Village Schools of the Bible

A Devotional Study of Joshua
by Max Frazier, Jr.

DEFEAT IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE - WHY?
Joshua 7:1-5

Oh, what rejoicing there must have been within the camp of Israel when they saw those walls of Jericho come falling down. You can almost picture the excitement written upon their faces as they entered the city.

Ten miles west of Jericho was another walled city which needed conquering. The city was named Ai. Joshua sent out a scouting party to look over the situation and the report was that a small army was needed there. A few thousand troops, three thousand to be exact, were sent on this mission. But instead of victory, the army experienced a humiliating defeat right in the presence of all of Israel. The thrill of victory had become the agony of defeat. Why did this happen?

A lot of things went wrong at Ai. First, there was the cocky attitude on the part of Israel's army. Ai looked so small compared to Jericho. They thought taking it would be easy. They had failed to give God the credit for the victory at Jericho. After the battle was over they applauded themselves. Dependence upon God had become accolades for themselves.

How easy it is for us to praise ourselves when something goes right: We make that big sale; we preach a powerful sermon; we even lead someone to Christ. We ponder, "How did I do that?" And so we try to duplicate that effort over again, usually failing as did Israel.

Oh the consequences of the sin of self-confidence. I believe that the sin of pride or the sin of self-confidence has been instrumental in destroying more Christian lives than any other particular sin. I have observed church programs to fail miserably. I have seen financial drives fail disastrously. I have witnessed people, whose intentions were great, attempt something profound for God only to become discouraged and fail in their effort. In each case, the problem was not with the program, or the financial drive, or the people themselves. The problem was that each was attempted in the strength of the flesh rather than in the strength of the Lord.

Tomorrow we will continue to focus on some of the other problems which led to this shocking defeat at Ai.

Father, how those little Ai's catch us and cause us to trip and to fall. We are so prone to look at them and say that we don't need Your help. But, Father, You do not need time off, You do not need a vacation. You know that we can not handle any problem in the energy of the flesh. So, thank You for the lessons learned at Ai. Help us not to swell with pride so that we will fail to consult You. Amen.

MORE THOUGHTS ON WHY WE EXPERIENCE DEFEAT IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
Joshua 7:6-15

The joys of Jericho, dear Village Line friends, had been replaced with the sorrows of thirty-six funerals in the camp of Israel, and the agonies which go with a defeat in warfare. According to our text here in Joshua 7, General Joshua even questioned the purposes of God thinking that God had caused the defeat. Despair was high. Thoughts were even entertained about whether they should recross the Jordan River.

So, why all this agony? Why the defeat? As we observed in our last study together, one of the causes was the sin of self-confidence or pride. The army leaders thought that surely, after the great victory at Jericho, the city of Ai would be a piece of cake. They had forgotten who the real victor was at Jericho, namely God.

The second problem was the lack of prayer. This problem necessarily flowed out of the first. When we become self-assured, then we don't need God. There is no time for prayer or consultation with Him because we feel there is no need. How wrong can we be!

If only Joshua had prayed, he would have known the dangers which lay under Achan's tent. I believe that Joshua was caught up in the pride and self-confidence of the hour. But the saddest part of all was that Joshua did not know God was no longer with them. Joshua felt that everything was as it should be.

Failure to pray always makes us insensitive to sin. Samson, after having finally told a nagging Delilah about his hair, awakens from his sleep and the Bible says that he did not know that his strength had departed from him (see Judges 16:20).

When we march forward without prayer we are asking for trouble.

Lord, how easy it is for us to lapse into an attitude of prayerlessness. For whatever reasons, prayer no longer becomes a priority in our lives. And we suffer spiritual defeats because of it. Father, I thank You for the leading of Your Spirit, in answer to the prayers of many on behalf of the Village Schools over the years. And I thank You that no decision has been made without the intervention of much prayer. Lord, may we never forget those lessons from the past. May we move forward but only after much prayer from Your people, our Village School friends. Amen.

THE PROBLEM WITH ACHAN
Joshua 7:16-26

Ever been a part of a group which got into trouble? Oh, you were not the one who did wrong, but you got punished because you were with the person who did cause the trouble. You might have missed a recess during a school day. You might have lost your driving privileges from your parents. As hard as you tried to convince your teacher or your parents that you were not responsible for the trouble, you were just an innocent by-stander, you still were punished.

Now you know how Israel must have felt when God told them that there was a person in the camp who had broken God's commandments and had taken some of the materials possessions of Jericho about which God had said that all should be destroyed. Thirty-six of your friends had died because of this one man. Moreover, God had said that He would no longer be with you in your conquest of this Promised Land because of this one person. "But Lord, He is just one man. Why punish all of us?"

Achan had sinned greatly. His problem began with his eyes. He saw, then he coveted, then he took, and then he hid those things which God had said were to be destroyed. His sin is so common. No, I don't mean we are all thieves. But, how often have we covered up our sins. And, like Achan, at times we think we have done a pretty good job of that. Achan had probably gone with the army to Ai and had participated in the battle just as if nothing was wrong. Nobody knew - except God. Nothing can be hidden from Him.

I have often wondered how Achan must have felt that day when all of Israel marched before Joshua. One by one the field of the potentially guilty were eliminated until only one remained - Achan. Now he was caught! His confession, though real, was forced from him. Repentance present? Probably not! Yet the lesson is ever certain: Be sure your sins will find you out.

And how we need to remember that sin affects more than just me. Sin in the life of one person can be the one thing preventing God from blessing a group. Remember those words of Paul to the Corinthians: Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?" (1 Corinthians 5:6) Paul was proclaiming what Israel had experienced at Ai, that one person who chooses to live in disobedience to God can affect the lives of others. The writer of Hebrews warns us with these words: See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by it many be defiled (Hebrews 12:15)

Father, we are drawn to the prayer which David prayed "Search me O God and know my heart; Try me and know my thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me; And lead me in the way everlasting." Amen.

Joshua 6 Return to Table of Contents Joshua 8