JOSHUA This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND The Conquering of Ai Lesson # 23 BIBLE REFERENCE: (The book of Joshua) BOOK OF STUDY: Joshua ( Chapters 8) Season of Study: Season of Bringing the Savior into the world HISTORY The book of Joshua belongs to the history section of the Old Testament. Joshua is embraced in the Season of “Bringing the Messiah into the world.” Joshua records the history of the Children of Israel from the death of the great leader and lawgiver Moses, to their entering the land of Canaan ( the Promised Land ) and until a great 1 portion of the land was possessed by them as a people. The Children of Israel, during Joshua’s life, did not possess all the land promised them by God. Joshua, the minister to Moses, is credited with the authorship of this book bearing his name. The name Joshua is of Hebrew origin and means “Jehovah is Salvation.” Joshua is one of the two (2) men who departed Egypt with Moses and was blessed and honored to cross into the Promised land. The other was the man Caleb. All other men who departed from Egypt perished in the wilderness because of disobedience. The ATS Bible dictionary says of Joshua, “His last grand convocation of all Israel, at Shechem, and his solemn address to them and renewal of their covenant with God, form the worthy close of a life on which in the sacred records no blot rests .” The book can be divided into three (3) sections: The defeat of the Canaanites, chapters 1 – 12; The Division of the land, chapters 13 – 21; and The Death of Joshua, chapters 22 – 24. INTRODUCTION Joshua chapter 8 refocuses our attention to the fact that the success of Israel is because of the Lord. In Joshua chapter 7 Israel’s attempt at capturing Ai, the second city in the land of Canaan, is a complete failure. It is so, because their efforts were performed without communicating with Jehovah the Almighty God, their leader . Israel often initiated enterprises without consulting their God. They often forgot that they were sanctified by the Almighty to bring the Messiah, the Deliverer of all mankind, into the world and without God’s leadership they would fail in all their undertakings. Wherever we find Israel in scripture going in their own direction without consulting Jehovah, their true leader, we witness Israel in failure. In Joshua chapter 8 the Almighty again exerts His authority and leadership. Joshua and the Children of Israel surrender in obedience to Him and His will, and we witness the people of Israel conquering the city of Ai. THE PRINTED TEXT – (Joshua 8: 1 – 7; 18 – 21; 30 - 31) And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land: 2 2 And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it. 3 So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour and sent them away by night. 4 And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, even behind the city: go not very far from the city, but be ye already: 5 And I, and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city: and it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them, 6 (For they will come out after us) till we have drawn them from the city; for they will say, they flee before us, as at the first: therefore, we will flee before them. 7 Then ye shall rise up from the ambush and seize upon the city: for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand. And the Lord said unto Joshua, stretch out the spear that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thine hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the city. 19 And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand: and they entered into the city, and took it, and hasted and 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 up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way: and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers. 21 And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then they turned again, and slew the men of Ai. Then Joshua built an altar unto the Lord God of Israel in mount Ebal, 31 As Moses the servant of the Lord 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 hath lift up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the Lord, and sacrificed peace offerings. 3 EXPLORING THE PRINTED TEXT I. THE ANOINTING (Joshua 8:1 – 7) The word anointed is an often-used word in scripture. The best practical definition of the word in the Christian community is “to consciously or sub-consciously function in the will of God as revealed through His word by the Holy Spirit.” It is the Word and the Spirit of God that anoints us! His word points, protects, promises , provides, and powers us as a people with His Spirit witnessing to the truth of the Word. The Children of Israel were an anointed people, a people whose existence and purpose was prescribed in the Word of God. The Almighty speaking to Abram said, “ in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice” (Genesis 22:18). Assigned the mission of bringing the Messiah into the world, God’s commands and the obedience to His commands anointed them for their mission. If they remained under the anointing ( in obedience to the Word ), failure was impossible. In chapter 8 of Joshua, having failed dramatically the first time in their efforts to take Ai, (for they were disobedient to God in Joshua chapter 7 ) Joshua and the Children of Israel were successful the second time in defeating the city. Their success came because they placed themselves under the anointing (obedience to the word ) of the Almighty. Their anointing was in the obedience to the “words spoken” by God to Joshua. God said to Joshua in verse 1, “ thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king.” And we read in the very next verse, “So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai.” There are no war plans formed by Joshua and Israel; they simply follow the instructions and the commands of Jehovah. Israel in their obedience and remaining under the anointing of the Almighty are rewarded by not only defeating Ai, but following the 4 command of the Almighty ( this time ) they can keep the spoils of this city. God said to Joshua, “the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves.” The Psalmist was correct when he declared, “He anointeth my head with oil my cup runneth over; surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” II. THE AMBUSH (Joshua 8:18 – 19) God gives Joshua specific instructions on taking the city of Ai. Joshua is instructed by God to, “take all the people of war with thee.” However, God assures Joshua, “I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land.” The victory would come of God, and not of Israel. Israel’s victory was not in the number of men they placed on the battlefield, or the skill of their soldiers, but in their obedience to the commands of God. God allows Joshua to use the mistakes of the past effort to gain success against the city in this God lead attack. In this second effort God instructs Joshua to lay an ambush for the soldiers of Ai. God said to Joshua, “ lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.” Joshua chose thirty thousand able men to lie in ambush behind the city. Joshua and the remaining fighting men would approach the city as they had been done in the first attack. When charged by the soldiers of Ai, Joshua and his men, after a brief scrimmage, would turn and retreat from the battle to draw the men of Ai away from the city. The soldiers of Ai would be led to believe that the outcome would be as it had been before, as they pursued the Israelites. Laying in ambush, the men of Israel, upon seeing the soldiers of Ai chasing Joshua and his men in retreat, would then immediately take the city and set it afire.