June 19, 2021
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Reading along with us in Joshua? Here’s today’s reading:
Joshua 8 (NIV)
Ai Destroyed
1Then the Lordsaid 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. 2You 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.”..........Continue Reading
Joshua 8
Joshua 7&8
God opens this chapter with a word on encouragement to His people and then specific instructions for the battle against Ali. They follow these direction and victory is once again theirs and this time they are able to take the plunder of their victory.
God has blessings for us and victory in our battles but we must hear Him and follow His directions!
Joshua 8
What a great account that shows that God often can use our failures to bring success aka God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called to His purpose. God does tell Joshua to increase his numbers from the first attack but then develops a strategy that capitalizes on their former failure. And God gives them success in both His presence with them as well as their proper execution of the plan. God so often works through both.
And I imagine that it was from all that has happened from Jericho, to the failure at Ai, to Achan and too their success that causes them to worship God as well as reenforce the commands of Moses, with special emphasis on those things that bring blessing and those things that bring cursing and what the blessing looks like and what the curses look like as well. And what a vivid picture this event gives of some of the people being on one mountain and others being on another, one reinforcing the blessings and the other reinforcing the curses….
Interesting the different tactics used in battle throughout the Old Testament. We go from Jericho with walls falling from a mere shout to a rather complex diversion and ambush. God works in many ways.
34Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses—just as it is written in the Book of the Law. 35There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the foreigners who lived among them.
God reassures Joshua in this follow up battle against Ai, after Israel’s previous defeat, Joshua must have been grateful for God’s repeated assurance.
Now the Lord said to Joshua: “Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I HAVE GIVEN IT INTO YOUR HAND…..verse 1
Then you shall rise from the ambush and seize the city, for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand. – verse 7
Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Stretch out the spear that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.” – verse 18