And The Walls Came Down

Well they blew the horns
And the walls came down
They'd all been warned
And the walls came down
They stood there laughing
They're not laughing anymore
The walls came down...  The Call

The story of how Joshua conquered the city of Jericho is recounted in Joshua chapter 6 from the Hebrew Scriptures.  

According to the story, following God's commands, a retinue of armed Hebrews, trumpeters, and priests carried the Ark of the Covenant around the impregnable walls of the city seven times before shouting, and blasting their trumpets. 

And then the "walls came tumblin' down," in the words the old spiritual song.  

For centuries Archaeologists have argued over the evidence in the remains of the ancient city.  It's clear that the walls were breached at some point, but not clear that they collapsed in the way it's described in Joshua 6.  

When I was in the ancient city of Jericho last week I found myself staring out over the results of those archaeological digs, and I had an epiphany of sorts.  

You can spend your time and energy arguing over disputable details in the ancient text, or you can focus on the truth of the story.  And the truth of the story is that the walls came down.  Don't get lost in the weeds of how they came down.  They came down. 

What are the barriers and walls in your life that are keeping you from achieving your goals, finding your purpose, or just simply being the person you long to be?  Do those walls seem impregnable, and impossible to pull down? 

They aren't.  

You see, you've got the God-of-Angel-Armies on your side.  And this God will stop at nothing to tear down those walls by any means possible.  

But you have to participate.  You have to be willing to do whatever it takes to be a part of that demolition job, even if it doesn't make a lot of sense at first.  You have to be ready to be obedient and trust that God knows what God is doing.  

Then blow your horn and shout, and see what happens.  

May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you now and always. Amen.