Joshua 6-8: Victory Comes By Faith

"Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you." Joshua 7:12

You've heard the great story of Israel's conquest of Jericho, but what does it really mean? Is it just a great story of God tearing down some walls, or is there a deeper meaning that we often miss?

This morning, I'd like to look at both the story of Jericho and the story of Ai, as they both teach us a great lesson. Firstly, let us quickly review the story of Jericho. Jericho is the first city that Israel would conquer after they crossed over the Jordan river, and they start out with a bang. Jericho is a humongous and terrifying city, but amidst their supposed terror the Lord calls them to have faith in the God who would win the battle for them. Thus they do, and after walking around the city for seven days, the Lord breaks the walls down for them and gives the city into their hands.

However, the story doesn't stop there, as the Israelites are now led to conquer Ai. Yet before the narrative of that story, we find a piece of insider information, that is, that a man by the name of Achan had stolen some of the "devoted things" from the city of Jericho. God had commanded that everything in Jericho be destroyed and therefore "devoted" to the Lord, but Achan had another idea, so he took what he wanted for himself, sinning against the Lord. Thus, when Israel goes out to battle Ai, even though they considered it an easy battle to win, they are utterly defeated. Why? Because there was sin in their midst. Due to the sin of one man, the entire nation was accountable to God, and God thus did not give them victory, since they did not rely on God completely due to the sin of Achan.

However, the story continues on a happy note, as Achan confesses his sin and is punished accordingly. After the nation is purified from its iniquity, they are now able to enter into Ai and overtake it, which is exactly what they do.

But what's the lesson from each of these stories, and why are they so close together in our Bibles? Well, you see, both stories teach us one big idea, one giving us the positive side, and one giving us the negative. You see, both stories teach that victory only comes when we have faith in the God who fights our battles for us. At Jericho, this is exactly what the people did, and they were successful. However, at Ai, the people of Israel were overconfident as well as tainted by the sin of one of their members. As a whole, they were not faithful in God but rather faithful in themselves. However, that is not the Lord's plan for victory, so he sovereignty appointed their destruction that they might learn that to battle without the Lord is to lose! However, the story ends on a happy note when the Lord convicts them of their sin, purifies them, and causes them to win the battle as they rely on him alone.

However, lest we miss the full beauty of these stories, let us point out some other applications. Firstly, this story as a whole teaches us how we cannot be overconfident in our own ability. When coming up against a great city with a giant wall, the people of Israel relied upon the Lord, and they won the battle. However, when they saw Ai, they laughed in scorn, thinking that the battle would be easy. However, without the Lord's hand guiding them, they lost. They were overconfident in their own ability, which only led to their downfall. Secondly, let us realize how our sin affects other people. Because of Achan's sin, the entire nation of Israel lost a battle. So often, we think that we are the only people affected by our sin. The Bible shows us a different pattern, that is, that it affects those around you as well. Thus, we ought to not only pursue obedience for our relationship with God but also our relationship with others, that we might not affect them negatively because of our disobedience. Lastly, we find how God fights the battle for us. In fact, this may be the main point of the story if I were to read it more. Note how it wasn't the Israelites who tore down the walls of Jericho. Furthermore, with the battle of Ai, note these words: "for the LORD your God will give [the city] into your hand" (8:7). This is truly a foreshadowing of Christ, who fought the ultimate battle against sin on our behalf, that we might gain the victory of mercy that we could not obtain for ourselves.

So, are you relying on your own power to obtain victory, or God's power? Are you overconfident in your own ability, or are you acknowledging your weakness and running to the Lord? Do you realize that your sin affects other people? And lastly, are you trying to fight your own battles, or are you surrendering to Christ, who promises to fight your battles on your behalf?

"The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." - Moses (Ex. 14:14)