Victory belongs to the LORD

Intro

If you have your Bible at hand, please open it to Joshua 8. Before we begin let us pray.

Ancient Israel was God’s chosen people. He descended from His Heavenly throne to be their God. He made them a nation, and He made a covenant with them. To understand why God blesses Israel one day and the next seems to curse them, we must get to the heart of the Old Testament covenant blessings. And the heart of the Old Testament blessings and curses is Deuteronomy. Specifically Deuteronomy 27-30. These chapters give instruction to Israel on rewards for faithful obedience. While at the same time they warn of doom for disobedience. The current generation of Israelites, heard the Law of God from the mouth of its human authorship, Moses, only a short while ago.

In Joshua 7 we saw Israel come under the curse of the Law and are punished accordingly, especially Achan and all he owned. After the guilt is removed we see the blessings return to Israel in chapter 8. God once again gives orders for gaining victory over their enemies. In chapter 7 Israel sins, God disciplines, and the people repent. In chapter 8 we see God give victory to Israel, then Israel responding by rededicating themselves to the covenant with Yahweh, their God.

The Battle

Encouragement

Chapter 8 begins, Joshua 8:1-2, Now the LORD said to Joshua: “Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land. And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its cattle you shall take as booty for yourselves. Lay an ambush for the city behind it.”

The first thing that the LORD says is a word of encouragement. Verse 1, Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed. After the defeat, Joshua and his army are afraid. They are afraid that the LORD has left them. That He has had enough of their unfaithfulness, and so turned His back on them. They are also scared that the next battle will bring more Israelite deaths then last time. No one likes to lose, and sometimes the smallest losses can turn our hearts to jelly. If you will remember from chapter 7, only 36 out of 3000 souls lost their lives. That isn’t bad odds really, however, in the minds of the Israelites they had already lost any future battles.

We see the same thing in sport. Hypothetically. From 2006 to 2013 Queensland won the State of Origin every year. That is 8 consecutive wins. But why did they continue to slaughter NSW? It wasn’t because they had the better team, though many of you may disagree. NSW had lost their confidence and courage. They went into the games defeated already. When our minds are in the game, or battle, we have already lost. God reminds Joshua to press forward, Don’t despair, for this time your heart is in the right place.

Gracious God

There are similarities with the battle at Jericho. The Commander is directing the battle. Just like Jericho all the people living in Ai are condemned to death. But there is a difference. Jericho was devoted to God as the first fruits. Everything was to be dedicated to the LORD. Whether destroyed or given for temple use. Ai, on the other hand, is not. The LORD says, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land. And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its cattle you shall take as booty for yourselves. ” He assures Joshua that He has given Israel the victory. Ai’s wickedness is complete and they are devoted to destruction. However, this time you get to keep the spoils of war. This is realized in Joshua 8:27, Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel took as booty for themselves, according to the word of the Lord which He had commanded Joshua. This makes Achan’s trespass an even greater tragedy. If he had sought God’s honor and glory at Jericho, instead of his own, he would have received his share in the booty at Ai, and eventually a plot of land within the Promised Land and descendants who might enjoy it.

The plan executed

In Joshua 8:3-13 we are entreated to the plan of attack. Again we see a contrast between the first and second battles against Ai. Here we notice that Israel followed orders. Joshua separated some and sent them away in the cover of darkness, for an ambush, all the while creating a ruse by which the now the overconfident men of Ai would fall for. The men of Ai did not count on one thing - The Commander of the army of the LORD was now in control of the battle. Joshua 8:6 Joshua says of the coming battle, For they will come out after us till we have drawn them from the city, for they will say, ‘They are fleeing before us as at the first.’ And this is exactly how the events unfold. Ai is puffed up from their victory over the invincible army who brought the down walls of Jericho and destroyed all who were in that city.

In Joshua 8:25 it says there were 12,000 people destroyed in Ai. 12,000 against Israels army, at least 30,000 men. How many men were in ambush and where they were hiding is a little confusing. I think a plain reading of this passage shows two separate ambushes. One is on the opposite side of Ai to the main Israel incursion. The smaller of the two is sent as a trap between Bethel and Ai, on the western side of town. Perhaps the larger ambush is sent in to take the town quickly. And they do that in Joshua 8:19, they entered the city and took it, and hurried to set the city on fire. I don’t think the ambush sets everything on fire, but possibly the kings residence or meeting hall, because this fire was just to show that the town was theirs.

The Spear

The ambush was integral to Israel’s victory, however it isn’t the main point. Nor is Israel pretending to flee Ai’s army. The central key of the battle is when Joshua raises his spear. He had to make sure the enemy was too far out of town to be of any use to the ambush. When he raised his spear in the air his men knew it was time to turn and fight back. If this was the only reason for lifting up the spear Joshua only needed to raise it long enough for his troops to see it and turn around to fight. And it certainly was used as the green light, and we see this in Joshua 8:18-19, Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Stretch out the spear that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.” And Joshua stretched out the spear that was in his hand toward the city. So those in ambush arose quickly out of their place; they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand, and they entered the city and took it, and hurried to set the city on fire. However, Joshua didn’t just raise the spear as the green light. He raised the spear until the battle ended. Joshua 8:26, For Joshua did not draw back his hand, with which he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.” The raising of the spear was a sign that God had already given them the victory. It was to encourage them to battle on, not because they had the bigger army, not because they were better warriors, but because the All powerful and sovereign God was in control of the battle. The victory always belonged to the LORD. The Bible is full of victories God has over His creation. He won the battle in Genesis 3, He won the battle in Genesis 6-8. He is always victor and He always will be.

As soon as the smoke from the town went up, the main army turned around, Ai had lost their heart. They had been outclassed by the superior plan. Joshua did as the LORD commanded and razed Ai to the ground, killing all its citizens, “both men and women.” Not one was spared. He also hanged the king on a tree. Joshua 8:29, And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until evening. And as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his corpse down from the tree, cast it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and raise over it a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Again, this is taken straight from Deuteronomy 21:22-23, “If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God.” This same verse shows us something of Jesus death. Jesus too was nailed to a tree, accursed by God for our sake. He took upon His own body the wrath of God we deserve. Jesus was also taken off the tree before nightfall. but instead of being buried under a heap of stones, He was laid in a fresh tomb, only to rise again on the third day.

Divine Help

In contrast to chapter 7, here we have God directing Israel through Joshua. In verses 1-2 we see the LORD reassuring His army. In verses 3-13 we see Joshua implementing the LORD’s commands. In verse 18 we see the LORD direct Joshua to raise his spear. God knows all things, He knows that Achan was the source of the curse. Not only does He know all things, though, He also controls the battle against Ai. The LORD commanded Joshua to set up an ambush behind the city, and it is the Lord who gave Israel the victor’s crown.

God is also the One who knows and directs our path too. As Christians, we have a special relationship with the Sovereign One. We are born anew into His family, directed by His Spirit, and given victory over death and sin. We no longer have special visitations from God. speaking directly into our ears, and giving us specific battle plans for each day. Instead, He has given His Holy Spirit to help us in taking on board, understanding, and applying God’s Word. We are not glasses that the Holy Spirit fills up when we need it. This is a cooperative task, and so like ancient Israel, He uses ordinary means to accomplish extra-ordinary goals. He uses our reading and meditation upon the Bible to put His Word in our mind and heart, and to apply it in our everyday lives. We are tasked, by God, to read, meditate, and apply His Word, but this can only happen with the guidance and help of the Holy Spirit.

The LORD’s Victory

The true victory belongs to God. Joshua understands this and so carries out Moses orders from Deuteronomy 27. In verses 30-35 we see Israel rededicating themselves to the covenant with the LORD. Mounts Gerizim and Ebal lie on either side of Shechem. Shechem is where God first gave Abraham the promise of future blessing in Genesis 12. The area has history. When you go home, over lunch, have two bibles open, one at Deuteronomy 27 and the other in Joshua 8:30-35, and you will see how Joshua follows exactly what Moses commanded Israel to do when they entered the Promised Land.

Joshua 8:30, Now Joshua built an altar to the LORD God of Israel in Mount Ebal, which, verse 31, no tool had touched. In Deuteronomy 27:13 we read that the two mountains are visible signs of God’s covenant. Mt Gerizim was the mountain of the blessings, while Mt Ebal was the mountain of the curse. The valley between the two mountains acts like an amplifier. Many people have gone to Shechem. Some of the people would stand on one mount while others would stand on the other. As one person read a book out loud and the people on the other mountain can hear every word said. Down at the Dish, in Parks NSW, there are two small dishes maybe 15-20 meters away from each other, with low bushes between them. Jayden can stand in front of one and speak in his normal soft voice and be heard at the other end, as if he were standing right beside you.

It is worthy to note that Joshua was instructed to build the altar on mount Ebal. the mountain of the curse. Joshua 8:33 says, Then all Israel, with their elders and officers and judges, stood on either side of the ark before the priests, the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, the stranger as well as he who was born among them. Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel. We are all sinners in need of repentance and faith, and this is what the altar stood for in ancient Israel. This side of the cross we don’t need to offer sacrifices to God because God Himself provided the once for all sacrifice in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

We are called to follow Christ, as He alone provides the only plan to gain victory over our guilt and shame, over sin and death. We are also called to dedicate each and every day of our lives to Him, remembering that He has the victory secure. His plan might seem ridiculous, and counter-cultural. But He requires us to be dedicated to His plan. That requires confessing our sin, praising and thanking God for daily mercies, and seeking His council in every area of our life. It requires us to be dedicated to His Word as the sole means of faith and life. And dedicated to the Holy Spirit’s guidance in everyday life. It isn’t easy, but it is the only plan for victory because it is the Lord’s plan.

Let us pray.