Happy Independence Day to all my American friends!! Hope you all had a fantastic long weekend.Today we see confirmation, once again, that God always fulfills His promises - whether they are negative or positive ones.
In Ahab's time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken by Joshua son of Nun. 1 Kings 16:34
It didn't matter that God had made this promise about 600 years earlier, His word still stood. His word still stands today. God will do what God has said He will do - every time, with no exceptions. Click here for an excellent sermon on this verse and the wealth of meaning behind it. Here's a snippet....
Jericho's heap of stones speak of curse and blessing, of judgment and grace, of the punishment of the Law and the wealth of the Gospel. Jericho's heaps of stones speak first of judgment and punishment. When God's hands shook the very foundation of the walls, the Canaanites were being punished for their sins were too numerous and grievous to be tolerated any longer. Jericho's ruins testified to God's radical judgment against sin. The ruins informed every passer-by that although God is long-suffering and gives the sinner plenty of time to repent, the sinner's days are indeed numbered. There will come a day when the sinner is judged. THE PUNISHMENT OF THE LAW AND THE CURSE OF SIN — that's the message of judgment spoken by Jericho's heaps of stones.
The fallen walls present another message as well — a message of grace and blessing. The fallen stones proclaim that the Promised Land was entered and possessed only the might and power of God. The fallen stones proclaim that the city and the land was given to Israel only as a gift of God's grace. It was the Lord Who had broken the gates and smashed the walls. But the people could only receive this gifts of God through faith. Not through military might or the power of weapons or tactical cunning, but only through faith did Jericho's walls collapse. I am reminded of the words in the book of Hebrews: (Heb 11:30) By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days. BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH — that's the message of salvation spoken by Jericho's heaps of stones.
No wonder God did not want Jericho rebuilt. No wonder there was a curse on whoever rebuilt the city as a fortress. There is a message in Jericho's heaps of stones for Israel, for the world, for us — a message of judgment and punishment, of grace and blessing, of the might and power and strength of God. To rebuild the walls is to silence the message and stop the testimony of the stones.
I love the meaning behind the fallen walls of Jericho!
Last year I blogged about Elijah and the showdown at Carmel, you can read it here if you like. Pretty neat "water on the altar" message that I had forgotten since posting about it, what a great reminder.
Tomorrow's passage: 1 Kings 19-20, Acts 13:26-52
3 comments:
Great post. I remember the "water on the altar" post as well. It is a comfort to know that God keeps His promises.
Great post, Tammy. I did go back and re-read the "water on the altar" post. I'd forgotten it too, but what a great message.
Thanks for posting today. God is always consistent, if only my faith and trust were as consistent! Great post.
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