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Have you ever wondered why God does things the way He does? The book of Isaiah tells us that God's ways are not like our ways and His thoughts are not like our thoughts. That's because He's God and we're not.
That's how it was for Joshua. He was a military leader. He had won many battles with God's intervention. But the way God told him to conquer Jericho didn't use any type of military strategy. It didn't make any sense. The good thing about Joshua was, he knew God well enough to trust Him-even when it didn't make any sense.
Now, use your imagination, as we journey back through time to look at the Life Connection Story "Joshua."
(Story adapted from the book of Joshua)
My name is Joshua. I am excited to share with you how God worked in my life.
I was Moses' assistant when he led the Israelites out of Egypt. After Moses died, God wanted me to lead His people into the land that He had promised to give them. Just as He was with Moses, God promised He would always be with us on the journey. As soon as I started to lead, three times God told me to be strong and brave, and He promised that I would be successful in everything that I did. He wanted me to trust Him.
I sent two spies to Jericho to look at the land and give me a report. Somehow, the king of Jericho heard about my spies, so they looked for a place to hide. God led them to the house of a woman named Rahab. Her house was built on the city wall, so they climbed out a window and scaled the wall, using a red rope. Rahab told them to go into the hills because the king's men would not find them there. Then she asked my men to promise that if they returned to capture the city, they would show kindness to her family just as she had showed kindness to them. They agreed and told her to tie the same red rope in that window. It would be the sign to keep everyone safe in her house.
The two men came back and reported that all the people in Jericho were terribly afraid of us. They had heard how God dried up the Red Sea when we came out of Egypt. They were afraid because they knew that our God, the one true God, ruled the heavens above and the earth below.
The next morning, we traveled to the Jordan River to cross into Jericho and capture the city. During harvest the Jordan River flooded, so the river was at its fullest. But when the priests stepped into the water, it stopped flowing. After we all crossed the river, the water began flowing again. It overflowed its banks, just as it had before we crossed it. God did the same miracle for us that He had done at the Red Sea. When we set up camp, we stacked twelve large rocks in a pile to remind us of God's great power and His protection.
The people of Jericho were so afraid of us they had guards at the city gates. No one went into the city and no one came out. By now, the Lord had assured me that He had already given Jericho into our hands, and then He gave me some really strange orders. He told me to march my army around the city one time every day for six days. Seven trumpets played continuously while we marched. But no one was to speak until the seventh day when we marched around the city seven times. As soon as the trumpets made one long blast, we all gave a shout. At that very moment, the city walls came tumbling down and we captured Jericho. And as we promised, Rahab's family was safe.
Many years later, I called a meeting and recalled the many victories God had given us over our enemies. I encouraged the people to love God with all their hearts and not turn against Him. I reminded them that God gave us the land that we didn't cultivate and cities that we didn't build. We ate from vineyards and olive trees that we didn't plant. I believe people need physical reminders so we don't forget God's care. We put a large stone near the Lord's Holy Tent to remind everyone of God's power and protection.
Let's thank God for His great love for us. Pray these words of praise to Him:
God, thank You for Your love and care for us. Thank You that even when our circumstances don't make any sense to us, we can trust You because You can see the big picture.
Use the book of Joshua and the Life Connection Story. They will help you complete your Life Connection Response.
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