“Then the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Take all the fighting men with you and arise. Go up to Ai. See I have given into your hand the King of Ai and his people, his city, and his land.'”
– Joshua 8:1
And if you remember Joshua 7 because of Achan’s sin, the people of God were defeated at Ai. When they tried to go to battle in that particular place, they were defeated. Why? Because they had sinned against God and God was not with them. God had not promised to give them that land. And now, as a result of what happened in the last part of Joshua chapter seven and judgment toward Achan and his sin. Now God says to Joshua, “Don’t be afraid, don’t be dismayed. Go up to Ai and I will give it into your hands.”
When you are in Christ, you have nothing to fear in this world.
And the lesson is crystal clear when you put Joshua 7 and Joshua 8:1 together. When God is not for you, then you have no hope. But when God is for you, then you have all hope. That’s just simple, significant truth that we see echoed all throughout the Bible. If God is not for you, then you have no hope. But if God is for you, then you have all hope. The point is put your hope in God, put your trust in God, seek God, honor God, glorify God. This is your hope in this life. Nothing else.
Joshua 8:1 Shows That With God We Have Nothing To Fear
You can face the biggest challenge in the world. With God you have no reason to fear. Without God, you have every reason to fear. This is Romans chapter eight. This is the gospel. If God is for us, who can be against us? He did not spare His own son, but gave him up for us all. Will he not also along with him, graciously, give us all things who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen.
It’s God who justifies, who is he that condemns Christ Jesus who died more than that, who was raised to life? Is that the right hand of God interceding for us? This is the gospel for all have trusted in Jesus. You’re a child of God. Jesus is at the father’s right hand right now, interceding for you. And nothing can separate you from his love. That’s Romans 8:30, Romans 8:39.
Our Hope Is In God
Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons in the present or the future, nor any powers, neither height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation can separate you from the love of God that’s in Christ Jesus, our Lord. And so based on Joshua chapter eight, Romans chapter eight, cling to hope in God. Cling to trust in God and live day in and day out with your hope in him, with your dependence upon him, aligning with his word knowing that when you are in Christ, walking with Christ, you have nothing to fear in this world. Can I just say that again? When you are in Christ, walking with Christ, you have nothing to fear in this world.
So God I pray that over my life. I pray that over every single person listening right now. God, we say together before you, our hope is in you today. It’s whatever we’re walking through. It’s whatever challenges we may be facing. God, we say our hope is 100% in you. You are our hope. You’re our only hope. We need you. Trust you. We love you and we praise you that nothing can separate us from your love for us as we hope in you.
Joshua 8:1 Asks To Live According To His Word
That nothing can separate us from your working on our behalf. You are for your children, all glory be to your name. God, we don’t deserve this. We were running from you, rebelling against you. And yet you have said, “I am for you”. You sent your son to die on a cross for our sins and you’ve forgiven us of our sins. You’ve filled us with your spirit. In fact You’ve reconciled us to relationship with you all glory be to your name that we don’t have to be afraid, and we don’t have to be dismayed. For you are with us.
So God help us, help us to live according to your word today. Help us to follow your spirit to be in step with your spirit in everything we do we pray that we might walk with you, live abiding in you, and as a result to have all hope all day long in you to not fear, to not be dismayed for you are with us. God help us to live in this today in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
