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Joshua 8 Commentary
by Hank Workman
With the failure behind them, having cleansed the camp of Achan and his sin, Joshua readied the people for their second attempt at taking Ai. The difference this time he was seeking God in the matter. That had been overlooked the first time. Remarkably the Lord gave instruction as to their win. Truly Joshua had learned some pretty hard lessons from this previous failure. He had refocused on God and confessed the sin. He dealt with the problem and moved on.
Sin is a terrible struggle for all of us. It comes at the most unsuspecting time, which is why we must be sure we are acutely in tune with God. The amazing thing about His grace is He is the God of second chances and desires greatly that we are made right with Him. He wants to strengthen us for the task ahead but confession is so important for this to happen.
And so the Lord miraculously gave the Israelite’s the city of Ai. This was the next critical place for them to take. Based 11 miles from Jericho it was a stronghold for the Canaanites and was essential for them to conquer. Once sin was dealt with, God moved boldly forward.
He reiterated to Joshua to be strong and courageous. Yesterday’s defeat was not to mark them. And it shouldn’t mark us. No matter how we fail, once we’ve spiritually dealt with it, we must renew our efforts to follow Him and move forward in courage and boldness.
Joshua 8 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
This chapter reminds me so much of our position within the kingdom of God today.
Sin Was Put Away
With both Achan and Joshua, the sin was dealt with and God was pleased. This opened communication and renewed the dependence on God for the nation of Israel. Similarly, our sin has been paid for by Jesus and we can now approach God with full confidence knowing we are forgiven.
It Was God’s Plan
God laid out the plan, and Joshua took orders. The elaborate plan worked brilliantly because Joshua listened and obeyed God. He was the author and commander on the battlefield. Today, we have God’s plan for our battle in both in His Word and with the Holy Spirit in our hearts.
They Were Growing
There was overwhelming power. Israel went to battle with a strategy and an unbelievable amount of confidence. Joshua directed 30,000 men to ransack Ai (with only a total population of 12,000). They also deployed a decoy army used at the front of the city as a bait-and-switch tactic and sent 5,000 men to guard the west side of the city preventing any aid from Bethel.
We go to our battleground today with the same power that raised Christ from the dead. As believers, we are seated with Christ in heavenly places, and Scripture tells us that He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world. We must approach our battles with the same fiery confidence.
The most important point here is that through grace and truth, victory was accomplished. God allowed the people to be forgiven for their prior sins. This enabled them the confidence to depend on God and trust Him in battle. The same is true for us. We have been forgiven of so much! How could we not trust Jesus?