Three Battles You Cannot Afford To Lose

He met his match in the life of Delilah. No doubt you know the story. There were several warnings that preceded his defeat. We must always remember that sin will bind you (Judges 16:21), will bind you (Judges 16:21), and will bury you (Judges 16:22-31).

Even though I believe that I will meet Samson in heaven, he failed to master himself while he was endeavoring to master others. Yet, if Joshua had follow through to completely conquer Gaza, and then most likely this story would have never happened. The second battle is that:

II. WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE PLACE OF DEFIANCE (I Sam. 17)

Here is another familiar story to most of us. It is the story of Goliath and David. Goliath was raised in a Gath, a city that Joshua failed to completely conquer during his lifetime.

During Joshua’s day, a small militia could have defeated Gath. However, since Joshua and succeeding generation were content to allow the enemy to live within their boundaries, there came a time when an entire Israelite army cowarded before one man, Goliath. For many years, God had been preparing David for the battle between him and Goliath.

David showed up at the battlefield and began to the nation into victory. Even though people did not believe that he would lead them into victory, God had greater plans in mind. In this chapter, we see the men who engaged in battle, the methods employed in battle and the meaning explained for the battle.

On the one side, Goliath fought with man’s weapons, words and wisdom. On the other side, David fought with dependence, determination, and for deliverance. The third battle is that:

III. WE NEED TO LISTEN TO THE PLACE OF DEFILMENT (I Sam. 4--:5:2)

There is one place where God will not work. He will not work in “second place.” At this time Israel wanted what God could do for them, not what they could do for the Lord. They made a false assumption (vv. 3-9). They believed that they could live any way they desired and that God would deliver them. If we want God to give us victory in every area in our lives, then we must have a heart after God. Israel lost their most sacred object, the Ark of the Covenant.

The false assumption led to a fatal affliction (vv. 10-18). This affliction affected Israel’s people (v. 10), provision (v. 11), and priests (vv. 12-18). It has been said time and time again, that sin will take us further than we want to go, cost us more than we want to pay, and will stay longer that we want it to stay.

Then, on the heels of fatal affliction came fierce abomination (4:19-5:2). God’s anointing departs and the ark is defamed. This is the account of the lowest time in Israel’s history. God had called them to change their world but they had chosen to allow their world to change them. The Glory of God departed and someone wrote, “Ichobod.”

Can you imagine what history would have recorded if Joshua had defeated Ashdod? Would Israel have ever lost the Ark of Covenant? What would the world be like today? Joshua never imagined what the outcome would be because he failed to follow through on his commitment to God.