50 Days to More

A Seven Week Campaign to Begin 2018

Week 5: Cultivating the Habit of Hourly Obedience

Day Thirty-Five  (2/10/18): Advancing Beyond Disobedience
Recommended Reading: Joshua 7:16-26

In our reading today, Joshua and the nation of Israel experienced judgment because of one man's sin. Achan, a member of the tribe of Judah, brought defeat and death upon Israel's army because of his actions.

Israel had just celebrated their great victory at the walled city of Jericho. It was completely demolished! The next city in their path was Ai, a small city in comparison to Jericho. The Israelites thought it would be an easy battle. But instead at Ai, Israel was soundly defeated; 36 of Israel’s finest soldiers were killed. Joshua 7:5 reads, “And the hearts of the people melted and became as water.”

What was supposed to be an easy victory for Israel ended in great loss. Joshua sought the Lord, asking why this happened. God revealed to him the answer was disobedience.

Israel had to learn this lesson the hard way: God will never advance you beyond your last act of disobedience.

When Israel had defeated Jericho, God instructed them to demonstrate complete obedience to the law of First Honor. The law of First Honor states that every first thing belongs totally and completely to the Lord. In Joshua 6:17-19 we see that the Israelites were to completely destroy the city of Jericho, giving all the silver, gold, bronze, and iron to the treasury of the Lord. This city’s plunder was designated as holy to the Lord and they were to take no spoils for themselves. Other cities that they would conquer later on would be for their own plunder.

Achan disobeyed the Lord’s instructions and hid 3 things in the ground under his tent: a cloak, silver, and gold. Achan’s disobedience brought judgment upon the entire nation! When Joshua found out, he discovered this revelation: individual disobedience can and often does create corporate punishment.

Since Israel could not be advanced after their last act of disobedience, they had to make it right. Joshua had to confront Achan and deal with his sin. Joshua, as Israel’s leader, had the responsibility to bring them back under the cover of God’s blessing. Achan and his family were punished severely for their sin, suffering a harsh stoning as their death. It was dealt with so mercilessly because God wanted Israel to realize the importance of their acts of obedience or disobedience.

After Achan’s sin was exposed and it was made right before the Lord, Joshua and the army of Israel went back to attack Ai once again. And this time they prevailed!

Search your heart today; have you committed an act of disobedience against the Lord? If so, you must realize that you have to make it right before you can advance. If you truly want to live a life of increase, you have to be in complete unity with God. He desires our complete and total obedience to His every instruction.

"See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known.” Deuteronomy 11:26-28 (ESV)

Compiled by Christine Thompson & Meredith Hobbs
Taken from the Sermon Series “7 Steps to One Thousand Times More”
By Pastor Timothy Coats
Family First Church - Spring Hill, Florida