March 24
Joshua 7:1; 1 Chronicles 2:7; Joshua 7:2-9:27
The Israelites’ first battle with Ai was met with a surprising defeat. The Lord told them all the land was theirs for the taking, but their 3,000 men were soundly beaten. After being defeated, they seek the Lord earnestly. What has gone wrong? God seemingly replies with the same lack of pity I feel when my kids are whiny or dramatic—“Stand up! What are you doing down on your face” (Joshua 7:10)? He explains their defeat is a result of a sin. After Israel deals with the sin of Achan and his family, Joshua once again hears from the Lord, follows the Lord’s directions explicitly, and the LORD hands the city over to them. And then, just one chapter later, they forget to seek God’s counsel; instead they rely on the appearance of things and worldly wisdom. The result is an unfortunate treaty with a conniving people—directly opposing the Lord’s commandments.
We tend to complicate things, but God makes it all very simple. Seek Him first (Matthew 6:33), without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:17), and about everything (Philippians 4:6). Without his counsel, we worry, get defeated, miss hidden sin, and follow the world. Consistently seeking his counsel gives wisdom, godly decisions, and a directed path (Proverbs 3:6).
Father God, help me to see the true damage of my sin and pursue you in all areas of my life. Help me to follow you, obey you, and love others well. Amen.
What keeps you from unceasingly seeking God about everything?
The Israelites’ first battle with Ai was met with a surprising defeat. The Lord told them all the land was theirs for the taking, but their 3,000 men were soundly beaten. After being defeated, they seek the Lord earnestly. What has gone wrong? God seemingly replies with the same lack of pity I feel when my kids are whiny or dramatic—“Stand up! What are you doing down on your face” (Joshua 7:10)? He explains their defeat is a result of a sin. After Israel deals with the sin of Achan and his family, Joshua once again hears from the Lord, follows the Lord’s directions explicitly, and the LORD hands the city over to them. And then, just one chapter later, they forget to seek God’s counsel; instead they rely on the appearance of things and worldly wisdom. The result is an unfortunate treaty with a conniving people—directly opposing the Lord’s commandments.
We tend to complicate things, but God makes it all very simple. Seek Him first (Matthew 6:33), without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:17), and about everything (Philippians 4:6). Without his counsel, we worry, get defeated, miss hidden sin, and follow the world. Consistently seeking his counsel gives wisdom, godly decisions, and a directed path (Proverbs 3:6).
Father God, help me to see the true damage of my sin and pursue you in all areas of my life. Help me to follow you, obey you, and love others well. Amen.
What keeps you from unceasingly seeking God about everything?
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1 Comment
I think it's so easy to run to a human (friend or family) for advise on a situation instead of running to God because we can see people. When we feel sad, we can get a hug from a person but it's harder to feel God's heavenly hugs. Sometimes we are impatient and don't wait for the quiet whispers but it's easy to hear a human quickly speak on a subject and sometimes we have a wrong perspective of God and think he is too busy for our problems which seem insignificant.