Failure to Seek God

"Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, 'Go up and spy out the land.' So the men went up and spied out Ai. They returned to Joshua and said to him, 'Do not let all the people go up; only about two or three thousand men need go up to Ai; do not make all the people toil up there, for they are few.' So about three thousand men from the people went up there, but they fled from the men of Ai. The men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of their men, and pursued them from the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them down on the descent, so the hearts of the people melted and became as water. Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, both he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads." -Joshua 7.2-6

After the victory at Jericho the people are fired up and ready to go. They have tasted victory and are ready for more. The next stop is Ai, a small town west of Jericho, and like before Joshua sends some spies to scout it out and gather intel. They come back with a report that the town is small and that only a few thousand men should be needed to take it. There is no need for the entire nation to break camp and march, this should be an easy victory.

We know from reading that there are other factors at play here, but Joshua listens to his men, sends out three thousand troops, and then suffers a disappointing defeat. Ai fights back. Israel retreats. And nearly forty warriors are lost. The people are discouraged, Joshua tears his cloths and falls on his face before God. Notice that it isn't until after the battle that he turns to God.

Before he attacked Jericho, Joshua got instructions, most likely from Jesus, in a position of surrender. He was humble and sought God before moving forward. But now it seems that God has become an after thought. He listens to his men, and wastes about three dozen lives in an unnecessary defeat. What would have happened if he had fallen on his face before God prior to the battle? Could those lives have been saved?

Men, do you seek God before you move forward, or only after everything falls apart? Do you come to God first, waiting for His approval before marching to battle, or only as an after thought, trying to figure out what went wrong? How much time do we waste, how many unnecessary defeats to we suffer simply because we don't take the time and seek God first? How often do we look at the facts, and rationalize what to do rather than seeking God?

I have been on both sides of this. There have been times I've made a decision, either impulsively or rationally, without seeking God. I have made decisions without consulting Him and I have dealt with unnecessary loss and hardship because of it. This is not to say that seeking God means we never have to deal with defeat or suffering. It does not mean that He is unable to redeem those situations that we get ourselves into. It simply means that we have gotten into unnecessarily because we didn't seek Him first. At the same time that is not to say that when we seek God everything is going to be smooth sailing with no difficulties. It simply means that when we move we are going where and when God wants us to.

There have been times where I have sought God, and listened, to avoid situations that I was never meant to get in. It isn't always easy. I remember a time shortly after graduation when I was looking for a job. I was at a church, interviewing, and we were feeling each other out, and to be honest I pretty much had it in the bag, but as I sat in the service praying I felt God saying, "This is not the place." I didn't get it. I needed a job and this one, from my perspective, seemed to be a good situation, but I couldn't get a different answer from God. It was not a fun conversation I had with the pastor after the service as I told him I felt God saying no, but it was one I had to have, and I don't regret that decision.

Let us be men who seek God before we move forward. Let us turn to God first, not as an after thought trying to figure out what went wrong. Let us not fail to seek God.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor