With Okay and Without Okay

Joshua 8:1 – Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land.

Joshua 8:2 – You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city.”

Joshua chapter eight begins by telling us that God commanded Joshua to attack the city of Ai. God promised Joshua that they will be victorious. God tells Joshua that unlike Jericho, at Ai they can take plunder for themselves. This attack on Ai was the second one. This one had an okay from God. There is a difference between working with an okay and working without an okay.

Joshua 7:2 – Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the region.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.

Joshua 7:3 – When they returned to Joshua, they said, “Not all the army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there.”

Joshua 7:4 – So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai,

Joshua 7:5 – who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water.

Joshua chapter seven records the first attack on the city of Ai. There was no command from God. Joshua and military experts assessed the situation and decided to attack Ai. They failed. They were chased away. Some got killed. It was shameful and embarrassing failure. They did not have a divine okay to attack the city of Ai. There is a difference between working with an okay and working without an okay.

It’s true that they failed at Ai because Achan had offended God by taking valuable things from Jericho. Therefore God got offended and did not help Israelites in the first Ai battle. God did not give an okay. They failed. There is a difference between working with an okay and working without an okay.

If they had began by consulting God, He would have told them about Achan and they would have addressed the Achan problem before attacking Ai. The divine okay would have saved them from embarrassment. There is a difference between working with an okay and working without an okay.

Achan took valuables from Jericho without an okay. If he wanted to be rich he would have asked God. Had he waited for Ai attack, he would have taken as much plunder as he wanted because God allowed it. Ask God for what you need. If God doesn’t give it today, He will give something better tomorrow. If Achan had waited for a divine okay, he would be richer, alive and happier without guilt. There is a difference between working with an okay and working without an okay.

Do you have a divine okay for what you’re doing? Has God given an okay or you want to try it without an okay? There is a difference between working with an okay and working without an okay.

Joshua attacked the city of Ai without an okay. He failed. Joshua later on attacked the city of Ai again, but this time with a divine okay. He succeeded. There is a difference between working with an okay and working without an okay.

Achan tried to get rich by taking plunder from Jericho. He tried getting rich without a divine okay. He and his family lost everything and died. Others who wanted to get rich waited for a divine okay. They didn’t plunder Jericho for there was no okay. They got an okay to plunder Ai. They got rich, happy and enjoyed life. There is a difference between working with an okay and working without an okay.

Do you have an okay for that marriage? Do you have an okay for that business venture? Do you have an okay for the action you want to take? Do you have an okay from God? Have you prayed and got a sign that it is okay? There is a difference between working with an okay and working without an okay.

Moses asked for a sign of divine okay. The rod turned into a snake and vice versa. Gideon asked for a sign of divine okay. The wool left outside overnight. There is a difference between working with an okay and working without an okay.

Dear God, teach us to always seek your okay first. Grant us an okay to face this day. May we hear your guidance in the clearest way possible. In Jesus’s name, Amen!

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