In Joshua 8 after the defeat at Ai, Joshua needs and
receives a word of encouragement from the Lord. I am so thankful that we have a
Bible that is full of promises of God that should encourage us even after we
feel that we have failed. I’m thinking of Elijah after the great victory on Mt.
Carmel where he prayed down fire from heaven and had the prophets of Baal put
to death, and the wicked queen Jezebel said she was going to kill him, and he
flees to the mountain and becomes so discourage that he wanted to die. How God
met with him and assured him of His presence with the “still small voice”. (1
Kings 18-19).
Not only did the Lord give Joshua a word of encouragement
but He gave him a word of instruction (Josh. 8:1b-2). God always has a plan for
His people to follow, and the only way for us to have victory is to obey God's
instructions. In his first attack on Ai Joshua followed the advice of his spies
and used only part of the army; but God told him to take "all the
people of war"(v. 1).
The Lord also told Joshua to use an ambush and take
advantage of Ai's self-confidence stemming from Israel's first defeat (7:1-5).
Finally, God gave the soldiers the right to claim the spoils, but they were to burn
the city. Had Achan waited only a few days, he could have picked up all the
wealth that he wanted. God always gives His best to those who leave the choice
with Him. When we run ahead of the Lord, we usually rob ourselves and hurt
others.
The Lord also gave Joshua a word of promise (Josh.
8:1c). "I have given"
was God's promise and Joshua's guarantee of victory as long as he obeyed the
instructions of the Lord. "God never made a promise that was too good to
be true," said evangelist D.L. Moody; but every promise must be claimed by
faith. Unless the promises of God are "mixed with faith" (Heb. 4:2),
they accomplish nothing. Because Israel acted presumptuously in their first
attack against Ai, they failed miserably. The promises of God make the
difference between faith and presumption.
You can never exaggerate the importance of the Christian
soldier spending time daily in the Word of God. Unless daily we take the sword
of the Spirit by faith (Eph. 6:17), we go into the battle unarmed and therefore
unprepared. Spiritually minded believers are victorious because they allow the
Word of God to "saturate" their minds and hearts. The Spirit using
the Word controls their desires and decisions and this is the secret of
victory.
Years later after the conquest of the land of Canaan,
Joshua in his last words to the people just before he died in Joshua 23:14 was:
“And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your
hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good
things that the LORD your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass
for you; not one of them has failed.”
My friend, you can always trust in the promises of God in
His Word!
God bless!
