Joshua 14:1-5 - God has a part in all that we can potentially become

Israel had twelves sons namely, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. Reuben, being his firstborn, should have received a double portion of the inheritance. However, Genesis 49:4 reveals that he forfeited his right when he went up and defiled his father's bed, meaning he slept with his father's concubine. In Genesis 48 as Israel was nearing the time of his death, he adopted Manasseh and Ephraim, the two sons of Joseph, as his own sons. The double portion inheritance that was rightly Reuben's eventually went to Joseph, whose two sons were each given a portion of the possession. The tribe of Levi as we have learned were not given any land because God Himself would be their inheritance. What a privilege!

Joshua 14:1-5 provide us with a summary of the distribution of the territories of Canaan. The people involved in administering the distribution were Joshua, the God-appointed leader, Eleazar the priest and the heads of the household of each tribe of Israel. Reuben, Gad and half tribe of Manasseh were given the land east of Jordan. The rest of Canaan which was conquered under the leadership of Joshua was distributed to the rest of the nine and a half tribes of Israel. The lots were divided to each tribe according to the instruction of the Lord. There was no sign of partiality nor jealousy over the division. 

Just as God had granted the children of Israel the different parts of the promised land, the things we are given in life are granted by God's providence. Nothing happens to us by chance. God will guide and care for us in the big and small details of life. So we must learn to trust in His provision. And since God has a major say in our life, we must learn to yield and submit to His leading. We must allow His will to shape our lives. One thing we need to do is to trust that God in His wisdom knows what's best for us. He is dependable and we can lean and rely on Him in every step we take. Because we recognize that all that we have come from God, we learn to accept whatever lot is given to us. Then we do our best with His help to achieve the best outcome for His glory.  

Joshua 13:8-33 – Living with the right perspective

Joshua 13:8-33, deal with the distribution of the lands east of Jordan to Reuben, Gad and half tribe of Manasseh. Remember Moses actually promised these lands to them with a proviso. During their journey, Moses and the children came to these lands and fought the enemy forces within it. The tribes of Reuben, Gad and half tribe of Manasseh saw that the lands were good pasture for their flock. So, they requested for those lands. Moses promised them these lands with a proviso that they must go with the rest of the tribes into Canaan to help them possess it, before they could come back and possess the lands east of Jordan.

One wrong thing these two and a half tribes committed was that they didn’t clear their possessions totally of the foreigners. They allowed two groups of people, the Geshurites and the Maacathites, to live with them. This conscious and willful disobedience to the Lord brought with it drastic consequences. Judges 2:1-5 reflected for us what happened as a result of their disobedience. An angel of the Lord came from Gilgal to them in Bochim and warned them of the result. Here the Lord disappointingly told them, "I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, 'I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you break down their altars.' But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you done? So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides and their gods shall be a snare to you."  

The tragic end was that they eventually ended up worshipping the gods of the heathen nations. They were the first to claim their inheritance but they were also the first to lose it. We lose our testimony when we become influenced by the world to adopt their stance. Bear in mind that our testimony for the Lord will be drastically eroded to zero when we consistently run with the standards of the world.  

Here is a word concerning the tribe of Levi. In verse 33, we are told why the tribe of Levi was not given any portion of the land. However, this was not a disadvantage to them just because they were not allotted any land. In fact, they were the privileged lot. Why? Because the Lord God of Israel Himself would be their inheritance. What a privilege! To have Yahweh as the source of everything in life speaks of endless provision. Come to think of it, isn’t it far better to have the Lord God as a possession than all the material things in this world? This reminds us not to be obsessed with material possession. It is far better to be rich in spiritual things than to be rich in material things. Be mindful that this world is not our home and we are just passing through. So, let us set our affection on eternity. Let’s have an eternal perspective. Because when we have such a perspective, we will keep only a gentle grasp on our possessions here and now. We know that everything in life will eventually pass away, but with God, we will have endless eternity!      

Joshua 13:1-7 – Serving with God all the way

Joshua 13:1-7 tell us that Joshua was now advanced in years and old, and there were yet quite a few parts of Canaan that were unconquered. There were still pockets of resistant groups that had to be dealt with. So, God instructed Joshua to divide the land to the nine and a half tribes of Israel not allotted lands east of Jordan. After the distribution, each tribe would be responsible to deal with those pockets of resistance within their allotted lands. Like land distributed to the Israelites, Christian life is a privilege. And we need to know that responsibilities come with every privilege. We must be accountable to God for all that He had granted us, by being diligent to make progress in our walk with Him.

One thing we can learn from the life of Joshua is the joy of walking and serving God till a ripe old age. What a privilege to have God still talking to him in his advanced years. Just imagine, he was well above 90 years of age and still vibrantly serving the Lord. Older people should not think that we can no longer contribute to the work of God because of our age. If we are willing, God will supply the needed energy and grant us the needed strength to fulfill our assigned tasks, even when we are advanced in years.

Verse 1 is not a rebuke but a reality check. It would help to acknowledge that no matter how much we have gained and accomplished in life, there are still areas we need to deal with. It tells us that there are much in life that still need to be done. Secondly, an honest appraisal will help to keep us humble before the Lord. When we realize how far short, we are in possessing all that we need to possess, we will be driven to rely on Him to continue to deal with each unconquered area of life. Thirdly, we learn that there will always be grounds in life that we have left uncovered. And there are still many new things to learn and grow in the Lord. This is a solemn reminder that to experience total victory, everyone has to be responsible to deal with their weak areas in life.

However, take note that just as God did not leave them floundering on their own, He will also not leave us to struggle by ourselves. He promised in verse 6 that He Himself would drive the resistant forces out. This is an acknowledgment that all tasks we need to do can be successful only as we learn to lean on His unseen hand, working with us and driving us forward. Bear in mind that we are His co-laborers. We are only unprofitable servants in that while we are doing His work, we still need His help to be victorious. We learn to depend on the Lord for our daily victory. Let us advance our personal life with God. As we do so, we shall also advance the Kingdom for God!

Joshua 12 – Let’s take stalk of our life

Joshua 12 is an enumeration of the cities and tribes Israel had conquered. Verses 1-6 compute for us all those that were conquered under the leadership of Moses. And verses 7-24, those taken under the leadership of Joshua. The lands that were taken under Moses were mainly those west of Jordan i.e. before Israel crossed the Jordan. These lands were distributed to the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half tribe of Manasseh.

All the lands that were taken under Joshua’s leadership were those east of Jordan. They covered six geographical regions. Verse 8 tallies them for us. They were “…the hill country, the lowland, the Arabah, the slopes, in the wilderness, and the Negeb….” Verse 8 also lists for us the six captured tribes, namely, “…the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.” In total, the number of kings captured was 31.  This list of the lands and people and kings conquered will help us see in subsequent passages that Israel left some places unconquered and they would come back to haunt them. It also shows that extra effort would be required later to retake those land.

Many of us must be left wondering and asking, what can a boring account where the author tracks the lands Israel had conquered, teach us about Christian living? Here is one lesson that we can learn, i.e. to take stalk of our life. We can do so by keeping a journal of our progress with God. It is needful to constantly track our progress so that we can pause and give thanks to the Lord. Have you ever consider journaling your journey with God?

Journaling can be a useful tool to help us be alert to the things that happen in our life. It helps us to take note of all the activities and be conscious of God’s unseen hand working and moving in and through our lives. It helps us to take time to reflect on how God’s presence, guidance, direction, have nurtured us in our life’s daily activities. It will help us to recall God’s faithfulness in our journey so that we can cultivate a life of thanks-living. We need to take stalk of life. The value we attach to a task always determine the price we are willing to pay for it. Whatever is worth possessing is worth the time and effort it will take to possess it. Joshua 12 underscores the value of journaling our life. All of us can learn from our past so that we can live effectively in the future. We must not be forgetful recipients of God’s wondrous grace in our life!

Joshua 11:16-23 – Be steadfast and determined in the journey

No one can deny that we will have to confront many opposing forces in our spiritual journey. But we know that with God’s help we will be able to overcome each of them. This fact is illustrated by the long and arduous battles that Joshua and the people of God experienced in the conquest of the land. In Joshua 11:16-23, the author gives us a summary of the list of the lands that God had helped Israel to conquer. We read in verses 16-17 that “Joshua took all that land, the hill country and all the Negeb and all the land of Goshen and the lowland and the Arabah and the hill country of Israel and its lowland from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, as far as Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. And he captured all their kings and struck them and put them to death.” And as Joshua was careful to make sure that all the lands were conquered one by one, we too must see to it that we have a hold of every arena of life.  

Every one of us who desires to be victorious must be careful not only in the big issues of life but also in the minute details of it. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul exhorts believers to be circumspect. The word circumspect can be illustrated this way. It is like putting one’s life underneath a giant microscope and scrutinize every detail so that we can make alignment for those areas that are unaligned. We must remember that the first step to change is self-awareness. If we are not aware of where we need to change, we need to be circumspect. It is said that a big door swings on small hinges, meaning a big victory is the sum total of the small victories we have in life. That’s why we are told that we will progress from victory to victory, faith upon faith and glory to glory.

So apart from being obedient and devoted to the battle, we also need steadfastness and determination. Verse 18 tells us that Joshua made a long war with all the kings. In other words, he fought for a long time. Determination and steadfastness are two qualities needed if we are to endure and come out victorious in a long and sustained journey. Like Joshua, we need to develop the quality of steadfastness and determination. We cannot throw in the towel too easily. Come what may, we will yield area by area to the Lord till He has a complete reign over every area of our life. We diligently allow Christ to establish His Lordship over every area and put it under His dominion. Remember the words of 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brothers (and sisters), be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” Amen!

Joshua 11:1-15 – Obedience to God ensures victory

So far Joshua had already captured the central and southern regions of Canaan. God had granted them a resounding success. So, the attention of the nation of Israel now was turned toward the north region. Here in the first fifteen verses of Joshua 11, we are given an account of their campaign to conquer the northern region of Canaan. Like the enemy forces in the south that combined in a coalition against Joshua at Gibeon, the kings in the north also did the same to encounter him and the people of Israel.

In verses 1-5, we read a description of the kings and their forces of the north gathering at the waters of Merom to fight Israel. Verses 6-9 describe the victory Israel had over the coalition forces. And finally, in verses 10-15 we see the capture of Hazor and other cities in that region. The victory was gained only because of Joshua’s total obedience to the instruction of the Lord.  Just as before, God assured Joshua of victory and then went on to do according to all that He had said. In verse 6 God’s word to Joshua was, “Do not be afraid of them, for tomorrow at this time I will give over all of them, slain, to Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.”  Verse 7 describes their confrontation with the forces at Merom. And in the following verse, we see Israel handed the victory. Joshua obeyed the instruction of the Lord and struck down the enemies till there was none left. In verse 9, Joshua did what the Lord had specifically told them to do i.e. to hamstring the horses.

For such a decisive victory many expect to have a greater detail of how they did it but we are offered little. That’s because the intention of this narrative is not to describe the battle but the victory God had granted to His people. It serves to show us the faithfulness of God. We are assured that whatever God had promised, He will fulfill it when obedience is seen. Hence, in this passage, we get to see the importance of being obedient if we are to experience victory in any battle.

In this campaign, we see the emphasis of the interplay of movement between Joshua and Israel. This clearly shows God’s affirmation of Joshua’s leadership. Hazor is seen here as the head of the coalition. Its destruction shows us that nothing can be a threat to God’s people in their battle. Like Joshua and the people of Israel, when we fight our battle with the help of the Lord, no enemy can withstand what we can do with the Lord on our side. All we need is keep connecting with God, keep seeking His direction and keep doing as we are instructed. This theme of total obedience is accentuated by verse 15 that says, “Just as the Lord had commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses.” Emulating Joshua, we must also not leave undone anything that the Lord has instructed us to do. Only as we obey God totally can we find total victory over the circumstances that threaten our walk with Him. Absolute obedience is paramount for victory! 

Joshua 10:28-43 – Our spiritual battles are continuous

Under the inspiration of God, Joshua and the people of Israel went about devoting themselves in the battle of destroying every opposing force. Strategically, they started with the central campaign. After taking the central part of Canaan, they would eventually go down south to conquer cities located there before they move north to destroy the cities there. We saw how they leaned on God in their battles, while the Lord fought for them supernaturally. Here are two lessons that we can draw from these remaining verses of Joshua 10.  

Firstly, they fought continuously. It appears like they had to contest the enemies on a daily basis. Similarly, we also need to battle daily. None of us should rest on our laurel especially after every seeming victory. Winning a battle is great but we must remember what Paul said in Ephesians that we are battling hosts of wickedness and hierarchy of evil. The cohorts of the devil are always scheming to trip and trap us. To forget the fact that the enemy is relentlessly plotting our downfall is foolhardy. That’s why we are told to take our stand in the Lord and be in constant alert. Ours is a daily fight. In 2 Corinthians 6:2 Paul reminds us that “…now is the favorable time…now is the day of salvation.”  Let us not wait for an easier time before we start to serve the Lord. Every day is the day that we must engage in battle. There is no such thing as a perfect time for battle.

Secondly, notice how devotedly Joshua went about taking city after city. The key is devotion. He knew he could not stop till all the enemy forces were annihilated. Why? So long as they remain around, they would pose as a threat to their progress. The moment Israel became complacent and passive, they would become an easy target to be taken off. Similarly, we must be devoted to the battle we are engaging in. We cannot afford to let down our guard. Consider these wise words of the late Benjamin E Mays, an American Baptist minister. He said, “The tragedy of life is often not in our failure, but rather in our complacency; not in our doing too much, but rather in our doing too little; not in our living above our ability, but rather in our living below our capacities.” The daily spiritual battle demands that we remain in active service. We must keep leaning on God and do all that we humanly can do. We will wisely trust God and leave Him to help us do those things that only He can do. In short, let us do what we can and leave God to do what we cannot. Then, a thousand battles, a thousand victories!

Joshua 10:22-27 – The need to conquer the deeds of the flesh

In Joshua 10:22, we are told that Joshua ordered the five kings who hid in the cave in Makkedah to be brought before him. He then ordered the princes to put their feet on their necks. Why did he humiliate them like this before all of Israel?  It was done to assure the people that God would give them victory over all their enemies. It helped to enforce the message that in the same way that they had experienced victory over these five kings, they would also be granted victory over all their future enemies. However, they must not shrink away cowardly, but to confront each future enemy fearlessly.

Admit it or not, every one of us has some hidden enemies in our life. They are the opposing forces hidden in our life. The only two persons who know about them are probably the Lord and you, yourself. To overcome them and experience a sure victory you will need to confront them head-on. You need to drag it out of the closet of your life and put them before the Lord and boldly put your feet on them and command them to go in Jesus’ name. The Bible reminds us that if we regard iniquities in our life, God will not hear us. And we will find them as constant stumbling blocks in our life. Know for sure that the measure of victory we will experience always commensurate with the degree we dare to confront and deal with them. We need to know that there are no secret sins in our life that are hidden from God’s eye. It is true that He wants to help deal with each one so that they will no longer be a pest in our life.

One other lesson can be picked up from verses 26-27. It is the necessity to conquer our enemy. Joshua was seen here taking a bold step to ensure victory over these enemies forever. He ordered that they were put to death. It is true that in our flesh lies no good thing. The works of our flesh only deserve to be judged. If we want to walk victoriously before the Lord, it is imperative that we put to death the deeds of our flesh. It must be a daily affair if we are to walk in perpetual victory. Remember, total victory is gained when we live a self-denying life. Tuck the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 10:38-39 somewhere in our heart, “And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” And this we shall do with the help of the Spirit of God! 

Joshua 10:16-21 – Self-control is needed to win our battle with the flesh

The Christian life is a journey where we have to keep battling enemy forces. Winning battles that we are engaged in requires a collaborated effort between us and God. In the first 15 verses of Joshua chapter 10, we saw God doing His part. We saw how He granted victory to His people through His supernatural power. However, there are still many battles that they had to fight. God had done His part and He requires that they now do theirs. They now have to play their part and be totally involved and committed to the fray. Someone said involvement and commitment are like ham and egg. The chicken is involved but the pig is committed. We personally must not only be involved, but we must also be committed.

Verses 16-18 reveal that the five kings fled from the battle and hid in a cave in Makkedah. When it was told Joshua, he ordered that the cave be sealed to prevent the kings from escaping. In other words, he took control of the situation. If we are to emerge victorious in any of our battles, we need to take control. All of us could become followers of Jesus Christ only because the Lord initiated the move to embrace us with His love. But our old nature is still alive, well, and kicking. This is very much like what we see in the lives of the children of Israel. Though they have left Egypt, yet the mentality they adopted from there remained very much alive in them. The purpose of the long arduous journey in the wilderness was to help them get rid of the negative mentality. Like them, our spiritual journey and the battles we engaged in are so that we can deal with the mentality we have adopted from our fallen past.  

Our flesh, like the five kings, is hiding somewhere within our life. Following the example of Joshua, who controlled the five kings. we need to control our flesh. If we don’t, it will run wild with our life and create endless troubles for us. The “five kings” can appear as the loose tongue, anger, hatred, unforgiveness, pride, prejudice, lust, etc. They all need to be controlled or they will eventually control us. And self-control is a part of the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23. It simply means gaining a mastery over self – our habits and lifestyle. We need to partner with the Lord so that He can help us to develop self-control. When we choose to follow the Lord, we can no longer live a riotous life. No longer can we live every which way we please. Sin cannot be allowed to reign in life. With the help of God, we subject our body to discipline and poise ourselves for the transforming work of God in our life. Without God, we cannot. But without us, God will not. Let’s work with Him and develop self-control. 

Joshua 10:12-15 – History of the missing day

It’s a great thought to know that we never have to fight any battle in life alone. That’s why we have no need to lose any war against the opposing forces of life. When we learn to tap into the power of God that He has made available to us, we need not be defeated in a single score. Joshua 10:10-11, described for us how the Lord sent a barrage of hailstones and killed many from the opposing forces. So great was the destruction that it was said that more from the enemy’s camp were killed by the hailstones than those the Israelites had slain. Now in Joshua 10:12-14, we see yet another supernatural act in which God fought for His people. In all the record of miracles that had happened in the physical world, this is probably the greatest. God literally stopped the sun in the sky, extended the number of hours of daylight, so that Joshua and his people could finish the battle.

To those who refuse to believe God, this miracle is the butt of their jokes. They consider us believers to be simpletons for daring to believe in such a silly myth. To them, it’s ridiculous to think that the Bible is the inspired Word of God because science has long shown that the sun has all along been stationary and does not move. It is the earth that rotates around it. The daylight that shines through a different part of the earth is due to the rotation of the earth around the sun. The fact is this: what is described here is deploying the use of the language of observation. For example, when we speak of the morning at sunrise and evening at sunset. The sun in reality does not rise nor set. It has always been stationary. Scientifically speaking, the earth just miraculously stopped rotating for a duration. This gave the Israelites enough sunlight to finish the task of destroying the enemies.     

We need to know that in life God has set in motion a series of law to ensure order. And He normally operates by that norm. However, once in a while we do see God disrupting that norm and those moments we term as a miracle. It is an act of God’s grace. This miracle of “the sun that stood still” describes here has certainly violated the law of nature. That’s why it is called a miracle. We need to know that God governs the universe. He has created it and according to Hebrews 1:3, He upholds the universe by the word of His power. Besides, it is God who has given us the laws of nature. Thus, it is not impossible for this same God, who has created the universe, to do a little thing like that. The fact is that God supernaturally intervened on His people’s behalf so that they could finish what they had begun.

What is the implication of a passage like this? Well, it tells us that our God is a supernatural God. It tells us that He controls everything physical and spiritual, visible and invisible. This assures us that He can supernaturally arbitrate in the circumstances of our lives and bring about our deliverance when it seems humanly impossible to do so. Testimonies of divine interventions exist. God can move in ways that seem humanly impossible. Know that God specializes in situations when our wit ends. Remember next time when we come to the end of the line, that’s when we are ready for God's miracle to begin. We are blessed indeed!

Joshua 10:6-11 – God is with us in our battles

In these verses, we see Joshua and the people of Israel honoring their words. By reason of the treaty they had signed with the Gibeonites, they were obliged to assist them from the coalition of the five Canaanite kings, who had arisen against them. In verse 8, God came to give Joshua the assurance of His help and victory. He Himself was going to fight for His people. Beloved, the truth of the matter is this: in our battles, God wants to be there to help and fight with us. If we let Him, He will move into our circumstances and battle on our behalf. There are three experiences we will encounter when He fights for us.

Firstly, we will experience His peace. In verse 8, God came and assured Joshua telling him not to fear for He would be with him in the battle to grant him the victory. This is by way of saying that He had Joshua’s back covered. And that He is in control of the situation. Whatever circumstances we may be encountering today, the Lord is in control. He has never vacated the throne. He promised that His peace will garrison our heart and mind, and keep us with that peace in our battles. There is no cause for us to worry or be anxious. We must learn to rest in His peace.

Secondly, we learn to rest in His promise. He told them not to fear. He also gave them the promise of absolute victory. It is never the intention of God, who after He has rescued us, to leave us languishing in defeat. The situation in life will not always work out the way we want it to work out. But regardless of what we may go through, God will enable us to live above the circumstances and experience victory over the flesh, the world, and the devil.  

Thirdly, in verses 9-11, we see God’s demonstration of supernatural power. Naturally speaking, the coalition of forces should have enough manpower to fight Joshua and his men. But the Israelites had God behind them. So, in verse 9, we are told that God threw the enemy into panic as the Israelites confronted them. To ensure that they could not escape as they fled from the Israelites, God released a barrage of hailstones from heaven to destroy the enemy. Verse 11 tells us that more of the enemies died from the crushing hailstones than at the hand of the Israelites. This is to say that God slew them supernaturally.  

Here are some lessons when we encounter tough circumstances in life. When we abandon ourselves and wholly trust the Lord, He gives us peace that no one in the world can ever give. We can be assured that God will keep His promise and every single word of His will be brought to its fruition and accomplish His purpose. As we trust Him, be prepared to see Him work out the situation in ways that surpass human capability.  Our victory in the Lord is always assured if we faint not. Praise the Lord and all glory to Him

Joshua 10:1-5 – Think carefully before we act

We are told that Gibeon was not a small city. It was, in fact, greater than the city of Ai and had great warriors. Hence, the coalition of five kings, namely Adoni-Zedek of Jerusalem, Hoham of Hebron, Piram of Jarmuth, Japhia of Lachish and Debir of Eglon, regarded Gibeon as a traitor city. Her defection to Israel stirred up animosity from these five kings. To them, they had lost a powerful ally. In chapter 9 we saw how it all happened. The Gibeonites through deceptive means duped Joshua into signing a peace treaty with them. The mistake Joshua made was that he was too hasty to make a pact with Gibeon, without checking the facts the Gibeonites gave to him concerning where they came from. The impression they gave to Joshua was that they came from a faraway country when in fact they were located nearby. The lesson for our spiritual journey is that we should always make sure before we make an important decision. Always check with God’s Word to make sure we don’t violate any instruction given by the Lord. When we are uncertain of God’s will, it would do us no harm to wait. It is better to err and being right with our delay, than to make a serious error in timing by jumping into something that will burden us needlessly for life.

Joshua 10:1-5 give us an account of the five kings of Canaan forming a coalition force to come against Gibeon because of her peace treaty with Israel. In Adoni-Zedek, the king of Jerusalem, we see a person of strong influence. Here we learn that a person with character and charisma can lead others into an irrational and needless conflict. It behooves us to be careful who we are being influenced by in our journey with God. However, the one positive thing we learn from the foolish actions of this coalition of the kings is that they had unwittingly played into the hand of Joshua. For instead of fighting five times to defeat five enemies, he could now finish all five off in one battle.

But from Israel, we learn what burden one will need to bear by making one wrong move in life, by wrongly entering into a pact with the Gibeonites, they now had to fight needless battles that they could avoid. For they had to make good their promise to help the Gibeonites because they were their allies. There is a lesson here. If we enter into a needless alliance, we have adopted an excess baggage. And we may have to bear that burden for life. Hence, be careful with the decision we make so that we will not have to bear a burden for the rest of life. 

Joshua 9:22-27 – Don’t be afraid to confront our sin

None of us need to hide from God or stay away from the church because of our failure. The devil’s strategy is to implant false belief into our mind, make us think that we are unforgivable and then to hide away from God and stay away from the church. He makes us feel guilty, condemned and shameful. We often behave as if God is not all-knowing. The fact remains that God knows everything about us. He is not shocked by anything we do, but He does expect us to be honest, confess, change and align with Him. None of us can catch God on the wrong foot. There won’t be a moment where He will be surprised by our wrongful step. We can confront our wrong and make the needful amendments. That’s what Joshua did.

In Joshua 9:22, we see Joshua confronting the Gibeonites. The moment he realized that he and Israel had made the mistake and were duped into signing a treaty with the Gibeonites, he went straight to them. Without hesitation, he faced them head-on. In so doing he refused to be further manipulated. This is an example for us to adopt. We need to confront our moral failings and not give the devil further avenue to twist and turn us. When we ignore our sin and not repent from it, the devil will hold us to it and continue to mold and make us conform to his will. We must emulate the example of our Lord and must confront him with the truth of the Word. And when we do that, he won’t be able to complete his sinister work in us. A lesson we can learn from Joshua 9:22 is not to run away from our failure but to confront and deal with it honestly.  

There is no doubt that Joshua and Israel had made a serious mistake when they entered into a treaty with the Gibeonites. But Joshua did not allow it to ruin their conquest. Like them, we also need to know that a mistake, even if it is a serious one, doesn’t necessarily spell our ruin forever. However, it does mean that we need to seriously deal with it and take steps to ensure that we are controlling the damage. Aware of it or not, all problems in life but not all difficulties. We often have to live with the difficulties we have unwittingly created in life. Joshua, in making a treaty with the Gibeonites, had created a difficulty for themselves, hence Israel had to live with it. They could not destroy them but they could control them. There will be a time in our walk with God that we find ourselves walking out of step with His will and sin. The truth is that we don’t have to be bound by it. We can come before the Lord, confess, repent and then do something to control the damage.

The good news about the spiritual battles we are engaged in is that we are fighting from victory ground. We may lose some battles in life but know for sure that the war is already won. Jesus had already secured that victory for us at Calvary. All we need is to apply the finished work of the cross to our defeat. According to 1 John 2:1, the desire of God is that we will not stumble. He knows that we will stumble in our journey even as we seek to thwart off the scheme of the enemy. So, the Lord's assurance is that if we fail, we have an advocate with the Father. Jesus is our atoning sacrifice and he has already appeased the wrath of God for us at Calvary. So then when we confess our sin, God is faithful and just and will forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). There is forgiveness when we repent.

Verse 27 tells us what Israel did with the Gibeonites. They were made to chop wood and carry water for the Tabernacle of God. Joshua turned the mistake, exploited it and used it for the glory of God. In 2 Samuel 21:2-6, we can see that these Gibeonites made their peace with God and were absorbed into the nation of Israel. It was a case of an error make good for the glory of God. The plan of the devil was to defeat and destroy us but God can turn it for good if we let Him. This is not an attempt to glamorize sin. The point made here is this: We don’t have to be defeated by the mistake or downright sin we have committed. God had the grace to help us deal with it. And like Paul, by God’s grace, we can be made perfect in our weakness. Whatever failing we may have because we give into the flesh, the world or the devil, we need not live with the failure. We can deal with it and re-chart our course. And continue on the glorious journey with God!

Joshua 9:16-21 – Be careful who we invite into our life

Earlier in a dialogue between the Gibeonites and Joshua, recorded in Joshua 9:8-9, we can see that he was skeptical about their story. For his first two questions on hearing their account were “Who are you? And where do you come from?” But the mistake he made was to believe them so easily without checking. Unwittingly, Israel was hoodwinked by their story that they came from a distant land. They told Joshua that they came because of the name of the Lord their God. When shown the clothes, food and broken wineskins, Joshua believed their story without further investigation. The Gibeonites had deceitfully used the name of the Lord God. This could result because Israel failed to seek the counsel of the Lord. We know this because Joshua 9:14-15 said, “So the men (of Israel) took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the Lord. And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them.” When they came to their senses it was too late to reverse. They were three days late. They learned that the Gibeonites were, in fact, people from nearby. We get a sense here that our enemy is always lurking nearby our life. In our day, people are talking about a new morality, which in fact is just the bad, old immorality.  

Another observation we make is that people still use the name of the Lord to deceive and to achieve their own end. From this account, we should learn not to fall so easily to all claims that are purported to come from the Lord. We should check everything we have heard with the Word of God. One of the devil’s tricks is to blur the line of truth for us. If we neglect the Word of God and prayer, we will become more susceptible to the tricks and traps of the enemy. This underscores the necessity for us to be diligent, to stay connected with God through careful investigation of the Word and through prayer.   

In Deuteronomy 7:2, God through Moses had already told Israel that “…when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them.” Yet in Joshua 9, they unperceptively entered into a treaty with the Gibeonites. This had resulted in their inability to stay undisrupted in living a wholly set apart life, totally consecrated to the Lord. This is an example for us to be prudent and selective who we run with. It is true that “if we run with a skunk, we will smell like the skunk.” When we enter into an unwholesome alliance with the enemy, we will be handicapped and prevented to live as devoted to the Lord as we would have desired. Be selective and discerning who you choose to invite to run with in life. A wrong decision made could mean bearing a lifelong burden. Take seriously the warning of Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:33. He warns us saying, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’”  

Joshua 9:3-15 – Be watchful and uncompromising

Like it or not, our conversion brings conflicts into life. We find ourselves battling with the world, the flesh or our carnal nature and the devil. This is illustrated by the conflicts that Joshua and Israel had in Canaan, their promised land. Immediately on entering Canaan, the first battle they had was with Jericho which is a type of the world. Jericho was a formidable and well-fortified city. But with an unusual strategy given by God, they defeated the city and the wall came tumbling down. Similarly, if we trust God and His word, we have the wherewithal to ably deal with worldly values. The next battle they had was with a small but pesky city, known as Ai. This city is a type of the flesh. They were defeated by it in their first attempt to capture it. They failed because they were over-confident and had underestimated Ai. There was an issue of a hidden greed that was in the camp. The guy, Achan serves as an illustration of fleshy greed that needed to be dealt with in our life if we are to experience victory in our battle. It was only after they dealt with and removed Achan that they overcame the city. It underscores for us the necessity to deal with our flesh, our carnal nature if we are to experience a victorious walk with God.

In Joshua 9, we come to the third foe that Israel had to fight. It is the Gibeonites. They represent the devil and his cohorts of demons. These enemies are probably the hardest to contend with in our spiritual journey. They are full of trickeries and deception. The history of the fall of mankind tells us that deception was the very method that Satan deployed to trap and cause Eve to fall. The Bible tells us that Eve was beguiled and she succumbed and took the bait dangled before her by Satan, using the serpent. Here in Joshua 9, we are introduced to the deception of the Gibeonites. They knew that it was not easy to defeat Israel because they had the backing of God. And the only way for them to penetrate the camp of Israel and get them was to resort to deception.  

Israel was already warned by Moses not to enter into an alliance with any of the forces when they came into the promised land. So, verse 4 reveals that the Gibeonites acted craftily in order to penetrate the camp of Israel. What did they do?  The made Israel compromise with them. The moment Joshua and the Israelites entered into a treaty with them, they were bound and trapped by the treaty and had to live with the Gibeonites.

The first strategy the Gibeonites used was deception. Verses 4-6 tell us that they “…acted craftily and set out as envoys, and took worn-out sacks on their donkeys, and wineskins worn-out and torn and mended, and worn-out and patched sandals on their feet and worn-out clothes on themselves; and all the bread of their provision was dry and had become crumbled.”  They went to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a far country; now, therefore, make a covenant with us.” Verse 4 shows us that they resorted to deceitful wiles; verses 4-5 show us that they resorted to deceitful wares; and verses 6,9, 11-13, reveal that they resorted to deceitful words. The combination of all these three was used to ensnare the people of Israel. These are the devil’s strategies to lure us into complacency, confuse us by twisting the instruction of God and bait us into compromising with the Word of God.  

The trickeries of the Gibeonites remind us of the strategies Satan would deploy to stumble us in our relationship with God. We must stay alert for the purpose of prayer. That’s why we must be sober-minded and watchful. The devil wants to get us down. He is in the business of plotting the downfall of our life, our family, our testimony and even our church. Therefore, we must be watchful and not play into his hand. Verse 14 gives us the reason Joshua and Israel fell prey to the Gibeonites. We are told that “they did not ask counsel of the Lord.” Foolish act! Gullibly they accepted the deceitful scheme of the Gibeonites, entered into a live treaty and ended up living in compromise. The advice of Paul in Ephesians 6:18 is for us to keep ^“praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.…” This we must do so that we will not fall prey to the deceitful scheme of the evil one. Be watchful!

Joshua 9:1-2 - The battles ahead

Joshua 9:1-2 tell us that all the forces in the promised land literally ganged up against Israel.  We are told that “…all the kings who were beyond the Jordan, in the hill country and in the lowland and on all the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard of it, that they gathered themselves together with one accord to fight with Joshua and with Israel.” They were now facing a formidable collision of forces. Like them, when we become a Christian, we find that we have to face a collision of opposing forces of life.

Joshua and the people of Israel in their conquest of the promised land leave us with ample illustrations on what our Christian journey is like. In studying their conflicts, we will discover the conflicts we have to face in our journey and what we can do to be victorious and effective. Like them, Christian living is a privileged journey with God but not an easy one. It is one that is filled with conflicts. Crossing into Canaan, their promised land, was just the beginning. And to possess the land they had to enter into many battles with the different forces within it. Isn’t this also a true moment for us Christians? The moment we become a Christian, we are given the privilege of journeying with God. But we are also thrust into our spiritual battleground. We not only have to fight the world, but we also need to contend with our carnal nature as well as the devil.

To harness our life and to live it fully for God, we have to contend and successfully dismantle the strategy of the devil and his cohorts, the system of the world and our own carnal nature. If we fail to come to our spiritual journey with a proper perspective, we will become confused and rendered ineffective in life. We are all accustomed to our old life style. But now we need to have a total transformation. Know for sure that if we want to experience continual victorious walk, we need to battle the devil, the world and our old nature.  

In Joshua and the people of Israel’s conquest of the two cities, we see a picture of our life as God’s children. Jericho is a type of the world that they had to overcome and they overcame. Ai is a type of the flesh which they, by the help of God, dealt with. If we are to overcome our flesh, our carnal nature, we also need the help of God. The next city would be Gibeon. This is a type of the devil. And we shall discuss in our next few reflections. We will explore how to deal with the trickeries of the devil so as not to fall for his deception. Yes, be sure to stay alert, for the enemy prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Be warned!

Joshua 8:30-35 – Devotion another key to victory

In Joshua 8:27-29, we learned the need to constantly put to death the deeds of the flesh if we are to maintain a vibrant spiritual life. There is no denial even as a child of God each one of us still has conflicts with our flesh. Hence, in our spiritual journey, we need to constantly put to death our flesh in order to preserve a continual victory in Christ. Like Paul, we must live our life by the integrity of Christ Jesus who has given Himself for us and continues to love us. One key to maintaining victory in our spiritual walk is to submit to Him daily and place our trust in Him wholeheartedly.

In Joshua 8:30-35, we can see another key to walking victoriously in Him. It is devotion to Him and His Word. In these verses, we discover that Israel had already totally eliminated Ai. The victory they experienced gave them a reason to celebrate. They remembered that it was God who had given them the victory. They could have gone on and continued with the conquest of the rest of Canaan. But they didn’t. Why? They took time to pause and honor the Lord who had granted them the victory. This is something that we must constantly do with each victory God had granted us. Let us pause periodically to give thanks to the Lord. So here we see Joshua and Israel gratefully taking time to honor God and also to do what Moses in the Law had instructed them to do.

Gratefully, they constructed an altar on mount Ebal. It was built with uncut stones on which no iron tool had yet been used to chisel and shape it. And on it, they offered their burnt and peace offerings to the Lord. The altar was a place of death as well as a place of sacrifice. It serves as a reminder that they did nothing by their own power to achieve the victory. They were victorious only because God gave it to them. All they had done was to surrender their pride and their will and laid them at His feet. If we are to experience continual victory, we need to learn to surrender our will and pride and let the Lord take control over our lives.

Notice in this verses that together with the sacrifices offered, Joshua also wrote a copy of the Law given by Moses in the presence of the people. This speaks of the need to be mindful of the Word. This copy of the Law of the Word served to remind them of the importance to stay devoted to God’s Word. Here we see Joshua carried out what God had instructed them to do in Deuteronomy 27 and 28.  One-half of the people of Israel including the natives of the land stood on Mount Ebal and the other half of them, on Mount Gerizim. The Levites then took their place in the valley between the two mountains and read out the curses and the blessings. Every time the curses were read out the people on Mount Ebal would shout, “Amen.” And when the blessings were read out the people on Mount Gerizim would shout “Amen.” These were done to remind them of what God would bless and what he would not bless. It was also an affirmation that they should live by the Word daily.  

Interestingly Ebal means “the heap of barrenness.” Gerizim, on the other hand, means “cutting off.”  Ebal is intended to remind us that disobedience to the Lord will result in barrenness. Gerizim reminds us that we must remain as God’s set apart people. To maintain continuous victory in the Lord, we not only must need to continually put to death our flesh but must also live in total devotion to the Lord. Let us seek to give priority to the Word of God and to take time to live it out. 

Joshua 8:24-29 – Our flesh needs to be dealt with

In obedience, Joshua and the children of Israel found the victory. What brought them to this point was their absolute trust in the Lord. Hence, they were able to prevail over the enemy totally. The good news for us is that we are serving the same God whom they served. He remains the same today and has not changed a bit. If we apply ourselves and trust Him absolutely, He will also help us in our battle. The enemy the Israelites engaged in battle then was the people of Ai, but the battle we fight against today is with our flesh. The victory they experienced over Ai was found in their total abandonment to the Lord. Victory over our flesh can also be achieved through our total abandonment and trust in Him.   

What is more important to us is how can victory over our flesh be maintained? It is one thing to win a battle, but quite another to continue to walk in victory. Like the Israelites, in our spiritual journey, we must also take the same step if we are to experience continual victory over our flesh. Verses 27-29 show us what they did to preserve their victory. They did not leave a single person alive in Ai. Everyone from the king to the ordinary peasant was annihilated. Joshua knew that leaving anyone alive would only spell problems for them down the road. Everyone had to be eradicated and so they spared no effort and totally annihilated the enemy.  

What is the lesson for us in our spiritual journey? Our life is God’s promised land to us. And in our life, we will discover our flesh is ever so alive and needs to be put to death. At least this was exactly what the great Apostle Paul experienced. So, in Roman 7:21-24, he said, “I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” If we don’t put to death the flesh, which is ever so alive in each one of us, it will be impossible to keep our victory.  

We need to know that there is a continual conflict between our flesh and the Spirit of God dwelling within us. However, be aware that in submitting to the Lordship of Christ, our flesh is crucified in Him and God now looks at us from the point of Calvary. Our past wickedness had been dealt with at the cross of Christ. But daily we have to put to death the carnal nature that will surface in our journey. With the help of God, we must put it to death every time it rears its ugly head. We cannot crucify our flesh if we continue to gratify it. We need to mortify the flesh. Here was what Paul did. He lived a crucified life. This is the secret to victory and he testified to it in Galatians 2:20. He said, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” This key is our victory over our flesh. When we apply it, we will be like him and live in triumphant jubilation. Know for sure that “There is now no condemnation for them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk every day by the Spirit of the Lord.” Why? “For the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus had set us free for the dominion of sin and death.” Hallelujah, a triumphant experience awaits us!

Joshua 8:18-23 – Divine timing is everything

Unaware of the strategy of the Israelites, the king of Ai and his forces of men pursue Joshua and the 5,000 men with him. The strategy the Israelites had was to make it look as if they were running away from them. Their intention was to draw the men of Ai away from their city and they unwittingly fell into the trap. As soon as they were in hot pursuit of Joshua and his entourage of 5,000, God gave the order to Joshua saying, “Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.” This order of the Lord tells us something. While it was Joshua and his men who fight the battle, it was God who had given them the victory. The very first time they went to fight against Ai, they went in their own strength and had to suffer a humiliating defeat. This time around, they walked into the battle with the power of God with the assurance of victory.

Notice that it was God who told Joshua to point his javelin toward the city. It was the moment to be obeyed. Victory in life is always in keeping with the divine moment. There is a need to be in touch with God to know the time to execute an assault. Remember it was God who gave them the strategy. In Joshua 8:2, they were told to set an ambush. While the strategy came from God, the exact moment to execute it must be discerned. This clearly points to the need to identify God’s timing for everything if we are to experience victory. In God, everything has a season. That’s what Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us. It says, “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.”  

Joshua pointing his javelin toward Ai was an indication for the 30,000 hidden men of valor to emerge and go into Ai to ravage it and raze it to the ground. Joshua only raised his javelin at the instruction of the Lord. As soon as Joshua did that, the valiant men responded. By the time the pursuing force of Ai turned around, they saw smoke rising from their city but it was too late. They were sandwiched between Joshua and the 5,000 men and the 30,000 valiant men. So, the Israelites totally destroyed every man of Ai and captured the king of Ai alive and brought him before Joshua.

Here is a lesson for us in our battle against our flesh. The battle to control our carnal nature is not won and cannot be won by our own effort. Having the will to fight is not good enough, we need the undergirding of God’s power and strength. To say no to a temptation is not enough, we need to rely on the power of the Lord's might. Like Paul who had advised us in Ephesians 6, we just need to put on the whole armor of God. The only way to overcome the flesh is to rely totally on the power of God and not just the will. As important as spiritual disciplines are, it is the empowerment of the grace of God that we need, to be an overcomer. Remember all spiritual exercises only help us to be poised to receive God’s overcoming grace. Devoid of the grace, all our activities will merely be self-effort. Remember that our victory is not in what we do but in what God does through us, as we avail ourselves to Him and the guidance of His Spirit. We must learn to walk in the power of His might as Galatians 5:16 tells us. So, let us “…walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”  

Joshua 8:9-17 – Carelessness will make us pay

The plan was made, the 30,000 men assigned had taken their position under the cover of the night. The 5,000 men with Joshua camped between Bethel and Ai. However, we see no evidence that the king of Ai had any plan in case of another attempt by the Israelites. This often happens when people rest on their laurel after one victory. The king of Ai must have thought that their victory over Israel’s first attempt which killed 36 of their men was final. He must have become complacent because of that victory. If not, he would have assigned sentries to be on a lookout for any further attack of Israel. How careless they were! They had forgotten that one swallow doesn’t make a summer. Their complacency serves as a reminder for us never to be complacent and rest on our laurel on our spiritual journey. We need to be alert at all times. That’s the reason 1 Peter 5:8 warns us to “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your (our) adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

Joshua, on the other end, took nothing for granted. Learning from his defeat, he left no stone unturned. His plan was thorough and his instructions to the men were detailed. There was no margin for error. Joshua mustered his 5,000 men early in the morning and had them stationed in ambush position between Bethel and Ai. Having stationed his men where they were, Joshua spent the night in the midst of them. It came about in the morning, that the king of Ai saw Joshua. He and all his people charged out after Joshua without thinking. They did not realize that they were walking into a trap. They probably thought that they could repeat another massacre of Israel. But how wrong they were! There is always a price attached to carelessness. They went out unsuspecting that they had walked into an ambush. At first, Joshua and the 5,000 men with him acted as if they were running away from the king of Ai and his fighting men. The plan was to lure them away from the city so that the 30,000 could emerge from the rear end, annihilate the city and sandwich the forces of Ai in-between. This would give the army of Ai no room to escape. There is a lesson for us here. It is imperative that we stay circumspect in our Christian walk. It pays to stay alert and circumspect at all times in our spiritual journey. Be sure not to walk into any trap of the enemies making. No matter how well-meaning people may seem to be, we must stay alert and discerning. Remember the proverb that says, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Learn to read intentionality.     

The carelessness of the king and the people of Ai leaves us with another lesson. We must watch out for our unguarded moments in life. The king of Ai and his men left the city unattended to pursue Joshua and the 5,000 men. This happened because they did not take the time to consider every conceivable angle. By their carelessness, they were blind-ended and took things for granted. It is said that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. We must seek always to engage our mind with God’s thoughts. The great commandment tells us not only to love the Lord with our heart and soul, but it also tells us to love him with our mind. Our mind is often where the battle is fought and won. Transformation of life always takes place with the renewal of our mind. Take to heart what Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” One sure way to be certain of God’s will for our life is to have a “Word and Spirit” renewed mind. Make it a point to cultivate a renewed mind.  

Joshua 8:3-8 – Strategic alliance with God ensures victory

Having learned from his defeat. Joshua was all the more determined to fully rely on the Lord. From what he did, we see the illustration of a strategy that will help us to attain victory over our flesh and avoid defeats in life. The first is not to be overconfident. So, this time he chose 30,000 valiant men. They were sent out in the cover of the night. They were called “valiant men” because they were brave, reliable, trustworthy and able. This reminds us that in the Lord’s service, we sent our best. Every one of us can be that man when we take time to build our life in the Lord. We learn to live life with discipline, cultivating spiritual habits that will enable us to connect with God all the time. Habits such as prayer, devotion, meditation, solitude, worship are all needful and good. They help us to come to avail ourselves before God so that His grace can work in our lives. Bear in mind that the habits are just the means where we avail ourselves to the grace of God. So, do not think that the habits in and of themselves make us spiritual. Devoid of God’s grace, the habits in and of themselves only become self-will. Ultimately, we need to rely on the Lord to supply the grace.

All of us can become a “man of valor” in God. How? By living as God has designed for us to live and always seeking to walk in His will for our life. The depth of our life in Christ will determine the breadth of our victory. The depth of our root will determine the measure of our fruit. The possibilities we have in God can be harnessed by a life that lives to honor and please Him. Seek to take the high road of being with the Lord and not the low road, and find ourselves being disqualified. Notice that these valiant men were sent in the night. This may be seen as their willingness to give up sleep to fulfill the plan of God. It speaks of self-sacrifice and self-denial. To be a good soldier of the Lord, we not only must listen to our commander, but we must be willing to make sacrifices to accomplish the mission. The command of God often times will require us to deny our fleshly desire. Who doesn’t want to pander to the desire of the flesh? But we know that if we pander to the flesh, we will end up ill-equipped and set ourselves up for defeat. Self-sacrifice and self-denial are choices we have to make if victory is to be experienced.   

The strategy was for Joshua to take 5,000 men and approach Ai. Then when the men of Ai came out to fight them, they would retreat before them. This was to lure them out and away from the city. When those men were pursuing Joshua and the 5,000 men, the 30,000 hidden men of valor would emerge and ambush the city and raze it to the ground. These 30,00 Israelites together with Joshua and the other 5,000 men would then surround the pursuing men of Ai and utterly destroy them. The strategy was detailed and had to be executed with precision. Obedience was imperative if we are to experience victory. We need to remember that the key to victory is to yield and submit to our God and obey His commands.  

One more lesson can be gleaned from Joshua’s victory. It is the need to stay united. They remained as a unit where everyone needed to play their role. Everyone stuck to the role required of each of them. No one sought to carry out his own desire. They co-operated and collaborated with each other, sharing a common purpose. No one was jealous of someone else’s task. Everyone did what was required of them. In the same way, our willingness to play our part will ensure a well-coordinated fellowship that will enable us to function effectively to bring about our desired victory.

One phrase in verse 8 deserves our full attention. It’s the phrase, “You shall do it according to the word of the Lord.” Like them, the key to victory is found in obeying the commandment of the Lord. And as God had commanded through Joshua, He will also do so through our leaders today. It will help if we submit to God through the leadership of the church. The victory we see in Ai was a collaborated effort between God, the leader, and the people. Everyone did his part. While God was fighting for them, they also had to work in tandem with God. Be aligned with God and work with Him through the leaders He had appointed over us. Let’s play our part and together experience the victory God has designed for our life. Let’s do it!