Through Achan’s sin, Israel had learned some valuable lessons about both greed and rebellion. Sin results in defeat. Rebellion results in defeat. To take the Promised Land, or to possess our promises, we need faith, courage, wisdom, and a resolute heart to obey the Lord.
Throughout Israel’s history, we see a pattern that some of their most devastating defeats came right after some of their most spectacular victories. The history of the church is also filled with this same pattern. Why is this? The answer is in Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.” If we do not watch over our hearts, great victories can lead to pride, and arrogance will lead to carelessness, and carelessness is a wide open door for a future defeat.
The consequences of Achan’s sin may have seemed extreme, however, if left unchecked in the people it would have resulted in far more death and destruction. The farther we go, and the more successful we are, the more devastating our mistakes can become. The wise understand this and become even more vigilant the more successful they are, especially after a major breakthrough or victory.
After Jericho, Israel probably looked with contempt at the little city of Ai, but it gave them big troubles. After this there would be a new attitude about both the consequences of sin and presumption, with a new humility toward any enemy or stronghold, regardless of its size. Yes, God was with them, and as long as they followed Him they could not be defeated. Likewise, as the battles become more serious, the closer we must stay to Him. We must let victories drive us closer to the Lord, not away from Him.
When I was in business, I made dozens of decisions that seemed to be life and death decisions for the business. At first these were incredibly hard because I realized how much was riding on them. The more good calls I made, the more casual I became in my attitude. Then I made one bad decision, and the whole business quickly unraveled. Without question, I had become quite arrogant as a businessman, which opened the door wide for one foolish decision that doomed a business I had worked very hard to build.
Since then, I have watched many others suffer the same fate. We can all think of ministries that had meteoric rises, only to flame out even more quickly, often because of just one foolish act or one unchecked sin that was allowed to remain in the leader’s life. Most of those ministries were probably built on a multitude of acts of faith and wisdom, but fell because of just a single careless sin or indiscretion. Such inevitably happens to the proud.
I remember walking through the offices of our business one day, looking at the dozens of people scurrying about, thinking how big and strong it had become in just a few years. I had considered myself a skilled pilot, but had never realized that I was a good businessman too, and obviously I was. I think that day was the day that business was doomed. I had not realized how much of God’s grace had been on my business. That day it started to depart, so I was left to myself to run the business. The Lord gives His grace to the humble, and that day I departed from the humility which enabled Him to give me grace.
I remember that day well because it was the same day that the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after takeoff. On board was to be the first teacher in space. For those who listened, that event would teach us much. Last week was the twentieth anniversary of that disaster, and there were many special reports about it. Over and over I heard it stated that “pride doomed the Challenger.”
Pride also doomed the Titanic. The builders said it could not sink—one of them even boasted that “God could not even sink this ship.” God did not sink it. He did not have to. Their pride did as they sailed carelessly into a sea known to be filled with icebergs. Captain Smith was chosen for its maiden voyage because he had never had an accident at sea. He would forever be remembered for the one accident he did have.
We must also understand that in this age the world is in the power of the evil one, and he rewards those who serve him, at least for as long as they are useful to him. The devil will therefore usually reward pride. This can be a stumbling block to the righteous, as we read in Psalm 73:1-3:
But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling; my steps had almost slipped.
For I was envious of the arrogant, as I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
There may be a tendency for us to think that because someone is able to get away with things, they are favored, when in fact this should be the scariest thing of all, as we are told in Hebrews 12:5-8:
For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives."
It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
It was said that Solomon chaffed under the discipline of his father, complaining that none of his other brothers were treated as harshly as he was, but they were not called to be kings. When Solomon became king he understood and appreciated the discipline. When we have understanding, it really is not mercy to be able to get away with things, but it is mercy to receive God’s discipline.
For this reason, the trials that we are going through are not necessarily because we are doing something wrong, but rather because of our calling. Do not waste your trials, and do not despise the discipline of the Lord, but accept it as evidence of His love for you.
God was as much with Israel at Ai as He had been at Jericho. Israel was still His people, and He loved them, which is why He disciplined them so severely. Let us continue to be vigilant over our own hearts, and let us never presume upon God’s grace because that will disqualify us from receiving it. The apostle Paul addresses this in Romans 9:14-18:
For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."
So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.
For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth."
So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.
First, God does not owe anyone mercy. He can choose to show mercy to one and not the other, and that is not injustice. He created us and He can do what He desires. He can make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor. He is the Creator and He can do as He pleases. Even if the Lord chooses to show extreme mercy to one, going far beyond the boundaries of the mercy that He has ever extended to anyone else, we are foolish if we presume upon any mercy. Mercy, by its definition is not earned, but given, and to presume upon this gift is a tragic mistake which many have made.
However, our God is merciful, and He desires to give mercy rather than judgment, but He is not likely to give it if we do not have a humble heart. If a child demands something in arrogance, and we give it to him, we are hardening his heart in a pride that will cause him much trouble. It is because the Lord loves us that He is so strict, not wanting our hearts to be hardened with pride, rebellion, and self-will.
Never, ever, presume upon God’s mercy. He may give it, and He may not, for His own reasons which He may or may not choose to explain to us. He may show extraordinary mercy in a certain matter to the person next to us, and not show any to us in the same thing. It is a profound and usually a tragic error to presume upon God’s grace or mercy. To presume is a basic form of pride, and it does lead to a fall.
There is one more lesson we must learn from the battle for Ai, which is stated in Joshua 8:18, 26:
For Joshua did not withdraw his hand with which he stretched out the javelin until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.
What does Joshua stretching out his javelin have to do with the victory? There are prophetic acts and symbols that are spiritual which can have powerful consequences in the natural. Often these reveal spiritual conditions which are necessary for the victory in the natural, such as this one. Often we begin to prevail in a fight against evil and we relax, drawing our spear back, allowing the enemy to regroup, thwarting our ultimate victory. Joshua learned to keep the javelin extended and fighting until the enemy was totally defeated. We must do the same.
This is going to be a year of breakthroughs and victories for those who are obedient and have set their hearts to follow the Lord. This is the year when Christians will start to get the victory over things that have hindered them for a long time. However, we must not settle just for victories, but for the complete victory. We, too, must learn to hold our javelin out and continue to attack the evil strongholds which have been dwelling in our Promised Land until there is a total victory over them.