Exodus 11, Luke 14: His Ways Looks Different
In Exodus 11, God gives Joshua the plan to defeat the city of Jericho. It was a very unusual battle plan, and I often wonder what Joshua thought when he heard it. The Lord told him that the Israelites were to walk around the city once each day. On the seventh day they were to walk around it seven times. On the seventh day after the seventh time around the city, they were to shout and blow their trumpets.
When they did this, God would cause the walls to fall so they would be able to take the city. The Israelites followed this specific and very unusual battle plan and God gave them the victory. Even though it must have sounded awfully strange to them, they chose obedience and God rewarded them with victory over their enemies. The walls fell and they were able to enter the city and defeat the enemy.
In Luke 14, Jesus tells His followers to take up their cross daily and follow Him. His words must have horrified the disciples who were hearing them. They knew what the cross meant. They saw it on a regular basis. The Romans used it frequently against their enemies. The cross meant death. To take up your cross meant to go to death. It was a death sentence. This is what Jesus was calling His followers to do.
He was calling His followers to die to self and make Him Lord of their lives. He was calling His followers to give up all rights to rule their own lives. He calls His followers to a life of selflessness. The call to follow Him is a call to relinquish the right to determine the direction and course of your life and fully surrender all to Him. It is not an easy request, but it is one that must be followed if we wish to truly please and honor Him.
The seeds gleaned from today’s passages remind us that following His plan doesn’t always look like what we would expect, but it does lead to victory in the end. He knows what we do not know. He knows the beginning from the end (Isaiah 46:10). I have learned that His way is always better than mine. I may not always understand His plan, but I am learning that I need to trust and follow wherever He leads.
His way may look different than what I had expected, but I know that I can trust Him. I want to learn to follow His ways without question. Following His plan leads to victory and that’s always a good thing.
