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Daily Devotion: Joshua 8:30-31

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Joshua 8:30-31   "Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal,  (31)  As Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings."

With the smoke of burning Ai and the heap of stones that covered the lifeless body of the king of Ai in the background, Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel. They had been obedient this time unto the Lord and experienced a great victory. Now they are going to make sure tribute and honor is given to the Victor of Israel, their Lord God. If only the burnt ruins and heap of stones remained, there may have been the possibility of someone saying, "Look what we did." This altar was to be a reminder that it was the absolute grace and mercy of God that allowed them to make the return trip to Ai and receive the victory.

It was not just any type of altar that was to be erected. It was to be "an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron." What does that mean? Whole stones that had been formed by God in creation were to be used without any man lifting a hand to try to form or fashion them. They were to be used exactly as they found them in the earth. God is very precise and He is a very jealous God. God's jealousy is not for His benefit; rather, He is jealous when His people try to take honor or give honor to another. When honor and glory is bestowed upon another, we become weaker in our faith. It may not seem that way; yet, it is true. We begin to shift our attention to another and look to them for answers rather than looking to God.

For generations to come, people would walk past the ruins of the city, the heap of stones that showed the defeat of the king, and then see the altar to God. There they would come to the full understanding of victorious living. If we ever stop short of giving honor to the Lord, we have failed in seeing the full picture of life. Every victory, every good gift, every perfect gift comes from our Heavenly Father. We must never forget that and we must always give honor and praise unto the LORD God. Would you agree?

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