God’s Victory In Defeat
Joshua 8:1-8:7 Josh 1 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land:
Josh 2 And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.
Josh 3 So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour, and sent them away by night.
Josh 4 And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, even behind the city: go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready:
Josh 5 And I, and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city: and it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them,
Josh 6 (For they will come out after us) till we have drawn them from the city; for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: therefore we will flee before them.
Josh 7 Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon the city: for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.
The battle of Ai is a perfect example of a biblical theme that I call “God’s Victory in Defeat " What looked like defeat, set up Victory over the enemy--
IT WAS THE RETREAT THAT MADE THE VICTORY POSSIBLE.
In each of our lives God sends Victory In Defeat. God not only lets us have Victory but uses the Defeats to accomplish his PURPOSES IN OUR LIVES.
Tonight I want to see how when you feel defeated and
*the world seems to be crashing down around your ears
*and you can’t imagine what good could come of it,
GOD WILL BRING VICTORY INSPITE OF ALL THE DEFEATS.
Let us look at the battle of Ai as an object lesson to help us see some things we need to remember when we’re facing victory out of our defeat. The first thing we need to remember in those dark days is
I. God has a Plan
When you’re facing seeming defeat it can be hard to believe that God has a plan in all of this.
Ps 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
I wonder what the average soldier on the battle line was thinking.
They knew was that a few days before they had faced Ai and been thoroughly defeated--36 had died.
Now they were going back to the city that had defeated them. This was the first time they had been defeated in Canaan Land.
In the New Testament Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that their brother Lazarus was sick and Jesus waits around for a few days to come.
When Jesus arrives in Bethany, Lazarus is dead.
I Can Hear The Disappointment In The Sisters as they sob, "Lord if you would have been here my brother would not have died."
They had a hard time believing there was a plan. Martha sums it up when Jesus orders the stone removed from the tomb, the Bible says "Lord by this time he stinketh!"
What about the disciples of Jesus
*The soldiers arrested Jesus in the garden;
*They watched his body being whipped.
*He was laid upon that rugged cross and spikes were driven into his hands and feet
*They watched as his life’s blood poured out on the ground.
I’m sure they doubted that this was part of a plan.
What about you?
*How bad has it gotten in your life?
*Are there circumstances that seem beyond the reach of God’s plan?
*Would you say like, Martha "Lord, by this time it stinketh?"
I want to encourage you, no matter how things look, God has a plan.
NIV Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
In Jeremiah God is promising a time of difficulty--70 years of exile.
It is about that time of defeat that the Lord says "I know the plans I have for you.
He goes on and says:
12Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
13You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
The next thing you need to remember when Victory from Defeat:
II. God has a Purpose
In the battle of Ai, the retreat wasn’t a mistake, it was the plan and it had a purpose, == it drew the defenders out of the city where they could be totally confused and defeated.
I can hear some say as they are running away “I hope this works!”
When Jesus waited two extra days to visit the dying Lazarus, He said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it."
He wanted there to be no doubt that this was not just a healing but a resurrection.
When Jesus died on that cross,
* He hadn’t fallen into Satan’s trap; Satan had fallen into Jesus’ trap,
* On the cross the price for sin was paid so that the broken relationship between God and man could be mended.
*Death was defeated.
***Christ won, because death did not hold Him in the grave.
Illustration: At the age of seven, he had to go to work to help support his family. At nine, his mother died. At twenty-two, he lost his job as a store clerk. At twenty-three, he went into debt and became a partner in a small store. At twenty-six, his partner died leaving him a huge debt. By the age of thirty-five, he had been defeated twice when running for a seat in Congress. At the age of thirty-seven, he won the election. At thirty-nine, he lost his reelection bid. At forty-one, his four-year-old son died. At forty-two, he was rejected for a land officer role. At forty-five, he ran for the Senate and lost. At forty-seven, he was defeated for the nomination for Vice President. At forty-nine, he ran for Senate again and lost again. At the age of fifty-one, he was elected President of the United States. During his second term of office, he was assassinated. But his name lives on among the greats in U.S. history--Abraham Lincoln.
Perhaps in your life you can look back and see how what seemed disastrous in your life brought you to the place the Lord wanted you.
God uses the rough spots in life’s road to draw us closer to Him, to drive us to our knees, to make us depend upon Him.
If you can’t understand why things have happened the way they have, Remember, God isn’t just trying to come up with a solution to your problems He always had a plan and that plan had a purpose.
When you feel your back to the wall.
III. God has made a Promise
In the very first verse that we read together, God said to Joshua "Don’t be discouraged, go up and attack Ai, for I have delivered them into your hands."
NOTICE----- He said I have delivered = NOT I WILL deliver
Jesus said to Martha as Lazarus lay cold in the grave "Your brother will rise again."
Jesus promised his disciples on at least three different occasions that although he must die that on the third day he would rise again.
What promise has he made you? Well many of them actually in His word, not the least of which is that if you put your trust in what He did on the cross and repent of your sins that you have his gift of eternal life.
Many other promises he has made also, But I want to focus on one that can be a comfort when it seems your world is in ashes and that is the promise found in Joshua 1: 5. I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Even if you walk, as the Psalmist says "in the valley of the shadow of death," you need fear no evil for he is with you.
No matter what you face,
* how impossible it seems
* when you can’t see him or feel him now matter how hard you try,
* Anchor Your faith in His promise, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
Conclusion:
When the victory you desire seems to have been
*swallowed by defeat,
When your faith is failing and
*you’ve begun to doubt God’s care for you
Remember these things:
GOD HAS A PLAN--Even if you’re eyes and your nose
say "by this time it stinketh" let your faith say "God has a Plan."
GOD HAS A PURPOSE--Even when your reason says "this makes no sense" let your faith say "God Has a Purpose"
GOD HAS MADE A PROMISE--Even when your heart says "God has left me hanging" let your faith say "God has made a promise"
HE WILL NEVER LEAVE ME NOR FORSAKE ME.
