Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria Grace for Living Devotional Wednesday August 16, 2023 TOPIC: GOD DOES NOT WORK BY NUMBERS

 

Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria 

Grace for Living Devotional 

Wednesday August 16, 2023

TOPIC: GOD DOES NOT WORK BY NUMBERS

BIBLE READING:

JOSHUA 7:1-7

1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel. 2 And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai. 3 And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few. 4 So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai. 5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water. 6 And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads. 7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!  

KEY VERSE:

"How could one have chased a thousand, and two have put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had given them up?"  Deuteronomy 32:30  

MEDITATION:

After the conquest of Jericho (Joshua 6), Joshua sent men to go and view Ai. The men who went returned with the report that only a handful of soldiers would be needed to defeat Ai. How wrong they were!   

So, three thousand men went from the camp of Israel to fight Ai. Israel was defeated and about thirty-six of them were killed. It is clear from the narrative in today’s bible reading that the battle in Ai was neither about number of battle men on the enemy’s side nor on Israel’s. It wasn’t also about strategies, expertise, experience, might and all that man can boast of in warfare, rather, all that mattered most was God's presence and approval.  

As Joshua sent his men to war, neither he nor his soldiers were aware that they were already under the cloud of God's anger. The defeat made them go back to God and in His presence, they found out the reason they were embarrassingly beaten by an inconsequential enemy. They found out one of them, Achan, had brought in accursed items into the camp (Joshua 7:13, 18-21). He saw, coveted and brought disaster into the camp.  

Whenever there is stagnation instead of growth and there is defeat instead of victory, it would be wise to return to God in prayers so He can speak to our hearts.  

Don’t we also go into battles with confidence in our physical preparedness without dealing with our hearts first?   

PRAYER:

O Lord, deliver me from all forms of delusion in Jesus name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:

PSALMS 37-38, ROMANS 9:1-21