Blue's Influence  v1-25 Ch 7 Josh

                v2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai... go up & spy out the region.
                                ~What you are or have become is being imparted

 

Experiential Influence:  as a newly appointed spy it would be easy
                                                    to respect Joshua's orders, advice & counsel
                                                    since he had been an successful spy prior
                                          to promotion into Moses leadership position.

              Baton: spies had same victorious attitude about taking land
                              that Joshua displayed when he was a spy.  What
                        goes around comes around.  (Gal 6:7)

                   ~Influence speaks through experience being respected by its followers.  
                                                              ~7/22/08 5:52pm CAP
         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                                                          ~Only as strong as weakest link
                                                                     1.2%  _36_ soldiers died
36=Enemy                                                            3,000
 

Influence Astray:  v3-5  Achan.  1 Man.  1 Sin.  Had influenced the
                                 death of 36 men from within his own camp.
                                 Achan acted unfaithfully (v1) so the LORD's
                                 anger burned NOT against 1 Man but against
                                 the camp {because there is 1 Body & 1 Spirit...
                                 1 Hope, 1 LORD, 1 Faith, 1 Baptism, 1 God &
                                 Father of all Who is above all & through all &
                                 in you all (Eph 4:4-6)}.

v10-13  Achan sinned but the LORD didn't make the threat to Achan, He made it to the leader Whom He granted influence with Achan...  I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction (v12).

Father God administered leadership (influence).  Military understands the power of obeying the superior officer.  Parents influence-lead the children expecting obedience even if kid is big football player, bigger than both parents.  Where Power ends, Authority-Leadership-Influence begins.  Knowledge is power but it is not necessarily authority.  And there is reason why rebellion is a word.  When Power will not obey Authority even though it is less, it is because of challenging Authority with the mind to rebel.  Car is moving toward traffic light.  Policeman is standing in middle of road at traffic light with one hand up, whistle in mouth to tell big powerful car to stop.  Authority-position-leader-influencer has right to make command, car has power, the power of the will..... to obey or not.  The Power of knowledge must submit to the command of Authority.  Just because the car is bigger and more powerful than the standing man police offer with his whistle can mean that whenever power disobeys Authority, that Power of Knowledege just became an illusion of what knowledge and power are to be used for.  And there will be severe consequences... Achan witnessed that the love of money brings  power, even surface identity, but proved to be temporary, shallow, and when time to answer for the method and actions while aquiring it that it couldn't save his life (1 Tim6:10).    

              "Stand up! What are you doing...? Israel (no thanks to Achan) has sinned...they (thanks to Achan) have lied.  That is why Israel (soldiers) cannot stand against their enemies.  You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove it."  (A little leaven 1 Cor 5:6 (sin, achan's greed, christy not keeping word to call monday, leavens/influences the whole lump (group, battle to take city of Ai, vacation plans- no matter if caused not by majority but through 1 Man for if 1 member suffers all the members suffer with it (1Cor 12:26) until the individual members (v27) shall give an account of himself to God (Ro 14:12).

 v16-25  Once Achan got called out & told to give Glory to the LORD & give Him Praise by confessing, Achan still had to reap what he sowed (Gal 6:7) even though he was able for forgiveness by admitting his sin (v20).  Remember that his influence affected more than himself when he decided to disobey & sin to obtain the Babylonian Robe, the silver & gold that he wanted for himself.  This manifested greed cost 3,000 camp friends sent to represent and fight for the group to lose an easy victory plus cost 36 men their lives.  Achan's influence caused this mess... time loss, feel not so confident for the next battle, fear of spreading news about the failed victory, wasted energy & supplies with no real reward for all that effort...  So although Achan confessed his sin and may be eternally saved he will still have to reap what he sowed.  The camp was expected to take the city of Ai, #5857 in Hebrew that means: a ruin, overturned, HEAP.  Achan experienced (reaped) the camp's prophetic vision in reverse.  Instead of turning Ai into a heap pile, Achan (symbol for sin) was first stoned then burned wherein the deadly consequences (v26) over Achan they had "HEAPED" up a large pile of rocks... before the LORD turned from His fierce anger.

 God was mad at sin.  Sin caused innocent people to die.  Greed wanted only what it could get for itself while it thought of no one else yet everything said and done will eventually affect someone else and yet actions based on selfishness only ever fail to ask anyone else if they would like to suffer for the consequence of death that is sure to come (Ro 6:23).  This indirect control (influence) over others is in subtle appearance as it flowed through thoughtless selfishness.

 

~Prayer       New Testament Red Letter Recommendation to avoid 
Matt 26:41   temptation since things like greed or selfishness are
                      more than an Old Testament idea.