quite open to receive any sinful or harmful habits? But just men tion the Lord's claims upon their hearts and lives, and His desire to fit them into His purposes and plans, and they “ shut up”—resist and close their minds. You may speak freely to anyone on almost any topic, but when you bring up spiritual things, when you tell them of Christ who laid down His life to redeem their lives for God, then usually the “ gates” are closeu and your conversation with them comes to an end. Of course, if we approach them with a holier-than-thou attitude, then regardless of what we say, we may expect the “ gates” to be “ shut up” against us. Missionaries face such situa tions on the mission field, from the highest social circles down to the individual in the tribe. How unavailing our efforts to press God’s claims upon them! Candi dates find this true when they seek to present God’s command to the church— “Go ye into all the world . . .” Church members fear to set forth on any new venture, sometimes even to help in any way. Often the missionary is nei ther welcomed nor invited into real fellowship in the work o f the church. How did Joshua face this sit uation — the mighty city walls, the tightly shut-up gates? He was in communion w ith God (ch. 5:13-15). He laid it before the Lord. I can imagine his own as sessment of the problem as he prayed: “ Oh, Lord, how many months we will have to besiege this city until their food is all used up and hunger drives them out. And how great and strong these peoples are! How will we be able to over come them? . . . if You do not stretch forth your mighty hand!” “And the Lord said . . (6 :2 ). Why did the Lord speak? Be cause Joshua, the God-appointed leader of Israel, sought His face, His advice, His guidance, His help. When did the Lord speak? When Joshua and Israel were
paints human spiritual situa tions of its own day and time so vividly that they throw light on similar situations thousands of years later. We live in a frenetic modern world. In some areas, the way of living is so changed that for older people life is now a be wildering experience. But Bible example can still be our guide. We are often tempted also to think that people in another part of the world are very different from us. When we become more familiar with them and their cul ture, however, we notice that they have very much the same spiritu al experiences that we do. Their problems on the spiritual level are much like ours, even if the material, technical, and cultural problems are very different. Certainly the cultural situation at the time o f the conquest of Jericho by Israel was quite dif ferent from our mode of life to day. We will see that the spiritual problems, however, remain the same. “Jericho was straitly shut up . . ( 6 : 1 ) On the political, and occasion ally on the economic level, we are quite familiar with tense fron tiers and tightened trade restric tions—and often even more so on the spiritual level. How many church groups have shut up their “gates” to fellowship with other groups? Our text especially re fers, however, to the unyielding attitude of most human beings toward Christian testimony. " . . . because of the children of Israel . . (6:1) Is it not significant that people, either individuals or groups, are
A message delivered to the Bien nial Conference of the Wycliffe Bible Translators in Mexico City, June, 1967, by Ernst Wyss, Can didate Secretary from Switzer land.
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JULY, 1968
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