After the victory at Jericho there was defeat in the following battle in the town of Ai. Joshua sent out spies to check out the situation and they came back telling him there were not that many to overtake and therefore no need to send all of the men into battle. Three thousand were sent and they were “soundly defeated.” And, on their way back, thirty-six were killed.
This defeat paralyzed the Israelites with fear and what courage they had at the beginning was gone. 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. Then Joshua began to cry out to God making claims that perhaps they should have stayed where they were; “Lord, what can I say now that Israel has fled from its enemies? For when the Canaanites and all the other people hear about it, they will surround us and wipe out our name from the face of the earth. And then what will happen to the honor of your great name?”
The Lord tells Joshua, ” Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this? Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. And they have not only stolen them but have lied about it and have hidden the things among their own belongings. That is why the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat.”
“Wow,” I thought as I read this, “they didn’t obey the instruction.” God obviously didn’t forget and was incensed with the disobedience. I tell myself, “there is personal application here.”
“How many times have I not obeyed the instructions? We know when we sin and disobey and do something or think something we shouldn’t. We are aware and we have choices to make about resolving the issue of repentance. But, what about the times, we aren’t fully aware or don’t even think about disobedience in our life or consider something we do, say or think as such.
It’s as if we “hide” it amongst our “belongings” and that alone is holding us from God’s blessings and victories in our life! Our worship, praise and life are at a deadpan. We go through the motions but lack rejoicing and anointing in our worship, our praise our teaching and our preaching and in our life overall.
We need to go to the hidden recesses of our heart and get rid of that which does not belong to us, and we took, and hid from ourselves and more importantly from God. How many times have I read this portion of scripture? How many times have I heard this story and teachings and preaching of it without thinking about what I have “stolen and hidden” in my heart?
In Chapter 8 of Joshua we read what was received when Israel got rid of the sin from their community:
God’s encouragement…
God’s presence…
God’s guidance and promise of victory…
God’s permission…
I don’t know about you, but I need God and all He offers to help me get home and live with him, forever! I need to cleanse, and purify my heart every day; and take this more seriously than what I have. How about you?
ritasalomon 