Obedience Then Fallen

Obedience Then Fallen

9/20/18

This title kind of seems weird in its wording but in reality, it represents an accurate picture of how many people live their lives on a daily basis, especially the ones who classify themselves as Christians yet consider disobedience as their companion.  Many questions arise about how we live our lives and as each day passes through the methods of technology we come to witness someone’s call to obedience drawn into the ashes because of fallen principles.  God wants us to know that we do not have to live in such follies even though the world promotes them continuously.  It is Jesus’ blood that provides the elements of Covenant and through this blood, He promises us to change our lives and restore what the enemy has taken or destroyed, but we first must make the choice to live under this protection completely.  God loves us and wants all His children to experience the joys of His presence and all we need to do for this to occur is to accept His Ways once again without compromise towards the world

For the most part of my life and for most of the people in this nation we can easily admit that our lives have been fairly decent on almost every level of living standards.  Even in times where the economy or surrounding settings may have been viewed as a bit shaky, the overall stability of knowing that life would always be normal the next day was and is always been present.  For an extended amount of time now our eyes and ears are being subjected to those who are in opposition to the standards that our nation was founded upon, and while it is anyone’s “right” to bear witness for or against such living conditions is allowed, we really need to take a step back first and look at our spiritual hearts before we demand any major changes in our lives.  Because things are not going according to the way each one of us believes it should go does not mean that all has been lost and that our current inquiries should be totally wiped away and new ones replaced.  But how many of us understand that if we disobey and blatantly disregard the truth that we place ourselves in direct lineage for Satan to adhere to his wishes of death over our life?

Some will refer back to the American Revolution or other revolution types in history as the reasoning why they are wishing for such changes to occur.  But we must keep one important aspect in mind when we reference these past events to justify today’s actions and that is the condition of the spiritual aspects of our hearts because while physical intentions may seem ripe for change they will fall to pieces either on the physical level, spiritual level or on both levels if our hearts are not right when taking these drastic measures.  What makes this action and setting so dangerous is the fact that God may want change in your life, my life and in the life of this nation but if we are not completely in tune and in touch with Him on a spiritual level we can follow Satan and accept his plan instead which at some point will collapse around us by God’s provisional hand.  Sadly, when this occurs and due to the state of spiritual affairs of our heart, we will not have a clue why the supernatural occurred and will turn to further dismay as a solution to that future condition.  What will our inquiries be then and how will we be able to pick ourselves up out of that choice matter?  We have plenty of examples of those who believed that what they were doing was correct but because of the kingdom they served were totally wrong.

When I was growing up and living at home I was like any other kid who believed that they could live on the edge of the rules and every once in a while step over that line to see just how far I could go without getting caught.  When my teenage and high school years came about I continued this practice on occasion and tested those waters a bit more thoroughly.  Our family jokes about this belief of mine and when you read the story you will understand why it is funny now but bad for me back then, or at least I thought it was at the time.  While these testing’s of mine were not terrible in nature their presence in my heart could have served as a launching pad for further and more serious events in my immediate or near future, so, God had His way with the fact that my parents knew that something wrong had occurred and would ask me about things as soon as I walked through the door.  Yep, it made me a tad upset because I believed that I could not do anything without my parents knowing my every movement but what God was displaying actually saved my life from possible catastrophe and an altered future if said jocularity allowed to stand.  The rules of my house were not all that strict for my parents expected me to use my head when making decisions but at the same time, they did expect me to adhere to what was expected from the house.

Now, after I had done these ridiculous things, on the way home I really did not give it any more thought about what had transpired for I had no intentions in telling my parents what was done.  The “deeds” that had been accomplished were ornery in nature and not anything on the line of being destructive or violent so no authorities or other families would be contacted at a later date to ask my parents or myself any incriminating questions.  But God had other ideas about obedience than I did and while I continued to try and bend the obedience rule a bit God continued to remind me of how important obedience is even down to teenage playing around.  As my life continued this learning process I have extensively received many examples of such patterns of obedience and what occurs either when you obey or not obey.  When I look at my life now, I find that if I was allowed to continue my stupid pattern when I was a teenager I do not know if I would be alive today or not for when a pattern is begun and is not tamed correctly, the aggressive results of such worldly growth can be deadly.  What I did not understand is that when I deliberately broke the rules over me, I opened the door to a punishment that goes well beyond incomprehensible even though it did not seem like anything big at the time.

A short time ago we learned about how many laps we would have to take around a setting if we did not have our hearts right with God versus how many laps we would have to take if our hearts were right with God.  We learned that this number is self contained in that it is all up to us and whether or not we choose God over the world or not that lies in this lap count of ours.  More and more I am seeing these pedometers on people’s legs or waists counting the number of steps they take each day.  In no way am I against these monitors and while I do not have one nor do I desire to have one on my body, I see and understand their purpose.  But when our minds become focused on how many steps we take each day and that number grounds us into doing more the next day, the process becomes a hindrance even though what seems like a good thing turns into an idol of objectivity instead of one that is healthy.  It is not the number of steps that we take each day that count but how many steps we take in God that matters for when we walk in God’s Ways our hearts shall always wish to accomplish the advancement of His Kingdom and not ours.

Joshua Chapter 7 is going to be the reference for this article and this passage will focus on one man’s actions through the act of obedience that led to a fall due to the sin that he believed could be hidden not only from the people of Israel but from God as well.  In Joshua Chapter 6 we read that the nation of Israel had just defeated the city of Jericho through the miraculous hand of God through their complete obedience in the Ways of God.  Every aspect of the plan that God gave to Joshua had been completed with the utmost perfection through the ways of obedience.  Through the warrants of God, it was well known that the inhabitants of Jericho had a sizeable amount of treasures within the city but God gave specific instructions for this portion of the victory as well.  God had specifically told them how to perform the attack and included detailed information that needed to be followed exactly in order for victory to be displayed.  We also saw that through this complete obedience that it did not take a very long time for them to win the city for God and to destroy the enemy of God.  The excitement of a quick victory was felt throughout the nation of Israel and everyone who was alive during that time understood the might and power of God through the human act of obedience.

As Joshua Chapter 7 opens we immediately find out that after the conclusion of the battle of Jericho, a single person decided to disobey God’s command concerning the riches of the city and take for himself some of what was supposed to go elsewhere.  The issue here becomes one of rebellion against a direct order given by God to all the people of the victorious party.  Both God and Joshua had made it very clear that no one was to take any possessions from the city after the victory was completed but Achan believed himself to be different and his personal greed overcame the obedience of God’s Word and he took a portion for himself.  It is this simple act from one person that caused the next event to come crashing down around the Israelites and them having no idea of why defeat greeted them so quickly after a sound victory previously.

There is an important detail about God here that needs to be addressed and that is what is stated in Joshua 7:1.  The opening verse gives a clear understanding that God was not a happy camper because of what He saw take place after the victory of Jericho during the cleanup procession by the people of Israel.  In fact, all of the people of Israel obeyed with the exception of one person and it was through this single act of disobedience that God became so displeased.  However, God did not immediately rest judgment on Achan nor did He tell Joshua, who was part of the ones who did not sin against God about what had occurred or gave any warning as such to anyone else.  God allowed the plan of the next city to go ahead as planned and it is this detail about God that we need to remember when we disobey because even though we may believe we have gotten away with the disobedient act He still sees and will allow our lives to play out as the next step arrives.

Joshua 7:2-3 gives us the pattern in which Joshua basically followed when he was scouting Jericho for battle for this mission was a continuing plan that had been ordained previously.  Nothing looked out of the ordinary before the scouts had brought forth their messages to Joshua about the condition of the new target the only issue that was unknown was the fact that one person had disobeyed the command of God and that this single act would cost the team and army dearly.  The return of the scouts came with great news for the entire army of Israel would not have to be sent up with only a smaller contingent needed to complete the victory.  Joshua had no intentions of disagreeing with his scouts’ report and had no worries about receiving incorrect information either, so he prepared the army for battle according to the recommendation of size by the scouts and did not expect anything else but another quick and easy victory.

Then, Joshua 7:4 arrives and the story takes a dramatic turn right off the start for the army of Israel was chased away from the battle field even before the battle began in an embarrassing turn of events that must have had Joshua and the leaders of the army confused beyond belief.  Joshua had no indication that anything was going to be amiss as the battle took place because God did not say anything against the battle or mention that any person had done wrong in the previous battle.  Out of the approximately three thousand men that were counted for battle thirty-six of them were killed by the men of Ai and through this action, as stated above the army of Israel was chased away from the city before they reached the gate, according to verse 5.  Now, seeing thirty-six men laying dead on the battlefield by today’s standards of population and while a devastating blow would not be considered too extreme of a loss; however, in this setting we must remember that the world’s population was not even close to the number of what it is today and seeing this amount of men lay dead on any side of a battle is catastrophic, especially when God has given you the command to go into battle in the first place.

The joys of the people of Israel are now silenced and no further happiness is witnessed by anyone due to the unexpected results of the battle.  This result from the battle was not expected at all for the mood of the people at the time immediately before the battle the Bible says was joyous for they were sending up far less amounts of men than what they were expecting to go.  Anytime a smaller army is needed to win a battle it is a victory already and the families of the soldiers not being sent and to those being sent would be in agreement that this smaller amount would be a sign of a quick and glorious victory.  Plus, they were still standing on the defeated ruins of Jericho and with this evidence in front of them how could anything go wrong?  Does this setting remind you of anything other type of setting that we recently experienced?  There is a reason things occur whether recognized and known or not because God is always in control of an overall situation and while His Will may not go according to our plans, it is HIS results that shall play out as the truth not ours.  I have a feeling that we shall be learning more about this type of setting very shortly.

Joshua is so distraught about the events surrounding him that he tears his garments off and lays with his face against the earth at the foot of the Ark of the Covenant until the evening.  This is a sign of a person in pure frustration and one that is in total disbelief.  The elders of Israel were in total agreement with the reaction of Joshua and followed suit as well.  But does Joshua scream to the people for hope against the news and results or does he go on a violent tirade against his surroundings?  No, he immediately begins to seek God for the answer to why things turned out in the manner that they did.  Joshua understands that when things go wrong, it is because there is a reason which he learned from all the years wandering in the desert with the fellow children of Israel way back when.  Joshua turns to God for the answer and God does not hesitate on giving Joshua the answer to his questions, Joshua may not have liked the answer but it was the truth and the answer had to be dealt with accordingly.

The questions that Joshua asks of God are legitimate ones and ones that any battle commander would ask of his understudies after a loss.  What went wrong is always the first question to be asked so that if this type of situation occurs again the same results will not be faced after the battle is over.  I find it very interesting that Joshua asks the exact same questions as the people of Israel did when the Egyptians were approaching them at the Red Sea and I also find it intriguing that it was the exact same sin that Achan held within his heart that allowed doubt to procure in the hearts of the Israelites during their wandering years.  But the manner in which Joshua asks God is totally different than how the Israelites formed questions to God in the desert, it is clear that Joshua had a complete heart and wanted to know why things went wrong.  One of the aspects in play here is that Joshua should have understood something was wrong on a higher level because of the outcome of the battle but he did not realize this until God asked him why he was lying on the floor face down and then told him to get up.  God expects us to use our minds that He gave us even though we may be at a decreased capacity He still wants us to think about things and make adjustments accordingly.  Yet, we cannot blame Joshua too much for we miss so many things that we encounter due to unforeseen or unknown circumstances but quickly God gives the answer to the question Joshua asks and a tough result will head the Israelites way soon.

God tells Joshua that Israel had sinned against His command concerning the wealth of Jericho and how it was supposed to be divided.  This small detail may seem petty but God uses the word Covenant here which places His command for such orders on a higher level and thus subject to any and all devastative procedures from God when not obeyed fully.  Joshua must have felt many emotions run through his veins as God was showing him the reasons for their failure especially when God said that because of this act the army of Israel could not even stand face to face with the enemy that they had to turn and run from them.  This is an embarrassing setting not only for Joshua but for God as well for it was in His name that the Israelite army charged and then was sorely defeated in a quickened fashion.  It also gives us a great detail of information about what occurs when we do things in the name of God but have willing sin growing within our hearts.  How could God allow such a victory to occur when He knew that a deliberate sin had been committed in the orders that He had given prior to the previous stand and victory?  It is here that God proves Himself to be steadfast in ALL areas of His Word and that He CANNOT change His Ways for any reason.

God gave strict orders for all Israelite people when the battle was over of what to do and what not to do.  It was the strictest instruction given to them and it was for a reason but as we have read here the tragedy was with the Israelites on a promised victory, so what was the issue?  It seems like all had followed the orders as they were given but just as Adam and Eve found out in the Garden of Eden when one single act of disobedience occurs it changes the entire setting of the future and until it is changed and eradicated that change shall remain intact within the body.  Jericho had means by which the house of God was to be used as a storage place, not the personal sites of individuals, families, or tribes.  The Bible does not mention that anyone saw Achan take the things of Jericho and then hide them, it can be presumed that everyone else was doing the job that they had been assigned accordingly.  From what this passage states it is clear that Achan thought about the possibility of finding and then taking loot from the destroyed city, a sin unto itself because it is the thought that brings into being the act.

A dangerous thing occurred here that we need to really think about and should be taken into consideration before we act upon it.  Achan was part of the army that marched around Jericho that final day and the days before leading up to the glorious battle day.  He was a participant in this victory and promise of God.  But he had greed in his heart at a level so high that when he saw the opportunity to take what God said not to he ignored the truth and Ways of God in order to satisfy his own lust and greed.  He used the completed plan of God in order to satisfy his human ways and thus placed him into a dangerous condition of disobedience.  So, when one wishes to argue about the severity of Achan’s punishment think about this truth about his actions and then reconsider your argument for his disobedience was based on a victory of the most High God and Creator of perfection which places his act in a total separate category of wrong.

At some point in time, Achan decided to take what God had commanded the people not to take, a process that was thought about and then opportunity taken and it was this thievery from God that cost Achan and his family tremendously.  Achan was not a stupid man for he had or what he thought he had was the perfect hiding place for what he was going to take already picked out and it was going to be easy to accomplish for he knew the patterns of those around him and just how much attention would not be on him when accomplishing this task.  This command of God’s was not a complicated matter or one that would have been hard to decipher, but it was concise and to the point just as the command He gave to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and just like those two Achan’s world was about to be rocked.  Speaking of Adam and Eve it is interesting how both of these acts run parallel with each other in that the command to obey was clear and simple yet both parties decided to disobey.  Both parties hid something in response to their actions which meant that they knew exactly what they had done and that both parties knew that their actions were wrong.  As we find out later about Achan, he was found out and his life was over and we all know what occurred in the Garden of Eden after they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 

What God is showing us today is that it is still vital that we obey Him and His Ways at all times.  It is “at all times” portion of His Covenant that is so important because it is His Covenant that defines our total separation from the world and the sin that it perceives as the truth.  We are born into this mess and it is our choice to either live for God or to live in the world and it really does matter if one little sin is committed voluntarily for it is this condition that places us outside of the covering that obedience (Covenant) gives us.  The consequences of disobedience can get no higher for it represents the true definition of sin and thus returns us to the natural “born in” state of our existence.  We cannot afford to be without covering and the only true covering that we can be safely sheltered under is that of God.  The world cannot provide any covering even though it will try to sell you some through promises instead of provisions.  God has His Covering already in place and does not even have to present it to you for it is His definition and it is already in place and present.

Church, our lives have become an Achan and we cannot deny this condition of ours any longer.  Christ established His Church when He was walking this earth by showing us how to advance the Kingdom of God.  Jesus NEVER took anything from people or the House of God but He always stuck to His mission by speaking to others about restoration and their sins with the inclusion of enemies if they were willing to listen, follow, and obey.  It is this example that we must adhere to if we want anything to do with God’s protection and we cannot afford at any time to sway from this Truth.  Obedience is alive and it knows that once it is violated that issues shall be contained within that violation.  Once we allow this breech to occur it will not only affect us individually but it shall have an immediate affect on our family as well.  Obedience is a covenant word and it operates in such capacity as well, and every example that the Bible gives us has dire consequences with it and ones that see no prettiness in sight.

From the moment Achan decided to take what was not his and to disobey God and His command, the covering for his family ended.  It was bad enough if this single act would have been confined just to one family but it immediately placed the entire nation of Israel in jeopardy so much so that the army could not even stand up and face the enemy they had to turn from them and run away like cowards.  Losing a battle by being outmaneuvered or outmanned is one thing but to be completely defeated before the main battle begins is such flat embarrassing.  This single act cost men their lives as they turned away affecting those families as well.  When a large city falls with not a single loss of life and then a smaller yet just as important battle is lost before it begins, something cannot be right.  I wonder what went through Achan’s mind at this point.

Why do we play around with this type of destruction?  Why do we continually thumb our noses (hearts) towards God and kick Him to the curb?  Our disobedience is so blatantly obvious that we no longer try to cover it up and the sins we do try to cover up are easily noticed when one walks by the burial places.  The exact same settings are in place now as they were back when Achan walked the earth nothing has changed folks.  Obedience is still and shall always be the highest priority that humans can keep for even though we like to project God as a eternal Father who represents Love in all areas of existence, He is a jealous Father who has rules in place and just as good parents wish wants His children to keep in place.  This passage reminds us that God sees everything that we do no matter if it is a large military operation or an individual act, when He expects obedience He demands it on all levels of existence.  How can we sit back and incorporate sin into our lives and expect God not to act sooner or later?  The Bible does not say but I can imagine that Achan even was cheering along with the others when the soldiers left for battle knowing that he had deliberately disobeyed God.

One of the huge issues about us Church is that we have acted like Achan for a long time now and have hidden the Truth from our lives.  W have downgraded God’s Word enough that we believe we see Him on our level and thus invoke the rules of the world that we have also incorporated in to our lives in that we can do what we want and do not have to obey His Ways.  It is this disobedient act that places us in Achan’s shoes and subjects us to being called out for our sins.  Today, we have a few that see such activity and speak the Truth against it but are immediately labeled, set aside and ridiculed as being haters.  God does love sinners but we need to understand that it is our responsibility to call out sin and to teach those who are living in sin about that sin and how harmful it is.  Not only are they directly at risk, but their family now has a target placed on their lives as well.  Look at what God is trying to get across us today in terms of not only your immediate family but the Church family as well, for God is a complete God in all aspects and cannot be swayed to disobey Himself; how much earthly loot have we hid within our tents?  Have we forgotten that our tents are part of our dominion?

More than ever we must recognize that the worldly sin that we are harboring represents the stealing that Achan did in Jericho and we need to give back to the world what we accepted from it.  Repent Church, and allow God to restore our lives back to His Ways and Covenant before He must call us up and give account for our actions.  The horrid thing about this passage is that in verse 13 it says that Israel cannot stand against its enemies until the sin is taken away and confessed.  The key word there is enemies, which means more than one enemy.  We cannot stand up to the attacks that our eternal enemy is throwing at us and it is for this reason alone that he is so successful and we are turning and running from the battle.  This passage says that the men of Israel turned and ran away, this does not even account as a coordinated retreat but a non-sanctioned cowardly defeat.  Hear the laughing?  You should because it is our enemy’s voice as we approach fro a battle, he knows we have sin in our hearts and most importantly he understands that as long as we harbor this sin we are sitting ducks to his tactics.  Remember the armor of God is holy and pure and cannot function properly unless complete obedience is used in its placement around our spiritual bodies and if our physical bodies are in a dead sprint away from the battlefield, then there is no way possible that God’s armor will do any of any good.

DLB