Joshua 8:28-35 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is Joshua 8:28-35. Let’s go!
Joshua 8:28-29 (NIV)
28 So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolate place to this day.
29 He hung the king of Ai on a tree and left him there until evening. At sunset, Joshua ordered them to take his body from the tree and throw it down at the entrance of the city gate. And they raised a large pile of rocks over it, which remains to this day.
On verses 28-29: Whenever there is a change in regime, the leader of that old regime must “die”. In ancient cultures and in times of war, this has been expressed through the king or leader of the losing nation to be killed, as in the case here where the king of Ai is hung and buried under a pile of rocks at the entrance of Ai’s city gate (v29). In more modern times, the “death” of the old regime’s leader could mean, depending on the context, deposing the incumbent leader in the case of politics, firing the president and CEO in the case of a business, or changing general managers or head coaches in the case of sports. The same goes for the regime change that took place in your heart when you invited Jesus Christ into your life. On that day, Jesus Christ took over as king of your life and the old leader, the old king – that is, you – died. Christian, may you always remember who is now the king of your life.
Joshua 8:30-35 (NIV)
30 Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel,
31 as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses–an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used. On it they offered to the LORD burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings.
32 There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua copied on stones the law of Moses, which he had written.
33 All Israel, aliens and citizens alike, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD, facing those who carried it–the priests, who were Levites. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel.
34 Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law–the blessings and the curses–just as it is written in the Book of the Law.
35 There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the aliens who lived among them.
On verses 30-35: Previous in Deuteronomy 27:1-8 Moses gave the Israelites specific instructions on what to do after they cross the Jordan River: to build an altar of stones at Mount Ebal, to offer sacrifices on the altar and to write the law of the Lord on the altar. Joshua obeys his mentor’s instructions faithfully.
To some military leaders, this move may have seemed foolish. Why take time to thank God, worship Him and read His Word when there were many more territories for them to conquer? It’s because Joshua took seriously and respected the words that his mentor Moses had spoken. He also thought it appropriate that after the victory over Ai and before they continued on with further conquests, that it was time for the Israelites to come back to God, to thank Him and to hear His Word.
What can we learn from this? Not just when you are at the end of your journey, but while in the middle, take moments to be still in God’s presence, to worship Him, to thank Him for His grace thus far, and to reflect on His Word. Doing so will refresh you, remind you of who is most important and where your strength comes from. Doing so will also empower you to keep going and face the challenges ahead of you. So take the time to worship, to be still and to reflect on God’s Word.
Heavenly Father, may I not wait until the very end of my journey to thank and worship You, but may You find me thanking You, worshiping You, relying on You, and trusting in You throughout the journey itself. Thank You for Your Word which empowers me. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
