Joshua 7:26 “...Then the Lord turned from his burning anger. Therefore, to this day the name of that place is called the Valley of Achor.”
Joshua 8:1 “And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Take all the fighting men with you, and arise, go up to Ai...”
Joshua 8 was started with God spoke to Joshua “Do not fear and do not be dismayed”; and this words is a familiar words in Joshua’s ear. It is the same words that God spoke to encourage Joshua in Joshua chapter 1 verse 9 when God prepared and commissioned Joshua to lead the Israelites, But here on, the same words is not just a word of encouragement, but also a special word to Joshua that shows that God has forgiven their sin and God is ready to lead them and assured a victory. Today this passage remind us that God is a God of a second chance and also a comforter: He wants to comfort and encourage us through His WORD.
Maybe we are in the step of our life where we have fallen down from the pit of darkness. We have realise our sin, and we honestly want to get back. We say “LORD, i fall down. Help me to recover.” this passage will once again tell you on how to get back on your feet, to get on the right relationship with God. Let’s see on some specific direction that God told Joshua to do:
1. Don’t get confidence on ourselves.
Though the primary cause of Israel’s defeat at Ai was Achan’s sin, the secondary cause is because they are full of pride of themselves (Joshua 7:3-4). Upon returning from the mission, the spies told Joshua not to bring the whole army, just 2000 to 3000 men is enough; and the reason is because “for they are few”. After the great victory that Israel experienced on the battle of Jericho, they were getting full on themselves, and so they underestimate their enemy: notice how Israel has done a lot of preparation before battling out in Jericho, but against Ai which has small region, their pride arose, and they neglect the same preparation that they did before - namely to consecrate themselves. God then instructed them to take all the fighting men (30,000 people) to go up to Ai (which has 12,000 people men and women - so the men might be around 6000-8000). God teaches Israel not to get their confidence from their own but to rely everything that they do to God’s mighty plan.
2. Fight your fear with faith (that God is greater than your fear).
Can we imagine that for Israelites at this stage, fighting Ai will be much more harder then if God asked them to fight other city (eg: Gibeonite, or Amorites, etc). Why? Because they have lost to Ai. Can you imagine to put yourselves as an Israelites, imagine that you have a bad experience with someone in your life, or if you play sports, your team has lost miserably with a team called Ai - don’t you dare to challenge Ai again? If Israelites have never met Ai before, then it is another matter, but the problem is they now have to face the enemy that has beaten them so bad. Those image about losing might be still in their head, God asked them to get up and fight your enemy. The opposite of fear is not courage, but the opposite is to have faith. God asked Israelites to trust God, to have faith in God - if they have faith that through God there is an assurance to the victory, then they won’t fear Ai anymore.
3. The irony of God’s blessings.
Remember in Jericho battle, God instructed Israelites to destroy everything in Jericho except for Rahab - and Achan has disobeyed God because he took those gold and silver for himself to please his greediness. Here, God allowed Israelites to take Ai’s spoil and livestock as plunder - isn’t that an Irony? If only, Achan obeyed God, he will get the thing that he needs in God’s time. God knows our need, and he will provide when he thinks we need it - what we have to do is to obey God as an attitude that we trust Him.
4. God’s plan is not monotonous.
Here we see that God’s strategy towards Ai was so different from what God commanded Joshua towards Jericho. For the battle against Jericho, God asked Joshua to circling the wall and basically without physical fight, until God made the wall collapse; and here God employed His brilliant tactic, He taught Joshua a new strategy called: decoy. God asked for all fighting men to stand ready on the other side of Ai’s city, and rush into the city when Ai soldiers has come out of the city. We should not assume that God works in a same way every time; Both of these 2 events were still to require trust that God’s wisdom is higher than human wisdom, and so God taught Joshua and the israelites to trust God in whatever way God wanted to do. Today, we are prone to stick with one method as what we considered the “successful” way to achieve things, including on our ministry. We tend to think that the most effective way to share the gospel is by using an x method, or y method. Here we learn that the most important is not the method but the reliance to God Himself. Therefore it is so important to “meet” God, to “speak” to God often. Again the Israelites failed to do so on this battle of Ai on chapter 7 of Joshua. How is our devotion? do we see any urgency to have a time with God? When we are sitting on the train, or when we do our work everyday, do we forget our existence as God’s people? Do we enjoy to meditate His word? How is our prayer life?
The story goes, and the Israelites obeyed God’s command, and as the result they had their victory. Joshua then built an altar to the LORD on mount Ebal just as Moses has commanded the people of Israel as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses “an altar of uncut stones upon which no man has wielded an iron tool.” Joshua remembered what happen back then (see Deuteronomy 27-28) of what Moses told him, of what he needs to do when God’s promised has been fulfilled.
There are two things i would like to highlight here: First, that our God is a faithful God. Israel has been delivered from Egypt and now has come into the land that the LORD God has promised them.
His faithfulness remains true even when His people (Israel) has broken the covenant by following the way of the idol. Upon their failure in chapter 7, God forgave them, and not just that, God gave His blessing (Grace) to Israelites to assure their victory. Israel started again with a fresh relationship with God. For us today, the same God who has shown His faithfulness to Israel, is also a God who open His arm for us, who invites us to get a fresh relationship.
Second, the building of an altar. Many of the old testament story, God’s people: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, etc built altar to the LORD whenever God has shown His faithfulness. Every Time there is an altar, the people of Israel will be reminded of His goodness for them. It becomes a testimony of God’s gracious and glory. Now, If God has been so gracious to us, shall we enter the future ahead by building our own altar? Starting from now, we can always write and share His goodness to other people. Joshua built an altar, and they remembered God’s covenant, they dedicated themselves to start with a fresh relationship. They also stood on the two mountains (Gerizim and Ebal) while the words of the law of the blessing and curse are read. God's word was proclaimed so that they were reminded. Just as what the israelites did, we should constantly look on the cross, as God has sacrificed His son for our sins, so that we no longer live under the power of sin, but we can have a life in Him. His power is greater than the sin’s power. Let us remember to read and meditate His word that will strengthen us. Let our lives be a living testimony to the people around us. Let us built our altar that will keep reminding us of God’s faithfulness.
Turn your eyes to Jesus and look full in His wonderful face, and whatever has troubled you, whatever has made you to fall down, these things of the earth will grow strangely dim, because of the light of His Glory and grace.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Paul Hartono
Maybe we are in the step of our life where we have fallen down from the pit of darkness. We have realise our sin, and we honestly want to get back. We say “LORD, i fall down. Help me to recover.” this passage will once again tell you on how to get back on your feet, to get on the right relationship with God. Let’s see on some specific direction that God told Joshua to do:
1. Don’t get confidence on ourselves.
Though the primary cause of Israel’s defeat at Ai was Achan’s sin, the secondary cause is because they are full of pride of themselves (Joshua 7:3-4). Upon returning from the mission, the spies told Joshua not to bring the whole army, just 2000 to 3000 men is enough; and the reason is because “for they are few”. After the great victory that Israel experienced on the battle of Jericho, they were getting full on themselves, and so they underestimate their enemy: notice how Israel has done a lot of preparation before battling out in Jericho, but against Ai which has small region, their pride arose, and they neglect the same preparation that they did before - namely to consecrate themselves. God then instructed them to take all the fighting men (30,000 people) to go up to Ai (which has 12,000 people men and women - so the men might be around 6000-8000). God teaches Israel not to get their confidence from their own but to rely everything that they do to God’s mighty plan.
2. Fight your fear with faith (that God is greater than your fear).
Can we imagine that for Israelites at this stage, fighting Ai will be much more harder then if God asked them to fight other city (eg: Gibeonite, or Amorites, etc). Why? Because they have lost to Ai. Can you imagine to put yourselves as an Israelites, imagine that you have a bad experience with someone in your life, or if you play sports, your team has lost miserably with a team called Ai - don’t you dare to challenge Ai again? If Israelites have never met Ai before, then it is another matter, but the problem is they now have to face the enemy that has beaten them so bad. Those image about losing might be still in their head, God asked them to get up and fight your enemy. The opposite of fear is not courage, but the opposite is to have faith. God asked Israelites to trust God, to have faith in God - if they have faith that through God there is an assurance to the victory, then they won’t fear Ai anymore.
3. The irony of God’s blessings.
Remember in Jericho battle, God instructed Israelites to destroy everything in Jericho except for Rahab - and Achan has disobeyed God because he took those gold and silver for himself to please his greediness. Here, God allowed Israelites to take Ai’s spoil and livestock as plunder - isn’t that an Irony? If only, Achan obeyed God, he will get the thing that he needs in God’s time. God knows our need, and he will provide when he thinks we need it - what we have to do is to obey God as an attitude that we trust Him.
4. God’s plan is not monotonous.
Here we see that God’s strategy towards Ai was so different from what God commanded Joshua towards Jericho. For the battle against Jericho, God asked Joshua to circling the wall and basically without physical fight, until God made the wall collapse; and here God employed His brilliant tactic, He taught Joshua a new strategy called: decoy. God asked for all fighting men to stand ready on the other side of Ai’s city, and rush into the city when Ai soldiers has come out of the city. We should not assume that God works in a same way every time; Both of these 2 events were still to require trust that God’s wisdom is higher than human wisdom, and so God taught Joshua and the israelites to trust God in whatever way God wanted to do. Today, we are prone to stick with one method as what we considered the “successful” way to achieve things, including on our ministry. We tend to think that the most effective way to share the gospel is by using an x method, or y method. Here we learn that the most important is not the method but the reliance to God Himself. Therefore it is so important to “meet” God, to “speak” to God often. Again the Israelites failed to do so on this battle of Ai on chapter 7 of Joshua. How is our devotion? do we see any urgency to have a time with God? When we are sitting on the train, or when we do our work everyday, do we forget our existence as God’s people? Do we enjoy to meditate His word? How is our prayer life?
The story goes, and the Israelites obeyed God’s command, and as the result they had their victory. Joshua then built an altar to the LORD on mount Ebal just as Moses has commanded the people of Israel as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses “an altar of uncut stones upon which no man has wielded an iron tool.” Joshua remembered what happen back then (see Deuteronomy 27-28) of what Moses told him, of what he needs to do when God’s promised has been fulfilled.
There are two things i would like to highlight here: First, that our God is a faithful God. Israel has been delivered from Egypt and now has come into the land that the LORD God has promised them.
His faithfulness remains true even when His people (Israel) has broken the covenant by following the way of the idol. Upon their failure in chapter 7, God forgave them, and not just that, God gave His blessing (Grace) to Israelites to assure their victory. Israel started again with a fresh relationship with God. For us today, the same God who has shown His faithfulness to Israel, is also a God who open His arm for us, who invites us to get a fresh relationship.
Second, the building of an altar. Many of the old testament story, God’s people: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, etc built altar to the LORD whenever God has shown His faithfulness. Every Time there is an altar, the people of Israel will be reminded of His goodness for them. It becomes a testimony of God’s gracious and glory. Now, If God has been so gracious to us, shall we enter the future ahead by building our own altar? Starting from now, we can always write and share His goodness to other people. Joshua built an altar, and they remembered God’s covenant, they dedicated themselves to start with a fresh relationship. They also stood on the two mountains (Gerizim and Ebal) while the words of the law of the blessing and curse are read. God's word was proclaimed so that they were reminded. Just as what the israelites did, we should constantly look on the cross, as God has sacrificed His son for our sins, so that we no longer live under the power of sin, but we can have a life in Him. His power is greater than the sin’s power. Let us remember to read and meditate His word that will strengthen us. Let our lives be a living testimony to the people around us. Let us built our altar that will keep reminding us of God’s faithfulness.
Turn your eyes to Jesus and look full in His wonderful face, and whatever has troubled you, whatever has made you to fall down, these things of the earth will grow strangely dim, because of the light of His Glory and grace.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Paul Hartono
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