Joshua 8:1-8

Plans for Attacking Ai Again Joshua 8:1-8

And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land:
2 And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.
3 So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valor, and sent them away by night.
4 And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, even behind the city: go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready:
5 And I, and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city: and it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them,
6 (For they will come out after us) till we have drawn them from the city; for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: therefore we will flee before them.
7 Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon the city: for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand.
8 And it shall be, when ye have taken the city, that ye shall set the city on fire: according to the commandment of the Lord shall ye do. See, I have commanded you.

1.

Why did God reassure ?Joshua 8:1; ?Joshua 8:2

God had given encouragement to Joshua when he first commissioned him soon after the death of Moses. He had also given him instructions and encouragement as Israel made the first attack against Jericho. Since they had entered into an ill-fated campaign against Ai at first and were utterly routed, Joshua might have fallen into deep discouragement. As a matter of fact, we know he fell to the earth upon his face and rent his clothes in deep sorrow over the defeat which Israel had suffered, It was, therefore, good for God to encourage Joshua to make this second attack.

2.

Why were the people of Israel allowed to take spoil from Ai? Joshua 8:2

God had prohibited them from taking any spoils of war from the city of Jericho. When they made the attack against Ai, He said, Only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves (Joshua 8:2). The firstfruits of the land belonged to the Lord. The firstborn of man and beast belonged to God. It appears that God took the spoils of war from the first city, Jericho; but He allowed the Israelites to keep the spoils from the other cities for themselves.

3.

How many men went out against Ai the second time? Joshua 8:3

Probably some two hundred thousand men were sent against Ai in the second campaign. As only one third of the two and one-half tribes crossed Jordan, probably about one third of the other men were required to go out to battle. From these Joshua selected thirty thousand brave men and sent them forth in the night with instructions to station themselves as an ambush behind the town and not far from it. Since the distance from Gilgal to Ai was about fifteen miles and the road runs almost straight in a northwesterly direction from Jericho through Wady Faran, the detachment sent out might easily accomplish the distance in a night and arrive on the western side of Ai before the break of day.

4.

Where were the thirty thousand men to hide? Joshua 8:3 In a very specific way God directed the campaign

against Ai. He told Joshua, Lay thee an ambush for the city behind it (Joshua 8:2). The spot for hiding the men must have been on the west side of the city. This would have been behind the city from the location of Joshua's camp to the east. The road that goes by Ai and leads to Bethel dips out of sight just west of Ai. The roadway is hidden from view by a ridge of broken rocks. The rocks would enable an ambush to conceal itself and yet it would not be very far from the city. If these men were hidden at the spot, they would be at an excellent position to rush into the city after the main force fled toward the Jordan Valley, and were pursued by the soldiers of Bethel and Ai.

5.

How many people did Joshua take with him? Joshua 8:5

Joshua evidently stayed with the main force of the Israelite army. If he sent some thirty thousand for the major ambush and then later sent another five thousand (Joshua 8:12), he probably took some one hundred and sixty-five thousand men with him. This calculation is based on the supposition that he did not demand more than a third of the total number of men available to him to take part in the campaign, This would leave four hundred thousand men to handle the military provisions and to care for the women and children,

6.

In what way was burning the city according to the commandment of God? Joshua 8:8

God had strictly warned the people against leaving any of the idolatrous objects of worship in the land of Canaan. The people were instructed to tear down their high places, break up the images, and destroy the altars of these people, Their campaign was to be one of utter destruction. For that reason, Joshua could say that they were to set the city on fire according to the commandment of the Lord. Furthermore, God had carefully instructed them on this occasion to set an ambush behind the city. His directions with regard to the attack on Ai were quite specific, and Joshua very properly referred to his instructions for their razing the city as being according to the commandment of the Lord.