March 8, 2000

EXPLORE THE BIBLE SERIES:
The way to victory is through obedience to God
___ Joshua 6:16-20; 7:5; 8:26-30
___By Ellis Orozco
___Calvary Baptist Church, McAllen
___What do Don Schollander, Wyomia Tyus, Johnny Weismuller, Mark Spitz, Jesse Owens, Babe Dedrikson, Wilma Rudolph and Carl Lewis all have in common?
___Answer: They are all multiple Olympic gold medalists. They have something else in common: They were all dedicated to winning. General Dwight Eisenhower said, "There are no victories at discount prices." That's true in war, sports and the Christian life.
___ Obedience brings victory (Joshua 6:16-20). God gave Joshua very specific instructions. It must have been quite a spectacle. I can imagine the people of Jericho sitting on the wall that had protected their city for centuries, laughing at the parading Israelites. They could hardly believe that this was the ragtag army that defeated the great Pharaoh of Egypt. They were marching when they should have been fighting.
___God's way doesn't always make a great deal of sense to our human reasoning.
___But he sees things we cannot see. Joshua and his army had a choice: Do what they thought needed to be done, or follow God's instructions. They chose obedience to God. Of course, we know the end of the story. Victory comes through obedience.
___ Disobedience brings defeat (Joshua 7:5). Even as the victory shout at Jericho was echoing in the air, the people of God experienced what happens when you lose focus. Achan, one of the leaders of the tribe of Judah, disobeyed God's command to leave untouched certain parts of the plunder that were to be devoted to the Lord (Joshua 6:18-19).
___Greed got the best of Achan, and everyone suffered for it.
___The next battle against the tiny city of Ai was such an insignificant and easily won battle that Joshua sent only three thousand men (a fraction of his army). The results were tragic. The 30 men of Ai routed the 3,000 men of Israel. Joshua was devastated. It was an embarrassing defeat. Their disobedience to God was their undoing, and Joshua knew it.
___ The God of second chances (Joshua 8:26-29). Although Israel was disobedient, God revealed his mercy. As soon as Joshua and the people of Israel repented of their sin, God forgave and restored them. Their second battle against Ai was nothing like the first.
___In the first battle, Joshua had no instructions from God. In the second battle, God gave detailed instructions. In the first battle, Joshua took the enemy lightly sending only a fraction of his army. In the second battle, he took every available soldier. In the first battle, there was no promise from God of victory. In the second battle, God promised total victory. In the first battle, there was no victory and no plunder. In the second battle, all the plunder was given to Israel. Our God is a God of second chances.
___ Victory leads to worship (Joshua 8:30). After receiving total victory, Joshua immediately fell to his knees and worshiped God. Worshiping God and giving him glory is the fuel that energizes us to victory in every aspect of life.
___Every victory should be chalked up to the omnipotence and eternal grace of God. Every victory should be celebrated and followed with worship.

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