"THE BOOK OF JOSHUA ~ a Type & Shadow” A-031 (01-19-22) Today: Joshua 7:6-10
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Joshua 7:6 (New English Translation) “Joshua tore his clothes; he and the leaders {elders} of Israel lay face down on the ground before the ark of the LORD until evening and threw dirt on their heads.”
● Failure is unique to no one, and like all testings, they are common to all men, and therefore, the manner in which a leader handles failure, his/hers or others, will have a powerful impact on their growth and future leadership. I found this info: “A study of Bible characters reveals that most of those who made history were men who failed at some point, and some of them drastically, but who refused to continue lying in the dust. Their very failure and repentance secured for them a more ample conception of the grace of God. They learned to know Him as the God of the second chance to His children who had failed Him—and the third chance, too.”
● Joshua 7:7 (NET) says, “Joshua prayed {Heb. said}, “O, Sovereign LORD! Why did you bring these people across the Jordan to hand us over to the Amorites so they could destroy us? If only we had been satisfied to live on the other side of the Jordan!”
● In the 21st century, we do not normally tear our clothes, fall face down on the ground, and put dust on our heads, but we do have our own individual ways of showing our concern, pain and doubt when troubling situations arise. When a leader messes up in life, we may even fall on our knees or put our face in our hands and sob, but if there are feelings of self-pity and depression, we may even become inactive or gloomy about the mistakes that have taken place.
● Joshua 7:8 (NET) says, “O Lord, what can I say now that Israel has retreated before its enemies?”
● After a whole day on his face, Joshua verbalized his perplexity in three questions and two statements. The First Question was from V.7, “O, Sovereign LORD! Why did you bring these people across the Jordan to hand us over to the Amorites so they could destroy us?” The word “O” or “alas” in other translations, is a strong interjection of despair. In most places, it is used with “Lord God” though not always as an expression of despair.
● The Second Question (V.8): “O Lord, what can I say now that Israel has retreated before its enemies?” Following the defeat of Jericho, chapter 6 ended with the statement, “So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land.” The people wanted some answers and Joshua simply did not have any at this time. This is why Joshua and the elders prayed and sought the face of God.
● Joshua 7:9 (NET) says, “When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will turn against us and destroy the very memory of us {Heb. cut off our name} from the earth. What will you do to protect your great reputation?”
● The Third Question: “And what will You do for Your great name?” Even in all of the fear Joshua was feeling as a leader, we see his character and love for the Lord manifesting at that moment. It appears that Joshua’s greatest concern was that the news of this defeat might somehow reduce the respect of the heathen nations for God’s own name, and Joshua may have been guilty of thinking what people often think, that one failure must lead to other failures; and that victory is less likely now because they had so miserably failed.
● Joshua 7:10 (NET) says, “The LORD responded {Heb. said} to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying there face down?”
● There was an assumption here that since they had been defeated, they could not go forward and that it would have been better to not have encountered the enemy. From their perspective, their failures had somehow weakened God’s ability to give them future victories, which is often a typical assumption when leaders mess up. Father-God has never been limited by our defeats, and as our Father, He is able to work all things in us so that we can face our failures, admit them, and forgive ourselves and others that may be involved.
● The type and shadow here is that even in the 21st-century leaders mess up, but depending on the magnitude of the mistake, but like Joshua, things can be corrected almost immediately, even if other incidents may require some time for healing; and if that is you, then know that Father loves you, and healing and restoration is always the heart of God. So, I hope you were enlightened and inspired to “dig deep into the well of Father’s mind within” as you watch this video lesson!