A Tale of Two Cities“Get up, sanctify the people...O Israel, you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you.” (Joshua 7:13) The first battle for the children of Israel to possess the promised land was at Jericho after they crossed the Jordan River. God had given them an incredible victory at Jericho, and Joshua was now ready to move to the next battle at Ai. After they spied on the enemy camp, they figured they needed only a few thousand men to win. They went up against Ai full of confidence only to fail miserably. They lost 32 men in a battle that should have been a slam dunk, but instead were forced to a shameful retreat. In the city of Ai, unlike the city of Jericho, the Israelites failed because they had disobeyed God. God had told them not to take any plunder from their first battle at Jericho for the first fruit victory belongs to Him, and only Him. However, Achan hid some treasures in his tent, and God punished the entire nation because of one man’s sin. God’s Tale of Two Cities in the Book of Joshua is much more powerful than Charles Dickens can ever imagine. It is not about Paris and London but about Jericho and Ai, and about the reward of obedience and the punishment of disobedience to the command of God. Whenever we disobey God’s Word or act without God’s blessing, we can expect God to frustrate our plans. God’s word to Joshua was that he could not stand against his enemies as long as there was disobedience in the camp. Whenever we embark on any endeavor, we should make sure there are no unclean things in our midst that would make us vulnerable to failure such as broken promises, stiffed vendors, Enroned employees, frivolous lawsuits, financial shenanigans and dishonest dealings. These things can hinder God from blessing the work of our hands. They remove the shield of protection and close the windows of heaven, which God wants to bless, but cannot because He is a holy God committed to upholding righteousness. God’s holy Name is blemished and blasphemed when unrighteousness is allowed to roam freely in our lives. Copyright © 2002 Eddy Ministries. All rights reserved. Subscribe/Unsubscribe:
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