Joshua 5--Battles

Back on the horse!
Alrighty, well...I began this year (2010) with the well-intentioned new year's resolution of writing a devotional blog every single day. This went very well until a fateful day in February when a can of cream soda became acquainted with my keyboard...this broke the habit-and therefore the resolution failed!
For 2011, I want to try again, because I felt that I learned more about the Bible during the first part if last year than the entire rest of it put together! I really do want to make this happen again, especially because I am getting the impression that 2011 is going to be a very scary year for me-the kind of year where God will be teaching me a lot!

Ok...Here's what I found tonight...

Within these two chapters, there are two battles...

Battle Number One (we will call this the "What The Heck?" initiative)
This would be the battle of Jericho. This fight involves all of Israel(This includes everyone from your four year old cousin to your grandma) walking around a gigantic city over and over again (13 times total) and then shouting at the top of their lungs...and expecting something incredible to happen.
Preparation for this battle included...eating ritualistic food, and circumcising all of the men. I wouldn't claim to know this, but I am guessing that neither of those are currently practiced by any successful army in the world.

Every aspect of this battle seems insane!

Battle Number Two: This battle was logical. Israel was a big army surprise attacking a small one...this was textbook-simple. There should not have been anything to worry about here.

Shocker: The "What the Heck?" Initiative was successful and the textbook simple one was a complete failure.

There are lots of details and reasons for this, but the simple reasoning is that the insane plan was written by God for Israel, and the other was doomed by the fact that someone in Israel was not right with God.

With God all things are possible, apart from him we can do nothing!

Right now, most of my friends and I are looking forward to a 2011 that is as full of questions as answers. Our lives will be filled with transition and change...and I know that I, for one, have been obsessed with being prepared for everything that could be coming up--I want to be ready for whatever battles I face!

This passage reminds me, that no amount of preparation means anything apart from the blessing of God. I can be completely prepared for my part and fall flat on my face without the blessing of God. With his blessing, Nothing in the world can stand against me!