“But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.” Joshua 6:18-20 ESV

Joshua gave these instructions to the Israelites on the seventh and final day of their march around the city of Jericho. But those instructions were not followed: “But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel” (Joshua 7:1 ESV). God gave specific instructions for the destruction of Jericho: for His glory and their good. But Achan made a different choice.

Here’s the thing: Achan took the forbidden items after witnessing the greatness of God in the destruction of Jericho (6:20-21). I don’t know what other evidence of God’s power he was waiting for, but I hope I would have been more convinced. He let his desire for possessions override his desire to obey God. He looked for peace in the wrong place. Because God IS peace. “For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. . .” (1 Corinthians 14:33a ESV)

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“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play neat the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:6-9)

Here we read about peace, the peace prophesied to come from the Messiah. This passage in Isaiah shares the promise of a Savior (Isaiah 11). We read things that don’t happen naturally, like animals living together without fear of being attacked. We read about a child, weak and vulnerable, being in dangerous situations without being harmed. We read about a lion eating straw rather than other animals. They will not only lie down together, but be at rest together, being in a vulnerable but rejuvenating state. All things will be at peace.

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Where do I look for peace? In God’s hands, proven to be for my good, or in the things of the world? Peace from circumstances. Peace from relationships. Peace from met expectations. Peace from possessions.

What do I expect will give me peace? “If only such and such would happen. . .”, “I’ll have peace when this is over”, “I’ll have peace when it’s summer and I’m not working as much.”

I leave you with these verses that remind us we have peace in God because He is the God of Peace.

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7 ESV

“Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of monetary mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.” 2 Corinthians 13:11 ESV

“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:9 ESV