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Following is an excerpt of "Up Against a Wall" by Daniel Rodgers added on 10/23/2009.
Up Against a Wall
Dan Rodgers
Joshua 6:1-5

TEXT: Joshua 6:1-5, "Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in. [2] And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. [3] And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. [4] And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. [5] And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him."

INTRODUCTION: We've all read this exciting story about Joshua and the walls of Jericho. The children of Israel were on their way to the Promised Land. They had just crossed the Jordon River, and now, this would be the first obstacle in their way. They were up against a wall.

Have you ever felt like you were up against a wall? This wall was something in the way of your success. It may have been the wall of defeat and discouragement. It could have been the wall of disappointment—things were not turning out the way you had planned. Sometimes the wall can represent something spiritual...the wall of salvation, the wall of surrender; or maybe it was the wall of God's calling upon your life. But be that as it may, this wall was just as high and just as strong as the walls that Joshua faced.

HUMOR: There was once a young boy named Seamus, who was known for his mischievous nature. He had a good heart but was always getting into trouble...
One day the teacher asked him a question during a history lesson. She said, "Seamus O'Reilly, would you mind telling the class who it was that knocked down the walls of Jericho please."
Seamus said, "Well, it wasn't me!"
Well of course the teacher was amazed at such a ridiculous answer.
The next day she met the child's mother (the second person in the family with super intelligence) while out shopping and she said, "I'm rather worried about your son, because at school yesterday I asked him who knocked down the walls of Jericho and he said it wasn't him!"
To which the mother replied, "If my child said that he didn't knock that wall down, then HE DIDN'T KNOCK DO IT!!"
Well of course, the teacher was stunned.
The next day she went to visit the boy's father at his home. She said to the father, "I'm very worried about your son, because at school yesterday I asked him who knocked down the walls of Jericho and he said it wasn't him!" And then I told your wife what happened and she said, "If my child said that he didn't knock that wall down, then he didn't do it."
The father, the brains in the family, thought for a moment and then ...

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