There is going to be a process to claim the promised. This message is based on Joshua 6, where the Israelites conquered the city of Jericho. The promised is the city of Jericho. The city is a small fraction of the bigger one. The main promised for the Israelites is the land of Canaan.
For us today, there are promises by the Lord to claim throughout the Scriptures. You may have heard from the Lord a specific promise in your life that you have been waiting for. We can claim those promises as long as we are willing to go through the process.
What are the processes that we should go through before the promised will be given?
1. Walk by Faith
In Joshua 6:3-4, it says, “You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day, you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns.”
The story in this passage is one of the best illustrations about the principle of “walking by faith.” If you notice, the priest as well as the warriors march around the city. They walked around the city, literally, with no logical reason. There is no “warfare” explanation that is clear to them. As far as ancient battle is concerned, the instruction to march around the city was not a strategy. In fact, it was strange or weird.
In the midst of that situation, the people just “march by faith” and not by sight. They do not try to understand everything from a human standpoint solution. That was God’s strategy.
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2. Obey God Radically
In Joshua 6:8-10 it says, “After Joshua spoke to the people, the seven priests with the rams’ horns started marching in the presence of the Lord, blowing the horns as they marched. And the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant followed behind them. Some of the armed men marched in front of the priests with the horns and some behind the Ark, with the priests continually blowing the horns. “Do not shout; do not even talk,” Joshua commanded. “Not a single word from any of you until I tell you to shout. Then shout!”
After Joshua received God’s command, he then instructed the people what to do. Before Joshua and the Israelites conquer and claim the city of Jericho, they need to obey God, through the leadership of Joshua. It was a radical obedience, especially for the priests and warriors. God’s instructions seem to be off course from the point of view of ancient warfare. To march around, blow the horn, and etc., were the instructions that they should obey.
3. Live with God’s Presence
In verse 11, “So the Ark of the Lord was carried around the town once that day…” Again, it was repeated in verse 14, “On the second day they again marched around the town once and returned to the camp. They followed this pattern for six days.”
The Ark of the Covenant is one of the most popular symbols in the history of the Old Testament. The Ark is mentioned over 200 times in the Old Testament in 22 different designations. The Ark is sometimes referred to as the Ark of the Covenant (Joshua 3:6), the Ark of the Testimony (Ex 22:22), the Ark of Yahweh (1 Sam 4:6), the Ark of God (1 Sam 4:18) and sometimes simply the Ark (Ex 25:14) but one of the main purposes for the Ark was that of God’s being present or dwelling with His people and when the Ark was missing, so too was God’s glory. (Jack Welman, The Ark of the Covenant)
The Ark of the Covenant plays a great role in the success of Joshua and the Israelites. It symbolizes the presence of God. The presence of God brings success and victory. Let us live, fight the battle, and conquer territories in the power of God’s presence.
