Tactics and Strategy
It was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before Yahweh passed on, and blew the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of Yahweh followed them. — Joshua 6:8
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. — Hebrews 11:30
Author
Faustino de Jesús Zamora Vargas
Summary: God, in his sovereignty, fulfills his purposes in ways we cannot foresee. Jericho fell when Joshua obeyed his instructions: the priests marched with the Ark, the shofar sounded, and the people shouted. The city was judged for its rebellion, but Rahab and her family were saved. Sin has consequences; therefore, we must turn away from iniquity and respond to Christ’s call. Moved by love and mercy, God seeks those who resist him and forgives those who repent. As a church, let us praise the Lord and serve as instruments of salvation, trusting that he goes before us.
God’s methods for accomplishing His purposes are infallible. Do not try to understand His strategies, because it will be impossible. His tactics? Do not even imagine it. Strategy is the art of directing an action; tactics, the art of carrying it out.
The thing is, God is extraordinary in the way He acts because He is sovereign. When a people who fear God decide to submit to His will, any action on their behalf takes on meaning. By contrast, a people who deliberately choose corruption and unbridled excess as a way of life and turn their backs on Him cannot expect anything good. This was the case with the Jericho Joshua would conquer, called the city of the moon and also the city of palm trees (Deut. 34:3). The Jericho through which Jesus walked centuries later, near the Jordan where He would also be baptized and not far from the desert place where He overcame the temptations—the city where Zacchaeus was “born again.”
The inhabitants and warriors of Jericho could not have suspected that the wall would fall at the sound of an instrument of praise such as the leather horn (shofar) and the unanimous shout of God’s hosts (Joshua 6:20). A strategy similar to the one used for crossing the Jordan is repeated. The priests in the vanguard, and the Ark of God inspiring confidence ahead of the Lord’s army. If God goes before us, we must not doubt the victory. What, then, shall we say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Yet judgment would come upon the defiance and depravity of a city given over to violence and disorder. Disobedience is an act of rebellion against God. Only Rahab and her family would be spared God’s judgment—Rahab, the prostitute who hid Joshua’s spies in her home. Jericho fell because Joshua obeyed God’s instructions to the letter. He followed His strategy and submitted to His divine tactics. But a remnant survived: a woman who would come to be honored because, many years later, she would appear in the genealogy of Jesus the man, the Messiah.
History repeats itself again and again. Sin has devastating consequences. God never tires of knocking at the door and calling. He calls to offer us heaven as a gift, calls to save us from fire and eternal condemnation, calls to enter our lives, offering us the banquet of His presence…but few hear His voice and open the door (Rev. 3:20). A person without Christ boasts of living in their Jericho of iniquity, vice, and ignorance. That is why Christ established His church: to be an instrument of salvation and to work where He is at work, healing the sick heart of a fallen world that disregards God’s justice and love.
If you live (study, work) somewhere like Jericho, get away! God forgives those who repent and pours out His rivers of mercy. His strategy has always been to seek you, despite your resistance; the finest ingredient in His tactics is His incredible love. Observe, meditate, and praise the Lord. Church! Sound the shofar—the trumpet—that He has placed in your hands, and you will see the glory of God when the walls that try to contain the unstoppable advance of God’s Kingdom fall!
May God bless His Word!
Suggested reading: Joshua 6