AGAIN Israel is on the battle field; but this time not without counsel from God. The word of the Lord to Joshua was to take all the men, of war, and to rise up and go against Ai—the very place from whence they had fled in dismay. They were not to fear, nor be dismayed for the Lord would give the king and his people and his city and his land into Joshua’s hand. And why should they fear, now that God is at work! However, although Ai was perhaps the smallest city of the land, all the men must go up. God will take away human confidence. And pride can have no place before Him. So everything in which man would boast must be taken away. Therefore all the men had to toil thither.
Let us not lose the lesson. The rulers of the powers of darkness are the powerful foe with which we have to contend, and it is only through strength given from God that we can gain the victory; and it is by His grace alone that we can stand. Israel had their lesson to learn in God’s school, and we have our lessons to learn also. May we profit by the examples given us in God’s word!
Joshua arose and took with him all the men of war, according to the instructions of the Lord. He chose thirty thousand mighty men of valor and sent them to lie in ambush on the west side of Ai. And the host of the people he placed on the north side, and he went down into the midst of the valley which lay on the north side of the city. And when the king of Ai saw this he rose early and hastened and gathered his forces together, and went out to battle against Israel. Joshua and his warriors fled before them, pretending that they were beaten; but this was only a ruse to draw all the men of Ai away from their city. When this was done, Joshua stretched forth his hand, and those who were lying in ambush behind the city rose up and entered the city, and set it on fire. When the king and his men saw the smoke of their burning city, they were dismayed and confounded, and became an easy prey to Israel, who had turned upon them, and who now met them from before and from behind.
Thus ended the second conquest in the land for Israel. This victory, however, was not so full of glory as the first.
The Christian has not to contend with flesh and blood as Israel did. His conflict is with a mightier, and a more subtle foe, even the powers of darkness. May all who know Christ, learn to go on in simple and entire dependence upon God; then will victory be theirs.
ML 01/07/1906