We Are In A War

Remember in Numbers 14 when the children of Israel refused to enter Canaan and God said that because they disobeyed they wouldn’t go into the promised land? They were too scared to go up the mountain and fight the Amalekites and Canaanites because the enemy was too many in number and they had giants. Well, the children of Israel thought that they could get back into God’s good graces by going to war with the Amalekites and the Canaanites after all. It’s like they were telling God, “I know we messed up, but let us go back and do what you told us to do in the first place. Now, we are ready to obey you. Now, after you have punished us.” Moses said, “What? Now you wanna obey the Lord? It doesn’t work that way. He’s not gonna go with you because you disobeyed Him. You didn’t listen to Him. Don’t go up there, guys. You’re not gonna win and in fact, you will fall by the sword.” So, what happened? The Amalekites and the Canaanites attacked the children of Israel and drove them all the way back to Hormah.

A similar thing happens in Joshua 7 because, once again, the children of Israel disobeyed God’s command. God told them not to touch anything that was an accursed thing from the siege of Jericho. Of course, the children of Israel transgressed the command of the Lord again and they wanted to go out to war. Thirty-six men died at the Battle of Ai because they didn’t obey the Word of God.

Joshua freaked out, prostrated himself before the Lord and started asking why this happened. He thought that they were going to start losing battles now and the children of Israel would be cut off from the face of the earth! Joshua prayed to God and asked why He would let them die. Why did God allow the enemy to destroy them? Also, if news goes out about how Israel lost a battle, then the surrounding inhabitants of the land wouldn’t fear.

I love God’s response here. He is a God that responds and you better make sure that you are wearing big boy or big girl pants when He does. He said, “Get up! Why are you on your face like that? Israel sinned, transgressed my covenant, broke my law, disobeyed me, didn’t do what I told them to do, took some of the accursed things, has stolen and deceived, and put it with their stuff. You won’t win against your enemies when you have become doomed to destruction for not obeying Me. Also, I won’t be with you anymore unless you destroy the accursed things and sanctify the people.”

God Almighty goes on to tell Joshua that he’s supposed to bring the tribes before the Lord, then the Lord will take a tribe and that tribe’s family will come forth, then the household, then the man. After the man is found out, he and everything that he has will be burned because he disobeyed God’s Law.

Joshua got up early in the morning. Joshua brought Israel by their tribes and Judah was selected. I bet everyone was getting nervous, wondering who it was, kinda like the Hunger Games. Who’s going to be picked? It’s certain death for whoever is chosen.

The family of the Zarhites is selected, and a man named Zabdi was taken. The household of Zabdi was brought forth, and a man named Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah was taken. Let the odds be forever in your favor. However, there is no winning against God. This isn’t the Hunger Games at all. The odds are NOT in your favor.

If you’re looking for a biblical boy name, Achan is very rare. I wonder why no one picks him. Poor Achan. Anyways, Achan confesses, tells everyone that he took a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels and hid them in a hole in the ground in his tent.

So, messengers go and find it in Achan’s tent, just like he said and Joshua and all of Israel took Achan, the accursed things, all of his children, all of his livestock, his tent and everything else that he had and the children of Israel stoned them with stones in the Valley of Achor. Valley of Achor means Valley of Trouble. Achan, his children, his livestock, and the accursed things were then burned in the Valley of Trouble/Achor.

The lesson of all this? Obey the commands of the Lord at all times. You might not be winning battles in your life because you’re not listening to what God tells you to do.

Can we win against the enemy while disobeying God now that Christ has died for us? The answer is No. We need to repent from our old ways, leave the accursed things behind. Show me in the Bible where it says that we can celebrate Pagan Holidays and Traditions of Men now that Christ has taken our place. You won’t find it. We show our love for God by obeying Him.

We know how God shows His love for us. We are saved by grace through faith. However, we need to start showing our love for God. Listen to His voice, do what He tells you to do, don’t go to war if you have transgressed His commands because He won’t be with you and your enemies will overtake you. Repent!

Jesus Christ is coming back. Every time the Lord showed up after the children of Israel disobeyed, it wasn’t pretty. Have you ever read the Book of Revelations? It isn’t pretty.

Burn all that is unclean, unholy, and accursed. Get rid of it. God is an all consuming fire and if you don’t get rid of it then He will. Let me just tell you that you better do it before He does. Ask Him to burn away the wickedness in your life. Ask Him to burn away the iniquity in your hearts and minds. Sanctify yourselves. We Are In A War!