Move Your Feet

from The Bridge by Xavier Cornejo

Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go out or in. But the Lord said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors. 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. When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.”

So Joshua called together the priests and said, “Take up the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, and assign seven priests to walk in front of it, each carrying a ram’s horn.” Then he gave orders to the people: “March around the town, and the armed men will lead the way in front of the Ark of the Lord.”

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!” So the Ark of the Lord was carried around the town once that day, and then everyone returned to spend the night in the camp.

Joshua got up early the next morning, and the priests again carried the Ark of the Lord. The seven priests with the rams’ horns marched in front of the Ark of the Lord, blowing their horns. Again the armed men marched both in front of the priests with the horns and behind the Ark of the Lord. All this time the priests were blowing their horns. On the second day they again marched around the town once and returned to the camp. They followed this pattern for six days.

On the seventh day the Israelites got up at dawn and marched around the town as they had done before. But this time they went around the town seven times. The seventh time around, as the priests sounded the long blast on their horns, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the town! Jericho and everything in it must be completely destroyed as an offering to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and the others in her house will be spared, for she protected our spies.

“Do not take any of the things set apart for destruction, or you yourselves will be completely destroyed, and you will bring trouble on the camp of Israel. Everything made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron is sacred to the Lord and must be brought into his treasury.”

When the people heard the sound of the rams’ horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it. They completely destroyed everything in it with their swords—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, goats, and donkeys.

Meanwhile, Joshua said to the two spies, “Keep your promise. Go to the prostitute’s house and bring her out, along with all her family.”

The men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, and all the other relatives who were with her. They moved her whole family to a safe place near the camp of Israel.

Then the Israelites burned the town and everything in it. Only the things made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron were kept for the treasury of the Lord’s house. So Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute and her relatives who were with her in the house, because she had hidden the spies Joshua sent to Jericho. And she lives among the Israelites to this day.

Joshua 6:1-25

There are people who can point us in the direction of the bridge, but we are the ones who need to move our feet. 

You need to have people you can ask for advice when you don’t know how to advance or how to embrace the strategy to expand. We all need someone we can ask for directions, somebody who can teach us how to win. In Joshua’s story, it’s God who gives him the winning strategy. 

‬But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.

‭‭James‬ ‭3:17

No matter what your walk in life is, or what your beliefs are, if your dreams are important, and you don’t know which way to go, you can always speak to God. Take a few minutes and ask Him for wisdom for the road ahead so you can reach your dreams some day. 

In James 1:5 (NKJV), I find the following words: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” 

The strategy that led Joshua to triumph was a very unusual one: attack a city protected by walls. Sun Tzu, one of the greatest strategists who ever lived, says the following: 

“Maintaining an army is expensive: a host of 100,000 men can cost 1,000 ounces of silver a day for provisions like food, chariots, spears, arrows, armor, and oxen. Prolonged warfare can exhaust the resources of any state, leaving it weak and vulnerable. 

Hence, aim for quick and decisive victories, not prolonged campaigns. Avoid besieging walled cities, because this usually takes months of preparations, and many impatient generals will squander their men in pointless attacks.”

However, Joshua didn’t take months of preparation. It only took him seven days to conquer that city because when God is in the equation, there is no goal you cannot reach, no dream you cannot fulfill, no ocean you cannot navigate, no mountain you cannot climb, and no battle you cannot win. When the wisdom of God is present, everything is different, and nothing is impossible. To win, you need all the wisdom you can accumulate. Give yourself a chance to win. 

‬‬ Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold. Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. She offers you long life in her right hand, and riches and honor in her left. She will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying. Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly.

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:13‭-‬18‬ ‭NLT