Who Wins?
Joshua 6:20-21 MKJV
(20) And the people shouted when the priests blew with the ram’s horns. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the ram’s horns, and the people shouted with a great shout, the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, each man straight before him. And they took the city.
On the day of victory, when the walls come tumbling down, the only ones left out of owning the victory will be those that chose not to shout. While it would be God who would get the glory and Joshua the fame, this 20th verse doesn’t refer to either of them; it says that the ‘people went up into the city’ while referring to the ‘people’ and what ‘they’ did 5 times. The preparation and the power may have come from God, but the direct participation in the triumph was that of every person that lifted their voice.
You know when you’re talking to a true fan of a team when they refer to that team as ‘we’. ‘We need to get a new couch’, ‘we just drafted (or recruited) the top player in the nation’, ‘we really crushed them’, etc. makes it sound like they are directly involved with the management and performance of the team. They know just how the plays should have been called and which players should have been used and when. Though they have never sweated a drop of sweat on the practice field, drawn up a single play or spoken personally with any player or coach, it’s as if they are an integral part of the organization, that the team just wouldn’t be able to make it somehow without their input.
While it may seem to be a bit overstated, the involvement of this fan along with many more like him/her is, in fact, an essential part of the team’s existence. While the players and coaches provide the skill, practice and strategy, without the shouts from the fans there would be little incentive. If no one really cared, if it wasn’t for a purpose, why bother?
The whole purpose in the falling of Jericho’s walls was so the people could enter the city victoriously. This incredible miracle would have been quite meaningless without the involvement of each one of them, and therefore they were all equal in possession of its triumph. They may just shown up for the parade and the shout, but the victory was nonetheless theirs.
There is a victory, a triumph, an advance and an occupation awaiting all those who will but lift their voice in the shout of praise. The preparation, the power, and the skill are all provided by our Great Performer. It will be Him that gets all the glory and the fame, but He has chosen us to be His purpose and fellow conquerors. As walls fall and His glory floods the earth, He has made it possible for any who will but join in the praise to participate in His conquering force and own a part of His triumph. What a great time to leave the onlookers and become a part of the ’we’ bunch, letting everything about our Victor touch who we are.
