Revisiting Jericho

So, a few posts ago, I wrote about the fall of Jericho and how that story parallels our lives, that each of us has a "Jericho" moment.  And I'd really like to expand on that metaphor, and add in a little more personal info.  

Basically, the generation of Israelites that saw Jericho fall had to spend their whole lives in the desert because of the sins and lack of faith of their parents.  They grew up hearing the stories of how God delivered their people from Egypt and all the ways that He provided for them in the desert.  They grew up hearing about the land flowing with milk and honey that they had been promised, that their parents feared to take.  They probably saw the disappointment and shame in their parents faces as they recounted the stories and the promises, the regrets they felt on a daily basis for not trusting God to give the land to them.  I'm sure there was a sense of regret and hopelessness in the lives of their parents as they toiled through their life in the desert, knowing that they had passed up the rich , abundant land that God had offered them.  And eventually, this new generation's time came.  Moses passed away and Joshua was called to lead the nation.  God told Joshua that it was now time to take the land that was promised to their forefathers.  Here was their chance to leave the desert behind.  And not just the desert, but also the shame, the regret, the disappointment, and the hopelessness.  Now was their chance to take God at His word and claim the land that He had promised, and the life that He had for them.  

They took the first step by crossing over the Jordan and setting up their tents between the river and the formidable walls of Jericho.  There they committed themselves to the Lord through the right of circumcision, a practice which had been denied them in the desert.  

So here they were, camped outside of Jericho, so close to the Promised Land they could taste it.  They had plenty of reasons to turn and run, to cross back over the Jordan and continue in the desert-life that they inherited from their parents.  But they also had plenty of reasons to trust the Lord and claim the blessings that He was waiting to give them.  They had a choice to make.  They could run or they could trust.  They could settle for the status quo or demand something more.  

They chose the higher, but more difficult, road.  They chose trust.  And God rewarded them.  He was faithful.  They marched around the city for 7 days, blowing their horns, something that seemed insane and a little bit ridiculous.  But it is what God asked them to do, and the way that He chose to give the city into their hands.  And because they were faithful, the walls of Jericho came tumbling down.  The victory was theirs.

But that wasn't the end of their journey.  Jericho was only a small part of God's promise for them.  There were many more battles to be fought and enemies to be overcome.  And the Israelites weren't always as faithful as they were in this first step.  They made a lot of mistakes, and the scriptures are full of stories of their falling away and coming back to the Lord.  But in the midst of their unfaithfulness, the Lord remained faithful.  He punished them for their sin, but always loved them and never let His anger linger for long.  And one day, from among their own, He brought the Savior.  The One who would reconcile all of mankind to the Father.  Despite the imperfections of His people, God continued to fulfill the promise He had made to Abraham to bless all the nations through Him.  And we are now seeing the fruits of that promise and blessing, in the faces of people from nations all over the earth now praising the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  And one day, the promise will be fulfilled, utterly and completely, and people from every tribe, nation, and tongue will be found before the beauty of the Lord, praising Him forever.  

It is amazing how clearly this story reflects my experience.  In a way, I grew up in the "desert," daily reminded of the sins, regrets, shame, disappointments, and hopelessness of my parents.  And most of that is due to their choices and experiences from long before I was born, or even thought of.  And the ways that those choices and experiences shaped them were passed down to me.  But because I grew up in a church, and had people of deep faith in my life, I grew up hearing about hope, and grace, and love, and the abundant life that God has promised His people.  I knew that I was a part of that, but I was trapped in the desert that I had been born into, trapped by the shame and regret and hopelessness.

But as I got older, God began to call me out of that.  As I became more and more independent from my parents, the message of hope and the promise of abundant life became louder and began to drown out the message of death I had heard from birth.  God called me to "cross the Jordan" to begin the journey of claiming the life He has for me.  The last 2 years of college have been that process for me.  Recognizing the lies about who I am and who God is, and how they have kept me in chains that God wants to free me from.  But also recognizing the truth that needed to replace those lies, and coming to fully understand the life that I was created for.  

Crossing the Jordan was only the beginning.  I finally had to come to a breaking point, a point of decision to truly leave the desert behind and claim the land God has promised.  I committed myself to Him, giving Him my brokenness and asking Him to somehow make me whole again.

And now He is asking me to do my part in that process.  He is asking me to march around Jericho, to follow Him in ways that seem insane and ridiculous to many.  But these walls of Jericho are in between me and a life of love and grace.  And this very city is what kept my parents from claiming that life.  And now I have to make a choice: to run like they did, and camp in shame and despair, or to swallow my fear, trust God, and take the hard road to deliverance.  He is calling me to trust Him and be a part of bringing down that wall, piece by piece.

But even if this process takes 1 year, 2 years, or even 10 years, that will only be the beginning of the journey.  There will be many more battles to fight to fully claim the life of freedom.  Like the Israelites, I will have moments of faithfulness and moments of falling away.  But just as He was with them, God will be faithful in spite of my unfaithfulness.  And somehow, some way, He will call the nations to Himself through me.  And one day, I will be there with them, before the beauty of the Lord, praising Him forever.  

This is my story.