8:1After Israel had been cleansed from Achan's sin, Joshua prepared to attack Ai again—this time to win. Joshua had learned some!essons that we can follow: (1) Confess your sins when God reveals them to you (7:19-21); (2) when you fail, refocus on God, deal with the problem, and move on (7:22-25; 8:1). God wants the cycle of sin, repentance, and forgiveness to strengthen us, not weaken us. The lessons we learn from our failures should make us better able to handle the same situation the second time around. Because God is eager to give us cleansing, forgiveness, and strength, the only way to lose is to give up. We can tell what kind of people we are by what we do on the second and third attempts.
Life Application Study BibleJoshuaChapter 8
Joshua 8
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 325, 326
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
8Joshua 8
The Israelites Defeat Ai
1Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take all your fighting men and attack Ai, for I have given you the king of Ai, his people, his town, and his land. 2You will destroy them as you destroyed Jericho and its king. But this time you may keep the plunder and the livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the town.” 3So0 Joshua and all the fighting men set out to attack Ai. Joshua chose 30,000 of his best warriors and sent them out at night ¢with these orders: 6Hide in ambush close behind the town and be ready for action. SWhen our main army attacks, the men of Ai will come out to fight as they did before, and we will run away from them. We will let them chase us until we have drawn them away from the town. For they will say, ‘The Israelites are running away from us as they did before.’ Then, while we are running from them, ’you will jump up from your ambush and take possession of the town, for the LORD your God will give it to you. 8Set the town on fire, as the LORD has commanded. You have your orders.” 9So they left and went to the place of ambush between Bethel and the west side of Ai. But Joshua remained among the people in the camp that night. 10Early the next morning Joshua roused his men and started toward Ai, accompanied by the elders of Israel. 11A]l the fighting men who were with Joshua marched in front of the town and camped on the north side of Ai, with a valley between them and the town. 12That night Joshua sent 5,000 men to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the town. 13So they stationed the main army north of the town and the ambush west of the town. Joshua himself spent that night in the valley. 14When the king of Ai saw the Israelites across the valley, he and all his army hurried out early in the morning and attacked the Israelites at a place overlooking the Jordan Valley.* But he didn’t realize there was an ambush behind the town. ‘SJoshua and the Israelite army fled toward the wilderness as though they were badly beaten. 16Then all the men in the town were called out to chase after them. In this way, they were lured away from the town. 17There was not a man left in Ai or Bethel* who did not chase after the Israelites, and the town was left wide open. 18Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Point the spear in your hand toward Ai, for I will hand the town over to you.” Joshua did as he was commanded. 19As soon as Joshua gave this signal, all the men in ambush jumped up from their position and poured into the town. They quickly captured it and set it on fire. 20When the men of Ai looked behind them, smoke from the town was filling the sky, and they had nowhere to go. For the Israelites who had fled in the direction of the wilderness now turned on their pursuers. 21When Joshua and all the other Israelites saw that the ambush had succeeded and that smoke was rising from the town, they turned and attacked the men of Ai. 22Meanwhile, the Israelites who were inside the town came out and attacked the enemy from the rear. So the men of Ai were caught in the middle, with Israelite fighters on both sides. Israelattacked them, and not a single person survived or escaped. 23Only the king of Ai was taken alive and brought to Joshua. 24When the Israelite army finished chasing and Killing all the men of Ai in the open fields, they went back and finished off everyone inside. 25So the entire population of Ai, including men and women, was wiped out that day— 12,000 in all. 26For Joshua kept holding out his spear until everyone who had lived in Ai was completely destroyed.* 27Only the livestock and the treasures of the town were not destroyed, for the Israelites kept these as plunder for themselves, as the LORD had commanded Joshua. 28So Joshua burned the town of Ai* and it became a permanent mound of ruins, desolate to this very day. 29Joshua impaled the king of Ai ona sharpened pole and left him there until evening. At sunset the Israelites took down the body, as Joshua commanded, and threw it in front of the town gate. They piled a great heap of stones over him that can still be seen today.
The LORD’s Covenant Renewed
3030Then Joshua builtan altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal. 31He followed the commands that Moses the LORD’s servant had written in the Book of Instruction: “Make me an altar from stones that are uncut and have not been shaped with iron tools.’”* Then on the altar they presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD. 32And as the Israelites watched, Joshua copied onto the stones of the altar* the instructions Moses had given them. 33Then all the Israelites—foreigners and native-born alike—along with the elders, officers, and judges, were divided into two groups. One group stood in front of Mount Gerizim, the other in front of Mount Ebal. Each group faced the other, and between them stood the Levitical priests carrying the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant. This was all done according to the commands that Moses, the servant of the LORD, had previously given for blessing the people of Israel. 34Joshua then read to them all the blessings and curses Moses had written in the Book of Instruction. °5Every word of every command that Moses had ever given was read to the entire assembly of Israel, including the women and children and the foreigners who lived among them. 2. Joshua attacks the southern kings
The Gibeonites Deceive Israel
Now all the kings west of the Jordan River heard about what had happened. These were the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who lived in the hill country, in the western foothills,* and along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea* as far north as the Lebanon mountains. 2These kings combined their armies to fight as one against Joshua and the Israelites.
Textual footnotes
- by destroying them or by giving them as an offering. 8:28 Aimeans “ruin.” 8:31 Exod 20:25; Deut 27:5-6.
- 8:14 Hebrew the Arabah, 8:17 Some manuscripts lack or Bethel,
- 8:26 The Hebrew term used here refers to the complete consecration of things or people to the LORD, either
- 8:32 Or onto stones.
Life Application Notes 6 notes
8:2Why did God allow the Israelites to keep the plunder and cattle (livestock) this time? Israel's laws for handling the spoils of war covered two situations: (1) Cities like Jericho which were under God's ban (judgment for idolatry) could not be looted (see Deuteronomy 20:16-18). God’s people were to be kept holy and separate from every influence of idolatry. (2} The distribution of captured goods from cities not under the ban was a normal part of warfare. It provided the army and the nation with the necessary food, flocks, and weapons needed to sustain itself in wartime. Ai was not under the ban. The conquering army needed the food and equipment. Because soldiers were not paid, the plunder was part of their incentive and reward for going to war.
8:3The conquest of Ai was very important to the Israelites. Only 11 miles away from Jericho, Ai was a key stronghold for the Canaanites and a buffer fortress for Bethel (8:12). If the Canaanite kings got wind of an Israelite defeat at Ai, they could unite ina coordinated attack. They did not know that God had restored his power and protection to Joshua's troops. We must depend on God with absolute obedience to be sure of the victary he has promised. _—_—_—_ |= OTHE RATTIC.
8:18,19The LORD gave Joshua the city. Yesterday's defeat became today’s victory. Once sin is dealt with, forgiveness and victory lie ahead. With God’s direction we need not stay discouraged or burdened with guilt. No matter how difficult a setback sin may bring, we must renew our efforts to carry out God’s will.
8:30,31The altar was to be built out of uncut stones so it would be holy (see Exodus 20:25). This would prevent the people from worshiping altars like idols, or worshiping the craftsmanship of the workers rather than the great works of God.
8:32it was most likely the Ten Commandments (recorded in Exodus 20) that Joshua copied on stones. These were the heart of all God’s laws, and are still to be followed today.