Joshua 8

        Verses 1-2: God commands Joshua to prepare for battle against Ai, affirming that He will give Israel the victory. (v.1) Not only that, but all the spoil of the city, including all the livestock, may be kept by the Israelites for themselves. If only Achan had trusted God and waited, then he would have had for himself far more treasure than just the little bit that he stole from Jericho. This is another tragic truth of our sin: when we give in and deviate from God’s plan because we want instant gratification instead of waiting for God’s perfect timing, then we miss out on the far richer blessings that God had planned for us. Waiting on the LORD and trusting in His plan is always better than rushing ahead because of our own shortsightedness and our lust for the temporary pleasures of this life.
 
            Verses 3-9: Joshua explains the battle plan to Israel’s army. Per God’s command (v.2), he selects a battalion of thirty thousand men to go behind the city of Ai, on its west side near Bethel, and hide themselves. The rest of the army, led by Joshua, will attack the city from the front and draw out all of its fighting forces. The Israelites will feign fear and retreat, causing the enemy to pursue them. At that time the thirty thousand soldiers lying wait in ambush will attack the city, setting it on fire, and thus surrounding Ai’s army.
            Take note of the primary reason that this plan will get Israel the victory. Joshua states in verse 6 that the soldiers of Ai will believe Israel’s ruse at the beginning of the attack because that’s what gave Ai the victory before. The enemy will believe they have another easy victory in sight, and so they won’t hesitate to pursue the Israelites. Notice how God uses the prior defeat to ensure the success of this new plan. Even when we stumble in our walk with God and turn to sin, He still weaves that into His divine plan for our lives, especially after we repent and get back on the right path. In other words, when God devised His plan for your life He already took into account all the times that you’re going to fail Him and disobey His leading. That doesn’t mean that you won’t suffer the consequences of that sin – Israel lost 36 good men in the first failed attack – but God will often use our mistakes & failures to bring about unexpected blessings in our lives.

            Verses 10-17: On the day of the battle, Joshua moves the army in position on the north side of Ai. He selects a contingent of five thousand men and assigns them to a position further away, near Bethel. (This is a separate strategy from the other thirty thousand men already hidden behind Ai, also near Bethel.) Joshua waits until after nightfall to advance on Ai, which, of course, doesn’t go unnoticed by the king of the city. He and his army respond in kind, as well as the soldiers of Bethel. The king foolishly orders all the fighting men of both cities to pursue the retreating Israelites. (v.17)
 
            Verses 18-29: Joshua’s signal to the thirty thousand men hiding south of Ai is reminiscent of God’s command to Moses at the Red Sea. God tells Joshua that He has given the victory to Israel and to raise his spear as a signal to the ambush unit behind Ai. (v.18) The men swarm the city, plundering it and setting it on fire. When Joshua and the main army see that Ai is burning, they turn and fight the Canaanites, and the battle is joined by the thirty thousand men, thus completely surrounding the enemy. (v.22) Once the whole of Ai’s and Bethel’s armies are slaughtered, the Israelites return to Ai to finish the battle. They utterly destroy the city, killing any remaining survivors of the initial attack, except for the king, and taking only the livestock and possessions as spoil for themselves. (v.27) Throughout all of this, Joshua remains on the hill above the battle, his spear raised, similar to Moses in the battle with the Amalekites. (v.26) (Exodus 17:11-12)
            The total population of Ai was twelve thousand (v.25), including the women and children. This fact helps to explain why the scouts in the previous chapter had advised Joshua to send only three thousand soldiers to battle Ai’s relatively small army. Only the king is spared so that he can be executed by hanging. (v.29) At sundown Joshua commands the soldiers to cast the body at the remains of the city gate where the men pile upon it “…a great heap of stone…”. God’s judgment against the cities of Ai and Bethel is complete.
 
            Verses 30-35: Joshua and all of Israel now carry out the final command of Moses. (Deuteronomy 27:4) Joshua builds an altar of uncut stones upon which is offered up to the Lord the required sacrifices for atonement and for peace. (v.31) Joshua then writes upon the stones of the altar the law of Moses, after which all of Israel assembles on either Mount Ebal or Mount Gerizim to recite the blessings and cursings as described by Moses in Deuteronomy 27-28. (v.33) Verses 33 and 35 also mention the strangers that have been absorbed into Israel’s population by this point, the most recent being Rahab and her family. They, along with all the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob listen as Joshua reads aloud the law of Moses (v.34).