Chapter 9:1-27
At Jericho when the Lord fought for His people and the walls fell down flat, we do not hear of Israel losing a man; but at Ai, when they went up in their own strength, they were defeated by their enemies and some of them were killed.
Now that they had been humbled before the Lord, and had cleared themselves of the sin of Achan, God showed them His favor again, though He would not put honor upon them as He had when they first went forth in His power. Still His grace to Joshua is very beautiful. The Lord encouraged Him as at the beginning, saying, “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.”
Then God told Joshua how to take Ai, but how differently was the battle to be fought from the way in which Israel at first went up. Two or three thousand, they thought then, was enough, but now the Lord said, “Take all the people of war.” Every Christian soldier needs to remember that he cannot make light of even the smallest of foes, for the Lord alone is our strength and courage.
So Joshua went up to Ai, and some of his men were sent by night to form an ambush and hide behind the city. Then in the morning Joshua and his men made an attack before the city.
When the king of Ai saw them, he and all his people came out to fight against Israel. He saw no change in Israel. To him they were the same people who had fled from him only a day or so before. But what he did not see was that the Lord was among them. God had wrought a hidden work in the hearts of His people, and this the world does not see. It was now a chastened humble Israel that came up against Ai, and God was with them.
When the men of Ai came out to fight, Joshua and his men pretended to flee before them as they had done previously, so their enemies pursued after them. Pretending to flee was not so grand as seeing the walls fall down before them, but God made His people victorious through humiliation.
And the Lord Jesus bowed to the power of death, but in so doing He overcame and triumphed gloriously over the great enemy.
By weakness and defeat
He won the mead and crown;
Trod all our foes beneath His feet,
By being trodden down.
Little did the king of Ai dream of what was the result of God’s secret work in the hearts of His people. Having drawn the enemy away from the city, Joshua turned and raised his spear. When the men behind the city saw Joshua’s raised spear, they came from their hiding place, rushed into the open city and set it on fire.
When the men of Ai turned and saw their city in flames, and themselves caught between the armies of Israel, they knew not which way to flee. And so they were all destroyed. God gave His people a great victory that day. It was altogether of Him.
ML-08/28/1977