SCRIPTURE: JOSHUA 8
BIBLE VERSES:
“Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land. You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city.”” (Joshua 8:1-2)
AI DESTROYED (vs. 1-29)
The Lord told Joshua not to be afraid to attack Ai.. He promised to deliver the king of Ai to their hands and carry off their plunder and livestock. They set a plan to ambush behind the city.
So they set two groups of people. One group will advance with Joshua on the city. They will lure the enemy away from the city in pursuit of them. When Joshua hold out the javelin from his hand, the other group will rise up from ambush and take the city and set it on fire.
When the men of Ai looked back, they were trapped and had no chance to escape in any direction. The Israelites killed all of the men and took the king of Ai alive Then Joshua hung the king of Ai on a tree until evening and at sunset, his body was thrown down at the entrance of the city gate.
THE COVENANT RENEWED AT MT. EBAL (vs. 300-34)
Then Joshua built an altar to the Lord at Mt. Ebal according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses. it was an altar of uncut stones without using an iron tool. They offered burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings. Then in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua copied the law of Moses on the stones with all Israelites, aliens, officials, judges standing on both side of the ark facing the Levite priests. Half of the people stood in front of Mt. Gerizim and half of men in front of Mt. Ebal. Then Joshua read all the words of the law – the blessings and the curses as written in the Book of the Law.
THOUGHTS:
In the first encounter with Ai, the Israelites army were defeated because of Achan’s sin. After the sin had been dealt with, they had to face the second challenge. This time, they used the original battle plan to deceive the inhabitants of Ai. This strategy was a success. Never permit pas failure to rob you of future victory. When we obey God and sincerely deal with sin, God will give us the encouragement and guidance for our next step. No matter how difficult or set back sin may bring, we must renew our efforts to carry out God’s will.
Achan could have enjoyed all the spoils he desired if only he had waited. But he ran ahead of God and lost everything. May we learn to set the Lord before us in everything we do.
After the victory, Joshua obeyed what Moses had commanded and build an altar to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice fellowship offering. He put the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali on Mt. Ebal (the mountain of the curses) and put Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin on Mt. Gerizim (the mountain of blessing). Obedience to God’s word is the secret of success.