Racing Ahead of God

But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel. Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, “Go up and spy out the land.” And the men went up and spied out Ai. And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not have all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not make the whole people toil up there, for they are few.” So about three thousand men went up there from the people. And they fled before the men of Ai, and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water. (Joshua 7:1-5)

As readers of this section of Scripture, we are told immediately that Israel broke faith regarding the devoted things. However, at that time, Joshua didn’t know this. He sent spies to Ai as he had done at Jericho, but this time, he did not wait to hear from the LORD.

Instead, he listened to the opinions of men who assumed victory would be easy. The city seemed small. The situation felt manageable. But what Joshua didn’t realize was that God was angry; not because of military strategy, but because of sin in the camp.

God was not interested in blessing human plans while deeper heart issues remained unresolved. The battle they needed to win first was not external…it was internal.

The discipline of silence at Jericho had been preparation for full obedience, including devotion of everything to destruction. But some chose to disobey. Joshua, too, faltered in leadership by moving forward without seeking God. And that disobedience had its consequences.

How often do we do the same? We experience victory, then rush into the next season without pausing to wait on the LORD. We either lean on our own understanding or acknowledge God, but the outcomes are very different.

Let us be people who habitually wait on the LORD and seek His direction before stepping into action.