Today’s Devotion
Topic: The God Who Hates Sin
Text: Joshua 7: 2- 13
2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the region.” So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 When they returned to Joshua, they said, “Not all the army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there.”
4 So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, 5 who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water.
6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the LORD, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, Sovereign LORD, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan!
8 Pardon your servant, Lord. What can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? 9 The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?”
10 The LORD said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions.
12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.
13 “Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ’Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.’ Amen
When Israel besieged Jericho and defeated it, Joshua warned the people, “keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into His treasury” (Joshua 6: 18- 19).
But Achan wouldn’t listen. When queried before the Lord and the assembly of His people to confirm whether or not he disobeyed the Lord’s command leading to Israel’s shameful defeat before the small nation of Ai, He said “It is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel.
“21 When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath” (Joshua 7: 21).
Meditate on this word Precious One. For all who have crossed over from darkness into the light of Christ must never forget that they are now in battle with the forces of darkness and victory remains inevitable. Let us watch out against sin. It makes us vulnerable to defeat and brings the name of the Lord to disrepute. With each disobedience, we are made liable to all forms of humiliation and attacks.
Repent of your sins and pray all your weaknesses to Jesus. With the help of the Holy Spirit, rise up to righteousness. Saying ‘NO’ to all forms of ungodliness. We have victory through the blood of Christ! No defeat; No Surrender!
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