In 1941, three men who escaped from a Siberian gulag trekked 4,000 miles through Mongolia, China, and Tibet to India. They struggled through savage snowstorms in Siberia, burning thirst in the Gobi Desert, harrowing heights in the Himalayas, and imminent starvation everywhere. Despite the severity of those conditions, the enemy that threatened to destroy them was unseen. Had they surrendered to despair and hopelessness, their dream of freedom would have ended as another nightmare. The movie The Way Back (2010) depicts their journey. As Joshua prepared to lead the Israelites into Canaan, he also faced enemies—both seen and unseen. In some ways, our battles mirror his.

Joshua: Whose Side Are You On?

No one in the Ancient Near East entered combat without the support of the gods. All war was holy war with the outcome decided by the gods rather than the humans who did the actual fighting. Joshua, therefore, expected to receive instructions from the God of the Israelites, telling him how to conquer Jericho. But he didn’t anticipate directions from someone who refused to choose sides. Instead, the man he saw identified himself as “commander of the army of the LORD” (Joshua 5:14). God came to take over, not take sides. Israel was to fight his battles, devoted to his definition of victory, rather than the other way around. Joshua needed to embrace God’s perspective on the confrontation facing him. Taking possession of the Promised Land required God’s power, not just the Israelites’.

What about us? Do we presume God is on our side, or do we search his Word and way to assure we’re on his? How do we define victory—getting what we want or taking part in the growth of his kingdom? Joshua recognized he was the servant, not the master. How do we approach God?

Battle Plan for Success

As Rahab confirmed, the hearts of the Canaanites “melted in fear” because of the Israelites (Joshua 2:11). God intended the sight of the barred gates to remind the Israelites of their opponents’ fear and his promise of victory.

Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites.… Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands.”

Joshua 6:1-2

Although God’s battle plan (Joshua 6:1-27) might sound outlandish to us, it followed Ancient Near Eastern war rituals. The six-day siege with a seventh-day climax, God’s presence with his people symbolized by the Ark, the emphasis on the number seven. All combined to create maximum panic in psychological warfare. The Lord promised to secure the victory if the Israelites followed his orders.

Which part of God’s plan was most challenging for the Israelites? To march in complete silence? To listen to the continuous sound of the ram’s horns? The tedium of repeating the same circle around the city every day for six days? The exhaustion of stomping around the city seven times on the seventh day? Or was it the unspoken questions when the walls appeared as strong on Day Seven as they had on Day One? Where was God? What was he doing… or not doing?

When do we wrestle with God’s ways? Do we suffer when he’s silent or we must wait? What if his answer isn’t what we want?

Key to Victory

The key to the Israelites’ victory may have been simple, but simple doesn’t equal easy. God demanded obedience and perseverance—what Eugene Peterson called, “a long obedience in the same direction.” The Israelites’ most dangerous enemy wasn’t the walls they could see, but the ones they couldn’t. Maybe it was the monotony of repeated actions with no visible results. Or a craving to give orders rather than take them. But their obedience opened the door for God to work, causing the walls of Jericho to fall.

What about our struggles? Although illness, unemployment, financial hardship, or damaged relationships may be our reality, they’re not our real enemies. Despair, hopelessness, fear, a refusal to surrender to God’s control can lead to our undoing. Perhaps the opposition looks unconquerable, the battle plan ridiculous, our progress nonexistent. Before we can defeat our foes, we must identify them, refusing to let them define us. Then, if we’ll find (not assume we know) God’s perspective and follow his plan, our obedience will unlock his power to accomplish his purposes. Who are your unseen enemies? Through Christ, we have the power to overcome them.

If God has determined to stand with us, tell me, who then could ever stand against us?

Romans 8:31, The Passion Translation

God’s waiting on us. What are we waiting on?