Joshua 8

must overcome the enemy in order to claim it for ourselves and enjoy it.

When Joshua met the Lord, he discovered that the battle was the Lord’s and He had already overcome the enemy. All Joshua had to do was listen to God’s Word and obey orders, and God would do the rest. God had already given Jericho to Israel (Josh. 6:2); all they had to do was step out by faith and claim the victory by obeying the Lord.

In a meeting with a small group of missionaries in China, James Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission (now Overseas Missionary Fellowship) reminded them that there were three ways to do God’s work: “One is to make the best plans we can, and carry them out to the best of our ability … or, having carefully laid our plans and determined to carry them through, we may ask God to help us, and to prosper us in connection with them. Yet another way of working is to begin with God; to ask His plans, and to offer ourselves to Him to carry out His purposes.’’

Joshua followed the third plan, and that’s why the Lord blessed him.

The main lesson of Joshua 5 is that we must be a spiritually prepared people if we are going to do the Lord’s work successfully and glorify His name. Instead of rushing into the battle, we must “take time to be holy.”

In a letter to his missionary friend Rev. Daniel Edwards, the saintly Scottish preacher Robert Murray McCheyne wrote: “Remember you are God’s sword— His instrument—I trust a chosen vessel unto Him to bear His name. In great measure, according to the purity and perfections of the instrument, will be the success. It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God.”

That letter was written in 1840, but its admonition applies to God’s people today. All of us are His ministers, His servants, and we want to be holy instruments that He can use successfully.

The following quotation runs contrary to what most people today think about life, including people in the church. It was said in a sermon preached on August 12, 1849, by the famous British preacher F. W. Robertson. Life, like war, is a series of mistakes, and he is not the best Christian nor the best general who makes the fewest false steps. Poor mediocrity may secure that; but he is the best who wins the most splendid victories by the retrieval of mistakes. Forget mistakes; organize victories out of mistakes.

Henry Ford would have agreed with Robertson, because Ford defined a mistake as “an opportunity to begin again, more intelligently.” Joshua would also have agreed, because he is about to “begin again, more intelligently” and organize a victory out of his mistakes.

Once the nation of Israel had judged the sin that had defiled their camp, God was free to speak to them in mercy and direct them in their conquest of the land. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand” (Ps. 37:23–24 nkjv). No matter what mistakes we may make, the worst mistake of all is not to try again; for “the victorious Christian life is a series of new beginnings” (Alexander Whyte).

You start with the Word of God. We today don’t hear God’s audible voice as people often did in Bible times, but we have the Word of God before us and the Spirit of God within us, and God will direct us if we wait patiently before Him.

The word of encouragement (v. 1a). Discouragement over the past and fear of the future are the two reactions that often accompany failure. We look back and remember the mistakes that we made, and then we look ahead and wonder whether there’s any future for people who fail so foolishly.

The answer to our discouragement and fear is in hearing and believing God’s Word: “Fear not, neither be thou dismayed” (v. 1). I recommend that you take your Bible concordance and study the “fear not” statements of the Bible. Note that God spoke these words to different kinds of people in various circumstances, and His Word always met the need. Be sure to check the “fear not” statements in Genesis, Isaiah 41–44, and the first eight chapters of Luke. God never discourages His people from making progress. As long as we obey His commandments, we have the privilege of claiming His promises. God delights “to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect [wholly devoted] toward Him” (2 Chron. 16:9).

The word of instruction (vv. 1b–2). God always has a plan for His people to follow, and the only way for us to have victory is to obey God’s instructions. In his first attack on Ai Joshua followed the advice of his spies and used only part of the army, but God told him to take “all the people of war”(v. 1). The Lord also told Joshua to use an ambush and take advantage of Ai’s self-confidence stemming from Israel’s first defeat (7:1–5). Finally, God gave the soldiers the right to claim the spoils, but they were to burn the city. Had Achan waited only a few days, he could have picked up all the wealth that he wanted. God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him. When we run ahead of the Lord, we usually rob ourselves and hurt others.

The word of promise (v. 1c). “I have given” was God’s promise (see 6:2) and Joshua’s guarantee of victory as long as he obeyed the instructions of the Lord. “God never made a promise that was too good to be true,” said evangelist D. L. Moody, but every promise must be claimed by faith. Unless the promises of God are “mixed with faith” (Heb. 4:2), they accomplish nothing. Because Israel acted presumptuously in their first attack against Ai, they failed miserably. The promises of God make the difference between faith and presumption.

You can never exaggerate the importance of the Christian soldier spending time daily in the Word of God. Unless daily we take the sword of the Spirit by faith (Eph. 6:17), we go into the battle unarmed and therefore unprepared. Spiritually minded believers are victorious because they allow the Word of God to “saturate” their minds and hearts. The Spirit using the Word controls their desires and decisions and this is the secret of victory.

No matter how badly we have failed, we can always get up and begin again, for our God is the God of new beginnings.

God is not only the God of new beginnings, but He’s also the God of infinite variety. Remember the words of King Arthur that I quoted in chapter 2? “And God fulfills Himself in many ways/Lest one good custom should corrupt the world.” God changes His leaders lest we start trusting flesh and blood instead of trusting the Lord, and He changes His methods lest we start depending on our personal experience instead of on His divine promises.

The strategy God gave Joshua for taking Ai was almost opposite the strategy He used at Jericho. The Jericho operation involved a week of marches that were carried on openly in the daylight. The attack on Ai involved a covert night operation that prepared the way for the daylight assault. The whole army was united at Jericho, but Joshua divided the army for the attack on Ai. God performed a mighty miracle at Jericho when He caused the walls to fall down flat, but there was no such miracle at Ai. Joshua and his men simply obeyed God’s instructions by setting an ambush and luring the people of Ai out of their city, and the Lord gave them the victory.

It’s important that we seek God’s will for each undertaking so that we don’t depend on past victories as we plan for the future. The World War II song “We did it before/And we can do it again!” doesn’t always apply to the work of the Lord. How easy is it for Christian ministries to dig their way into administrative ruts that eventually become graves, simply because the leadership fails to discern whether God wants to do something new for them. The American business leader Bruce Barton (1886–1967) said, “When you’re through changing, you’re through.”

The strategy for Ai was based on Israel’s previous defeat, for God was organizing victory out of Joshua’s mistakes. The people of Ai were overconfident because they had defeated Israel at the first attack, and this overconfidence would be their undoing. “We did it before, and we can do it again!”

At night Joshua and his army marched fifteen miles from Gilgal to Ai, and, using 30,000 soldiers, Joshua set up an ambush behind the city from the west (vv. 3–9). He put another 5,000 men between Ai and Bethel, which was about two miles away (v. 12). This detachment would make sure that the army from Bethel wouldn’t make a surprise attack from the northwest and open another “front.” The rocky terrain in the highlands around Ai made it easy for Joshua to conceal his soldiers, and the whole operation was done at night.

The plan was simple but effective. Leading the rest of the Jewish army, Joshua would make a frontal attack on Ai from the north. His men would flee as they had done the first time and by fleeing draw the self-confident people of Ai away from the protection of their city. At Joshua’s signal the soldiers lying in ambush would enter the city and set it on fire. The people of Ai would be caught between two armies, and the third army would deal with any assistance that might come from Bethel.

Being a good general, Joshua lodged with his army (v. 9). He certainly encouraged them to trust the Lord and believe His promise for victory. The Captain of the host of the Lord (5:14) would go before them because they obeyed His Word and trusted His promises.

The work of the Lord requires strategy, and Christian leaders must seek the mind of the Lord in their planning. Like Joshua, we must get the facts and weigh them carefully as we seek the will of God. Too often, the work of the Lord only drifts along on the tide of time, without any rudder or compass to give direction, and the results are disappointing. Our English word strategy comes from two Greek words that together mean “to lead an army.” Leadership demands planning, and planning is an important part of strategy.

Ai emptied (vv. 14–17). When morning dawned, the king of Ai saw the army of Israel positioned before the city, ready to attack. Confident of victory, he led his men out of the city and against the Jews. “They are the most in danger,” said Matthew Henry, “who are least aware of it.” Joshua and his men began to flee, and this gave the men of Ai even more assurance of victory.

According to verse 17, the men of Bethel were also involved in the attack, but no details are given. Whether they were already in Ai or arrived on the scene just in time, we aren’t told, but their participation led to the defeat of their city (12:16) as well as Ai.

It was careless of the people of Ai to leave their city undefended, but such are the follies of self-confidence. When a small army sees a large army flee without even fighting, it gives them a feeling of superiority that can lead to defeat.

Ai captured (vv. 18–20). Conscious that the battle was the Lord’s (1 Sam. 17:47; 2 Chron. 20:15), Joshua waited for further instructions. God then told him to lift up his spear toward the city (Josh. 8:18). This was the signal for the other troops to enter the city and burn it, but the signal had to be given at just the right time. The men of Ai and Bethel were trapped, and it was a simple matter for the army of Israel to destroy them. Joshua held up his spear until the victory was won (v. 26), an action that reminds us of the battle Joshua fought against Amalek when Moses held up his hands to the Lord (Ex. 17:8–16).

Ai’s army and people destroyed (vv. 21–29). Seeing the smoke of the city, Joshua’s men stopped fleeing, and they turned and attacked the army of Ai that was pursuing them. After the Jewish soldiers in Ai left the city, they joined in the battle. The enemy was then caught between two armies. “Israel cut them down, leaving them neither survivors nor fugitives” (v. 22 niv).

Once the army was annihilated, the rest of the population of the city was destroyed, just as at Jericho (vv. 24–25; 6:21, 24). Keep in mind that this was not the “slaughter of innocent people” but the judgment of God on an evil society that had long resisted His grace and truth.

Ai’s king slain (vv. 23, 29). This was the final symbolic gesture of complete victory on the part of Israel. The king had no army, subjects, or city, for the Lord had destroyed them all. It was total victory on the part of Israel. Joshua killed the king with a sword and then ordered that the corpse be humiliated by hanging it on a tree until sundown (Deut. 21:22–23). The body was then buried under a heap of stones at the entrance of the gate of the ruin that had once been Ai. The previous heap of stones that Israel had raised was a memorial to Achan who had caused their defeat at Ai (Josh. 7:25–26). But this heap of stones at Ai was a memorial of Israel’s victory over the enemy. By obeying the Word of the Lord, they had organized victory out of mistakes.

Ai’s spoils claimed (v. 27). Since the firstfruits of the spoils of war in Canaan had already been given to God at Jericho, He permitted the army to claim the spoils at Ai. Furthermore, at Jericho, the victory was theirs because of a miracle of God; while at Ai, because the men actually had to fight, they earned their reward. (For the laws governing the distribution of spoils, see Num. 31:19–54.) We aren’t sure that these rules were strictly followed in every situation, but they give you an indication of how Israel handled the spoils of war.

When at the close of the day the men buried the king of Ai under a heap of stones, there must have been a new sense of faith and courage in Israel, for they had won another victory. The people saw that not one word of God’s promise had failed. The disgrace and defeat caused by Achan had now been erased, and Israel was well on her way to conquering the Promised Land.

At some time following the victory at Ai, Joshua led the people thirty miles north to Shechem, which lies in the valley between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. Here the nation obeyed what Moses had commanded them to do in his farewell speech (Deut. 27:1–8). Joshua interrupted the military activities to give Israel the opportunity to make a new commitment to the authority of Jehovah as expressed in His law.

Joshua built an altar (vv. 30–31). Since Abraham had built an altar at Shechem (Gen. 12:6–7), and Jacob had lived there a short time (chap. 33–34), the area had strong historic ties to Israel. Joshua’s altar was built on Mount Ebal, “the mount of cursing,” because only a sacrifice of blood can save sinners from the curse of the law (Gal. 3:10–14).

In building the altar, Joshua was careful to obey Exodus 20: and not apply any tool to the stones picked up in the field. No human work was to be associated with the sacrifice lest sinners think their own works can save them (Eph. 2:8–9). God asked for a simple stone altar, not one that was designed and decorated by human hands, “that no flesh should glory in his presence” (1 Cor. 1:29). It’s not the beauty of manmade religion that gives the sinner forgiveness, but the blood on the altar (Lev. 17:11). King Ahab replaced God’s altar with a pagan altar, but it didn’t give him acceptance with God or make him a better man (2 Kings 16:9–16).

The priests offered burnt offerings to the Lord as a token of the nation’s total commitment to Him (Lev. 1). The peace offerings, or “fellowship offerings,” were an expression of gratitude to God for His goodness (3; 7:11–34). A portion of the meat was given to the priests and another portion to the offerer so that he could eat it joyfully with his family in the presence of the Lord (7:15–16, 30–34; Deut. 12:17–18). By these sacrifices, the nation of Israel was assuring God of their commitment to Him and their fellowship with Him.

Joshua wrote the law on stones (vv. 32–33). This act was in obedience to the command of Moses (Deut. 27:1–8). In the Near East of that day it was customary for kings to celebrate their greatness by writing records of their military exploits on huge stones covered with plaster. But the secret of Israel’s victory was not their leader or their army; it was their obedience to God’s law (Josh. 1:7–8). In later years, whenever Israel turned away from God’s law, they got into trouble and had to be disciplined. “And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day?” asked Moses (Deut. 4: nkjv).

Believers today have the Word of God written on their hearts by the Holy Spirit of God (Rom. 8:1–4; 2 Cor. 3). The law written on stones was external, not internal, and could instruct the people but could never change them. Paul makes it clear in the epistle to the Galatians that while the law can convict sinners and bring them to Christ (Gal. 3:19–25), it can never convert sinners and make them like Christ. Only the Spirit of God can do that.

This is now the fourth public monument of stones that has been erected. The first was at Gilgal (Josh. 4:20), commemorating Israel’s passage across the Jordan. The second was in the Valley of Achor, a monument to Achan’s sin and God’s judgment (7:26). The third was at the entrance to Ai, a reminder of God’s faithfulness to help His people (8:29). These stones on Mount Ebal reminded Israel that their success lay only in their obedience to God’s law (1:7–8).

Joshua read the law (vv. 34–35). The tribes were assigned their places in front of the two mounts, according to Moses’ instructions in Deuteronomy 27:11–13. Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali were at Mount Ebal, the mount of cursing; and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh), and Benjamin were at Mount Gerizim, the mount of blessing. The tribes at Mount Gerizim were founded by men who had either Leah or Rachel for their mother, while the tribes at Mount Ebal were descended from either Zilpah or Bilhah, handmaids of Leah and Rachel. The only exceptions were Reuben and Zebulun, who belonged to Leah. Reuben had forfeited his status as the firstborn because he had sinned against his father (Gen. 35:22; 49:3–4).

In the valley between the two mountains stood the priests and Levites with the ark, surrounded by the elders, officers, and judges of the nation. The people were all facing the ark, which represented the presence of the Lord among His people. When Joshua and the Levites read the blessings of the Lord one by one (see Deut. 28:1–14), the tribes at Mount Gerizim responded with a loud united “Amen!” which in the Hebrew means “So be it!” When they read the curses (see Deut. 27:14–26), the tribes at Mount Ebal would respond with their “Amen” after each curse was read.

God had given the law through Moses at Mount Sinai (Ex. 19—20), and the people had accepted it and promised to obey. Moses then repeated and explained the law on the Plains of Moab at the border of Canaan. He applied that law to their lives in the Promised Land and admonished them to obey it. “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse— the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God” (Deut. 11:26–28 niv; note vv. 29–32).

Joshua now reaffirmed the law in the land of promise. Since the area between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim was a natural amphitheater, everybody could hear the words of the law clearly and respond with intelligence. By shouting “Amen” to the statements that were read, the people admitted that they understood the law with its blessings and curses, and that they accepted the responsibility of obeying it. This included the women, children, and the “mixed multitude” (sojourners) who had joined Israel (Ex. 12:38; 22:21; 23:9; Deut. 24:17–22; 31:12). If they wanted to share in Israel’s conquest, they had to submit to the law of Israel’s God.

God’s people today stand in a valley between two mounts—Mount Calvary, where Jesus died for our sins, and Mount Olivet, where He will return in power and great glory (Zech. 14:4). The Old Testament prophets saw the Messiah’s suffering and glory, but they did not see the “valley” between their era and this present age of the church (1 Peter 1:10–12). Believers today aren’t living under the curse of the law, because Jesus bore that curse “on a tree” (Gal. 3:10–14). In Christ believers are blessed with “every spiritual blessing” (Eph. 1: nkjv) because of the grace of God. For them life means the blessings of Gerizim and not the curses of Ebal.

However, because Christians “are not under the law, but under grace” (Rom. 6:14; 7:1–6), it doesn’t mean that we can live any way we please and ignore the law of God or defy it. We aren’t saved by keeping the law, nor are we sanctified by trying to meet the demands of the law, but “the righteousness of the law” is “fulfilled in us” as we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:4). If we put ourselves under law, we forfeit the enjoyment of the blessings of grace (Gal. 5). If we walk in the Spirit, we experience His life-changing power and live so as to please God.

Let’s give thanks that Jesus bore the curse of the law for us on the cross and that He bestows all the blessings of the heavenlies on us through the Spirit. By faith we can claim our inheritance in Christ and march forth in victory!