Month 2:5, Week 1:4 (Revee/Shavu'ot), Year:Day 5941:35 AM
2Exodus 4/40, (Omer Count - Shabbat #2)
Gregorian Calendar: Monday 1 May 2017
Jericho March V 2017
Going Around Again and Again
Continued from Part 4
Dramatic vs. Quiet Miracles
We are accustomed to viewing the conquest of Jericho in very obviously dramatic terms in which we read about them in Scripture. We are presented with a very mystical sequence of marches consisting of shofars blaring with an armed guard in front of, and behind, the Ark of the Covenant attended by Cohenim (Priests). Then on the seventh day the same routine is repeated seven times followed by a massive shout. Then the Middle East's greatest mega-fortress, which doubtless had taken years to construct and had been added to over the generations, just collapses into ruins. You don't see things like that very often.
Lots of Little Choices
You see, most deliverance is very quiet, behind the scenes and quite often unconscious. Simply making a choice to exercise emunah (faith) in line with something He wants you to do - generally or particularly - will set heavenly processes in motion and most of the time you won't know what's going on. Of course, you may have to make other choices along the way. Just as sin is a journey of many choices, crossing one forbidden line after another, so also is restoration, but in reverse. Like the Prodigal Son in the swine pit, there's a stepwise journey back home that has to be made.
Why So Many Circuits?
Have you ever wondered why the Jericho March was conducted 13 times over 7 days? Why so many times? Why not one march round on one day? Emunah (faith) must be cultivated and built up by habital proactivity. The numbers of the names of the great men of emunah (faith) are all multiples of 13 - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (and Israel), Joseph and Moses. So are other important words linked to unifying princples like Torah, Sinai and chodesh (month). Yah'shua Himself is given 13 descriptive titles [1].
Persistent Action
Yah'shua (Jesus) said that some demons can only be cast out by much prayer and fasting (Mt.17:12; Mk.9:29). Many demonic strongholds can likewise only be overcome by persistent, repetitive actions of emunah (faith). Naaman had to dip 7 times in the River Jordan before Yahweh would cure him of his leprosy (2 Ki.5:10,14). 7 times Elijah's servant had to go and check if a rain cloud had appeared to end the drout in Israel (1 Ki.18:43). And a man required 7 sprinklings to be healed:
"Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the infectious disease and pronounce him clean" (Lev.14:7, NIV).
Seven Timesw Brighter
The result of such emunah (faith) is 7 times the natural in power!
"The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when Yahweh binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted" (Isa.30:26, NIV).
Training for Greater Faith
Both patience and emunah (faith) can be stretched when Yahweh commands us to do the same thing 7 times. I don't doubt you have asked for something righteous many times and you have had to ask again and again (sometimes more than 7 times - 7 is simply representative of the number of completion). It seems persistence is an integral part of emunah (faith). It is for sure hard not to give up when you are feeling desperate and apparently getting nowhere. But Yahweh has His reasons. Our emunah (faith) must be strengthened so that we may be trained for greater works requiring even more emunah (faith).
Conclusion
Everyone one of us struggles with this, without exception, because so much of godliness can only be learned incrementally. You may need many miracles right now. I know I do. If you do, keep marching around that obstacle day by day until He grants you your petition. Then see the walls come tumbling down.
Continued in Part 6
Endnotes
[1] See, Sukkot and the 13 Bulls: Mystery of the Tabernacles Sacrifice
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