Joshua 7 shows us the consequence of disobedience in the clearest terms. God had promised blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. He had pronounced that reality over and over again through Moses. Yet, Achan decided to disobey God’s command not to keep any of the spoils from the battle of Jericho. As a result the Israelites lost their first battle against Ai. Thirty-six of their soldiers died. When Joshua heard about it, his response was reasonable: He fell on his face before the LORD, thinking they needed the LORD’s help to win the fight. But the LORD said, “Get up!” In other words, “Joshua, I’m not the one responsible for this situation. The people are. They have sinned, and I have responded to it.” God always responds to sin. The response to Achan’s sin was clear, immediate, and severe. God cannot be in the presence of sin. That’s why Jesus came, but that’s getting way ahead of the story. In the case of Achan, the consequence of the sin was thirty-six dead soldiers, a defeat at the hands of a people who God had given over to the Israelites, and Achan and his family were destroyed. The lesson is clear: trust God and obey Him.
Joshua 8 shows us the difference between obedience and disobedience. After Achan’s sin had been exposed and judged, God sent the Israelites against Ai again. This time the result was the utter destruction of Ai. Afterwards, Joshua set up an altar and read the Law of the LORD. Joshua wanted to make certain the people saw the cause and effect relationship between obedience and blessing, and disobedience and cursing. That relationship stands throughout history, but sometimes the results of our obedience or disobedience aren’t as immediately obvious as in this situation.
Joshua 9 shows us the lengths to which people will go to save their lives. The people of Gibeon heard about the exploits of the Israelites and carried out an elaborate ruse to save themselves. They wore old clothes and packed spoiled food and “travelled” to the Israelites. They told the Israelites they were from a distant country and wanted to make a treaty with them. Without consulting the Lord, the leaders of Israel entered into an agreement to spare the Gibeonites. When they found out the Gibeonites had deceived them, they agreed not to kill them, because of their oath, but condemned them to be woodcutters for Israel. What do we learn from this account? Proverbs 5:6 comes to mind: Trust in the LORD with all your heart, do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths. We find it so easy to rely on our own understanding. From all outward appearances the Gibeonites were from a distant land, but had the Israelites consulted the LORD, He would have revealed the deceitful plan to them. The lesson for us is to turn to God first, not after we have relied on our own understanding.
As we return to John 7, let’s look at one, specific verse John 7:18: 18The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. The principle Jesus offered here remains valid and helpful for us 2,000 years later. When a person champions his or her own standing, situation, glory, or honor we rightly suspect the motivation. If anyone ever had the right to push His own agenda and His own glory it was Jesus. After all, He is the God of the universe! Yet, Jesus didn’t come to put Himself in the limelight or to be served. He came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for us. Every time I reflect on that truth I am amazed. I ask, “Why? Why would the God of the universe put Himself in the position of dying for you and me?” We know He had to do it to satisfy God’s justice, and to quiet God’s righteous wrath. But, still, God could have wiped us out and started over. Instead, He put Himself on the cross, paid the penalty for our sins, rose again to show us His ability to follow through on His promises to us, returned to heaven and and sent the Holy Spirit to empower us to live victoriously until He returns. Wow! As so many worship songs have put it over the years, “What a Savior!”
Thank you for your continued sacrifice.