DCLM Daily Manna Friday 29 September 2023
TOPIC: Repaint the Wall
TEXT: Joshua 8:1-10 (KJV)
8 And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land:
2 And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.
3 So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour, and sent them away by night.
4 And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, even behind the city: go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready:
5 And I, and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city: and it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them,
6 (For they will come out after us) till we have drawn them from the city; for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: therefore we will flee before them.
7 Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon the city: for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand.
8 And it shall be, when ye have taken the city, that ye shall set the city on fire: according to the commandment of the Lord shall ye do. See, I have commanded you.
9 Joshua therefore sent them forth: and they went to lie in ambush, and abode between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua lodged that night among the people.
10 And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and numbered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai.
KEY VERSE
“And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land.”
(Joshua 8:1)
DCLM Daily Manna Friday 29 September 2023 MESSAGE
J. Stuart Holden told the story of an old Scottish mansion close to where he had his little summer home. A pitcher of soda water was accidentally spilled on a freshly decorated wall and left an unsightly stain. Lord Landseer, an artist of great repute was a guest in the house at the time. One day, when the family went out sightseeing, he stayed behind. With a few masterful strokes of a piece of charcoal, that ugly spot became the outline of a beautiful waterfall, bordered by trees and wildlife. He turned that disfigured wall into one of his most successful depictions of highland life.
READ DCLM Daily Manna Thursday 28 September 2023 – God’s Secrets
Like the disfigured wall, the nation of Israel suffered a humiliating defeat from the men of Ai. Joshua prayed and dealt with the source of their failure. The result was that God told Joshua to rise and go back to Ai. He then gave Joshua assurance of victory and the strategy to use in attacking the city. In obedience to the divine instructions, Joshua mobilised his troops, implemented the given strategy and successfully captured the city. The starting point of every victory is to rise up and move.
Joshua had many options he could have taken after Israel was defeated by the men of Ai. Even after repentance and prayers, he could have doubted if God would ever give him victory again. However, he chose to believe and obey. He chose to correct his mistakes and returned to Ai with lessons learnt and renewed vision. That is a credit to his character. God honoured His word and helped Joshua to reclaim victory where he had previously fallen.
A child of God who failed in the battlefield of life must not be ashamed to do what Joshua did. Go back and correct the mistakes that caused your failure. Whatever the missteps, God is willing to give you a chance to make up for it, and correct your ways.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Return and repaint the ugly walls!
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Ecclesiastes 8-12
