong. Walls that took a long time and a lot of manpower to make. They crumbled when God's people got together and rejoiced and obeyed God.
Think about chapter 16 of Acts. Paul and Silas were tortured, beaten, tossed in prison and bound in a stock for expelling a demon out of a servant girl. Keep in mind that prisons in that place and time were nasty, dangerous, and a hundred times more uncomfortable than jails we have here and now. Most people in their situation would have complained or threw in the towel and say that God abandoned them, but Paul and Silas weren't most people, instead they started singing praises.
Singing praises.
What were they thinking?
They had no earthly reason to rejoice. But every supernatural reason to, because they knew that their dinky little prison and even the strongest shackles of iron are nothing compared to God's power. They knew that they are blessed disciples of Jesus and heirs of God's kingdom.
Have you ever felt seriously discouraged or rock bottom and then tried to sing a favorite worship song with gusto? At first it's rocky but once you stick with it and realize how blessed you actually are, you start smiling; you start meaning the words; you start opening yourself to change; you start sacrificing your flesh on the altar in exchange for a godly perspective; you start opening the doors God has set for you. Doors to blessings and power.
That literally happened when Paul and Silas "were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed." Not only that, but they ministered to the very dude who kept them in the jail- the prison keeper. He became saved and was baptized along with the rest of his family.
[I think it's interesting to note that not only did Paul and Silas worshiped God and was freed but the prisoners listened to them and were freed too. There's probably a point to that but I'm not quite sure yet.]
Praise is obviously an important tool in having faith. It's about having the right attitude and mindset. It's about remembering all the times that God has come through for you and knowing that He will do the same again. It's about the power He has given each of His children.
P.S. you have some great insights, Jeff. I'm glad people like you, and those who have commented on your blog, have the opportunity to discuss God's word and its impact on our lives with honesty and creativity.
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