Joshua 8:3 "So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour, and sent them away by night."
After God's judgment of Achan, Joshua selected thirty thousand "mighty men of valour" to go up and fight Ai the second time. Let's pause a second and think back to Joshua 7. Do you remember how many men Joshua sent to the first battle? "So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men. . . ." (Joshua 7:4) After Israel's three thousand men were soundly defeated, and Achan's sin was severely judged, God encouraged Joshua by saying, "Fear not, neither be thou dismayed . . . I have given into thy hand the king of Ai. . . ." Then Joshua sent ten times the army to conquer Ai!
Do you think Joshua was trusting God more the first time or the second time? The first time, with three thousand men, they were clobbered; the second time, with thirty thousand men, they were the conquerers. Believe it or not, Joshua was trusting God more the second time while sending more men!
We can learn from Joshua that trusting God with all your heart does not mean serving Him half-heartedly. Before the first battle with Ai, spies said, "Make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few." When you have too much strength, you tend to trust yourself; yet when you don't have enough strength, you can still end up trusting yourself. That's a lose-lose situation!
Joshua prepared for his battles, and we should too. Joshua trusted God, and we should too. Being prepared and trusting God are not mutually exclusive! In fact, the more you trust God, the more heart you should put into the work you are doing. In the mundane, everyday tasks you do today, don't trust yourself-trust God. And as you are trusting God, don't do your work half-heartedly-do it with your whole heart.
Joshua was a gifted leader and a very smart military general. He had a brilliant plan for defeating Ai the second time, and he took an army of thirty thousand top-tiered soldiers. The people and plan he used did not negate his need to trust God. Serving God with all your heart and trusting Him with all your heart should both be true of your life today!
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