The people of Israel had just experienced a miraculous victory over the city of Jericho. The next city for them to conquer was the city of Ai. The forces of Ai were much smaller than were the forces of Jericho, but much to the surprise of the army of Israel, rather than defeating the army of Ai, they were defeated by them!
The defeat that the Israelites experienced at the hands of Ai is a good example of what Paul warned the believer against in I Corinthians 10:12 (NIV), “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” The people of Israel thought that they were standing firm, but instead, they fell into defeat. You or I can make the same mistake if we are not careful.
As we study this passage, we discover that there were certain things that contributed to the defeat of God’s people then, and if we are not careful, they will lead to the defeat of God’s people today. How does the Christian fall into defeat?
1. By Being Disobedient – vs. 1; 13
God had told the people to totally destroy everything within the city of Jericho. They were not to take any plunder from the city at all. But as we read here, one man by the name of Achan disobeyed God’s instructions. As a result, not only did his life fall into disaster, but because of him, the entire nation experienced defeat.
When we disobey the Lord, we cannot hope to experience victory, for we are ignoring the very instructions that are designed to give us victory!
Most of us have heard of Knute Rockne, the famous winning football coach of years ago for the University of Notre Dame. It is said that when Rockne gathered his team together each year for the first time, he would deliver the following speech: “You fellows must do what you’re told if you wish to play on my team. If you are not willing, you need not begin. I care not what your record has been, you must observe the rules or you are disqualified. Should I find you violating the rules in one single instance, I will put you on the bench. Remember this, I can see farther ahead than you, and there is good reason for my insistence.”
Just as Knute Rockne told his players that they should obey him because he could see farther ahead than they could, even so, God wants us to obey Him because He knows more than we do; and just as Rockne benched those players who refused to obey his instructions, God will “bench” us when we disobey Him!
Yes, a Christian falls into defeat by being disobedient!
But as we continue to study this passage we find that disobedience isn’t the only factor that can cause us to fall into defeat. A Christian will also fall into defeat...
2. By Being Self-sufficient - vs. 2-3
We cannot help but notice that there was a certain attitude of self-sufficiency on the part of Israel as they approached Ai. Against mighty Jericho they knew that they needed the help of God, but against little Ai they thought they could handle things themselves. They found out the hard way, however, the truth of what Jesus said, “apart from me you can do nothing!” - John 15:5 (NIV).
Sometimes, if we are not careful, we too can make the mistake of thinking a problem is small enough to handle on our own without God’s help; or of deceiving ourselves into thinking that the victories of the past were all won by our effort alone. Somehow or another, the people of Israel had forgotten that the victory they had won over Jericho was by the power of God, not the might of men.
The actor Kirk Douglas told a story of how he angered John Wayne when he chose to play the part of Vincent Van Gough in the movie, “Lust for Life.” Douglas recalled, “I remember we were at a party, and Wayne motioned for me to come out on the back porch. ‘Why are you playing a weak, sniffling guy?’ he said. He was really furious with me. It was like I was not being true to my people. I said, ‘Duke, we’re actors. We just create the illusion of these big macho guys. You know John, you really didn’t win all those wars.’ But we obviously didn’t see eye-to-eye. He actually thought he was JOHN WAYNE!”
Now friends, just as John Wayne could not have been the hero he has become in the eyes of so many people without the movie industry, you and I cannot hope to be victorious over the difficulties of our lives without God.
When we become self-sufficient, we are going to fall into defeat, because without the Lord, we can do nothing!
But there is yet one other thing that we need to notice from this passage concerning that which causes the Christian to fall into defeat. We will also fall into defeat...
3. By Being Prayerless – vs. 10-12
Apparently Joshua didn’t think to pray about Ai until after they had been defeated! Had he prayed about the situation before attempting to conquer to city, he would have learned from God that they needed to first deal with the sin of disobedience that had been committed. Like so many of us, Joshua had to learn the hard way that it is better to ask the Lord to direct your paths than to correct your mistakes!
To try to tackle a problem without first consulting God in prayer is like going to court without consulting a lawyer, or taking medicine without consulting a physician, it’s foolish!
A story is told about a man who was visiting the Alps. With his guide, he went upon a lofty peak, the highest in that particular mountain range. When he got to the top, he wanted to take in the full picture of the panorama of beauty to be seen. When stood, however, his guide grabbed him around the legs and pulled him to his knees and said, “Down on your knees sir, down on your knees! The only safe position to be in up here so high with the strong winds is to be on your knees.”
In the same way, when it comes to our being victorious over the difficulties we face in life, the best position for us to be in is on our knees. We cannot stumble when we are on our knees!
Oh, how we need to learn the importance of consulting the Lord in prayer before tackling the challenges we face in life! The secret to standing in victory is kneeling in prayer!
“Prayerlessness is a sin.” - Corrie Ten, Boom
Conclusion: The children of Israel went from standing in victory to falling into defeat by being disobedient, by being self-sufficient, and by being prayerless. Let’s not make the same mistakes they did. But when we do, remember that God lovingly points out our mistakes through the conviction of the Holy Spirit so that we might learn from them and avoid them in the future. And in God’s economy, no failure need be final.
In Revelation 2:5, Jesus gave this counsel to a church that had “forsaken their first love.” In essence, that is what is at the root of disobedience, or self-sufficiency, or prayerlessness in the life of the Christian, these things are but symptoms of the root problem: a wandering away from a priority focus on my love relationship with God.
How does one restore that focus? Notice the advice Jesus gave this wayward church:
“Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” – Revelation 2:5 (NIV)
Jesus told them to 1) Remember; 2) Repent; & 3) Renew. Remember how things were before you wandered away from God. Repent, that is, turn away from the things that have drawn you away from obedience, God dependence, and a life of prayer; and renew your involvement in the habits and practices you were involved in when you were focused on growing your love relationship with God.
Our mistakes won’t irreparably damage our lives unless we let them. It is said that in making Persian rugs the artist stands before the rug while a group of boys stands behind to pull the thread after the artist starts it. If one of the boys makes a mistake, the artist adjusts the pattern accordingly so that when the rug is finished no one can tell where the mistake was made. The same kind of adjustment can take place in our lives if we will cooperate with the Master Weaver, trust in Him, and let Him take the lead in our lives. As we but let go of the mental thread of each mistake, God can weave it into a successful, orderly pattern.
