Title: The Little Things That Destroy Victory
Contents
Title: The Little Things That Destroy Victory Text: Joshua 7:1-7
The Israeli army was an army with God. They haven't lost in the last 40 years. It is an invincible army that occupied Jericho, the first gateway after crossing the Jordan River. No one could stop them. But after winning this first great battle, they suffered a disastrous defeat in the second battle of Ai. Ai Fortress is located 18km northwest of Jericho, and it is a small town with only 12,000 inhabitants. (8:22) However, the Israeli army that went up against Ai was defeated and 36 people were killed and chased out to Shebarim. ran away. As a result, we can see that the morale of the Israeli army has fallen to the ground. Joshua 7:5 says, “The men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, and chased them from the gate to Shebarim and struck them on the slope that went down, so that the hearts of the people melted and became like water.” It means that they felt despair and shame that the hearts of the people of Israel melted and became like water. Why? Have they suffered such a devastating defeat? It was for several reasons. The reason for this is that we, who live today, always take things lightly.
1. It is because we neglected a small sin.
2. It is because we neglected the things of God.
Here in verse 1, we need to pay attention to the word ‘sacrifice’. Achan didn't just steal the war plunder. The meaning of the word ‘sacrifice’ means ‘to set aside’. This means to set it apart from others to use it for a special purpose. It is an object set aside to be dedicated on the altar of God's justice. It is not because God covets the things that God has taken from the city of Jericho and told them to give them to God instead of owning them. It was for Israel. Because they were afraid of falling into idolatry by taking this thing. People can easily fall into the culture wherever they go. So it was God's way to block it. One of the major factors that causes our lives to fail before God or our plans to fail is because we neglect God's things.
3. It is because we neglected to pray.
The Israelites who conquered Jericho, and especially Joshua, the leader, did not pray before God before the conquest of Ai. He neglected his way of life, which he always prayed and asked God for. Excited about the victory, he neglected to ask God's will about Ai. When Moses or Joshua led the people of Israel in the wilderness, the secret that they were able to carry out the tremendous work is that whenever something happens, they must always pray to God, ask for God's wisdom, seek God's will, and ask for God's help. Because of this, he was never defeated and was able to lead Israel to victory despite any difficulties. However, no matter how much I look around the text, I can't find any traces of Joshua praying to God and asking God's will. There is no sign of prayer. By neglecting prayer in this way, in the end, we failed without knowing the will of God.
4. A little carelessness was the cause of failure.
Joshua 7:2-3 The reason the Israelites failed to conquer the city of Ai was pride and carelessness. It was arrogance that looked down on the opponent and was careless about small things before big victories. The Israelites misunderstood that they had conquered Jericho as if they had won because of their skill. This is precisely what caused the failure. Saints! Let's not be arrogant. Please thoroughly repent of your small sins before God. Let us not commit the sin of neglecting what is God's or making it our own. Please do not neglect your prayers. Let us always be humble before God. And let's not be vigilant in our religious life. Please let go of the pride that you can only do this.