The Well
The Well |
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Connecting Hope to the Hurting | |
Friday
March 28, 2008
Joshua and the leaders of Israel tore their clothing in dismay, threw dust on
their heads, and bowed down facing the Ark of the Lord until evening. Then
Joshua cried out, "Sovereign Lord, why did you bring us across the Jordan River
if you are going to let the Amorites kill us? If only we had been content to
stay on the other side! Lord, what am I to say, now that Israel has fled from
its enemies? For when the Canaanites and all the other people living in the land
hear about it, they will surround us and wipe us off the face of the earth. And
then what will happen to the honor of your great name?"
But the Lord said to
Joshua, "Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this? Israel has sinned and
broken my covenant! They have stolen the things that I commanded to be set apart
for me. And they have not only stolen them; they have also lied about it and
hidden the things among their belongings. That is why the Israelites are running
from their enemies in defeat. For now Israel has been set apart for destruction.
I will not remain with you any longer unless you destroy the things among you
that were set apart for destruction."
Joshua 7:6-12
Well, Joshua and the other leaders knew what to do didn't they? They knew the posture of repentance even though they didn't know what they needed to repent of. They knew that in order to discover the key to their failure that they needed to fall on their face.
In this passage of scripture we see clearly what kind of a relationship Joshua had with our Lord. He wasn't afraid to voice his confusion and ask hard questions. He was astounded. He knew the power of God, He witnessed many of God's miracles, and now here he was the leader of a nation and he felt the impact of the responsibility. He needed God.
Again we hear God saying that the entire nation had sinned. He continues to use the word "they" instead of him or her. Exactly what is the implication here? Yes, that is right. One bad apple does spoil the whole bunch. Just buy a basket of peaches and leave them sitting there for a few days with one rotten one in the group and you will find that to be true of peaches too!
When we sin that sin doesn't just affect us ¾ it affects everyone in our group. The old saying that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link is true too. So, what do you do when this happens? You do like Joshua and get alone with God. Voice your concern and frustration and then wait for His response. He may tell you what He told Joshua, "Get up!"
The second thing we must do after we fail is to get up and get busy. We need to get to the root of the problem and get it settled before we can move on. In his book, Failing Forward, John Maxwell says there is no reason why we should consider every fall a failure if we learn from the fall; which is precisely what God is about to teach His people. Let us be very careful to pay attention too!
Father, I thank You for the times You have led me to fall on my face and seek You. I praise You for Your guidance. Help us learn to wait on You.
