Joshua 7-8

Thursday Evening Bible Study

March 17, 2011

Introduction

Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel preached? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision

The book of Joshua is a book about receiving God’s promises.

The Israelites have taken 40 years getting through the wilderness, a journey that could have been done in two weeks. It was their lack of faith that made it last longer than it could have. But the point is that they are now ready to go in. Joshua is the man to lead them in.

In the first battle, they took the city of Jericho. It happened in a bizarre way. After having marched around the city, they let out a shout and the walls came falling down.

But before taking the city, Joshua had proclaimed a warning to the people.

(Jos 6:18 NKJV) And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.

Keep in mind that Israel conquering the Promised Land is as much about God’s judgment on a wicked pagan Canaanite culture as it is about acquiring a home for God’s people.

We are faced with a similar warning by Paul:

(Col 3:5–7 NKJV) —5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.

We need to be careful about becoming tangled up in the things of the world, the very things that are going to one day bring about God’s judgment on this world.

Joshua 7

7:1-9 Defeat at Ai

:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things; so the anger of the LORD burned against the children of Israel.

:1 Achan = “troubler”

It’s a strange play on words that the man who would “trouble” the nation was named “troubler”.

We are even given this man’s lineage.

He was the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah

Keep this in mind for later…

:1 the accursed things

Remember, these are the kinds of things that would lead Israel away from God. Earlier God had given these to Moses:

(Dt 7:5 NKJV) But thus you shall deal with them: you shall destroy their altars, and break down their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images, and burn their carved images with fire.

:2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, “Go up and spy out the country.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.

:2 Ai = “heap of ruins”

See map. Ai is about twelve miles west of Jericho, up into the hills. Ai is the next place for the Israelites to conquer.

:3 And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not let all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not weary all the people there, for the people of Ai are few.”

:3 the people of Ai are few

There were about 12,000 people who lived in Ai (Jos 8:25).

The little town of Ai seemed much smaller and easier to take than Jericho.

They recommended that it would only take about two or three thousand warriors to knock off this city.

:4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai.

:5 And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water.

:5 struck down about thirty-six men

What seemed to be an easy victory turned into a defeat. Instead of coming back having conquered the city, they came back carrying their dead.

The people become terrified.

:6 Then Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads.

:6 dust on their heads

Traditional signs of mourning and sorrow. They are greatly grieved over this defeat.

:7 And Joshua said, “Alas, Lord GOD, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all—to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan!

:8 O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies?

:9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?”

:7 why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all

We often react like Joshua when things don’t go as we thought they would.

What Joshua doesn’t remember is that there might be reasons why they had been defeated.

God had warned that if the people didn’t walk in obedience to God’s ways, that one of the results would be defeat:

(Dt 28:25 NKJV) “The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them; and you shall become troublesome to all the kingdoms of the earth.

7:10-26 Achan’s Sin

:10 So the LORD said to Joshua: “Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face?

:10 Get up!

Lesson

There's a time to pray, there's a time to act.

In reality, for most of us, we spend far too little time in prayer, and we'll probably not hear God say this to us too often.

But for some, we need to realize that God wants a balance of prayer and action in our lives.

Sometimes God is just going to do a wonderful work all by Himself, and we get to just stand back and watch.

But sometimes God wants us to be a part of the work by getting up and getting moving.

:11 Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff.

:12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you.

:11 Israel has sinned

Difficulties aren’t always a result of sin. But when you’re having hard times, it doesn’t hurt to ask, “Is there something I’ve done wrong here?” Notice – One man’s sin defeats an entire nation.

Lesson

Sin leads to defeat.

God had already promised Israel that if they disobeyed Him, then one of the many results that would follow would be defeat at the hands of their enemies.

You may be looking for victory in certain areas of your life, but instead keep experiencing defeat. Yet a secret sin in one area of your life will affect other areas of your life, even if you don’t see the connection. What did a secret sin in Jericho have to do with a defeat in Ai? In one sense they had nothing in common, but one hidden sin kept them from experiencing God’s victory.

(Is 59:1–2 NKJV) —1 Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.

It’s hard to keep “taking territory” in the Promised Land if you aren’t dealing with the sin in your life.

:12 neither will I be with you

Here’s the saddest part of all.

Lesson

Sin leads to distance from God.

Samson played around with sin, going to prostitutes, and seeing women he was forbidden to see as an Israelite. Finally, it got to the point where:

(Judg 16:20 NKJV) And she said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" So he awoke from his sleep, and said, "I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!" But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.

:13 Get up, sanctify the people, and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says the LORD God of Israel: “There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you.”

:13 sanctify – qadash – to consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate, be holy, be separate

On Sunday we looked at:

(Jn 17:17 NKJV) Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

Their being “sanctified” meant to find the sin and deal with it.

:14 In the morning therefore you shall be brought according to your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which the LORD takes shall come according to families; and the family which the LORD takes shall come by households; and the household which the LORD takes shall come man by man.

:15 Then it shall be that he who is taken with the accursed thing shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he has done a disgraceful thing in Israel.’ ”

:16 So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken.

:17 He brought the clan of Judah, and he took the family of the Zarhites; and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man, and Zabdi was taken.

:18 Then he brought his household man by man, and Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.

:18 Achan … was taken

Remember the lineage of Achan?

I wonder what Achan was thinking as this whole process was taking place.

First the tribe of Judah is picked. Then Zerah… Zabdi… Achan

Lesson

God sees my sin

(Je 23:24 NKJV) —24 Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?” says the LORD; “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the LORD.

(Eze 8:12 NKJV) Then He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the room of his idols? For they say, ‘The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land.’ ”

One of the reasons why we continue in some sins is because we don’t think anybody knows about it. Surely if someone knew, we’d be so embarrassed that we’d stop.

But the truth is, God knows. God wants you to stop.

Perhaps some of us need to take these verses and tape them to the mirror in our bathroom, or over the coffee pot in the kitchen so that the first thing we see in the morning as we begin to achieve consciousness are these words. God sees.

:19 Now Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I beg you, give glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession to Him, and tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.”

:20 And Achan answered Joshua and said, “Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I have done:

:21 When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.”

:21 Babylonian garment … silver … gold

These are the forbidden things that Achan had taken and hid.

1. Babylonian garment

One commentator writes, “Babylonish robes were very splendid, and in high reputation. They are generally allowed to have been of various colors, sometimes even woven with golden threads in them.”

Why would this be a problem?

a. Worldliness

Throughout the Bible we see Babylon as being the epitomy of worldliness. (Rev. 18)

In Revelation 18 we see a picture of Babylon being destroyed, a place where all the world’s merchants went. A place where all the kings went to be cool.

We might see Achan as wanting to keep up with the latest in worldly trends. Being a “cultured” fellow.

b. False religion

The word for “garment” here (‘addereth), can be translated, “prophet’s garment”. Historically, Babylon has been the birthplace of twisted religion. (Rev. 17)

In Revelation 17, John sees a vision of a strange woman on a beast:

(Re 17:4–5 NKJV) —4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. 5 And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

“Religion” can surely seem glamorous at times. It can have a lot of emotional highs, but lack the real thing, God Himself.

I wonder if some folks find too much comfort in a priest’s robes instead of finding comfort in God.

2. Silver ... gold

“wedge” of gold - literally, a “tongue” of gold. The wedge of gold was 50 shekels, or about 1 ¼ pounds.

There were 200 shekels of silver, or about 5 pounds of it.

Paul warned Timothy:

(1 Ti 6:9–10 NKJV) —9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Be careful about that thought that says, “If I only had a little more money, then everything would be okay.”

We need to learn contentment with what we have.

(Phil 4:10-13 NLT) How grateful I am, and how I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but for a while you didn’t have the chance to help me. {11} Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little. {12} I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. {13} For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.

:21 I saw … I coveted them and took them

That’s the order of how sin occurs, especially secret sin.

It starts with the eyes, then moves to the heart, then the action takes place.

(Jas 1:14–15 NKJV) —14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

If you want to try to make life a little less sinful, you might want to try and be careful about the things you let your eyes see.

:22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver under it.

:23 And they took them from the midst of the tent, brought them to Joshua and to all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD.

:24 Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Achor.

:24 his sons, his daughters …

Don’t assume here that the kids are paying for daddy’s sin. That’s not the case here.

(Eze 18:20 NKJV) The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

It seems that Achan wasn’t alone in his sin, or in hiding it.

At some point, he got his family involved in it too. Interesting to note: If Achan had a wife, she wasn’t involved.

Lesson

My sin affects others

We like to think that we’re involved in “victimless” sins.

That’s what people in the pornography business like to call themselves. “Nobody’s getting hurt”, they say.

To guys: If you’re involved in pornography, you can’t tell me that you don’t treat women differently.

Of course you do.

Just the idea of allowing sin to go on, as if it’s okay.

Pretty soon, others around you can allow their sin to go on without trying to change.

Your kids pick up on this kind of stuff. If you don’t have to change, why should they?

:25 And Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? The LORD will trouble you this day.” So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones.

:26 Then they raised over him a great heap of stones, still there to this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Achor to this day.

:26 a great heap of stones

A reminder to everybody of the results of secret sin.

:26 The valley of Achor

Achor = “Trouble”

:26 the LORD turned from the fierceness of His anger

What do I do if I’m the one caught in secret sin?

Should I leave the church so I won’t hurt it? No

Should I go get stoned? No

Lesson

Deliverance from Secret Sin

1. Confess

Confess your sins. Admit to God that you’ve failed. Don't wait until you're caught and exposed.

(1 Jn 1:9 NKJV) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

There may be a time when it’s proper to confess to someone else that you’ve sinned. If you’ve sinned against another person, you certainly need to ask for their forgiveness. Yet there are also times when just breaking the bondage of a bad, habitual sin doesn’t come until you carefully, confidentially confess it to someone else.

I’ve found that once you turn on the light in a dark room, it’s not so scary any more.

(Jas 5:16 NKJV) Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

2. Repent

Israel had to get the accursed thing out of the camp. Removed completely.

If you've harmed someone, go make it right with them.

Turn the direction of your life around.

You may need some help, you may need to ask others to help you as well as God.

The problem with secret sin is that we try to deal with them secretly, when they're way too big for us to handle alone.

True repentance means doing everything you can to make and stay right. Paul gives us the standard by which to measure whether or not our repentance is genuine:

(2 Cor 7:11 NLT) Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal, and such a readiness to punish the wrongdoer. You showed that you have done everything you could to make things right.

Joshua 8

8:1-29 Battle for Ai v.2.0

:1 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 into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.

:1 go up to Ai

Put yourself in the people’s and Joshua’s shoes.

Here they are in the Promised Land. They had one great victory. But what they really remember is the last battle, the one where they were humiliated in defeat.

What’s our usual tendency under those kinds of circumstances?

We’re usually a little scared to try anything new for a while.

Lesson

Get back in the saddle

In Joshua’s circumstance, their defeat was because they had a problem they had to deal with. But once you’ve solved the problem, get going again.

Illustration

We get all kinds of things to discourage us:

You know it’s going to be a bad year when:

• As the moving van starts to unload next door, the first four items down the ramp are dirt bikes.

• Your 14-year-old daughter insists Jesus never preached against pierced noses.

• Your new boss asks if they’ve filled your old position yet.

You know it’s going to be a bad day when:

• It’s a bad day when your horn accidentally gets stuck and you’re following a group of Hell’s Angels on the freeway.

• When your income tax check bounces.

But don’t let discouragement stop you, get back in the saddle!

Example:

If you’re witnessing to a friend, and they come up with some really good questions that you can’t answer. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be witnessing. It just means you need to find out the answers and go back and try it again.

Maybe you’ve been clean from drugs for awhile, and then your old friends drop by and invite you to a party. And you blow it. You figure you’re no good to God anymore. That doesn’t mean God can’t start again with you!

The Bible says,

(Pr 24:16 NKJV) For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity.

:2 And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its cattle you shall take as booty for yourselves. Lay an ambush for the city behind it.”

:2 the spoil

This time the rules were different concerning the spoil.

When they conquered Jericho, they couldn't take anything. That's what caused all the current problems, when Achan took from the forbidden spoil.

Now the Israelites are allowed to take of the spoil.

If Achan had not allowed his greed to get out of hand, he could have waited until Ai, and then he would have gotten his portion of the spoil.

:3 So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai; and Joshua chose thirty thousand mighty men of valor and sent them away by night.

:3 thirty thousand

See map. Here's battle group number one. They would be stationed close to the city, but hidden. Ai was on a hill, with lots of rocks and valleys around it, making it possible to hide this large group.

They would be on the west, probably a bit to the south of the city. They were to be “behind” the city, vs.4, while the large group was “in front”, (“before” in vs.11) or to the north.

They were sent out at night, the first night.

:4 And he commanded them, saying: “Behold, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready.

:5 Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city; and it will come about, when they come out against us as at the first, that we shall flee before them.

:5 I, and all the people

See map. Here's battle group number two. This would be the largest fighting force, making a show of power and drawing the attention of Ai.

They would move to the north of the city and camp overnight, across the valley, so they would be seen by the men of Ai.

Lesson

Come back stronger.

The first time against Ai they only took 3,000 men.

I don’t think that was necessarily a mistake. God didn’t rebuke them for using too few men. God rebuked them because there was sin in the camp. But this time Joshua is to take ALL the people with him, possibly hundreds of thousands.

Don’t go back to the fight timidly, go back with more troops!

If you’ve been witnessing without answers, get the answers! Bring a friend next time!

If you’ve been fighting drugs, drag some Christian pals into the fight with you. I don’t mean taking them to the party. I mean confess your sin to them, have them pray for you, and change friends!

:6 For they will come out after us till we have drawn them from the city, for they will say, ‘They are fleeing before us as at the first.’ Therefore we will flee before them.

:7 Then you shall rise from the ambush and seize the city, for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.

Battle group number one will be in charge of taking the city when the men of Ai go after Joshua’s battle group.

:8 And it will be, when you have taken the city, that you shall set the city on fire. According to the commandment of the LORD you shall do. See, I have commanded you.”

:9 Joshua therefore sent them out; and they went to lie in ambush, and stayed between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai; but Joshua lodged that night among the people.

:9 Bethel and Ai

Bethel is only two miles from Ai. It might be a source of help for Ai if Joshua isn’t careful.

:10 Then Joshua rose up early in the morning and mustered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai.

:11 And all the people of war who were with him went up and drew near; and they came before the city and camped on the north side of Ai. Now a valley lay between them and Ai.

:11 camped on the north

See map. This happens on day two, after battle group #1 had already departed.

:12 So he took about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.

:12 five thousand

See map. Here's the final group, battle group number three

This group is sent out on day two, to camp out between Ai and Bethel, on the west.

This group's purpose is probably to cut off the road back to Bethel, in case anybody wants to escape to Bethel, or in case Bethel tries to send reinforcements.

:13 And when they had set the people, all the army that was on the north of the city, and its rear guard on the west of the city, Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley.

:13 the valley

Night number two. All three battle groups are in position. Joshua moves down the opposing hillside into the valley. He's right in plain sight for all of Ai to see. After their defeat last time, this must seem pretty inviting to the people of Ai.

:14 Now it happened, when the king of Ai saw it, that the men of the city hurried and rose early and went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at an appointed place before the plain. But he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city.

:15 And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.

:16 So all the people who were in Ai were called together to pursue them. And they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city.

:16 all the people who were in Ai

It looks as if this enemy is beaten again. They all better get out there and finish them off for good!

:17 There was not a man left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel. So they left the city open and pursued Israel.

:17 not a man left in Ai or Bethel

Apparently at least some of the men of Bethel had been summoned earlier to help Ai, and so they must have spent the night in the city of Ai. When Joshua began to flee, all the warriors, from both cities, left Ai unprotected.

We don’t really know what happened to the men of Bethel.

This is the only place they are mentioned in this battle. It’s possible that these men were destroyed too, since the ambushers were stationed between Ai and Bethel, possibly to cut off their retreat. We do know that Bethel wasn’t taken yet, at this time. This battle was only for Ai.

:18 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.” And Joshua stretched out the spear that was in his hand toward the city.

:18 Stretch out the spear

This was apparently the appointed signal for the ambush to begin. The men in ambush had to be situated just right so they could keep their eyes on Joshua.

Note: It’s the Lord that tells Joshua when to hold out the spear.

Joshua is letting God take care of all the timing!

Lesson

Be flexible.

In Jericho, the people only had to march around the wall, and God brought the walls down. Then the people finished the work, destroying the rest of the city.

In Ai, the Israelites are going to do all of the physical, tangible work.

Yet God is still in charge. God does the planning. God does the directing.

Lesson

Keep God in charge

You may find in some of your life’s struggles, that you’re going to have to do a lot of the work yourself. God may not just make the enemies disappear on you.

But you must always keep God in charge! Don’t take matters into your own hands!

(Pr 3:5–6 NKJV) —5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Illustration

Get directions first

The famous Professor Huxley was attending a convention of scientists in Ireland, and was late for the meeting one morning. He hailed a carriage and said to the driver, “Drive fast, for I am in a great hurry.” The driver started off at a mad pace and after a few minutes the professor began to be shaken up. “Do you know where I want to go?” he asked the driver. “No yer ‘onor,” answered the driver. “You didn’t tell me where to go, but anyway, I am driving fast.” Be sure your destination is decided.

Donald Grey Barnhouse, Bible Truth Illustrated, Keats Publishing , Inc., 1979, p. 5.

Sometimes we get to thinking that if God wants us to be handling our problems, then we’d better get moving fast. But we first need to be getting directions from Him.

:19 So those in ambush arose quickly out of their place; they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand, and they entered the city and took it, and hurried to set the city on fire.

:20 And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and behold, the smoke of the city ascended to heaven. So they had no power to flee this way or that way, and the people who had fled to the wilderness turned back on the pursuers.

:20 the people who had fled to the wilderness

Namely, Joshua’s contingent, Battle Group Number Two. They had fled in mock retreat, and now they turn to fight the men of Ai.

:21 Now when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city and that the smoke of the city ascended, they turned back and struck down the men of Ai.

:22 Then the others came out of the city against them; so they were caught in the midst of Israel, some on this side and some on that side. And they struck them down, so that they let none of them remain or escape.

:22 the others came out of the city

Battle Group Number One comes out of the city, trapping the men of Ai between themselves and Joshua’s army.

:23 But the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua.

:24 And it came to pass when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness where they pursued them, and when they all had fallen by the edge of the sword until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned to Ai and struck it with the edge of the sword.

:25 So it was that all who fell that day, both men and women, were twelve thousand—all the people of Ai.

:25 all the people of Ai

Twelve thousand people of Ai died. This sounds pretty cruel and unfair, doesn't it?

Keep in mind who these people were:

The people living in the land had a wicked, violent, perverse society. Israel was God's method of bringing judgment on these wicked people, just as He rained fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah. Their beliefs were so perverse that if Israel didn't destroy them, their culture and religion would destroy Israel.

:26 For Joshua did not draw back his hand, with which he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.

:26 Joshua did not draw back his hand

As long as Joshua kept the spear in the air, the troops knew that they needed to keep fighting.

It kind of brings to mind a previous incident when Moses was in charge, and Joshua was simply the leader of the troops, fighting against the Amalekites:

(Ex 17:11–12 NKJV) —11 And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

Lesson

Finish the fight

We have a tendency to leave too many things half done. We start something, get a little victory, and then put it on the back burner.

Quote:

“The quality of a man’s life is in direct proportion to his commitment to excellence, regardless of his chosen field or endeavor.... I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour—his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear—is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle, victorious.”

-- Vince Lombardi

Paul wrote at the end of his life:

(2 Ti 4:7 NKJV) I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Perhaps you’ve had a specific call from God to do a specific thing. But for some reason or another, you've put it aside. Maybe you had a defeat, and are afraid to keep going. Maybe you just got too busy. But get back to it. Finish it.

It may be a sin that you've never really gotten victory over.

:27 Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel took as booty for themselves, according to the word of the LORD which He had commanded Joshua.

:28 So Joshua burned Ai and made it a heap forever, a desolation to this day.

:29 And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until evening. And as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his corpse down from the tree, cast it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and raise over it a great heap of stones that remains to this day.

:29 hanged on a tree until evening

This whole proceeding where the king is taken alive, then hung on a tree, gives the air of a judicial process.

We talked about how Israel was God’s form of judgment on the wicked people of the land.

The Law of God said:

(Dt 21:22–23 NKJV) —22 “If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, 23 his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God.

And so, God’s judgment continued to fall upon the Canaanites.

The people are going to dwell in this land, so they don’t want to defile the land and allow the body to hang there overnight.

Interestingly enough, this law also has been applied to Jesus:

It shows us how Jesus became a curse for us, by hanging on a tree, or, a cross.

(Ga 3:13 NKJV) —13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),

The curse of the law has to do with the just punishment that comes when we sin. The ultimate curse of the law is separation from God, eternal death. But in taking the curse upon Himself, Jesus has paid the debt we owed to God for our own sins. This is a free gift of God, that God offers to every one of us, complete forgiveness for our sins. All we need to do is to receive the gift.

8:30-35 Ebal Covenant

:30 Now Joshua built an altar to the LORD God of Israel in Mount Ebal,

:31 as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses: “an altar of whole stones over which no man has wielded an iron tool.” And they offered on it burnt offerings to the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.

:30 Mount Ebal

After having begun the campaign to conquer the Promised Land, rather than moving to secure the immediate area from further attack, Joshua takes the people on a spiritual pilgrimage. Ebal is about 22 miles to the north of Ai. See map.

They are following exactly what Moses had commanded them to do when they got into the Promised Land.

In Deut.27:1-8, Moses commanded the people to do this as soon as they crossed the Jordan.

They were to use large, uncut stones, cover them with plaster, and write the Law on the stones.

:32 And there, in the presence of the children of Israel, he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written.

Opinions vary as to how much is written here.

Some feel it was just the Ten Commandments.

Some feel it was at least Deut.5-26, which is the portion of the Law previous to when Moses gave the command about recording it on the stones at Ebal.

There are similar inscribed pillars that have been found in the Middle East, the Behistan Inscription in Iran is three times the length of Deuteronomy.

:33 Then all Israel, with their elders and officers and judges, stood on either side of the ark before the priests, the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, the stranger as well as he who was born among them. Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel.

:34 And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and the cursings, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law.

:35 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.

:34 the blessings and the cursings

The people are following the instructions Moses gave for this specific time. (Deut. 11:29; 27:11-14)

Half of the people would be on one side, on Mount Ebal, half on the other, on Mount Gerizim. The priests would be in the valley in between, reading the Law.

I think this presented a huge illustration to the people of the difference between walking in obedience to the Lord and in disobedience.

There is a huge natural amphitheater here, between these two mountains, which would make it possible for all the people to hear what was being read.

As the priests would read the curses, all those on Mount Ebal would respond with “Amen”. Then as the blessings were read, all those on Mount Gerizim would answer with “Amen”.

Lesson

Fellowship: Blessing and Cursing

A healthy relationship with other believers will involve:

Times of encouragement

Blessing others in our relationships with them, reminding each other of God's goodness, reminding each other of God's love, etc.

Illustration

For years William Wilberforce pushed Britain’s Parliament to abolish slavery. Discouraged, he was about to give up. His elderly friend, John Wesley, heard of it and from his deathbed called for pen and paper. With trembling hand, Wesley wrote: “Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them stronger than God? “Oh be not weary of well-doing! Go on, in the name of God and in the power of his might, till even American slavery shall vanish away before it.” Wesley died six days later. But Wilberforce fought for forty-five more years and in 1833, three days before his own death, saw slavery abolished in Britain. Even the greatest ones need encouragement.

-- Carol Porter in Fresh Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching (Baker), from the editors of Leadership.

Times of warning

Cursing in the sense of warning each other when we need a word of correction.

(Pr 27:17 NKJV) As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

I remember reading this and thinking, "I sure wouldn't have wanted to have been on the Mount Ebal side". But that's just as important as the other side.

We need to be aware of the warnings as well as the blessings.

(Pr 13:18 NKJV) —18 Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction, But he who regards a rebuke will be honored.

Illustration

You Are a Lousy Football Player

During a practice session for the Green Bay Packers, things were not going well for Vince Lombardi’s team. Lombardi singled out one big guard for his failure to “put out.” It was a hot, muggy day when the coach called his guard aside and leveled his awesome vocal guns on him, as only Lombardi could. “Son, you are a lousy football player. “You’re not blocking, you’re not tackling, you’re not putting out. As a matter of fact, it’s all over for you today, go take a shower.” The big guard dropped his head and walked into the dressing room. Forty- five minutes later, when Lombardi walked in, he saw the big guard sitting in front of his locker still wearing his uniform. His head was bowed and he was sobbing quietly.

Vince Lombardi, ever the changeable but always the compassionate warrior, did something of an about face that was also typical of him. He walked over to his football player and put his arms around his shoulder. “Son,” he said, “I told you the truth. You are a lousy football player. You’re not blocking, you’re not tackling, you’re not putting out. However, in all fairness to you, I should have finished the story. Inside of you, son, there is a great football player and I’m going to stick by your side until the great football player inside of you has a chance to come out and assert himself.” With these words, Jerry Kramer straightened up and felt a great deal better. As a matter of fact, he felt so much better he went on to become one of the all-time greats in football and was voted the all-time guard in the first 50 years of professional football.

We're not going to be balanced if we only hear the fluffy stuff. We need both, the encouragement as well as the warnings.