It is so easy to become ecstatic when we are in victory mode. It’s a wonderful place to be in. We’re at high level and all is just wonderful! Nonetheless, we must be cautious of falling into those little snares( usually hidden in our forgetfulness and presumptuousness) that can produce severe damaging effects and we forego the victory and sometimes actually lose it.
I think that perhaps this happened to Joshua and the Israelites. They had just celebrated the fall of Jericho! It was a glorious time of triumph! And, rightly so! I can imagine the joyous time they had during this victory. And, it resulted because God was with them; Joshua followed the instruction and obeyed thus, God delivered.
However, when time came to go against Ai, Joshua failed to seek God and fully relied on the strength of his army to defeat this small city. To their chagrin they were fully blasted and lost the fight against this city. This is when they turned to God to ask why.
“How many times have I done this in my own life?” I ask myself. ” Too many,” I answer myself. These “open mouth and insert foot” times are demeaning and so unnecessary. They happen because we rely on ourselves, our skills, our knowledge, our strength. When the task at hand seems easy enough we go forward without thinking of consulting the Lord to determine what He suggests and what He would recommend.
We end up crying out as Joshua did, “Oh, oh, oh, … Master, God, Why did you insist on bringing this people across the Jordan? To make us victims of the Amorites? To wipe us out? Why didn’t we just settle down on the east side of the Jordan? Oh, Master, what can I say after this, after Israel has been run off by its enemies? When the Canaanites and all the others living here get wind of this, they’ll gang up on us and make short work of us–and then how will you keep up your reputation?” Joshua 7:7-9 MSG
He has the audacity to ask God how He will keep up His reputation? Really? I think not! What happened to the victory? When did he drop from the high level? Where is his personal responsibility for the defeat?
Joshua failed to do something so basic; something many of us do, too often. We fail to confer with the Lord about things we plan, or would like to do or become involved in. They are decisions we must make and trust me, seeking God’s advice is so helpful in eliminating bad decisions and a lot of heartache.
This is a major part of personal responsibility. All that we are, all that we do and all that life brings us should include the time to seek God’s opinion, consult with him, toss ideas around, and put our heads together to determine the best possible outcome. Accessing God’s advice is the best thing we can do for ourselves. In the end, His advice is best overall.
ritasalomon 