Joshua 5:1-7:15
Luke 15:1-32
Psalm 81:1-16
Proverbs 13:1
Joshua 5:1 Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings
along the coast heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, their hearts melted in fear and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites.
They saw the power of God (see yesterday's post). This fear protected the Israelites. Especially during the time of healing when all their men were circumcised.
Joshua 6:1 Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.
It is cool that because other people saw the power of God they made it as hard as possible for the Israelites to be victorious. So he used that adversity that obstacle to do another mind blowing miracle.
Joshua 6:5 When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.”
They experienced another huge miracle and their enemies also got to see God's power again. But they were given specific instructions and their worldly human focus distracted them from the God's words.
Joshua 7:1 But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel, 2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the region.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.
3 When they returned to Joshua, they said, “Not all the army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there.” 4 So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, 5 who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water.
I first noticed that Joshua sent people out to have them determine what was needed. He didn't ask God. He was looking to take care of things on his own. Which I think God would have honored him and what the people reported had they not first disobeyed Him. But now this is one more step down the I can fix this myself road.
Joshua 7:6 Joshua and the elders of Israel tore their clothing in dismay, threw dust on their heads, and bowed face down to the ground before the Ark of the Lord until evening. 7 Then Joshua cried out, “Oh, Sovereign Lord, why did you bring us across the Jordan River if you are going to let the Amorites kill us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side! 8 Lord, what can I say now that Israel has fled from its enemies? 9 For when the Canaanites and all the other people living in the land hear about it, they will surround us and wipe our name off the face of the earth. And then what will happen to the honor of your great name?”
When they lost they didn't come back and turn to God. They didn't seek to know why. Sounds to me like Joshua is grumbling just like they did in the wilderness. Why did you bring us this far and then let us suffer. What you did is going hurt us even more. So self-focused and worldly. They didn't even consider that it might have been something that they had done.
Joshua 7:10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions.
I see some really good lessons here. First God will demonstrate His power to us again and again but we have to remember it and trust it. We also need to obey His word even when we are living in the favor of His power. We should also seek His guidance when we are acting based on what He has said He would do. Sometimes God tells us that He will do something for us then we start trying to make it happen. For example if God told you that you were going to be a missionary. The next step is to pray and watch for God to open doors, but instead if you go out and start looking for mission trips and asking people for funding. You may find out that people aren't willing to give. Or trip plans may fall through. Or maybe you go on a trip and you have a bad experience. Instead of going to God and saying God why did you tell me I was going to be a missionary and then not provide what I needed for it. You should confess your sin of trying to take things out of God's hands and wait. Patience will have shown you the path that He wanted you to take to get there. And in doing so He will show you His power as well as all the people around you.
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