June 20, 2023

Do you read the Word diligently?

Joshua 8

Emily Hope
Tuesday's Devo

June 20, 2023

Tuesday's Devo

June 20, 2023

Tuesday's Devo

June 20, 2023

Tuesday's Devo

June 20, 2023

Big Idea

God's definition of success is faithfulness.

Key Verse | Joshua 8:34-35

And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who lived among them.

Joshua 8

The Fall of Ai

1 And the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Take all the fighting men with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, his city, and his land. 2 And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its livestock you shall take as plunder for yourselves. Lay an ambush against the city, behind it.”

3 So Joshua and all the fighting men arose to go up to Ai. And Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out by night. 4 And he commanded them, “Behold, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you remain ready. 5 And I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. And when they come out against us just as before, we shall flee before them. 6 And they will come out after us, until we have drawn them away from the city. For they will say, ‘They are fleeing from us, just as before.’ So we will flee before them. 7 Then you shall rise up from the ambush and seize the city, for the LORD your God will give it into your hand. 8 And as soon as you have taken the city, you shall set the city on fire. You shall do according to the word of the LORD. See, I have commanded you.” 9 So Joshua sent them out. And they went to the place of ambush and lay between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai, but Joshua spent that night among the people.

10 Joshua arose early in the morning and mustered the people and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai. 11 And all the fighting men who were with him went up and drew near before the city and encamped on the north side of Ai, with a ravine between them and Ai. 12 He took about 5,000 men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city. 13 So they stationed the forces, the main encampment that was north of the city and its rear guard west of the city. But Joshua spent that night in the valley. 14 And as soon as the king of Ai saw this, he and all his people, the men of the city, hurried and went out early to the appointed place 1 8:14 Hebrew appointed time toward the Arabah to meet Israel in battle. But he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city. 15 And Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten before them and fled in the direction of the wilderness. 16 So all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and as they pursued Joshua they were drawn away from the city. 17 Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel. They left the city open and pursued Israel.

18 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.” And Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city. 19 And the men in the ambush rose quickly out of their place, and as soon as he had stretched out his hand, they ran and entered the city and captured it. And they hurried to set the city on fire. 20 So when the men of Ai looked back, behold, the smoke of the city went up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that, for the people who fled to the wilderness turned back against the pursuers. 21 And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had captured the city, and that the smoke of the city went up, then they turned back and struck down the men of Ai. 22 And the others came out from the city against them, so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side. And Israel struck them down, until there was left none that survived or escaped. 23 But the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him near to Joshua.

24 When Israel had finished killing all the inhabitants of Ai in the open wilderness where they pursued them, and all of them to the very last had fallen by the edge of the sword, all Israel returned to Ai and struck it down with the edge of the sword. 25 And all who fell that day, both men and women, were 12,000, all the people of Ai. 26 But Joshua did not draw back his hand with which he stretched out the javelin until he had devoted all the inhabitants of Ai to destruction. 2 8:26 That is, set apart (devoted) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction) 27 Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel took as their plunder, according to the word of the LORD that he commanded Joshua. 28 So Joshua burned Ai and made it forever a heap of ruins, as it is to this day. 29 And he hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening. And at sunset Joshua commanded, and they took his body down from the tree and threw it at the entrance of the gate of the city and raised over it a great heap of stones, which stands there to this day.

Joshua Renews the Covenant

30 At that time Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, 31 just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the people of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, “an altar of uncut stones, upon which no man has wielded an iron tool.” And they offered on it burnt offerings to the LORD and sacrificed peace offerings. 32 And there, in the presence of the people of Israel, he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. 33 And all Israel, sojourner as well as native born, with their elders and officers and their judges, stood on opposite sides of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, half of them in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded at the first, to bless the people of Israel. 34 And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. 35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who lived 3 8:35 Or traveled among them.

Footnotes

[1] 8:14 Hebrew appointed time
[2] 8:26 That is, set apart (devoted) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)
[3] 8:35 Or traveled

S2:117 Joshua 8

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | Joshua 8

"If you had done it right the first time, we wouldn't be here." It's easy to think this when reading about the Israelites' battle with Ai. If I'm being honest, I find that I say words like these to myself. I even sometimes think that God says words like these to me, too.

If we keep reading, we see that God's power and love can redeem our worst failures. God doesn't criticize and give up on Israel. He instead steps into the chaos. He proves that sin and defeat don't have to be the end of the story.

Whenever we come to difficult passages like this, it is okay to wrestle with the text. We must also remind ourselves what is true about God and His character. Though most of the chapter highlights war and destruction, a closer look shows a God of justice, compassion, covenant, and care.

Yes, God did bring judgment through warfare on both the Canaanites and Israelites for their respective sins. All sin deserves punishment. God takes obedience and holiness very seriously. The key difference between the nation of Israel and Ai is that Israel repented. They recognized their sin, asked for forgiveness, and sought to follow God wholeheartedly.

While God is just in all that He does, He is also forgiving. Because of that, we see that God is the one who goes to battle for the Israelites. He didn't have to forgive or fight for the people, but He did. He called Israel back and reminded them of His covenant promise for the nation.

Though we absolutely need to take sin seriously and face any accompanying consequences, our sin and mistakes are not the end of God's purposes for us. Israel's story wasn't over after the first loss at Ai, and our story is not over after we sin. God graciously offers us forgiveness and new life through faith in Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. We can then, by His power, enjoy and glorify Him as we follow His way and not our own.

This month's memory verse

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

– 1 Corinthians 15:58

Discussion Questions

1. What aspects of God's character are easy for you to believe, and what are hard for you to believe?

2. What sins are you holding on to that you need to bring before God and ask for forgiveness?

3. After defeating Ai, Joshua read the Law of Moses to the people as a reminder of God's covenant promises and His call for holy living. What Scriptures remind you of God's character and His call for holy living as disciples of Christ?

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

HS

Hugh Stephenson

Good morning, Emily! Love your focus on repentance as the difference maker between Israelites and Canaanites. It’s a difference maker today also. In Prodigal, we spend a fair amount of time on Luke 15, the story of the Lost (prodigal) Son. Among my favorite passages is when he comes home, confesses, and repents, (Luke 15:17-24). Very often there will be a prodigal participant who asks, how will I know when my prodigal has truly had a change of heart?” The short answer is…”you won’t miss it”. The longer answer is that when an unrepentant prodigal finally gets the conviction that only the Holy Spirit can bring, everything in that person life will change. The old saying is “change your playground and your playmates”. A friend adds, “and your playlist”. Amen In December of 2012 when I came to the end of myself, I told Amy was had happened and that I would never drink again. Though she was very kind and understanding the silent response she had was, “We’ll see”. That’s exactly what it should have been.
HS

Hugh Stephenson

Q1. After the turn in 2012, I developed an understanding of what the existential questions were that had kept me in addiction and consistently drew me back to it. Simply stated I did not know who God was, if He was real at all, and what it might or mightn’t mean. The Holy Spirit boiled it down to what I call the three big questions- -Who is God? -Who am I? -Why am I here? Little did I know that the Spirit had put in My heart the outline of a basic Bible study. It didn’t take long for me to get the answers and then I was off and running. Q2. My nature is passivity and comfort seeking. Avoid hassles. I don’t like leading and taking the initiative if it’s the least cumbersome or difficult. Also, I use food as a coping mechanism. Q3. My favorite answer to this question would be Exodus 19:6. Right behind would be Psalm 71:18, Acts 1:8 and Matthew 28:19-20.
HS

Hugh Stephenson

What I love about this chapter is that, like the father of the prodigal son, God never gives up. Judgement and justice come to the hard hearted and unrepentant in this life or the next. But He never gives up on His people whose heart is turned to Him. I note the quick turn from Jericho in chapter 6 to the defeat at Ai in chapter 7. I am taught to watch words carefully, (2 Timothy 3:16). In chapter 6 the first word is “Now…” My take…The Israelites are ready to begin taking possession of the land. In chapter 7 the first word is “But…” My take, this is a warning that they will not have uninterrupted obedience. Neither will I. In chapter 8 the first word is “And…” My take…having been convicted they are now ready to resume their obedience. There is a saying in recovery circles, “relapse is a part of recovery.” I’m not sure about that…but I do see it happen. Chapter 6, 7, and 8 give me a good model. To underline the “2nd chance”, the first verse echoes the opening in Joshua 6. I know God wants me to focus on these chapters as the “heap of stones” indicate an event that is commemorated that I should study. The contrasts between the back story of each of these heaps over Achan and over the King of Ai have my attention. From the notes- “If the “great heap of stones” over Achan in 7:26 was a monument to Israel’s breaking faith, the present “great heap of stones” over the king of Ai is a monument to Israel’s second chance and restoration.” I would add, “Remember that you need Me and what happened at Ai will be repeated in battle and in life if you forget that. Even so, when your heart is turned to me and you confess and repent, I will forgive you.” (1 John 1:9, James 5:16). The last piece for me is the covenant renewal. To me, the message again is to remember who God is. “Joshua fulfilled Moses’ command to renew the covenant at Shechem by placing copies of the covenant on Mount Ebal and directing the Israelite tribes to shout the blessings and curses of the covenant to each other across the valley separating Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim (see also Deut. 11:29–30; 27:4–13).” “This ceremony confronted all the Israelites—men, women, and children—with the demands of their covenant God as they began this new phase of their national history. Obedient response to God's will as expressed in His Law would guarantee future rest, prosperity, and happiness in the land.” “It is important for God's people to declare their allegiance to His revealed will, publicly, among the unbelievers with whom they live (cf. Act 1:8). This helps them understand why believers live as they do, and it brings glory to God— when His people then proceed to live upright lives and to demonstrate His supernatural power (cf. Matt. 5:16). A wedding ring similarly declares one's commitment to the bride's or groom's spouse, publicly, and each ring memorializes God's leading and provision. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are memorials for Christians.”
MS

Michael Sisson

Re: Jos 8:9 Jos 8:9 (NASB) So Joshua sent them away, and they went to the place of ambush and remained >>>between Bethel and Ai,<<< on the west side of Ai; but Joshua spent that night among the people. Seemingly the same location where Abram had camped in Gen 12:8;13:3. Re: Jos 8:25-26 Jos 8:25-26 (NASB) All who fell that day, both men and women, were 12,000—>>>all the people of Ai.<<< For Joshua did not withdraw his hand with which he stretched out the javelin until >>>he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.<<< Ironically, Ai means “destruction.” Either this is a remarkable coincidence, or posterity renamed the city to commemorate its destruction. Re: Jos 8:27 Jos 8:27 (NASB) 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.<<< Israel kept the spoils, in this case, WITH the L-RD’s approval. (Jos 8:2) Later, we will read about Saul leading the Israelites in defeating the Amalekites and keeping the spoils, despite the L-RD strictly forbidding it. (1Sam 15:3) Doing so will cost Saul the throne. (1Sam 15:23) Re: Jos 8:29 Jos 8:29 (NASB) He hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening; and >>>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. See Dt 21:23; Jn 19:31 Re: Jos 8:32 See Dt 17:18 Re: Jos 8:33 Jos 8:33 (NASB) All Israel with their elders and officers and their judges were standing on both sides of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, >>>the stranger as well as the native.<<< Half of them stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had given command at first to bless the people of Israel. Re: Jos 8:35 Jos 8:35 (NASB) There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel with the women and the little ones >>>and the strangers who were living among them.<<<
KR

karol rosas

I want to continue studying the Bible, I’ve always listen and not to often dive in deep and ask questions about what I’m reading. Thanks for this! I have a poster with Joshua 1:9 for reassurance that wherever I go, God is with me. Remembering that repenting is part of God’s love and covenant towards me.
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Michael Scaman

I'm a pre-suppositionalist but consistent with that presupposition that the word of God is true because God cannot lie and the BIble we have may not be exactly as written but is virtually as written or very close to it, is that you expect some consistency between the Bible's claims and evidence seen for what is known or seems known.. Jericho is like the entrance to the promised land as its on a major route coming in. God putting a monumnet of the walls falling as one enter's the promised land imakes sense for the glory of God. It makes sense that they would go before Mt Ebal and Mount Gerazim. Moses said twice in Deuteronomy. Also Jacobs well , land Jacob took and the place Abraham 'cut covenant with God' was in between the two mountains. In front is a big plain where many people could view it. Many people also say Mt Ebal conveys curses being more barren while Me Gerazim for green and conveys blessing. All consistent with being true. There is evidence of the cities being burned in Joshua's conquests as described. There is evidence of Jericho falling and at the right time and a good source for that would be archeologist Bryant Wood. Ib AI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrUV88KkX0g On Jericho https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_4ftNLuWh4 One possible view of Joshua's alter with images of a possible alter found on Mt Ebal which has a curse tablet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb1h45LqYpw Mt Ebal was the mout of curses and the alter was put on the mount of curses, not on mount Gerazinm the mount of blessing. Since Abraham made his covenant with God between those two mountains it was fitting they renew the covenent threre with Joshua's alter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_15tYO4hqJA
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Amy Lowther

1. God’s values are easy for me to believe because I have heard about them at church, read about them in the Bible, and been able to apply them in daily life. Without daily practice and daily study, believing in God is hard. 2. I have no sins to confess at this time. 3. A scripture which reminds me of God’s character and his call for holy living as disciples of Christ is Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
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Sue Bohlin

Hi Emily! Thanks for your devo. In the first verse of Joshua 8, God tells Joshua, "Do not fear and do not be dismayed." The NIV reads, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Recently I've been meditating on the big commands: *Be not afraid *Be strong *Be transformed by the renewing of your mind *Be not anxious *Be cleansed (to the leper) Today we read: *Be not discouraged/dismayed/broken/shattered What they all have in common is that in order to obey, we have to shift into "passively receptive" gear, because God is the one who pours His grace and power into us. There is absolutely nothing we can do to make ourselves stop fearing, stop being weak, stop being anxious or discouraged; nothing we can do to make ourselves be transformed or cleansed. It's 100% the work of God in us that we open ourselves to. It's the same dynamic at work in 2023 that God was calling Joshua to.