Joshua 8:1-35
Q.1. What reassurance and instruction did God give Joshua before he fought Ai? How big was Israel’s army? What strategy did they employ and why? – (Josh.8:1-9 c.f. 7:4)
As soon as the sin was removed from the camp of Israel, God spoke reassuringly to the nation again. He promised victory and gave permission for the people to take the spoils of battle. The issue was that they were to know and obey God’s instructions. This time Joshua was to take all the soldiers into battle … a chosen army – thirty thousand valiant warriors (Josh.8:3 c.f. Josh.8:1). As with Jericho, they were to kill the king, but this time they could keep the livestock and captured goods as plunder. God gave Joshua a clear battle plan – … Set an ambush for the city behind it (Josh.8:2). If they had used the same battle plan as they used with Jericho, that would have led to failure. God wants to give us fresh plans for every new trial we encounter. He wants us to maintain our dependence upon Him.
Q.2. How did Israel ambush Ai? What made Ai complacent? How comprehensive was the victory of Israel over their enemies? – (Josh.8:10-23)
Since the soldiers of Ai had routed Israel’s army previously, Joshua pretended to flee before Ai’s army. However, it was a trap. Joshua had placed his army strategically, surrounding Ai in groups to the west, north, and rear. In their self-confidence, the soldiers of Ai foolishly left the city unguarded. Then – The men in ambush rose quickly from their place, and when he had stretched out his hand, they ran and entered the city and captured it, and they quickly set the city on fire (Josh.8:19). Ai was comprehensively defeated.
Q.3. What was the significance of Joshua’s outstretched javelin? Why were all the enemies destroyed? Was the king of Ai spared? – (Josh.8:24-29 c.f. 8:18)
Joshua had submitted himself and the army to – the Captain of the hosts of the Lord (Josh.5:14). Joshua was the divinely appointed leader to represent the Lord (Josh.1:1-9). The Lord directed His delegated leader – … “Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.” So Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city (Josh.8:18). The javelin symbolized God’s presence and control. – Joshua did not withdraw his hand with which he stretched out the javelin until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai (Josh.8:26). They hanged the king and – utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai (Josh.8:26). All the people of the land were destroyed, in order to prevent Israel from intermingling with them, and then taking up their evil practices (c.f. Deut.9:4-5).
Q.4. How did Joshua honour God and all that was written in the Book? How was the covenant remembered? Why was this important? – (Josh.8:30-35)
Israel had successfully entered the Promised Land. It was their inheritance from the Lord, and God was not to be overlooked. After the victory over Ai – 30 Joshua built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, in Mount Ebal, 31 just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the sons of Israel … an altar of uncut stones on which no man had wielded an iron tool; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, and sacrificed peace offerings. 32 He wrote there on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written, in the presence of the sons of Israel (Josh.8:30-32). They carefully obeyed God’s instructions, made sacrifices to God, and had God’s laws written in stone. There was, therefore, a clear continuity from the past into the future. Joshua then symbolically divided the tribes and priests – All Israel with their elders and officers and their judges were standing on both sides of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, the stranger as well as the native. Half of them stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the Lord had given command at first to bless the people of Israel (Josh.8:33). Then they recited all that was written in the Book of the Law – 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 and the little ones and the strangers who were living among them (Josh.8:35 c.f. Josh.8:34).