Joshua 8:1-8 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is Joshua 8:1-8. Let’s go!
Joshua 8:1-8 (NIV)
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.”
3 So Joshua and the whole army moved out to attack Ai. He chose thirty thousand of his best fighting men and sent them out at night
4 with these orders: “Listen carefully. You are to set an ambush behind the city. Don’t go very far from it. All of you be on the alert.
5 I and all those with me will advance on the city, and when the men come out against us, as they did before, we will flee from them.
6 They will pursue us until we have lured them away from the city, for they will say, ‘They are running away from us as they did before.’ So when we flee from them,
7 you are to rise up from ambush and take the city. The LORD your God will give it into your hand.
8 When you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do what the LORD has commanded. See to it; you have my orders.”
On verses 1-8: Joshua hears God’s command to go attack Ai once again. Though Ai is a relatively small town, God commands Joshua to take his whole army with him to attack it (v1). This time they would be allowed to take plunder with them (v2). God also gives Joshua a new strategy for attacking Ai, which is to set an ambush (v2). Joshua chooses his 30,000 best fighting men to be part of the ambush (v3).
What can we learn from this?
1. God is a God of second chances. For as long as we are alive, God doesn’t dwell on our past defeats. Rather He is a forward-looking God who gives us second chances, and seventy seventh chances (Matthew 18:22).
2. God is a strategy giver. In this instance God inspires Joshua with a strategy for attacking Ai, namely, by an ambush from behind (v2). In my own life I’ve personally found that God is not just one who gives general direction; He can also give you a specific strategy for tackling challenges you face. So be open and humble enough to ask God for the strategy you need, and be patient enough to wait in His presence for any strategy He may want to give you.
3. Successful people are teachable. The first time Joshua attacked Ai, Joshua gave less than his best. He relied on his own experience and wisdom instead of looking to God and was embarrassingly defeated (Joshua 7). The second time, Joshua learns from his mistake. He makes sure that he hears from God before he attacks Ai again. This time, just to be safe, he uses his best troops. Likewise, successful people are not those who never experience failure. Rather successful people are those who respond to failure the right way – with humility, a teachable spirit, and a will to not give up.
4. Though Ai was a relatively small town, God tells Joshua nonetheless to mobilize his entire army. Joshua himself chooses to use his best troops for this second attack. From this I learn: Don’t underestimate an opponent or a challenge you are facing. Believe you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13), but don’t let that belief lull you into complacency, laziness or arrogance. Instead, let your Philippians 4:13 attitude lead you to want to do your best in facing and overcoming what is in front of you.
Heavenly Father, thank You that You are a God of second chances, and seventy-seventh chances. I pray that, like Joshua, I would be teachable and respond to failure well. Thank You that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Please help me not to be lazy, complacent or arrogant when facing challenges that I think may be small. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
