Too Big for Your Britches

When I was a kid, I was fascinated with the adventures of the Wild West. I can still remember waking up early on Saturdays and watching "Bonanza" with my dad while my mom would cook biscuits and gravy. The smell of bacon and the burning map of the Ponderosa and the six shooter strapped to my hip made my Saturday mornings the best ever.

One of the non-fiction characters I learned about in history that caught my eye was Davy Crockett, you know, the king of the wild frontier. I can remember watching reruns of Fess Parker's portrayal of Davy Crockett, bedecked with coonskin cap and all. It's hard to decipher between fact and fiction when it comes to this folk hero. Crockett fought and died defending the Alamo. One thing we do know for sure is that he was a state delegate from the state of Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives. He's also credited with one of the most recognizable phrases of American tradition. It was first published in 1835 in An Account of Col. Crockett's Tour to the North and Down East.

Crockett said of the famous president, "I myself was one of the first to fire a gun under Andrew Jackson. I helped to give him all his glory. But I liked him well once: but when a man gets too big for his breeches, I say Good bye."

President Jackson wasn't the only one who has been too big for his breeches at times in their journey. In fact, that's precisely where the children of Israel found themselves in Joshua 7 and 8 and their cautionary tale should serve as a reminder to us all of the dangers of pride and presumption.

Highlight:

'Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and scout the land.” So the men went up and scouted Ai. After returning to Joshua they reported to him, “Don’t send all the people, but send about two thousand or three thousand men to attack Ai. Since the people of Ai are so few, don’t wear out all our people there.” So about three thousand men went up there, but they fled from the men of Ai. The men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of them and chased them from outside the city gate to the quarries, striking them down on the descent. As a result, the people lost heart. ' Joshua 7:2-5

Explain:

Here in Joshua 7 and 8 we are exposed to the grave and despicable consequences of seemingly insignificant disobedience. Right from the beginning we are told the problem here; the Israelites are “unfaithful regarding the things set apart for destruction.” The point of this destruction regarding the fact that Jericho (the spoils from which they are not to take) were the first fruits of the victory that God had given them. It belonged totally to God and so pilfering from what is rightfully God’s since He so deliberately gave it to them is nothing short of complete and utter rebellion. A rebellion that would cost them dearly.

All of this is a pattern that happens in the life of someone who lives self-sufficient. They become self-sufficient and feel prideful. They begin to feel self-confident after their victory at Jericho and don’t feel the need to depend on God to fight Ai, they don’t even feel the need to bring the whole army. Achan was even presumptuous enough to presume against God’s commandments to steal form God at Jericho.

Apply:

How often in our lives do we become self-sufficient and we think we can handle things from here. We don’t acknowledge our dependence on God or even that we need Him to be armed for battle. We divide ourselves from others who could stand with us in the battle. As a result our pride and our presumption gets us in major trouble in battles that should be nothing for us when we depend on God.

We end up believing that we are self-sufficient, we think that we are the masters of our own fate, never realizing how ridiculously dependent on God we are. We even presume upon God’s victory and begin to steal the spoils of victory from God Himself and refuse to walk in obedience to what He is asked of us.

Respond:

Jesus, help me to realize how dependent I am on You. Help me to understand that I am nothing without You. Forgive me for the ways I haven’t demonstrated Your holiness in not doing what You asked. I’m reminded of Moses and Achan’s example and help me to walk uprightly before You and acknowledge my dependence on You daily.