If God has told you not to rebuild something, then we must listen.
Whatever that something is, there’s a reason why God declared it not to be rebuilt. There’s a story in the Bible that speaks to the severity of listening to God’s words. It comes from the book of Joshua.
God had given Joshua the city of Jericho into his hands, along with its king and its fighting men. Most of us are familiar with the story of Jericho when the walls came tumbling down. Joshua and his army were instructed by God to march around the city for six days. Then, on the seventh day, they were to march around the city seven times and after the trumpets blew, they were to shout and watch the walls come down. When the people shouted, just as God said, the wall collapsed.
After the destruction of Jericho, “At that time, Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: “Cursed before the Lord is the one who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho:
“At the cost of his first-born son he will lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates.”
Jericho was to be devoted to the Lord as a perpetual sign of God’s judgment on the wicked. This was a way of signifying that the conquered land belonged to the Lord.
This curse was fulfilled in 1 Kings 16: 34 when a man rebuilt Jericho and consequently lost his oldest and youngest sons.
Ahab was king of Israel at the time and Hiel of Bethel rebuilt the walls of Jericho. “He laid its foundations at the cost of his first-born son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken by Joshua son of Nun.” 1 Kings 16: 34
Deuteronomy 13: 12-18 speaks of a wicked town, full of troublemakers, that was to remain a ruin, forever, never to be rebuilt.
Why Didn’t They Listen To God’s Warning?
God’s purpose in all of this was to keep the people’s (Israelites) faith and religion uncontaminated. God did not want anything to remind Israel of the Canaanite (pagan) practices.
God wants us to be pure. He wants us to clean up our behavior when we begin a new life with Him. We must not let any unclean remembrances distract us from our spiritual purposes.
What Is The Spiritual Application In Our Lives?
The people who were in your life–those who were manipulative, overbearing, or have “just done you wrong, time after time,” pray for them that they will “see the light,” forgive them, which may take time, and then move on. Let God deal with them. The past is the past. You have a new life in the Lord. They are not part of that life.
As stated before, God does not want anything to remind you (as with Israel), of the unclean practices of those past acquaintances.
Evil is evil, and good is good. What business does good have in common with evil? Nothing! Light and darkness must be separated.
Move forward and stand in the Lord. Give it all to Him and He will deal with them.
The Lord will not resurrect what He has deemed dead–whether it be Jericho or past impure relationships.
We have been told, “Come out from them and be separate.” 2 Corinthians 6: 17
When you know what God has told you to do, make a clean break with deception and from other’s hidden agendas. Amen!
Being devoted and belonging to the Lord is being consecrated.
Written by Armand P. Pecora
KINGDOM ASSURANCE
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