It surely seems hard for some to get to the Promised Land! At least 603,550 Israelites died in the wilderness (Ex. 38:26; Numb. 1:46; Deut. 1:29-38). However, more of us might relate to the ones who had just conquered Jericho and headed out for Ai! When God gave Israel mighty Jericho, without the loss of a man, they quite confidently laid out plans to take the small city of Ai (Joshua 7:1-3). They did not bother to consult with God! They did not bother to see if they had sin in the camp! Almost braggingly the spies reported that they would not need more than two or three thousand men to conquer Ai (v.3). Even Joshua fell for their folly, resulting in 3000 Israelites fleeing from the forces of Ai, and 36 Israelites needlessly died that day (vv. 4,5)!
What a strategic and colossal gap there is between big Jericho and little Ai! Their basic blunder was threefold; 1. Being too confident, they did not seek God’s counsel. 2. They did not realize they had sin in the camp (Isa. 59:1f). 3. They had not properly learned the lesson that apart from the Lord, we can do nothing (see John 15:5; James 3:13-15). Without God, people fear, flee, falter and fail! “The hearts of the people melted” (v.5). Without God, people suffer defeat and some die!
How far can we go without God? How much can we achieve without God? How often do we go out on our own, forgetting to consult God?
The Scriptures seem to be laced together, calling on us to seek for God--and do that seeking with our whole heart! Psalm 119:10 states: “With all my heart I have sought Thee; Do not let me wander from Thy commandments.” Azariah said to King Asa, “The Lord is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you” (II Chron. 15:2). Verse 15 adds that all Judah “sought Him earnestly, and He let them find Him. So the Lord gave them rest on every side.” Several kings later, the need was the same. King Uzziah “continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding through the vision of God, and as long as he sought the Lord, God prospered him” (II Chron. 26:5). In view of these biblical facts, it is not surprising to read these words from David: “I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4).
What about you? Will you be fearful, falter and fail because you forsook, or did not seek God? Or will you have understanding, prosper, and have peace on every hand because you sought God with all your heart? (Matt. 22:37f; Phil. 4:4-7)? Thirty-six dying needlessly should help you come up with the right answers!