God fought for Israel, so the victories are not to be attributed to Israel, but to God. If Israel is to be praised for anything, it is for its obedience. As long as Israel complied with God's instructions, Israel would benefit from the power of Almighty God working on their behalf. If I want to experience the power of God at work in my life, I must learn through the school of obedience. I can't expect great things to happen in my life if I am not obedient in the little things of the kingdom.
The campaign highlights the consistency of Israel's power and victory over the enemy. It is not one isolated fight. Israel took on at least seven city-states during this campaign. Each one required a siege against the city and a battle afterwards. This is a lot of work! This kind of consistency is not possible on their own strength. Only God can offer that kind of sustained power. It is possible for me to experience victory after victory if only I rely on God alone and am obedient to his voice.
Finally, the swiftness of the attacks and the destruction of the devoted things is impressive. There is no hesitation on Joshua's part to execute the commands of the Lord. It is not easy to wipe out an entire city, but Israel learned its lesson and did not hesitate to comply. If I am to experience victory in my own spiritual battles, I must devote myself to do God's will without hesitation. I must destroy the "devoted things" in my own life. What are they? Am I holding unto some of them still?
Lord, grant me the victory over my enemies. Give me the power to attack their strongholds in my life. Help me destroy all the "devoted things" in my life. I want to be devoted to you alone.
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