Joshua 8:18-23 – Divine timing is everything

Unaware of the strategy of the Israelites, the king of Ai and his forces of men pursue Joshua and the 5,000 men with him. The strategy the Israelites had was to make it look as if they were running away from them. Their intention was to draw the men of Ai away from their city and they unwittingly fell into the trap. As soon as they were in hot pursuit of Joshua and his entourage of 5,000, God gave the order to Joshua saying, “Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.” This order of the Lord tells us something. While it was Joshua and his men who fight the battle, it was God who had given them the victory. The very first time they went to fight against Ai, they went in their own strength and had to suffer a humiliating defeat. This time around, they walked into the battle with the power of God with the assurance of victory.

Notice that it was God who told Joshua to point his javelin toward the city. It was the moment to be obeyed. Victory in life is always in keeping with the divine moment. There is a need to be in touch with God to know the time to execute an assault. Remember it was God who gave them the strategy. In Joshua 8:2, they were told to set an ambush. While the strategy came from God, the exact moment to execute it must be discerned. This clearly points to the need to identify God’s timing for everything if we are to experience victory. In God, everything has a season. That’s what Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us. It says, “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.”  

Joshua pointing his javelin toward Ai was an indication for the 30,000 hidden men of valor to emerge and go into Ai to ravage it and raze it to the ground. Joshua only raised his javelin at the instruction of the Lord. As soon as Joshua did that, the valiant men responded. By the time the pursuing force of Ai turned around, they saw smoke rising from their city but it was too late. They were sandwiched between Joshua and the 5,000 men and the 30,000 valiant men. So, the Israelites totally destroyed every man of Ai and captured the king of Ai alive and brought him before Joshua.

Here is a lesson for us in our battle against our flesh. The battle to control our carnal nature is not won and cannot be won by our own effort. Having the will to fight is not good enough, we need the undergirding of God’s power and strength. To say no to a temptation is not enough, we need to rely on the power of the Lord's might. Like Paul who had advised us in Ephesians 6, we just need to put on the whole armor of God. The only way to overcome the flesh is to rely totally on the power of God and not just the will. As important as spiritual disciplines are, it is the empowerment of the grace of God that we need, to be an overcomer. Remember all spiritual exercises only help us to be poised to receive God’s overcoming grace. Devoid of the grace, all our activities will merely be self-effort. Remember that our victory is not in what we do but in what God does through us, as we avail ourselves to Him and the guidance of His Spirit. We must learn to walk in the power of His might as Galatians 5:16 tells us. So, let us “…walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”