Introduction
‘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. 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.” Joshua 8:1-2
GETTING THINGS RIGHT AT AI
Joshua is told not to fear or be discouraged, Joshua 8:1, and this is not the first time God has said this, Deuteronomy 1:21, when the spies are sent out, Deuteronomy 31:8, when Moses passed the leadership to Joshua, Joshua 1:9, when God spoke to Joshua.
Joshua is told to take the whole army, Joshua 8:1, which is in contrast to what the spies had thought, Joshua 7:3-4. This is God’s instructions, and so the victory is assured, Joshua 8:1. Isreal are going to Ai and its king as they did to Jericho and its king, Joshua 8:2 / Joshua 6:1-21, this time however, they can have the booty, Joshua 8:2.
“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 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. 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. 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, you are to rise up from ambush and take the city. The LORD your God will give it into your hand. When you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do what the LORD has commanded. See to it; you have my orders.” “Then Joshua sent them off, and they went to the place of ambush and lay in wait between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai—but Joshua spent that night with the people.” Joshua 8:3-9
Joshua and the whole army moved out to attack Ai and notice he chooses thirty-thousand of his best fighting men and sent them out, Joshua 8:3. He commands them to set an ambush behind the city but don’t go very far from it and they must remain on alert, Joshua 8:4. Joshua and those with him would come toward the city and the men of Ai would come out against them, when they did Joshua and his men would run, Joshua 8:5.
They will pursue Joshua and his men until they have lured Ai’s army away from the city, for they will say, they are running away from us as they did before, Joshua 8:6 / Joshua 7:4. So when Israel flee from them, Israel are to rise up from ambush and take the city, Joshua 8:6-7. Joshua reminds his men that God will give it into their hand, Joshua 8:7.
When Israel have taken the city, they are to set fire to it, Joshua 8:8. Israel must do what God has commanded and they must see to it, they have Joshua’s orders, Joshua 8:8. Joshua sent the men off and they went to the place of ambush and lay in wait between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai and notice that but Joshua spent that night with the people, Joshua 8:9.
Boling, in his commentary, says the following the words, ‘that night’, Joshua 8:9.
‘That night means the night previously mentioned in Joshua 8:3. This is the first of two nights. During this first night, the men who were in the ambush were sent on ahead so as to be already in a concealed position when the main force arrived the next day. There is NO contradiction between Joshua 8:9, and Joshua 8:13, they refer to TWO successive nights. The first night, Joshua spent with the main force; the next night, he was in the valley.’
“Early the next morning Joshua mustered his army, and he and the leaders of Israel marched before them to Ai. The entire force that was with him marched up and approached the city and arrived in front of it. They set up camp north of Ai, with the valley between them and the city. Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city. So, the soldiers took up their positions—with the main camp to the north of the city and the ambush to the west of it. That night Joshua went into the valley.” Joshua 8:10-13
Joshua now gets his army together and notice that he and the leaders of Isreal took the lead, Joshua 8:10. They headed to Ai, approached the city, and arrived at the front of it, Joshua 8:11. They set up camp north of Ai, with the valley between them and the city, Joshua 8:11.
With five thousand men, Joshua set up the ambush, Joshua 8:12. The soldiers take up their positions with the main camp to the north of the city and the ambush to the west of it and notice that Joshua went into the valley, Joshua 8:13.
Constable, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Out of the 40,000 Israelite soldiers, Joshua chose 30,000 for this battle. Of these he sent 5,000 to hide in ambush west of the town. The remaining 25,000, double the population of Ai, Joshua 8:25, approached Ai from the north.’
“When the king of Ai saw this, he and all the men of the city hurried out early in the morning to meet Israel in battle at a certain place overlooking the Arabah. But he did not know that an ambush had been set against him behind the city. Joshua and all Israel let themselves be driven back before them, and they fled toward the wilderness. All the men of Ai were called to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were lured away from the city. Not a man remained in Ai or Bethel who did not go after Israel. They left the city open and went in pursuit of Israel.” Joshua 8:14-17
God’s plan is now coming into effect, as the king of Ai sees what is happening and so he and his army come out to fight Israel at a certain place overlooking Arabah, Joshua 8:14. The king had no idea they were walking into an ambush, Joshua 8:14. Joshua and all Israel intentionally allowed themselves to be driven back and fled toward the wilderness, Joshua 8:15 / Joshua 8:5.
As predicted all the men of Ai chased after Israel and pursued Joshua and were lured away from the city, Joshua 8:16 / Joshua 8:6. No man remained in Ai or Bethel and they left the city open and went in pursuit of Israel, just as God said would happen, Joshua 8:17.
“Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Hold out toward Ai the javelin that is in your hand, for into your hand I will deliver the city.” So, Joshua held out toward the city the javelin that was in his hand. As soon as he did this, the men in the ambush rose quickly from their position and rushed forward. They entered the city and captured it and quickly set it on fire.” Joshua 8:18-19
God now tells Joshua to hold out toward Ai the javelin that is in his hand, for into his hand God will deliver the city, and Joshua obeyed His command, Joshua 8:18. When Joshua did this, the men in the ambush rose quickly from their position and rushed forward and they entered the city and captured it and quickly set it on fire, Joshua 8:19 / Joshua 8:7-8.
Constable, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Stretching out his javelin, Joshua 8:18, was Joshua’s prearranged signal to his men in ambush to attack. It symbolized that victory came from the Lord, Exodus 14:16 / Exodus 17:8-12.’
“The men of Ai looked back and saw the smoke of the city rising up into the sky, but they had no chance to escape in any direction; the Israelites who had been fleeing toward the wilderness had turned back against their pursuers. For when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city and that smoke was going up from it, they turned around and attacked the men of Ai. Those in the ambush also came out of the city against them, so that they were caught in the middle, with Israelites on both sides. Israel cut them down, leaving them neither survivors nor fugitives. But they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.” Joshua 8:20-23
Despite seeing the smoke from the city, Ai’s men had nowhere to go, they were trapped, Joshua 8:20. And now Israel who were pretending to run away turned towards the Ai army, Joshua 8:20. When Joshua and his men saw that the smoke form the city and the ambush was successful, they turn and fight against the army of Ai, Joshua 8:21.
Those in the ambush also came out of the city against Israel, however, they were stuck in the middle and so Isreal killed them all, leaving them neither survivors nor fugitives, Joshua 8:22. And notice they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua, Joshua 8:23.
“When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai in the fields and in the wilderness where they had chased them, and when every one of them had been put to the sword, all the Israelites returned to Ai and killed those who were in it. Twelve thousand men and women fell that day—all the people of Ai. For Joshua, did not draw back the hand that held out his javelin until he had destroyed all who lived in Ai. But Israel did carry off for themselves the livestock and plunder of this city, as the LORD had instructed Joshua.” Joshua 8:24-27
After the battle, Israel retuned to Ai and killed everyone who remained, Joshua 8:24, a total of twelve thousand men and women, Joshua 8:25. This whole time Joshua didn’t draw back the hand that held out his javelin until he had destroyed all who lived in Ai, Joshua 8:26 / Joshua 8:18.
Israel did carry off for themselves the livestock and plunder of this city, as God had earlier instructed Joshua, Joshua 8:27 / Joshua 8:2. God’s plan worked beautifully, the city was completely burned, the people were utterly destroyed, and the booty was eagerly enjoyed.
“So, Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolate place to this day. He impaled the body of the king of Ai on a pole and left it there until evening. At sunset, Joshua ordered them to take the body from the pole 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.” Joshua 8:28-29
Joshua burns Ai and makes it into a permanent heap of ruins, Joshua 8:28. Joshua obeys God’s earlier command, Joshua 8:2, and impales the body of the king of Ai on a pole and left it there until evening, Joshua 8:29 / Joshua 6:21.
At sunset, Joshua ordered them to take the body from the pole and throw it down at the entrance of the city gate, Joshua 8:29 / Numbers 25:4 / Deuteronomy 21:22-23, and once again another memorial is built as a reminder, Joshua 8:29 / Joshua 7:26.
THE COVENANT RENEWED AT MOUNT EBAL
‘Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, 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. There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua wrote on stones a copy of the law of Moses. All the Israelites, with their elders, officials, and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD, facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Both the foreigners living among them and the native-born were there. 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.” Joshua 8:30-33
Joshua built an altar to the Lord on Mount Ebal as Moses the servant of God had commanded the Israelites, Joshua 8:30-31. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, Deuteronomy 27:5, an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used, Joshua 8:31. On it they offered to God burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings, Joshua 8:31 / Deuteronomy 27:5-6.
In the presence of the Israelites Joshua wrote a copy of the law of Moses, Joshua 8:32. All the Israelites, with their elders, officials, and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant, facing the Levitical priests who carried it, Joshua 8:33.
Both the foreigners living among them and the native-born were there, Joshua 8:33. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel, Joshua 8:33.
“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. 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 foreigners who lived among them.’ Joshua 8:34-35
Joshua reading the Law including the blessings and the curses to the people, including the women, children, and foreigners Joshua 8:34-35, must have taken some time but once again the Israelites have no excuse for not knowing what God’s will is.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘What a glorious event this whole extravaganza must have been to the people of Israel, having come at last to inherit the ancient promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Their formal acceptance here of their duties under the covenant was perhaps the grandest moment in the whole history of the Chosen People.’
CONCLUSION
Time and time again we are remined of the importance of now only readings God’s laws but hearing His laws, and like Israel because we now have the complete revelation of God in the form of the Bible, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 / Jude 3, we too have no excuse for not knowing His will for us, 2 Peter 1:3.