Cut the Cord!
Today’s Verse:
And the Lord said unto Joshua, Be not afraid because of them: for to morrow about this time will I deliver them up all slain before Israel: thou shalt hough their horses, and burn their chariots with fire. ~Joshua 11:6
Joshua was moving forward in conquering the Canaanite nations and taking possession of the land of promise. With God’s help, he soundly defeated the kings of Jericho, Ai, and other nations in the south. In Joshua 11, he faced the kings of the north and a much stronger foe. God gave him words of comfort, but also a firm command. He told Joshua to hough their horses and burn their chariots. The houghing of a horse meant to cut the tendons in its ankles to render it helpless and incapable of standing. Let us see a valuable lesson this morning on the importance of cutting the cord.
We see the principle.
Whenever an enemy was conquered, the victor would claim the animals as part of the spoils of war. Claiming horses would greatly increase the fighting capabilities. However, God did not want Joshua placing his trust on the acquisitions of war to bolster his position. Joshua and his army marched as many as 80 miles to fight with Jabin of Hazor. However, God wanted Joshua never to lose sight of the fact that the source of every victory would come from the Lord. In Ps. 20:7 we read, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” In Prov. 21:31 we read, “The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the Lord.” The principle is that every battle is won the same way: faith alone in God! We are not strong because of our possessions and strength: we are strong because our faith is in the Lord. The houghing of the horses symbolizes cutting the cord.
We see the practice.
We put this principle into practice by learning to cut the cord with anything that will interfere with and weaken our faith in the Lord. We must cut the cord with unbelief. Unbelief stymies the power of God. We must cut the cord of self-dependence. We must depart from any thought that we are self-made. We must cut the cord of wrong counsel. Wrong counsel will get us in trouble every time. We must cut the cord of pride and arrogance. We must cut the cord of disobedience and rebellion. Not only was Joshua supposed to hough the horses, but he was also supposed to burn their chariots. Nothing that the Canaanites owned was to be taken. Let us be reminded today that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.
We see the provision.
Instead of horses and chariots, Joshua and Israel saw that everything they needed for their success was in the Lord. We really don’t grasp how powerful faith is until we personally experience it. We miss the opportunity to grow spiritually when we think that we have to have “things” to succeed. With faith, Joshua saw the walls of Jericho come down with just the shout of the people of Israel. With faith, Gideon’s army of 300 defeated 100,000 Midianites. With faith, Elijah saw a widow woman sustained with a handful of meal and a cruse of oil. With faith, David defeated a giant that was almost four feet taller than him. With faith, Daniel saw his praying shut the mouths of lions. With faith, Paul started churches in unconventional ways. When we pray for our needs, the greatest needs we have are for the power of God and faith.
What is it that God is telling you to cut? What is keeping you from the fullness of God’s blessing that you need to cut off right now? Cut off the strongest thing about you, and lean wholly on the Lord for His blessing to come through.
Have an obedient God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Isaiah 59-63