Joshua 6 vs. 20 (NKJV)
So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
Jericho was a great city, one where commerce flourished, innovation thrived, and industry boomed. The town was known for its wealth and its military might. To make sure that their city was protected they built great walls, and this is where their confidence lay, but if there is one thing that history has taught us, all walls eventually come down. Because they were built on the wrong thing, most walls are built out of fear, anger, pride, hatred, or ignorance.
While they are formed as a shining symbol of someone’s greatness, it is only a matter of time that it becomes a place of shame and embarrassment. A few men marched around a wall seven times, and that is all it took to bring down years of tedious planning and industrious endeavors.
Are you building walls; have you taken comfort in your wealth, your health, your intelligence, whom you know, where you live, where you have come from, and what you look like? Do not build your life on something that can quickly be taken away, or something you may believe is where your great favor comes from. Do not allow your pride to make you think that you are safe simply because you can sit on top of a wall high above everyone else.
I am sure that Humpty Dumpty felt confident sitting on that wall until it started to fall, often those who believe they are higher than others are the most fragile, we know this because all the king’s horseman could not put Humpty back together again. What a tragedy to spend your life building things that will eventually come down, why not instead, invest in things eternal.
