Sermon Title: When God Gets Unconventional

Sermon Series: Joshua: Finding Courage through the Challenges of Life

Sermon Text: Joshua 6

March 30, 2008

Introduction: I remember in school...usually sometime around April Fools Day, my teacher would give us this assignment where if you would read and follow all the instructions you actually could avoid the most annoying parts of the assignment. But, if you didn’t you’d end up wasting your time doing a bunch of problems only to learn later that they weren’t required. For example:

DIRECTIONS: This is a timed test. You will be allowed only two minutes to complete it, therefore you must work quickly. Record your responses on this sheet of paper.

1. Read everything before you do anything.
2. Print your name in the upper right corner of your paper.
3. Draw two squares in the lower left corner.
4. Place an "x" in one square and an "o" in the other.
5. Write your grade level in the lower right corner.
6. Print today's date under your name.
7. Draw three circles in the upper left corner of your paper.
8. Divide each circle in half by drawing a line through the center horizontally.
9. Sign your name in the lower right corner.
10. Draw a circle around your signature.
11. Write your birthday under your signature.
12. Now that you have finished reading everything, do only as directed in the first sentence.

Have you ever been asked to do something that made no sense to you but then later, it made sense, you benefited and then you were glad you followed directions?

I want to look with you at a story in Joshua 6 where God’s people called to follow some pretty unconventional instructions from God. The story has some great lessons to teach us about how we are to respond when God gives us instructions that appear unconventional to us. Let’s pick up the story in verse 13 of chapter 5 and read to chapter 6:5.

Sometimes God gives us instructions that appear unconventional (6:1-5).

By all accounts, God gives Joshua very specific but very unconventional instructions for conquering Jericho.

Now, conventionally, fortified, walled cities like this would have been penetrated by one of three common ways.

A ruse as in the story of the Trojan horse.

Seeking to gain entrance into Troy, clever Odysseus (some say with the aid of Athena) ordered a large wooden horse to be built. Its insides were to be hollow so that soldiers could hide within it.

Once the statue had been built, a number of the Greek warriors, along with Odysseus, climbed inside. The rest of the Greek fleet sailed away, so as to deceive the Trojans. One man, Sinon, was left behind. When the Trojans came to marvel at the huge creation, Sinon pretended to be angry with the Greeks, stating that they had deserted him. He assured the Trojans that the wooden horse was safe and would bring luck to the Trojans. The Trojans celebrated what they thought was their victory, and dragged the wooden horse into Troy. That night, after most of Troy was asleep or in a drunken stupor, Sinon let the Greek warriors out from the horse, and they slaughtered the Trojans.

The two most common approaches to taking a city were...

Attacking the weakest or most indefensible parts of the walls. Often it would be the gates or any other part of the wall that was least defensible.

A siege forcing the inhabitants to surrender. In this case the attacking army would simply surround the city and not let anyone or any thing in or out, basically choking the life out of the city until they surrendered.

But, none of those conventional means were called for in this case. In this case, the instructions from God were unconventional, counter-intuitive and difficult to grasp the level of their effectiveness.

Now, it seems to me God’s Word often gives us specific but unconventional instructions for how to conquer life, if you will.

For Example:

Many who are first will be last and the last shall be first (Matthew 19:30).
Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave (Matthew 20:26).
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it (Matthew 10:39).
It is more blessed to give than to receive
God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong (1 Cor. 1:27).
Happy are the meek for they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5).
If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also (Matthew 5:39).
If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also (Matthew 5:40).
If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles (Matthew 5:41).
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you...” (Matthew 5:44).
Hosea’s relationship with the adulterous Gomer is completely unconventional and violates all our conventional wisdom. God orders Hosea to marry an adulterous wife, Gomer. She’s unfaithful and later driven out of the house for rehabilitation purposes. Hosea is again ordered to continue loving her, and to take her back. Convention wisdom would have said don’t get involved with her, avoid her at all costs. Conventional wisdom would have never advised even dating a girl named Gomer. But God had an unconventional plan and purpose for Hosea and Hosea obeyed God’s marching orders for him.

Often God’s instructions are counter-intuitive to us. They appear unconventional. If I read my Bible right, we cannot always fit the present thing God is doing into our past paradigms of how He works. Don’t get my wrong, God never contradicts himself or violates his own law. But, in many ways, the past is not always the best predictor of how God works in the now.

So, the question is: How are you and I going to respond in the face of these unconventional instructions? What are you going to do when God steps outside your box, or colors outside the lines of your expectations?

Left unchecked, most of us prefer to go with what makes normal sense to us. Most of us want to go with the “best practices of others” we see around us in our world. Because of that proneness, unless we’re intentional, we might miss what God is doing because we are looking so intently for what others have done.

Let’s look at how Joshua, his military leadership and the fighting men respond in the face of God’s unconventional instructions. Look at verses 6-19. It’s clear from this account that Joshua and the military men faithfully execute the unconventional plan. And that’s what God wants from each of us as well.

God wants us to faithfully execute the unconventional plan (6:6-19)

Jericho was one of the oldest and most heavily fortified cities of the time.

God’s unconventional plan did have some conventional pieces to it. For example...having the soldiers march around and surround a city, the use of the horns and battle cries, there was certainly the psychological advantage that came from the reputation of God and his people...but over all this plan of attack was unprecedented and unconventional. I don’t think you would have found it listed in the “Battle Book of Best Practices.”

I try to imagine what Joshua might have thought in his private moments. I try to imagine what his seasoned military leaders were talking about in their off line meetings. Talk about stirring up mutiny. Talk about stirring pride issues. I would expect these seasoned military guys were probably thinking “Can’t we just attack this like real men?” “Can’t we just do this like we’ve always done it?” “This is going to be kind of embarrassing just marching around one time and blowing horns and then going back to take a nap.” “What’s the point?” “I don’t get this plan of God at all.”

But, instead of second guessing God...the Israeli army executes the plan.

What was the key to their straightforward obedience?

Let’s think back and remember what God had coached Joshua to do leading up to this time. God assures Joshua all along that he will give them the land and drive out their enemies before them. Remember Josh 1:1-9: "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. ...5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.”

Add to that the reminder God gave Joshua immediately prior to giving Joshua the Jericho battle plan. God reminds Joshua that he is with him and that the battle is his. The presence of this Commander of the Lord’s army in the final few verses of chapter 5 is clear evidence of a divine force that would give them the land. Joshua’s task in all this is the same task you and I are called to when God gets unconventional. It is to be steadfast in faith, fully reliant on God, putting his life in the hands and the plans of the divine warrior.

When facing the unconventional, outside the box battle plan for Jericho, Joshua, these seasoned military men and the priests model for us how to respond in the face of God’s unconventional instructions to us: They follow God’s battle plan for their life.

They take God at his word
The believe that his instruction is true and reliable
Despite not being able to figure it all out ahead of time, they step out in faith and follow the instructions.

Do you ever find yourself second guessing God? It sounds like such a corny or ridiculous question. I mean, who really second guesses God? Well...true confessions...I do. I think we all do. That’s why stories like this are so crucial for us. There are times where God’s instructions don’t appear logical to us. They don’t seem to make sense. They don’t seem to apply in our modern, advanced society. They don’t fit conventional wisdom. And we read something in the Bible and it is so tempting to just say, “I’m going to do that...but not that...or I’ll obey that teaching, but not that teaching.” And over the centuries some have tried to parse up the Bible like that.

But, here is the reality...when we ignore or refuse to obey the instructions from God that appear unconventional; we are second guessing his battle plan in our lives. And when we choose to second guess God and ignore his instructions to us, we choke out his power and we never realize the fullness of his promises and provision for us.

But, notice the result when we trust God, believe his instructions are true and we follow his battle plan for our lives. Look at verses 20-27.

God’s promises are fulfilled when his instructions are followed (6:20-27)

When Joshua and the people take God at his word and execute his plan, even though it appears unconventional, God’s power prevails! His promises are fulfilled!

God had promised to Joshua that he would receive the gift of the land and the presence of God if he were obedient to the command of God in Joshua 1. Now, this story shows that Joshua listened to the instructions of God, carried out the command of God, received the land of God, experienced the presence of God, and celebrated the promise of God. What God said, he did!

The rest of the story of Rahab here reinforces this lesson as well. A few weeks ago the first part of her story taught us that no matter how removed from God you are, you can be saved from destruction if you believe that God is supreme and you are willing to agree to the conditions of God’s protection. She and her family took refuge under the scarlet cord, the sign of the promise she had made with the Israeli spies. And now, that promise is fulfilled as well.

Folks, don’t ever forget this lesson: God’s promises ...God’s best for us...will be fulfilled in our lives when we follow his instructions no matter how unconventional they appear.

The next time you come face to face with an instruction from God that appears unconventional and so counter-intuitive that you find yourself second guessing God and balking at obedience...

Remember God is with you.
Remember his Word is true and reliable and powerful.
Step out in faith and follow God’s instructions.

Look with expectation for God’s faithful promises to be fulfilled.