March 13, 2025
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Reading along with us in Joshua and Timothy? Here’s today’s reading:
Joshua 8 (NIV)
Ai Destroyed
1 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. 2 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.”……Continue Reading
Joshua 7 & 8
”There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them.“
Joshua 8:35 NKJV
I have noticed a few times the mention of even the youngest in the assembly are present for the reading of the law, the blessings and the cursings. So many ways this is beneficial, not just the principles, the right and wrong, the knowledge of God, but the consequences of obedience or disobedience. Also, attention span! I believe we are losing our attention span and training it out of our children in our offers of entertainment.
So now the battle of Ai is a success when fought with God and in obedience to God. Quite a different military plan than the one in Jericho. This seemed more strategic and was very successful. It is always hard to read when God has everyone killed including women and children but we must trust that God knows all and there is a reason for that choice. We continue to see Israelites typical pattern of behavior obedience -> victory -> blessing -> pride -> disobedience -> defeat -> judgement -> repentance -> back to obedience. I suppose if we are honest with ourselves we can fall into this pattern as well in our lives as we experience good times and bad.
Joshua 8
Joshua 8
Read Joshua 8, and find that God is still fighting battles of total inihilation of sin (our enemy) in our lives.
Go and sin no more has meaning, it cannot be done without Christ. Peace, -gy
Joshua 8
After the people failed against the king of Ai because of sin in their midst and God dealt with the sin by Achan and his family, God has not given up on the people of Israel but gives Joshua instructions on how to destroy the city of Ai. To draw out the men from the city into an ambush. Ater God has Joshua hold his spear up toward the city to attack, he never brings it down until the battle is won. God could have destroyed the enemy, but He has Israel do it`s part in the battle. This reminded me of an earlier battle that Israel had fought and won against Amalek. It was when Moses held the rod of God up against Amalek and as long as he kept his arm raised the Israelites won, but when he lowered his arm the Israelites started to lose. His arm got so tired that Aaron and Hur had Moses sit on a rock while Aaron and Hur held his arm up. Exodus 17:8-13. The same is true now with us in our walk with the Lord. He wants to fight the battle with us, but we need to ask Him for His help and also do our part. We are in a spiritual warfare. God bless us as we fight the battle together with His help.
Chapters 7 and 8. Not that easy to read. I get Achin falling to the temptation. What harm is it going to do. Is the thought that would have gone through my head. Happens daily still. Not always easy to obey. Stop and shop not open when I went to work early morning last week. Fire wood outside. I took a few bundles. Reading these chapters. Going to pay this morning. I’m laughing. But maybe God isn’t. Achins whole family stoned seems harsh. Joshua. Great man. Great leader. Great plan carried out to defeat enemy’s
Obedience brings victory, both for the Jews and us. It is interesting that God uses Israel’s failure in battle to help their success in this one. That too is often how God works in our lives. We learn lessens from when we falter or when we overcome our weaknesses, God often will use our experience to help others. And after the victory, they renew their covenant with God and do what Moses had instructed to stand on mountains and have the curses and blessings read and the tribes would respond vocally when they were read. How important it was to have those blessings and curses reinforced to remember the value of following God and also for God to make clear what He needed to do if they disobeyed.
Joshua 8