With God’s help, the Israelites had just conquered the mighty city of Jericho, the first obstacle in taking possession of their inheritance. The sight of the crumbling fortifications was still fresh in their minds. The rumble of the collapse was perhaps still ringing in their ears. What an incredible boost this must have been to their confidence! Who could stand against them with God on their side?
They were so confident that they didn’t even send all of their fighting men to the next stop on the campaign – the city of Ai. But this day of battle ended far differently. This time, the Israelite army was routed and forced to run for their lives. We are told that they “…were paralyzed with fear at this turn of events, and their courage melted away” (Joshua 7:5).
Joshua and the other leaders of Israel agonized over the defeat. They appealed to God and He revealed the cause of their troubles – someone had disobeyed by taking some of the spoil from the defeat of Jericho. God said: “Hidden among you, O Israel, are things set apart for the Lord. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you” (Joshua 7:13).
I wonder how often hidden sins keep us from realizing victory in our own lives? Some brothers and sisters in Corinth were using their assembly times to promote their own greed and exclusivism. When they ate together, some refused to share their food with others. This greediness spilled over into their attempts to honor the death of Christ in the Lord’s Supper. Paul charges them with “…sinning against the body and blood of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 11:27). These sins caused the Corinthian brethren to fall under the judgment and discipline of God (1 Corinthians 11:30-31). The Corinthians church was experiencing defeat because they were harboring sin in their midst.
May God help us to remove every sinful attitude or action from our own lives that prevents us from experiencing the victory He desires for each one of us!
God loves you!
Mike
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