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!
“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.” Amen! It is by the grace of God that we are able to do this & that. Thank God for His grace to be able to read & know His Word. Thank God for your sharing too, Pastor Clarence. God bless you abundantly!
ReplyDelete