A Prescription for Failure
Scripture: Joshua 7:1, 4-5,
"But Israel violated the instructions about the things set apart for the Lord. A man named Achan had stolen some of these dedicated things, so the Lord was very angry with the Israelites...4 So approximately 3,000 warriors were sent, but they were soundly defeated. The men of Ai 5 chased the Israelites from the town gate as far as the quarries, and they killed about thirty-six who were retreating down the slope. The Israelites were paralyzed with fear at this turn of events, and their courage melted away...12 the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat. For now Israel itself has been set apart for destruction...I will not remain with you any longer unless you destroy the things among you that were set apart for destruction...13 You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you."
Observations:
After a great victory at Jericho, Joshua and the Israelites were so confident that they could conquer the neighboring city of Ai that there is no mention that they even consulted the Lord before they went into battle. Instead, they relied on the intelligence of their own spies and developed their own plans which failed miserably and led them to their first defeat. If that weren't bad enough, a member of a prominent family in Israel was also found guilty of coveting, stealing, and lying about his actions when He blatantly disobeyed God's command not to take anything out of the city of Jericho. This combination of events brought disaster to God's people and cost multiple people their lives and extinguished their futures. Why? Because every single person involved in this story failed to factor God into their decision-making process. Joshua and the military leaders sinned by not seeking God's counsel, and Achan sinned by both failing to listen to and follow God's instructions. Either way you look at it, the entire story is a perfect example of what not to do. Neglecting or ignoring God's Word is a prescription for failure every time.
Application:
There are only two kinds of sins that we can commit- not doing things we should and doing things we shouldn't. Both are paths that will enevitably lead us down paths contrary to God's will for our lives. Fortunately, God offers us a safeguard against both avenues of sin through a right relationship with His Son. Jesus, the eternal Word of God (John 1:1; Revelation 19:6), not only offers us instruction and direction in life, but He is avaialble for consulation 24 hours a day 365 days a year and has wisdom for all of life's challenges! Knowing that God is ready and willing to help us and lead us in the best possible way every single time, why would we ever even consider not factoring God's Word into every single decision that we make! We can't afford to operate independently apart from the wisdom, direction, and instruction of Scripture. The consequences are far too costly and never worth it in the end. In short, if you do NOT want to succeed life, don't bother consulting God's Word. Ignore Him with everything you got and do your best to make it on your own know-how. It is a guaranteed shortcut to failure every time!
Prayer:
Father, we are fully aware of our need for Your direction in our lives. Help us never to neglect the instruction of Your Word that will keep us from failure. Keep us dependent upon you and attentive to Your voice today. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
"But Israel violated the instructions about the things set apart for the Lord. A man named Achan had stolen some of these dedicated things, so the Lord was very angry with the Israelites...4 So approximately 3,000 warriors were sent, but they were soundly defeated. The men of Ai 5 chased the Israelites from the town gate as far as the quarries, and they killed about thirty-six who were retreating down the slope. The Israelites were paralyzed with fear at this turn of events, and their courage melted away...12 the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat. For now Israel itself has been set apart for destruction...I will not remain with you any longer unless you destroy the things among you that were set apart for destruction...13 You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you."
Observations:
After a great victory at Jericho, Joshua and the Israelites were so confident that they could conquer the neighboring city of Ai that there is no mention that they even consulted the Lord before they went into battle. Instead, they relied on the intelligence of their own spies and developed their own plans which failed miserably and led them to their first defeat. If that weren't bad enough, a member of a prominent family in Israel was also found guilty of coveting, stealing, and lying about his actions when He blatantly disobeyed God's command not to take anything out of the city of Jericho. This combination of events brought disaster to God's people and cost multiple people their lives and extinguished their futures. Why? Because every single person involved in this story failed to factor God into their decision-making process. Joshua and the military leaders sinned by not seeking God's counsel, and Achan sinned by both failing to listen to and follow God's instructions. Either way you look at it, the entire story is a perfect example of what not to do. Neglecting or ignoring God's Word is a prescription for failure every time.
Application:
There are only two kinds of sins that we can commit- not doing things we should and doing things we shouldn't. Both are paths that will enevitably lead us down paths contrary to God's will for our lives. Fortunately, God offers us a safeguard against both avenues of sin through a right relationship with His Son. Jesus, the eternal Word of God (John 1:1; Revelation 19:6), not only offers us instruction and direction in life, but He is avaialble for consulation 24 hours a day 365 days a year and has wisdom for all of life's challenges! Knowing that God is ready and willing to help us and lead us in the best possible way every single time, why would we ever even consider not factoring God's Word into every single decision that we make! We can't afford to operate independently apart from the wisdom, direction, and instruction of Scripture. The consequences are far too costly and never worth it in the end. In short, if you do NOT want to succeed life, don't bother consulting God's Word. Ignore Him with everything you got and do your best to make it on your own know-how. It is a guaranteed shortcut to failure every time!
Prayer:
Father, we are fully aware of our need for Your direction in our lives. Help us never to neglect the instruction of Your Word that will keep us from failure. Keep us dependent upon you and attentive to Your voice today. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
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