A Fighter Like His Father
A Fighter Like His Father
Joshua 8:1 & 3 And 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.” … So Joshua and all the fighting men arose to go up to Ai. And Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out by night.
The best way to drown out the lingering taste of a crushing defeat isn’t with a bottle of whiskey as country singers propose, but with the rejuvenating plunge of an even greater triumph. Think of it: when a professional boxer gets beat in a title bout, he doesn’t want to hide somewhere for months while the press obliterates him. No, if he’s a genuine competitor, he’ll want to fight again as soon as possible. He’ll hit the gym even harder than before, hoping that the next time he’ll be able to change the narrative and give angry fans something to cheer. Even deeper, when a woman suffers a miscarriage as my wife did two years ago, she doesn’t generally choose to remain in the despair of that infertility month after month; she yearns to get pregnant as soon as possible. There are just some wounds that a big paycheck and vacations to the Caribbean and a long run around the neighborhood won’t cover over. Sometimes a fresh victory in the ring or a fresh heartbeat in the womb is the only elixir.
Imagine how especially excruciating the aftermath of Ai has been for a saint as stalwart as Joshua. He isn’t used to losing. And just like that champion heavyweight boxer who now has a loss on his record, the fresh memory sucker-punches Joshua in the gut every time he thinks of it, and he’s itching for another fight. You can bet that when God comes to him here in Joshua 8 to tell him to prepare for a rematch, he’s already shadowboxing in the gym, with wrists taped and gloves on, more ready than he’s ever been.
It strikes me that as Joshua marches with his men back to Ai, he looks more like Jacob of old now, doesn’t he? He’s got a bit of a limp going. Ah, but it’s just the swagger of having wrestled with God and coming out better for it.