Don't Complain - Just Repent

But the LORD said to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this? Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. And they have not only stolen them but have lied about it and hidden the things among their own belongings. That is why the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat. For now Israel itself has been set apart for destruction. I will not remain with you any longer unless you destroy the things among you that were set apart for destruction. [Joshua 7.10-12]

This is a very interesting course of events.

Joshua and Israel's elders were in the 'position' of repentance before the LORD, but God told them to get up and get rid of the sin that brought about their defeat by Ai.

But what about their repentance? Isn't repentance necessary to be right with God? Yes, it is, but Joshua and company were 'walking on thin ice' in their repentance. Consider their words:

Joshua and the elders of Israel tore their clothing in dismay, threw dust on their heads, and bowed face down to the ground before the Ark of the LORD until evening. Then Joshua cried out, “Oh, Sovereign LORD, why did you bring us across the Jordan River if you are going to let the Amorites kill us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side! Lord, what can I say now that Israel has fled from its enemies? For when the Canaanites and all the other people living in the land hear about it, they will surround us and wipe our name off the face of the earth. And then what will happen to the honor of your great name?” [Joshua 7.6-9]

Yes, the group repented, but something else began to take place - they began to complain against the LORD! Their repentance morphed into a pity-party as if God had done them wrong!! Note that Joshua did not ask God what went wrong, but he complained that God was somehow responsible for their defeat. But God got that settled pretty quickly (10-12 above) and Israel had some 'housecleaning' to do.

As we repent before God (and we should always be in an attitude of humble repentance), we MUST be willing to consider what WE did to cause our hardship, defeat, or problem. Humility would have it no other way. Pride, on the other hand, would have us blame God.

For the record, most of us would not blatantly 'blame' God for our hardships, but what we do, more often than not, is make our hardships out to be some kind of 'growth' process by our loving God (Who, we conclude, only wants us to know that He can do whatever He wants when He wants to). That's all well and good - but that is not repentance!

Conclusion: don't complain to God - repent and look within for sin that needs to be corrected - AND CORRECT IT.

Father, I know I have put the responsibility on You for so many of the hardships and losses in my life. Please forgive me this arrogance and ignorance, even if my failure is found in a lack of faith in Christ and His Redemption.