Jericho - the place of humility, faith and obedience

In 2 Kings chapter 2, we see Elijah and Elisha journeying together from Gilgal, up to Bethel, and then down to Jericho. Despite having several opportunities to give up, Elisha keeps choosing to continue the journey, even when he arrives in Jericho, probably tired from the long downhill journey and the harsh and hot desert environment. Today, I've been considering what symbolic significance Jericho might have as we reflect on our own journey with the Lord.

Every Sunday School child is probably familiar with the story of the battle of Jericho (or more accurately, the non-battle of Jericho) but not everyone remembers a little episode that happened just before that and was what really made all the difference.

Shortly after the Gilgal consecration, the people's leader, Joshua, begins to contemplate the conquest of the city of Jericho. As he draws near to it, he sees another man standing there with a sword in his hand. Joshua's natural reaction is to ask the man, "Are you with us or against us? Whose side are you on?"

The man's reply is, "Neither. I am the Commander of the Lord's army." In other words, "I haven't come to take sides; I've come to take over."

Joshua had a choice to make at that point. He could cling to his own leadership role and his right to make decisions about what his "team" was going to do... or he could humble himself and acknowledge that God was completely in control of the battle strategy and what the outcome would be. He made the right choice and we see him falling with his face to the ground in reverence. "I am at your command," he says. "What do you want your servant to do?"

It's a real life outworking of the Gilgal consecration and humbling; it's a re-solidifying of the Bethel decision to do things God's way. The Jericho encounter is a re-affirming, from our place of leadership, that God is in charge and we're going to do things His way. If we don't, we may forfeit that double anointing that we might otherwise enter into.

So it's interesting that the first thing the Commander tells him is not so much something to do as something to remember; not so much about an action as about an attitude: "Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground." Never forget that God is holy and deserves our complete allegiance and respect.

Removing his sandals was a further step of humility on Joshua's part: standing there without any footwear was a very vulnerable position for a soldier to be in. If an enemy came along, it would be very difficult for Joshua to run away or to defend himself from an attack. By removing his sandals, he was entrusting himself completely into God's hands.

When we begin to move into leadership roles, it's all too easy to start giving too much importance to our own vision and strategies, instead of helping the whole team to discern what is on the Commander's heart for us. It's all too easy to allow a competitive spirit to creep in - either within our own team or with other leaders of ministries who do things differently. The lesson of Jericho is that God is in charge and it doesn't matter who gets the credit. Instead of comparing ourselves with others, we can joyfully collaborate and partner with them. God is holy and it's ultimately about His glory, not ours.

So, Jericho is the place of humility, but also the place of obedience and faith.  We all know the story of Joshua chapter six: all that silent marching around Jericho, day after day. It made no sense to a trained soldier like Joshua; this was not the battle strategy he would have come up with. He simply had to obey God's instructions, even if he felt a bit foolish (that's where humility comes in) and he needed to have faith that the outcome was in God's hands. As we read further, we see that Jericho, the place of humility, faith and obedience, ultimately became the place of victory, the place of emerging anointing.

Centuries later, when Elisha reached Jericho, I wonder if he remembered those events, if he remembered that great humility, faith and obedience would be needed if he was to continue with God's call on his life and inherit the double anointing. Elisha, tired as he probably was from that long downhill hike, chose not to end his journey in the comfortable oasis of Jericho, but to meet the challenges and continue with the journey that still lay ahead.

Tomorrow I'll be reflecting on the last location in Elijah and Elisha's journey: the Jordan.