Joshua 8
Dear RTB’ers,
The battle for Ai – actually, not much of a battle!! After Ai’s defeat of Israel in yesterday’s reading, the people of Ai had gotten a bit overconfident – not knowing that their gods could not do serious battle with Israel’s God.
Then you shall rise up from the ambush and seize the city, for the LORD your God will give it into your hand. (v. 7) There are times when we make our plans, when we undertake our preparations, when we are confident of the result, and the outcome is as we had anticipated. Think back to a school exam or graduation or to a successful interview. You’ve made your plans, you’ve worked hard, and you’ve succeeded. Now, looking back, where was the Lord in all that? In the planning – where did you get the initial idea? In the preparation – how did you come by the necessary resources to adequately prepare? In the actual exam or interview – might God have acted on your mind on the exam or in the heart of the interviewer or in everything that led to your graduation? With or without your seeking Him, He was there! You “rose up” and you “seized the city”, but it was God who “gave it into your hand”. Again, as I’ve so often suggested, look back on your life and see God at work, whether you had invited Him or not! He was there!
Blessings!