Seventh In Ramah

Joshua 7 – 8

We’re back with Joshua. This time he’s watching 5,000 of his men sneak off to lie in wait behind the city of Ai. Take 2. 

Take 1 didn’t go very well. That’s an understatement really. It drove Joshua to his knees in front of the ark of the Lord. 

That first try started well enough. Joshua sent spies to Ai to begin forming a battle plan. The spies came back and said to cut down the number of men to 2,000-3,000. Ai wasn’t large, it was sure to be an easy win. Joshua sent about 3,000 men. Higher end of the range, that seems better safe than sorry. 

Those 3,000 men quickly fled Ai. The confidence bubbling over from the Jericho victory probably came to a screeching halt. They started roll call.. names started going unanswered. I can imagine Joshua’s heart sinking lower and lower with every name. These were his men he was called to lead. They lost 36 men and the battle to what was suppose to be an easy victory. He tore his clothes as did the elders, and fell to the earth before the ark of the Lord. 

And Joshua said, “Alas, Lord God, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all–to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan! O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies? For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?” Joshua 7:7-9 NKJV

Joshua was devastated and feared the future. His mind went to so many different places, and he put them all before the Lord. Raw, real, relatable. 

So the Lord said to Joshua: “Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you. Joshua 7:10-12 NKJV

God lays the answer out very clearly. At some point, I think we have to grow past being offended at anything that isn’t sugarcoated to our feelings. My prayer has been, “God, if it’s me, please tell me. Correct me. I’d rather the rude awakening than to continue in the wrong if it puts me outside of Your favor.” That’s exactly what He did here for Joshua. No mincing words, no opportunity for misinterpretation. A man named Achan had kept an accursed item and it reflected on all of the children of Israel. Tens of thousands of people, one disobedience. God is serious about His covenants. Everything stops right here until the people have been sanctified and the offense corrected. 

They paid in a big way, but they made it right. God gave His blessing for another try. 

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.” Joshua 8:1-2 NKJV

God gave the battle plan this time. You can put your all behind that. Instead of 2,000-3,000 men, He said take them all. All 30,000. Lay an ambush. 

Joshua went to the people and gave marching orders. Along the lines of, “This group will be right behind the city. Don’t go very far, stay ready. The rest of us are going to play out what happened the first time. Leverage our defeat so something good can come from it. When they come out against us, we’ll flee. Draw them away from the city. That’s when the ambush will happen, as the Lord commanded.”

After everything that happened, we can really see the weight of Joshua watching those 5,000 men heading out to the back of Ai. They had just been bitten. I think it would be human to decide to be part of the ambush. Make sure the city went down this time. Your spies estimated 2,000-3,000 men for the whole battle, you have 5,000 there with you. If anything goes wrong, you can handle it from there. Insure victory. Instead, he watched them leave.

…but Joshua lodged that night among the people. Joshua 7:9 NJKV

It’s not specified and I’m no strategist, but I’m guessing if you want to draw out the king and all the people in the city, it would take a large number of men, the elders, and none other than Joshua himself. Faith and obedience, what’s good for the cause. 

The ambush to the west of Ai, Joshua and everyone else in the valley. No high ground, no advantage. Just out in the open, depending on God. 

Just like it was wrote up. Ai saw the Israelites in the valley and didn’t pass up their vulnerable position. Full steam ahead, they completely missed the ambush lying wait. Joshua and his men gave an incredible “oh no!” performance, and fled toward the wilderness. All the men of Ai hot on their trail. The city left completely unguarded. 

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. Joshua 8:18-19 NKJV

Ai’s troop looked behind them. Smoke billowed from the city. No more home base, no where to run. Joshua’s men dropped the act and turned back towards them. The men from the ambush now pursuing from the other side. God gave them victory. 

Again, from the human point of view, we would’ve completely understood Joshua taking safe guards for round two. A single man’s disobedience had been so costly. It would’ve been easy to become suspicious. Dial back the full trust a little bit. Hold the fire himself. But Joshua did the opposite. His “safe guard” was the blessing and word from God. He was obedient, put himself and his men in a vulnerable position in the valley, then showed great humility by running away from Ai. Joshua, son of Nun.. fleeing? Can you imagine? He wasn’t worried about his name or reputation, he was just obedient. He kept the faith that God would do as He said He would. 

Our battles are not won by the ways of our flesh. They are not won through logic or our smartest strategies. Our battles are won by the unexpected thing. The ambush of faith.