Victory at Ai, Part 2b

Turn me in your Bible if you would to Joshua chapter 8. God told Joshua in verse number 18, The Lord said to Joshua, stretch out the javelin that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand. You see, when we go to battle, it's God who brings about the victory. We just need to be faithful in doing exactly as God has said. So they went to battle. And then it says in verses 10 and 17: the drawing out of AI. This is point number two: the drawing out of AI.

Now, we don't have to go into great detail about this because all you got to do is read the story. It's a very simple story. You know that Joshua got his men, they camped outside. The king of Ai saw him, he pursued him, Israel ran away. When God said, turn around, point your javelin at the city. Joshua did that. The guys behind the city got inside the city, set it ablaze. The people in the middle, Ai, the king, all the inhabitants, turned around and looked, saw the smoke, knew they were in trouble.

Israel pursued him. Israel killed them, slaughtered them, destroyed them all. None was left. None was left. Which leads us to point number three, the destruction of AI.

They killed everything there, every in it, women, children, the men, and they spared the king. They brought the king to Joshua. And then Joshua hung him. And then at the evening, cut him down. And put stones around him as a memorial. This is the fourth time this has happened in Joshua. Happened at the crossing of the Jordan in Gilgal. Joshua then, of course, put stones in the Jordan. So there'd be a memorial in the Jordan River. Then there were the stones that were brought up over Ach and his family.

as a memorial as to the result of the consequences of sin. That God wanted that to be an everlasting memorial so people would not forget how God empowered them to cross the Jordan, how God had told them to destroy the sinner because it was a detriment to that nation. And so it was a memorial as to the consequences of sin. And now there's another memorial. And this is the fourth memorial in Joshua. And this memorial centers around the fact of complete and utter, total victory. That when you go to battle, you must wipe out everything that opposes God.

Everything and everyone that opposes God. And they destroyed it. utterly. It denotes complete victory. Complete victory. And that leads us to our third main point, the convocation after the war.

The convocation after the war. Let me read it to you, and then we'll spend a few moments talking to you about it, because it's quite insightful.

Because this is what you need to know in order to gain. Your victory from day to day. Then Joshua built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, in Mount Ebol. This is important. Because this is some twenty to thirty miles a from AI. Okay? Then Joshua built an altar. When is then after they had put the stones on the king of Ai as a memorial? Joshua gathered three million Jews and made their way some twenty to thirty miles away for the purpose. Worship. Then it says, verse 31: Just as Moses, the servant of the Lord had commanded the sons of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses.

an altar of uncut stones on which no man had wielded an iron tool, and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings. And he wrote there on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written in the presence of the sons of Israel. And all Israel. with their elders and officers, and their judges, were standing on both sides of the ark before the Levitical priests, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord. The stranger as well as the native. Half of them stood in front of Mount Ger, and half of them in front of Mount Ebal.

Just as Moses, the servant of the Lord, had given command at first to bless the people of Israel. Then afterward, he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the book of the law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel with the woman and the little ones and the strangers who were living among them. The first thing I want you to notice, listen very carefully, is the priority of worship.

The priority of worship. The king of Ai was dead. Ai had been defeated. And the very first thing that Joshua did was move the entire nation some thirty miles Toward, listen, a very significant place, a little valley between Mount Ebol on the north and Mount Ger.

In the South. Now, this is very important. Why? Because it tells us the priority of worship. There was a million other things Israel could be doing. Number one, cleaning up all the carcasses in AI.

That would seem to me to be a little important to do. I know I'm a little neurotic about cleanliness sometimes, but I think that that would be Of paramount to me that you got a lot of bodies that need to be burned and buried, and maybe we got to take care of those things first.

There are some other things that probably needed to be taken care of as well, but instead Joshua moved every to the valley Between Ebol and Gerrison, that they might worship the Lord, Joshua and Israel. should be plotting and preparing for the next battle. After all, they had to conquer all the Canaanites. All the Amorites, all the enemy in the land of Israel. They had a big mission before them. Why spend. The time moving three million Jews thirty miles to worship God when you had work that needed to be done.

It's because worship is the priority. Now you think about that. How many times do you hear people say, Well, you know, I'd love to go to church, but I just got so much I got to do. I got family coming over for the holiday weekend, and I got to prepare the meal. I don't have to, I'm going to get up early as it is, and I no. Time to get it all done, go to church, and be back in time to feed the family. After all, they're coming in for many hours away. Don't have time to worship the Lord. Others will say, Well, you know, it's Father's Day, and I want to honor my Father.

So, I'm going to have my father over to the house instead of going to church. Or it's Mother's Day, and I'm going gather my mom around with the family and make a good meal instead of going to church. God will understand that. That I want to honor my mother over honoring him. Does he? Is worship truly a priority in your life? Now, why was it a priority? I believe that in Joshua's heart, this is what he wanted to do, but he also knew what God had commanded him to do. He knew what God had commanded him to do.

How do we know that? Deuteronomy. Chapter 11, verse number 28, says this. I'm sorry, 29. It shall come about, when the Lord your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, that you shall place the blessing on Mount Geriz and the curse on Mount Ebal. Then it says over in Deuteronomy chapter 27, these words, verse number 1 and 2. Then Moses and the elders of Israel charge the people, saying, Keep all the commandments which I command you today. So it shall be on the day when you shall cross the Jordan to the land which the Lord your God gives you, that you shall set up For yourselves, large stones and coat them with lime, and write on them all the words of this law when you cross over.

In order that you may enter the land which the Lord your God gives you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord the God of your fathers promised you. So it shall be when you cross the Jordan, you shall set up. on Mount Ebal these stones as I am comm you today and you shall coat them with lime. Moreover, you shall build there an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones. You shall not wield an iron tool on them. You shall build the altar of the Lord your God of uncut stones, and you shall offer on it burnt offerings to the Lord your God, and you shall sacrifice peace offerings and eat there, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, and you shall.

shall write on the stones all the words of this law very distinctly and that's exactly what Joshua did He knew that God commanded that they go to Mount Ebal and to Mount Geriz and worship him. That they build an altar, not on Mount Geriz. But an altar on or at the base of Mount Ebol. Very significant. I'll tell you why in a second.

But you see, if God commands that you worship Him, it must be a priority for you. God is big on worship. The Bible says that he seeks true worship, those who will worship him in spirit and in truth.

It's a priority because God said to Moses, who Moses said to Joshua, the children of Israel: when you get into Israel, this is what you got to do. When you get to the promised land, you cross the Jordan. You're able to defeat the enemy, get to where you need to be. A very strategic place. I'll tell you why in a second.

Get to where you need to be, build the altar, and worship me. And Joshua was compelled to do it, so much so that when the King of Ai died, he said, Okay, folks, let's go. We're moving 30 miles up the road because this is what we got to do. And all the people going to say, Wait, now? Do we got to do it now, Joshua? Can't we wait a couple of weeks? Why do we have to do it now? He said, Because God said so. That's why. See, for Joshua, worship was a priority because God told him to do it. How about you?

Is it a priority for you? The second thing I want you to see is not only the priority of worship, but I also want you to see the place of worship.

Where is this place? This place, listen very carefully, is in the center of the land of Israel. Ger, Mount Geriz to the south, Eb to the north, and right in the middle, listen very carefully, is a little village called Shechem. And years before this time, guests who received the word of the Lord in Genesis chapter 12. At that place, when God said to Abraham, This is your land. It was also Jacob who built and dug a well, and Jacob who built an altar. Abraham in Genesis 12 did. Jacob in Genesis chapter 33 also built an altar here.

In Shechem, here in the valley between Ebal and Ger, and there he built an altar, calling it El Elohe Is. God is the God of Israel. Folks, this is a very significant place. It would also be the place where down the road Jesus would confront a woman, a Samaritan woman. And she would talk about why she worship on Mount Geriz, which is important. But you see they had to come to this place because if you were to ascend Mount Geriz or ascend Mount Eb you would be able to View the land of Israel, the promised land given by God to the nation of Israel.

Ebal, Mount Ebal, is a rugged mount. Mount Geriz is a green and flourishing mount. And at the base of the valley, there's only 500 yards between the two. And when you get into that valley, you can ascend one mount and speak as I am speaking to you, and everybody in the valley can hear you because it is acoustically perfect. And that's where they gathered to worship in that place. The place of worship was significant because it was the place where God made the promise to Abraham, this is your land.

And listen, this is key to the victory of Israel. This is where they would renew their covenant with God to obey the word of God. Which leads us to point number three and that is the protection for worship Think about it the protection for worship here.

They are moving 30 3 million Jews some 30 miles Toward Ebol and Geriz to worship the Lord with the enemy all surrounding them, and yet they believed in the protection of God. Folks, let me tell you something.

When you worship God, when worship is a priority for you, God, listen, will always pr you. Always. For example, you hear people talk about, well, you know, I can't always work on Sundays because, I mean, I can't always go to church on Sundays because I to go to work. I've got to work on Sundays. And if I go to church, I can't work. If I don't work, then I can't make the payments for the bills. But have you ever thought about the fact that if you ever just stood strong in the workplace and said, you know, I can't work on Sundays because that's the Lord's Day.

And I've got to honor him on that day. That's important to me. That's important to my family. You might lose your job. But you'll gain a family. A family that understands conviction and commitment on the part of their father and the part of their mother. How about this? People who are married to unbelieving spouses. They forfeit worship on Sundays because the unbelieving spouse doesn't want them to go. And they give all kinds of excuses as to why they should stay home. And the believing spouse wants to honor their unbelieving spouse, and so therefore they forfeit worship to be home with their spouse and therefore dishonor God.

When in reality, I to her spouse, you know, honey, I'd love to stay home with you, but I love the Lord Jesus so much that I cannot miss a worship with him. I want you to come with me. Be a part of what I'm doing. That we worship the Lord together. But I need to be there to honor my God. See, very few people ever do that because their relationship with their family or with their spouse takes precedence over their relationship with God. And then, when they go to battle, when they fight in a war spiritually, and they find themselves defeated and discouraged, they don't understand why.

And it's because they have dishonored their God. And God says, see ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.

You seek me first. I 'll take care of what you wear. I 'll take care of where you sleep. I 'll take care of what you eat. I'll take care of you, every physical need you have, every need you have, I'll take care of you, but you seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and I'll take care of everything else.

You just make sure I'm a priority in your life. That's what God says. This is the protection of worship. Israel was protected as they went to worship God. And then I want you to notice number five: the prerequisite to worship.

They had to build an altar, right? And they couldn't build the altar on Mount Geriz because that was the Mount of Blessing. Talk about that in a second.

But they had to build it on Mount Ebol because that was the Mount of Cursing. Why? Why? And why is it they were given specific directions that they couldn't use any tools to carve it, to make it look good, to make it Fit together right that they just had to pick up the uncut stones, put them on there, and thus be the altar. Because God is saying to them, There is no human work at all when it comes to the sacrifice needed for the forgiveness of sins. None. And the reason that altar is on Mount Ebal, the Mount of Cursing, is because whenever you sin, there always needs to be a way for you to return.

And the only way you can return is to the sacrifice off. And that's why the altar wasn't built on Mount Ger. Why? Because Mount Geriz was the mount of blessing, which talked about when you obey the law of God, you'll be blessed. And God didn't want them confused into thinking, listen, all I got to do is do what God says, and I'll be saved.

I can't work my way into favor with God because I'm going to sin and therefore there must be a sacrifice for sin. And that's why the altar is built on Mount Ebal and not Mount Geriz, because one was a mount of blessing and one was a mount of cursing. Which tells us number four or five about the proclamation in the worship. This is important. I want you to turn back with me if you would too. And our time is fleeting, so turn quick to Deuteronomy chapter 27, verse 11. Joshua does exactly what Moses tells him to do.

This is what Moses told him to do way back in Deuteronomy 27, verse 11. Moses also charged the people on that day, saying, When you cross the Jordan, thee shall stand on Mount Geriz to bless the people. Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issach, Joseph, and Benjamin. And for the curse, these shall stand on Mount Eb: Reuben, Dad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Napht. The Levites Shall then answer and say to all the men of Israel with a loud voice, Cursed is the man who makes an idol or a molten image, an abomination to the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsmen.

And sets it up in secret, and all the people shall answer and say, Amen. Verse 16: Cursed is he who dishonors his father or mother, and all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed is he who moves his neighbor's boundary mark. And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed is he who misleads a blind person on the road. And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed is he who distorts the justice due to an alien, orphan, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen. And on down, it was the curse after curse after curse.

And all the people on Mount Ebal would say, Amen, so be it, so be it, so be it, so be it. And all the things, all the curses All the curses listed are curses not easily detected by man. There are things that we can do in secret where no one notices but God. And then it says in verse 1 of chapter 28. Now it shall be: if you will diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.

And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you. If you will obey the Lord your God, blessed shall be, you be in the city. And blessed shall you be in the country. Blessed shall be the offspring of your body, and the produce of your ground, and the offspring of your beast, the increase of your herd, and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket, and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. The Lord will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you.

They shall come out against you one way. And shall flee before you seven ways. The Lord will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to. And he will bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you. The Lord will establish you as a holy people to him, as he swore to you. If you will keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in his ways, so all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you.

Listen, folks, it's as simple and as basic as A B C God says, if you don't obey me, you will be cursed.

If you do obey me, you will be blessed. That's it. As simple as that. Christianity is not something that happens because you understand rocket science. Christianity is as simple as this. Obey the wor of the Lord. That's it. That's it. And Joshua would come and he would write the commandments. Listen, you got three million people in the valley. And Joshua puts limestone on these stones and covers them with plaster. And they begin to write in a very plain, distinct manner the commands of God. And then they recite them.

And the Bible tells us in Joshua chapter 8 that Joshua read all the commands of God given to Moses. And all the people were there, from the littlest child to the oldest man and oldest woman. They were all there. How long did it take him? Probably all day. At least all day. But you see, worship was a priority. God's word had to be read because it was on this day where Israel renewed their commitment to God and on this day in Joshua chapter 8 Israel understood life Or de, cursedness, or blessedness.

And it all centers around one thing. This book, The Words of God. Will I Obey or Will I Disobey?