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Silencing Unbelief |
| Faith's Confession of God's Word |
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| Faith When Facing Delays |
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| The Meaning of 'Faith's Confession' |
| Joshua 6:10 |
| Now Joshua had commanded the people saying, "You shall not shout or make any loud noise with your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, 'Shout!' Then you shall shout." |
| Many texts in God's Word
instruct us to "wait on God," to stand still, to be silent before Him (Moses,
Exodus 14:13,14; Jehoshaphat, 2 Chronicles 20:15-17; David, Psalms 37:7). In this text,
Joshua commanded the children of Israel to maintain total silence as they walk around the
city of Jericho. The memory that Israel's 40-year punishment in the wilderness was a
result of the people's murmuring in unbelief was doubtless in Joshua's mind. At that time,
the spies had returned with a report motivated what man sees without Holy Spirit-given
vision (see Numbers 14:31-33). Their unbelief that they could take the land had sealed
their fate in the wilderness. Now, with the lessons of history in mind, Joshua's directive to keep silent is a precaution that teaches us. When facing great challenges, do not permit your lips to speak unbelieving words. Prohibit demoralizing speech from your lips. Words can bind up or set free, hence the order of silence! Later, they would see the salvation of the Lord following their shout of triumph (6:20). We cannot help what we see and hear, but our refusal to speak doubt and fear will keep our hearts more inclined to what God can do rather than to what we cannot (Proverbs 30:32). |
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