08/06/2016 - OBEDIENCE BRINGS VICTORY

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Then seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually and blew with the trumpets. And the armed men went before them. But the rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets.  Joshua 6.13

The orders of the Lord must be taken seriously, for He knows all things. When He reveals us something, He points us to the right way so we may be victorious. If we do not follow His ways, the loss will be ours. The Almighty would never tell us something if it were not the best thing to say. On the other hand, if we act only by what we think that may be right, we might be having the worst attitude.

Those who are obedient please the Most High, for they show that they trust in Him. However, those who are led by rebellion cooperate with the devil in his plan to rob, kill, and destroy (Jo 10.10a). Thus, besides not having the presence of God, this person will notice that he made the wrong decision, even if he is able to be partially successful. Now, if a person manages to have something without the Lord, he should know that he could have achieved infinitely more with Him.

It may sound simple, but the fact that a person does not seek or follow the divine orientation shows that he does not trust in the Most High with his heart. Whoever accepts what God says is a true servant, who trusts in Him completely. See what happens with many lost people when they hear the word of the Gospel: they are touched, but do not say yes to salvation, for they were not taught to trust in the Lord.

God gave specific orders to Joshua, who proved that he was ready to obey. Even not having a notebook to write what he had been ordered (in those times, they used to write in papyrus or similar materials), the commander of Israel made his best to keep all of those words. Afterwards, he gathered the people and gave them instructions without forgetting any detail from those words.

When they came to Jericho, a powerful city with high walls and a people that was ready to fight Israel and hinder them from entering the land, God showed that they should walk around the city for seven days without speaking. At sunrise, seven priests would proclaim a glorious moment of faith, which made the inhabitants of Jericho tremble with fear.

Those who were armed marched boldly, without speaking anything. This teaches us to be silent during our trials in order not to sin. That silence was a message from Heaven. If we speak about things that God has not given us, we may ruin His plan. The silence of the Hebrews made the inhabitants of that region desperate.

The seven priests blew their horns and announced that the Spirit of God was in that place. Who is in the battle to help you? This is shown by the way that you behave in the presence of the Father. Since the Lord was with them, He said to Jericho that its day of judgment had come.

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares