Get Up

Get Up!
Text: Joshua 7:6-15

Joshua was not the first man in the Bible to be brought down. Joseph was brought down into a pit and later into prison. Jeremiah was brought down into a dungeon and sank in the mire. Abraham went down into Egypt. Jonah went down to Joppa, down into a ship, down into the sea, and ultimately cried “out of the belly of hell.” Peter began to sink beneath the waves of the Sea of Galilee. Paul went down into the ship as he traveled toward Rome. Jesus Christ, through no fault of his own, went down into the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.
But the great thing about going down is that you can get up. Proverbs 24:16 says, “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.”
Joseph came out of prison and was promoted to second in command in Egypt. Jeremiah was lifted out of the dungeon and continued preaching. Jonah came up out of the sea and preached to Nineveh. Peter recovered from his failures and preached with boldness. Jesus Christ rose victoriously from the dead.
You may get knocked down. You may suffer defeat. You may experience sorrow and loss. You may even fall because of your own failure. But you do not have to stay down.

The Conflict That Got Him Down
Joshua 7 records one of the lowest moments of Joshua's leadership. Israel had just experienced an overwhelming victory at Jericho. Then they went against the little city of Ai expecting another easy victory. Instead, Israel fled before their enemies, thirty-six men were killed, and “the hearts of the people melted, and became as water” (Joshua 7:5).
Joshua faced many of the same conflicts that still bring people down today. There was sin. Unknown to Joshua, there was sin in the camp. Achan had taken of the accursed thing, and Israel was suffering the consequences. There were imaginations and thoughts. Joshua's greatest battle after Ai was no longer taking place on the battlefield. It was taking place between his ears and his shoulders. His mind began racing ahead to what the Amorites and Canaanites might do next. There was defeat. Defeat has a way of bringing a person low. After the victory at Jericho, Joshua suddenly found himself facing a humiliating loss at Ai.
There was sorrow. Proverbs 15:13 says, “by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.” A broken spirit can make getting back up seem almost impossible. There was also loss. Thirty-six men were dead. Joshua could not undo what had happened. The loss caused him to question what God was doing and fear what might happen next.
Conflict is part of the Christian life. We should not assume that because we experience conflict, something has necessarily gone wrong. The believer is engaged in spiritual warfare. There will be battles, and sometimes there will even be defeats. The question is not whether you will ever get knocked down. The question is what you will do when you are down.

The Contrition That Got Him Right
Joshua was already down emotionally, but his contrition brought him down in the right place. Joshua 7:6 says that “Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD.” Sometimes before God can get you back up, you've got to get down before God. Joshua did not run away from God in his defeat. He fell before the LORD.
Isaiah 66:2 says, “but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” 1Peter 5:5-6 reminds us that God “giveth grace to the humble” and commands us to humble ourselves under his mighty hand so that he may exalt us in due time.
Hope comes when a defeated person becomes humble. God's mercy toward Joshua can be seen in what happened next. Ephesians 2:4 describes him as “God, who is rich in mercy.” That mercy is evident throughout Joshua's defeat. God still spoke to Joshua. God still sought for Joshua to get up. God still gave Joshua the solution to make things right. The defeat at Ai was serious, but it did not mean God was finished with Joshua.

The Command to Get Up
Joshua had fallen before the LORD, but God did not intend for him to remain there indefinitely. Joshua 7:10 says: “And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?” There is a time to fall on your face before God, but there is also a time to get back on your feet.
God's question to Joshua is similar to his question to Cain in Genesis 4:6: “Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?” In both cases, God's questions moved beyond the man's emotional condition to the spiritual issue that needed addressing. Cain needed to deal with his own sin. Joshua needed to deal with sin in the camp.
The Lord is a great Comforter, but he's not a coddler, especially when it comes to the consequences of sin. God did not merely tell Joshua to feel better. Getting up required godly action. Joshua had to sanctify himself and the people. The sin had to be identified. The sinner had to be identified. Then the situation had to be rectified by carrying out God's judgment.
This demonstrates that God is in the business of both judgment and restoration.
God told Joshua, Get up. When Elijah became discouraged and wanted to die, God strengthened him and sent him forward in the ministry. When Peter failed the Lord miserably, Jesus restored him and commanded him, “Feed my sheep.” Restoration does not mean pretending nothing happened. Biblical restoration addresses what is wrong so that we can move forward in obedience to God. You cannot overcome a defeat while refusing to confront what caused it.

The Capability to Get Up
The command in verse 10 becomes obedience in verse 16. In verse 10, God said:
“Get thee up.” Then Joshua 7:16 says: “So Joshua rose up early in the morning.”
What God commanded Joshua to do, Joshua did. Joshua could get up because God's command came with God's presence and strength. The Christian possesses an even greater assurance because Christ dwells within the believer.
Christ Will Enable You to Get Up. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” 1John 4:4 says, “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” The strength to overcome spiritual defeat is not found in determination, personality, or positive thinking alone. Our strength is in Christ.
The Word of God Will Encourage You to Get Up. Psalm 119:28 says, “My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.” Jeremiah reached a point where he considered remaining silent. But Jeremiah 20:9 says that God's word was in his heart “as a burning fire shut up in my bones.” He could not quit. When your soul melts for heaviness, get into the word of God. When your thoughts are overwhelming you, get into the word of God. When defeat tells you that there is no reason to continue, listen to what God has said rather than what defeat is telling you.
Faith Will Equip You to Get Up. 1John 5:4 says, “this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” Faith believes the gospel. Faith believes Jesus Christ. Faith believes the word of God. Joshua did not have to wait until he felt victorious before obeying. God spoke, Joshua believed what God said, and Joshua got up.

Get Up! Jesus is greater than any problem. Jesus is greater than any storm. Jesus is greater than any mountain. Jesus is greater than any temptation. Jesus is greater than any sin. Jesus is greater than any sorrow. Jesus is greater than any loss. Jesus is greater than any defeat.
Maybe something has brought you down. Perhaps it was sin. Perhaps it was failure. Perhaps it was sorrow or loss. Perhaps it was a defeat you never expected. Don't stay down.
Get down before God. Get right with God. Listen to what God says. Trust the strength of Christ. Believe the word of God. Walk by faith. In Joshua 7:10, God said, “Get thee up.” Six verses later, the Bible says, “So Joshua rose up.” The just man may fall seven times, but he “riseth up again.” Whatever has gotten you down, you don't have to stay down. Get up!