Sometimes, the little man is forgotten. Regardless of the great deed he has done in saving the city, in Ecclesiastes the poor wise man is forgotten whilst the rulers are remembered. Yet, were it not for this man, the city would have been defeated for it was small with few people to defend it. History is littered with such instances, of course in some cases we may not even know about it. One particular event in history is neglected by many people though.

Whilst the world’s rulers strutted across the world stage, God the Son gave up his heavenly riches to become a poor man, that he might save his people. Whilst the Caesar’s wielded great military might, he didn’t use power and might, but through his death on the cross and eventual resurrection. This may seem to be foolishness to many, but through this foolishness the sins of the elect were dealt with. Through this great sacrifice of love, we can be made righteous before God, and can enter into a relationship with a holy God.

After the defeat of the Israelites at Ai because of their disobedience, God doesn’t abandon them. Even though they had made a mistake, God was still prepared to use them, and even use their mistake as a tool for their benefit. They were to repeat their attack, and retreat as they had done before and cause the men of Ai to pursue them, but this time, they were to ambush the men of Ai. The Israelites did as God commanded, and were victorious.

As Christians, we very often make mistakes. This same God will not just write us off though. He is willing to give us another chance. This is not to say we should carry on repeating these mistakes, but that we should repent of our disobedience and he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. Even with forgiveness, the consequences of these mistakes may still be with us, and God may even use it for our benefit. We can, and should, learn from our mistakes.

This is not to say we should make mistakes, for we should avoid making them. God has given us his word that we might learn and avoid making these mistakes. It is better to learn without making the mistake.