Victory at Ai, Part 2a

Turn me in your Bible if you would to Joshua chapter 8. Joshua chapter 8. And as you're turning, I want to remind you of the man who had worked for a bank for several years. and quite unexpectedly was appointed the pres of that bank. A bit anxious, he approached the chairman of the board and said these words I'm not really sure what to do. I was wondering if you could give me some advice. The old man looked back at him without thinking very long and said, Yes, I can give you some advice. And it's wrapped up in two words: right dec.

The younger man had hoped for something a bit more substantial. So he responded, well, that's helpful, and I appreciate your counsel. But could you be more specific? How do I learn to make right dec? The wise old man replied, Experience. The young man was getting rather frustrated at the answers he was getting. After all, the reason he was asking the questions was that he didn't have enough. Exper. So I said to the chairman of the board, but that's why I'm here. How do I get the kind of experience?

I need. And the old man smiled and said, wrong decisions. Now you think about that. Joshua had learned the same l. There had been an individual in Israel. By the name of Achan, who made the wrong decision. And that decision affected Is. That decision affected not only that man, his family, but the whole nation, because they would go to battle. With sin in the camp, and they would go to battle without truly consulting the Lord. They would go to battle confident that they could win because AI was a real small city compared to Jericho.

You only had 12,000 inhabitants, so they only took 3,000 soldiers to fight against them. Only to find out that when they went to battle, they would lose. They would lose. And not only would they lose the battle, 36 men died in that battle. Israel was distraught. They couldn't understand. God had told them that they would win. God had told them that they would be victorious. God had told Joshua, every your foot goes, you will win. That land is yours. And to lose was something they had not pre for.

And yet God was going to teach them a great and mighty lesson. He would teach them a lesson every one of us needs to understand, every one of us needs to grasp, or else we will go down to defeat. It's a lesson that we need to hold dear to our lives because all God wanted was for his people to be obedient to him. That's all God's ever wanted. Just that his people would obey him, would follow him with their whole heart. And so the offender in Israel was found out. He was stoned. He died. He was killed.

Israel was cleansed. And now was time to go back into battle. And they would learn a lesson about victory. A lesson that needs to be paramount in all of our lives. And Joshua chapter 8 is about that victory and how when Israel rebounded from that sin, confessed the sin, dealt with the sinner. God cleansed them and caused them to conquer once again. And yet, in chapter 8 of Joshua, we begin to understand their victory. And their victory is our victory. Understanding what takes place in Joshua chapter 8 helps us understand what needs to be taking place in our lives.

And so in Joshua chapter 8, verse number 1, we told you that there was a consol before the war. That is, the word of the Lord came to Joshua. And God would speak to him. There would be a word of inspiration, and there would be a word of instruction. When you're about to go to war, God's word is that which inspires you and instructs you in the way that you should go. God knew that Joshua needed to be inspired. Joshua was waiting for God to tell him what to do next. And God told Joshua, do not be afraid.

God would inspire him because he needed to no longer fear. He said, do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, Joshua. Do not be. Afraid and do not ever faint from your call. Why? Because you've got a future, Joshua. I've given AI into your hands. I've given you the king of that city. I've given you the inhabitants of that city. I've given you those. Objects in the city. You have a future. So Joshua would be inspired. And then God, in a very succinct way, would instruct him. He would instruct him about the army, he would instruct him about the ambush, and he would instruct him about the award.

That is, this is the army you take. You take all the soldiers, not just some of the soldiers. You take them all this time, Joshua, because you didn't last time. And on top of that, there's an ambush that's going to take place. My strategy is different than last time. Last time, all you had to do was walk around the city. For seven days. On the seventh day, seven times. Give a shout, the walls come down. But this time, it's a little different. You're going to set an ambush for AI, and you're going to go hand to hand in combat, and you will destroy them.

And when you do, There will be an award, an award that says, All the spoils and all the cattle of that city are yours for the taking. All that was in Jericho was mine. That was the first fruit of your victory.

It 's mine, but this one is yours for the taking. That was the consol before the war. And now we come to point number two: the conducting of the war, and then point number three, the convocation after the war.

So let me read to you verses 3 and following, Joshua chapter 8. So Joshua rose with all the people of war to go up to Ai. And Joshua chose thirty thousand men, valiant warriors, and sent them out at night. And he commanded him, saying, See, you are going to ambush the city from behind it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you Be ready. Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city, and it will come about when they come out to meet us, as at the first, that we will flee from before them.

And they will come out after us, until we have drawn them away from the city. For they will say, They are fleeing before us as at the first.

So we will flee before them. And you shall rise from your ambush, and take possession of the city, for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand. Then it will be when you have seized the city, that you shall set the city on fire. You shall do it according to the word of the Lord. See, I have commanded you. So Joshua sent them away, and they went to the place of ambush. and remained between Bethel and A, on the west side of A but Joshua spent that night among the people. Now Joshua rose early in the morning, and mustered the people, and he went up with the elders of Israel before the people to Ai.

Then all the people of War who were with him went up and drew near and arrived in front of the city, and camped on the north side of A. Now there was a valley between them and Ai, and he took about five thousand men, and set them in ambush between Bethel and A, on the west side of the city. So they stationed the people, all the army that was on the north side of the city, and its rear guard on the west side of the city, and Joshua spent that night in the midst of the valley. And it came about when the king of Ai saw it, that the men of the city hurried and rose up early, and went out to meet Israel in battle, he and all his people, at the appointed place before the desert plain.

But he did not know. that there was an ambush against him behind the city. And Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness, and all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them. And they pursued Joshua, and were drawn away from the city, so not a man was left in Ai or Bethel, who had not gone out after Israel. And they left the city unguarded and pursued Israel. Then the LORD said to Joshua, Stretch out the javel that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.

So Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city. And the men in ambush rose quickly from their place and when he had stretched out his hand they ran and entered the city and captured it, and they quickly set the city on fire. When the men of Ai turned back and looked, behold, the smoke of the city ascended to the sky, and they had no place to flee this way or that. for the people had been fleeing to the wilderness, turned against the pursuers. When Joshua and all Israel saw that the men in ambush had captured the city, and that the smoke of the city Ascended, they turned back and slew the men of Ai.

And the others came out from the city to encounter them, so that they were trapped in the midst of Israel. Some on this side and some on that side, and they slew them until no one was left of those who survived or escaped. But they took Eliath the king of A and brought him to Joshua. Now it came about when Israel had finished killing all the inhabitants of Ai in the field in the wilderness, where they pursued them, and all of them were fallen by the edge of the sword until they were destroyed. Th all Israel returned to Ai and struck it with the edge of the sword.

And all who fell that day, both men and women, were 12,000, all the people of A. For Joshua did not withdraw his hand, with which he stretched out the javel, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ahi. Israel took only the cattle, and the spoil of that city, as plunder for themselves, according to the word of the LORD, which he had commanded Joshua. So Joshua burned Ai and made it a heap for ever, a desolation until this day. And he hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening. At sunset Joshua gave command, and they took his body down from the tree, and threw it at the entrance of the city gate.

And raised over it a great heap of stones that stands to this day. I'm going to stop right there. The capturing of the city, the conducting of the war. This is a great strategy. And it was carried out to perfection. And I just want to point a couple things out to you to help you understand the victory at AI. The first thing I want you to notice is the deployment at AI.

That is, Joshua had to rally the troops. How he was going to deploy his men, how he would explain to his men what the next step was going to be. You will note that he got together 30,000 m. Not just any men, but valiant warriors. These men were prominent men. These men were excellent in battle. Whenever you need to do battle, you need to go with people you can trust, people you can count on, people that are dependable, people that are trustworthy, people that are faithful. That's the way we need to be.

And those are the ones that he chose. 30,000 of them, specific, valiant warriors. And they were unique men because they were submissive men. How do we know that? The Bible says very clearly in verse number 9, these words.

So Joshua sent them away. And they went. A very simple phrase, but it speaks volumes to these men and their commitment. He sent them. And they went. They were a lot like their leader, Joshua. He was a man, when given orders, would obey. You will note what the Bible says in verse number 8.

You shall do it according to the word of the Lord. See, I have commanded you. And then over in verse number 27. Israel took only the cattle and the spoil of that city as plunder for themselves according to the word of the Lord which he had comm Joshua. Note this that any battle you face Any battle you face is only won when you submit to the word of the Lord. If at any time you decide not to submit to God's commands, any time you decide not to do what God says, you will lose the battle.

You'll never win. You might think you're going to win, but you will not. Joshua chapter 7 tells us that Israel thought they would win the battle because they had the resources. But they went to battle without consulting the Lord. They went to battle with sit in the camp. And even though they had good men, even though they had more men, even though they had a great plan, they still lost because they didn't follow the word of the Lord. This is so important to us. No matter what battle you face, it could be a personal battle with temptation.

It could be a family battle you face with your children or your spouse. No matter what battle you face, you'll never win unless you're willing to submit to the commands of God. So important, so simple, yet so easily forgotten. But not only this, look at verse number three.

It says, So Joshua rose with all the people of war to go up to Ai, and Joshua chose 30,000 men, valiant warriors, and sent them out at Night. Now you think, well, of course he's going to send them out at night. He's not going to do it during the day. But just think for a moment. If you're going to be a valiant warrior, if you're going to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ, then one of the key elements. To your warriorship is not only are you submissive to the Word of God, but you are living a life of self-denial.

To be a warrior in the kingdom of God means that you are willing to deny yourself of life's pleasures, life's comforts, and life's ease for the sake of Winning whatever battle you are willing to face or you find yourself encountering. You see, when Christ said, If any man come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross. and follow me. Christianity is a life of self-denial. It's not a life of self-est. It's a life that denies itself of the pleasures that everyone else seems to want to engross themselves with.

In order that you might be sold out to your commanding officer. Paul said it this way way back in 2 Timothy chapter 2, these words. Verse 3, suffer hardship with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus, Timothy. Timothy, I want you to suffer hardship. With me as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. In other words, if you're going to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ, you're going to suffer hardship. We don't like to do that. We don't want to be counted with those who suffer harshly. We want to live an easy life.

We want to live a comfortable life. And Paul goes on to say these words in verse number four. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life. So that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. In other words, if you're enlisted as a soldier in the work of God, you don't get so enamored and so Encumbered by the everyday affairs of life that you cannot please your commanding officer. And when Paul talks about being ent in the everyday affairs of life, he's talking not about sinful things.

He's talking about those things that preoccupy your attention so that you cannot be all that you need. To be for Jesus Christ. No soldier in active service, no soldier who wants to please his commanding officer is going to be so preoccupied with the mundane, so preoccupied with the average. So preoccupied with his business, with his daily appearance, that he cannot focus in on pleasing his commanding offic. Same thing that's taken place in Joshua chapter 8. He chooses valiant warriors, men who are submissive to the commands of God, who will do what Joshua says, because Joshua Is leading the way.

He's doing what God said. And it goes back to the same old thing. Whatever the people you lead. Disobedient to the word of God, the very first place you need to look is your own life to see where you are being disobedient to God.

Very first place you look. It might not be that you are disobedient, but if you're modeling that to those you lead, it's going to affect the way they live their lives. And so, as parents, we look at our lives, we look at our children.

Are our children obedient to the word of the Lord? Do they love the Lord? Do they want to serve the Lord? Or are they rebelling against the Lord? If they are. The very first place I look is inwardly.

Am I rebelling against the Lord? Is there a part of my life? That's disobedient to the commands of God. Because if there is, it will be multiplied tenf in the lives of my children. So I look inwardly first and I ask myself, Lord, is there anything there that's keeping me from being committed to you and following you?

And if you look at your life and you realize that you're doing the best you can and you're honoring God, then you go to your children, you talk to them, or you go to those you're leading, you talk to them, confront them on their sin because you can do it because you've already dealt with the Speck of sawdust in your own eye.

You've already dealt with your own sin. See? But Joshua was a man who obeyed the Lord. He was a man who followed the Lord. He was the man who served the Lord. And those who followed him would follow in his footsteps, and they would obey the commands of God. And these were those valiant warriors that were used in such a great and mighty way. But notice this about the deployment of his men.

He gave them the directions for the ambush. And you will note what he says to them in verses 5 and 6. He says that I and all the people who are with me will approach the city, and it will come about when they come out to meet us as at the first.

That we will flee before them. And they will come out after us until we have drawn them away from the city. For they will say, They are fleeing before us as at the last, so we will flee before them. This is a very important as to you gaining victory in your battles. That is, you need to know the tactics of the enemy. Joshua knew. He knew that if he went up to them and began to run from them, that they would turn and pursue them. And he knew that once they pursued them as they did before, they would be caught in a trap.

See, he knew the tactics of the enemy. He knew their style. He knew what they would do. And you know what? When we go to battle, we need to know the tactics of the enemy. And unfortunately, for the most part, we don't. The Bible tells us in Ephesians chapter 6, verse number 11, that we are to stand firm against the schemes or the wiles of the devil. Well, how can we stand firm against that which we know nothing about? Paul said in 2 Corinthians 2, verse number 11, that we are not to be ignorant of Satan's tactics or Satan's devices.

But so many times we find ourselves. Not in the know about how Satan operates. So, how do we stand firm against that which we don't know what is? Do we know that Satan is a master deceiver? He disguises himself as an angel of light. Do we know that he's a master tempter? He caused Eve way back in Genesis 3 to doubt. The word of the Lord and cause her to desire to be like God. Do we know his tactics? Do we know, as the Bible says over in Zach 3, verses 1 and 2, that Satan's objective is to oppose the work of God?

Do we know in 1 Thessalonians 2.1 that he seeks to hinder God's servants in 2 Corinthians 4? 3 and 4, he seeks to hinder the gospel. 1 Timothy 3, verses 6 and 7, he snares the wicked. Revelation 16, he desires to control the nations of the world. 2 Corinthians 11, he describes himself as an angel of light in 1 John chapter 5, verses 18 and 19. The whole world lies in the lap of the evil one. Folks, do you know how Satan wants to destroy your family? Do you know how he wants to get into your family and how he wants to separate your family?

Do you know how he seeks to work in your own personal life? Remember, you don't war against flesh and blood. It's not you and me in battle. It's the spiritual forces of darkness. That's where our battle lies. And we've got to take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of truth. And we've got to be able to know the tactics of the devil so we can point the sword in the right direction. So we know what the word of the Lord says about each and every temptation, about each and every tactic that Satan uses to destroy my marriage, to destroy my family.

My testimony, to destroy my church, that I might know exactly what it is I'm supposed to be doing. See, Joshua knew what the enemy was going to do. And so he is able to plan the strategy accordingly because God had given him the wisdom to do so. And that's the way we need to be. If we're ever going to understand the victory at AI and have that victory incorporated in my life as well.