If you haven't read Joshua 8, read it here
In chapter 7, Achan stole treasure and he, his family, and the nation was punished. In chapter 8, God tells the nation when they take Ai that they can have all the spoils they want. I found myself and some of my friends asking, "Why?!? Didn't they JUST get in trouble for, what my husband and I like to call, squirreling some loot away??" Well, my husband explained that it was because the nation had already been justly disciplined and now God is back onto taking the Promised Land for his people and blessing them. I relate this to how I interact with our well loved dog, Sergeant. He's a too smart, stubborn yorkie who gets his way too often. When I'm having a church group at home he likes to get mouthy so I have to exile him to our bedroom while we eat. After we are done I let him out. When he least expects it, I ask him to come back into the bedroom but having been disciplined that way before, he refuses. Refuses! I'm more stubborn than he is so I make him come with me and reward him with treats. I do this because I want him to know to follow me no matter what. I need him to trust me, especially if we are in a dangerous situation, I want him to follow me willingly no matter the outcome. I feel like this is somewhat how God deals with us.
God displays his pure genius by using Israel's former failure as a trap for Ai. Israel comes up on Ai and then they run away like they're scared (like last time) while another group of soldiers lie in wait and take the city while Ai chased the "scared" soldiers away. Ai realized they'd been tricked and had nowhere to go. They could head into thousands of their enemies or to a seized, burning city. I think anyone who has failed at anything (which is everyone) can look back on your life and see how God has used your failure to help you later in life. He uses our detours to help us get to our final destination much like our well used GPS systems in our phones and cars.
Joshua was told to hold his javelin out to seize Ai and he never dropped it until the last person of Ai was killed. How did he know not to drop it; to hold it until the end?!? I so would have been like, "Ok...I held it. My arm is tired. I'm gonna put it down now." What i learned today, was that he didn't put it down because of his fear of the Lord! He was scared to death of repeating Moses' mistake. God never said to lower the javelin; he said to point it at Ai and he would hand the city over to him. So Joshua did exactly what he was told and didn't fall to his own interpretation or opinion on what God said. He held that javelin high towards Ai until the task was finished. I guess if I had that much at stake and knew what happened to my forefathers for not following instructions, I'd be a bit of stickler too.
Another couple questions looming in the minds of our church members is: why is God waging this holy war? Why is God having Israel kill all these people?? What did they do? That answer comes from Deuteronomy 20:16-18: "16 But in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, 17 but you shall devote them to complete destruction,[a] the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded, 18 that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the Lord your God."
God is the god of second chances for his people but also a god of finality and justice to those who won't respond to him. What these people did was so foul to God that he wiped them out.
What's the point?
God uses your failures for good. He disciplines you and redirects you to reward you. Pay attention and do as he says in your redirection and he will pour out blessings on you.
In chapter 7, Achan stole treasure and he, his family, and the nation was punished. In chapter 8, God tells the nation when they take Ai that they can have all the spoils they want. I found myself and some of my friends asking, "Why?!? Didn't they JUST get in trouble for, what my husband and I like to call, squirreling some loot away??" Well, my husband explained that it was because the nation had already been justly disciplined and now God is back onto taking the Promised Land for his people and blessing them. I relate this to how I interact with our well loved dog, Sergeant. He's a too smart, stubborn yorkie who gets his way too often. When I'm having a church group at home he likes to get mouthy so I have to exile him to our bedroom while we eat. After we are done I let him out. When he least expects it, I ask him to come back into the bedroom but having been disciplined that way before, he refuses. Refuses! I'm more stubborn than he is so I make him come with me and reward him with treats. I do this because I want him to know to follow me no matter what. I need him to trust me, especially if we are in a dangerous situation, I want him to follow me willingly no matter the outcome. I feel like this is somewhat how God deals with us.
God displays his pure genius by using Israel's former failure as a trap for Ai. Israel comes up on Ai and then they run away like they're scared (like last time) while another group of soldiers lie in wait and take the city while Ai chased the "scared" soldiers away. Ai realized they'd been tricked and had nowhere to go. They could head into thousands of their enemies or to a seized, burning city. I think anyone who has failed at anything (which is everyone) can look back on your life and see how God has used your failure to help you later in life. He uses our detours to help us get to our final destination much like our well used GPS systems in our phones and cars.
Joshua was told to hold his javelin out to seize Ai and he never dropped it until the last person of Ai was killed. How did he know not to drop it; to hold it until the end?!? I so would have been like, "Ok...I held it. My arm is tired. I'm gonna put it down now." What i learned today, was that he didn't put it down because of his fear of the Lord! He was scared to death of repeating Moses' mistake. God never said to lower the javelin; he said to point it at Ai and he would hand the city over to him. So Joshua did exactly what he was told and didn't fall to his own interpretation or opinion on what God said. He held that javelin high towards Ai until the task was finished. I guess if I had that much at stake and knew what happened to my forefathers for not following instructions, I'd be a bit of stickler too.
Another couple questions looming in the minds of our church members is: why is God waging this holy war? Why is God having Israel kill all these people?? What did they do? That answer comes from Deuteronomy 20:16-18: "16 But in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, 17 but you shall devote them to complete destruction,[a] the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded, 18 that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the Lord your God."
God is the god of second chances for his people but also a god of finality and justice to those who won't respond to him. What these people did was so foul to God that he wiped them out.
What's the point?
God uses your failures for good. He disciplines you and redirects you to reward you. Pay attention and do as he says in your redirection and he will pour out blessings on you.
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