Today is one of those days where I have lots of little chores to do instead of a few big chores to do. It is amazing how quickly the little things add up and can feel overwhelming. So this morning my prayer included gratitude for the blessing of work and a request that I would have the proper perspective as I tackled each chore today. Also, a request that I might focus on what is being accomplished and not on what is yet to be done.
After my prayer I grabbed my list of chores and started to prioritize them. As I accomplish one I plan to mark it out. There is something about watching my list dwindle that brings me hope throughout the day. May the day be filled with hope!
Joshua 8:1-35
Chapter 8 finds Israel facing the same city that they faced in chapter 7. The little city of Ai. The first time Israel went up to do battle at Ai, they were defeated by the inhabitants of that city and 36 of their number lost their lives. The primary reason for their defeat was that there was sin in their midst that had not been dealt with. With the offender dealt with, they are back, and ready to face the people of Ai in battle once again.
Just like Israel, we often lose battles in our lives because of problems we have not dealt with. But because the Lord loves us, he teaches us ways to overcome our defeats and make them victories. In the case of the city of Ai, the Lord teaches Israel how to conquer this city His way. There are some good lessons for us to learn from His techniques on how to ambush our Ai and walk away with the victory in our lives.
Verse 1: When the Lord speaks to Joshua, after the death of Achan, God tells him to go to Ai. However, he tells him that things will be different this time. He assures Joshua and Israel of the victory. It is interesting that the Lord called them to return to the place of their greatest defeat. God knew that they needed to overcome the defeat at Ai before they could move on in the conquest of Canaan.
How many times have we fallen and wondered if we will ever get back to where we were before? The Lord has some powerful words for Joshua and for us; in fact, these are the first words He states to Joshua, "Fear not!" He follows that statement with, "Neither be thou dismayed." To those who have been defeated, what a great message of hope these words would bring! "Fear not, and don't worry, I am giving you the victory!" What a great blessing to know that these words are true for us too!
Verse 2: Notice that the Lord tells them that they will do to Ai what they did to Jericho, except for the fact that in Ai, they are to take all the spoils for themselves! If Achan would have waited just a few more days, then he could have had all the riches that he could have imagined. Instead, he ran ahead of God and grabbed for himself that which was forbidden by God and as a result, Achan paid the ultimate price.
What a great lesson! Sometimes we are guilty of the same kind of foolishness? If we could just learn to wait on God and let Him lead and bring into our lives the things that need to be there, we would be far better off. This is a great message for a world where people want what they want and they want it now! The world doesn't want to wait. Instead, people run ahead of God and mess things up and then expect Him to bail them out!
I cannot think of a better "life coach" than the Lord. It makes sense to wait on the Lord to bring those things into your life that He knows are best for you, (i.e. mate, sexuality, finances, etc.). He has way more information than we do! When we can learn to wait on the Lord, we are well on our way to victory in our lives (Rom. 12:7; Psa. 130:5; Psa. 37:34).
God told Israel in exact detail how they were to mount their attack against Ai. They were to lay an ambush for Ai and they would take the city and all its inhabitants. In other words they would wait. Israel had already learned what happens when you do things the Lord's way. When you fight the battle by following His plan, you cannot fail. They had also learned what happens when they refused to do it God's way. They learned that failure awaits that person who goes against the will of the Lord.
If we are going to pursue victory over our defeats, then we must go about it God's way. No other plan will work. And like Joshua, we need constant contact with the things of God. We are strengthened spiritually when we are exposed to the things of the Lord such as prayer and the scriptures. He will guide us, the information is there, we just have to do our part and wait for the answers.
At this point in this story, Israel has followed God's plan and they have achieved the victory. Now, they must maintain their victory. They take two steps that make this a reality for them. In our lives, we can achieve and maintain our victories too by taking the same steps as Israel did.
Verses 27-29: Notice that they did not leave a single person alive in Ai. No one from the king down to the humblest servant was spared from death in this battle. Joshua knew that this enemy had to be totally eradicated or there would be problems down the road.
The lesson for us is that once we have victory over whatever is holding us back we must completely eradicate it from our lives. This may mean changing friends, habits, our surroundings, etc. We need to eliminate the negative things that hold us back.
Verses 30-35: After the enemy had been eradicated and victory had been preserved, Israel finished by doing what the Lord had told them to do through Moses (Deut. 27:1-28:6). Half of the nation was to stand on Mount Ebal and the other half on Mount Gerizim. The Levites were to stand in the valley between these mountains and were to read the cursings and the blessings. As they read the cursings, the crowd on Mount Ebal shout, "Amen." When they read the blessings, the crowd on Mount Gerizim was to shout "Amen." This exercise was to remind them of what God would bless and of what He would not bless. They were reaffirming their commitment to live by the word of God every day!
If we are to win and preserve the victory day by day, then we too must commit to live by the word of God. If God said do it, then we do it! If God said don't do it, then we don't do it! Obeying is the best way we can show our devotion to God.
What a great chapter this turned out to be! It is filled with hope, victory, God's love for His children, His children's love for Him, and so much more. It has made me think of ways that I can recommit to keeping the Lord close to me and receive His guidance. It has also left me energized and ready to conquer, just the combination I need to get me through my day!
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