Faith is Necessary -- Difficult Joshua 7:1-12 September 2, 2007

Last Week “There is little doubt as to who really fought the battle of Jericho. The Lord Himself was the Commander in Chief. This episode of Jericho’s fall teaches that it is not vain to trust in the Lord. When He promises victory and prescribes the course to that victory, those who believe the promise and follow the course will enjoy the victory”. It is God who gives the victory. Now we see a great defeat.

The Defeat What happened? Was it God’s fault? Was it Joshua’s fault?

Four Theories 1.The attack was misguided. 2.The attack failed cause only 3,000 men were sent. 3.The attack failed cause the Ark was not taken. 4.The attack failed cause it relied on human strength.

All Four Theories Fail They all possess the same critical weakness. They are all guesses with no Scriptural support. Each case is based on assumptions.

The Defeat Was Spiritual It dealt with unresolved sin. It involved disobedience. It had to do with stealing what belonged to God. It had more to do with Jericho than Ai.

What Do We Learn? I.Every difficulty is not a defeat. II.Real defeat comes as a result of sin in our lives. III.Being defeated in battle does not mean you lost the war.