Joshua 9:3-15 – Be watchful and uncompromising

Like it or not, our conversion brings conflicts into life. We find ourselves battling with the world, the flesh or our carnal nature and the devil. This is illustrated by the conflicts that Joshua and Israel had in Canaan, their promised land. Immediately on entering Canaan, the first battle they had was with Jericho which is a type of the world. Jericho was a formidable and well-fortified city. But with an unusual strategy given by God, they defeated the city and the wall came tumbling down. Similarly, if we trust God and His word, we have the wherewithal to ably deal with worldly values. The next battle they had was with a small but pesky city, known as Ai. This city is a type of the flesh. They were defeated by it in their first attempt to capture it. They failed because they were over-confident and had underestimated Ai. There was an issue of a hidden greed that was in the camp. The guy, Achan serves as an illustration of fleshy greed that needed to be dealt with in our life if we are to experience victory in our battle. It was only after they dealt with and removed Achan that they overcame the city. It underscores for us the necessity to deal with our flesh, our carnal nature if we are to experience a victorious walk with God.

In Joshua 9, we come to the third foe that Israel had to fight. It is the Gibeonites. They represent the devil and his cohorts of demons. These enemies are probably the hardest to contend with in our spiritual journey. They are full of trickeries and deception. The history of the fall of mankind tells us that deception was the very method that Satan deployed to trap and cause Eve to fall. The Bible tells us that Eve was beguiled and she succumbed and took the bait dangled before her by Satan, using the serpent. Here in Joshua 9, we are introduced to the deception of the Gibeonites. They knew that it was not easy to defeat Israel because they had the backing of God. And the only way for them to penetrate the camp of Israel and get them was to resort to deception.  

Israel was already warned by Moses not to enter into an alliance with any of the forces when they came into the promised land. So, verse 4 reveals that the Gibeonites acted craftily in order to penetrate the camp of Israel. What did they do?  The made Israel compromise with them. The moment Joshua and the Israelites entered into a treaty with them, they were bound and trapped by the treaty and had to live with the Gibeonites.

The first strategy the Gibeonites used was deception. Verses 4-6 tell us that they “…acted craftily and set out as envoys, and took worn-out sacks on their donkeys, and wineskins worn-out and torn and mended, and worn-out and patched sandals on their feet and worn-out clothes on themselves; and all the bread of their provision was dry and had become crumbled.”  They went to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a far country; now, therefore, make a covenant with us.” Verse 4 shows us that they resorted to deceitful wiles; verses 4-5 show us that they resorted to deceitful wares; and verses 6,9, 11-13, reveal that they resorted to deceitful words. The combination of all these three was used to ensnare the people of Israel. These are the devil’s strategies to lure us into complacency, confuse us by twisting the instruction of God and bait us into compromising with the Word of God.  

The trickeries of the Gibeonites remind us of the strategies Satan would deploy to stumble us in our relationship with God. We must stay alert for the purpose of prayer. That’s why we must be sober-minded and watchful. The devil wants to get us down. He is in the business of plotting the downfall of our life, our family, our testimony and even our church. Therefore, we must be watchful and not play into his hand. Verse 14 gives us the reason Joshua and Israel fell prey to the Gibeonites. We are told that “they did not ask counsel of the Lord.” Foolish act! Gullibly they accepted the deceitful scheme of the Gibeonites, entered into a live treaty and ended up living in compromise. The advice of Paul in Ephesians 6:18 is for us to keep ^“praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.…” This we must do so that we will not fall prey to the deceitful scheme of the evil one. Be watchful!

Joshua 9:1-2 - The battles ahead

Joshua 9:1-2 tell us that all the forces in the promised land literally ganged up against Israel.  We are told that “…all the kings who were beyond the Jordan, in the hill country and in the lowland and on all the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard of it, that they gathered themselves together with one accord to fight with Joshua and with Israel.” They were now facing a formidable collision of forces. Like them, when we become a Christian, we find that we have to face a collision of opposing forces of life.

Joshua and the people of Israel in their conquest of the promised land leave us with ample illustrations on what our Christian journey is like. In studying their conflicts, we will discover the conflicts we have to face in our journey and what we can do to be victorious and effective. Like them, Christian living is a privileged journey with God but not an easy one. It is one that is filled with conflicts. Crossing into Canaan, their promised land, was just the beginning. And to possess the land they had to enter into many battles with the different forces within it. Isn’t this also a true moment for us Christians? The moment we become a Christian, we are given the privilege of journeying with God. But we are also thrust into our spiritual battleground. We not only have to fight the world, but we also need to contend with our carnal nature as well as the devil.

To harness our life and to live it fully for God, we have to contend and successfully dismantle the strategy of the devil and his cohorts, the system of the world and our own carnal nature. If we fail to come to our spiritual journey with a proper perspective, we will become confused and rendered ineffective in life. We are all accustomed to our old life style. But now we need to have a total transformation. Know for sure that if we want to experience continual victorious walk, we need to battle the devil, the world and our old nature.  

In Joshua and the people of Israel’s conquest of the two cities, we see a picture of our life as God’s children. Jericho is a type of the world that they had to overcome and they overcame. Ai is a type of the flesh which they, by the help of God, dealt with. If we are to overcome our flesh, our carnal nature, we also need the help of God. The next city would be Gibeon. This is a type of the devil. And we shall discuss in our next few reflections. We will explore how to deal with the trickeries of the devil so as not to fall for his deception. Yes, be sure to stay alert, for the enemy prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Be warned!

Joshua 8:30-35 – Devotion another key to victory

In Joshua 8:27-29, we learned the need to constantly put to death the deeds of the flesh if we are to maintain a vibrant spiritual life. There is no denial even as a child of God each one of us still has conflicts with our flesh. Hence, in our spiritual journey, we need to constantly put to death our flesh in order to preserve a continual victory in Christ. Like Paul, we must live our life by the integrity of Christ Jesus who has given Himself for us and continues to love us. One key to maintaining victory in our spiritual walk is to submit to Him daily and place our trust in Him wholeheartedly.

In Joshua 8:30-35, we can see another key to walking victoriously in Him. It is devotion to Him and His Word. In these verses, we discover that Israel had already totally eliminated Ai. The victory they experienced gave them a reason to celebrate. They remembered that it was God who had given them the victory. They could have gone on and continued with the conquest of the rest of Canaan. But they didn’t. Why? They took time to pause and honor the Lord who had granted them the victory. This is something that we must constantly do with each victory God had granted us. Let us pause periodically to give thanks to the Lord. So here we see Joshua and Israel gratefully taking time to honor God and also to do what Moses in the Law had instructed them to do.

Gratefully, they constructed an altar on mount Ebal. It was built with uncut stones on which no iron tool had yet been used to chisel and shape it. And on it, they offered their burnt and peace offerings to the Lord. The altar was a place of death as well as a place of sacrifice. It serves as a reminder that they did nothing by their own power to achieve the victory. They were victorious only because God gave it to them. All they had done was to surrender their pride and their will and laid them at His feet. If we are to experience continual victory, we need to learn to surrender our will and pride and let the Lord take control over our lives.

Notice in this verses that together with the sacrifices offered, Joshua also wrote a copy of the Law given by Moses in the presence of the people. This speaks of the need to be mindful of the Word. This copy of the Law of the Word served to remind them of the importance to stay devoted to God’s Word. Here we see Joshua carried out what God had instructed them to do in Deuteronomy 27 and 28.  One-half of the people of Israel including the natives of the land stood on Mount Ebal and the other half of them, on Mount Gerizim. The Levites then took their place in the valley between the two mountains and read out the curses and the blessings. Every time the curses were read out the people on Mount Ebal would shout, “Amen.” And when the blessings were read out the people on Mount Gerizim would shout “Amen.” These were done to remind them of what God would bless and what he would not bless. It was also an affirmation that they should live by the Word daily.  

Interestingly Ebal means “the heap of barrenness.” Gerizim, on the other hand, means “cutting off.”  Ebal is intended to remind us that disobedience to the Lord will result in barrenness. Gerizim reminds us that we must remain as God’s set apart people. To maintain continuous victory in the Lord, we not only must need to continually put to death our flesh but must also live in total devotion to the Lord. Let us seek to give priority to the Word of God and to take time to live it out. 

Joshua 8:24-29 – Our flesh needs to be dealt with

In obedience, Joshua and the children of Israel found the victory. What brought them to this point was their absolute trust in the Lord. Hence, they were able to prevail over the enemy totally. The good news for us is that we are serving the same God whom they served. He remains the same today and has not changed a bit. If we apply ourselves and trust Him absolutely, He will also help us in our battle. The enemy the Israelites engaged in battle then was the people of Ai, but the battle we fight against today is with our flesh. The victory they experienced over Ai was found in their total abandonment to the Lord. Victory over our flesh can also be achieved through our total abandonment and trust in Him.   

What is more important to us is how can victory over our flesh be maintained? It is one thing to win a battle, but quite another to continue to walk in victory. Like the Israelites, in our spiritual journey, we must also take the same step if we are to experience continual victory over our flesh. Verses 27-29 show us what they did to preserve their victory. They did not leave a single person alive in Ai. Everyone from the king to the ordinary peasant was annihilated. Joshua knew that leaving anyone alive would only spell problems for them down the road. Everyone had to be eradicated and so they spared no effort and totally annihilated the enemy.  

What is the lesson for us in our spiritual journey? Our life is God’s promised land to us. And in our life, we will discover our flesh is ever so alive and needs to be put to death. At least this was exactly what the great Apostle Paul experienced. So, in Roman 7:21-24, he said, “I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” If we don’t put to death the flesh, which is ever so alive in each one of us, it will be impossible to keep our victory.  

We need to know that there is a continual conflict between our flesh and the Spirit of God dwelling within us. However, be aware that in submitting to the Lordship of Christ, our flesh is crucified in Him and God now looks at us from the point of Calvary. Our past wickedness had been dealt with at the cross of Christ. But daily we have to put to death the carnal nature that will surface in our journey. With the help of God, we must put it to death every time it rears its ugly head. We cannot crucify our flesh if we continue to gratify it. We need to mortify the flesh. Here was what Paul did. He lived a crucified life. This is the secret to victory and he testified to it in Galatians 2:20. He said, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” This key is our victory over our flesh. When we apply it, we will be like him and live in triumphant jubilation. Know for sure that “There is now no condemnation for them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk every day by the Spirit of the Lord.” Why? “For the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus had set us free for the dominion of sin and death.” Hallelujah, a triumphant experience awaits us!

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.”  

Joshua 8:9-17 – Carelessness will make us pay

The plan was made, the 30,000 men assigned had taken their position under the cover of the night. The 5,000 men with Joshua camped between Bethel and Ai. However, we see no evidence that the king of Ai had any plan in case of another attempt by the Israelites. This often happens when people rest on their laurel after one victory. The king of Ai must have thought that their victory over Israel’s first attempt which killed 36 of their men was final. He must have become complacent because of that victory. If not, he would have assigned sentries to be on a lookout for any further attack of Israel. How careless they were! They had forgotten that one swallow doesn’t make a summer. Their complacency serves as a reminder for us never to be complacent and rest on our laurel on our spiritual journey. We need to be alert at all times. That’s the reason 1 Peter 5:8 warns us to “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your (our) adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

Joshua, on the other end, took nothing for granted. Learning from his defeat, he left no stone unturned. His plan was thorough and his instructions to the men were detailed. There was no margin for error. Joshua mustered his 5,000 men early in the morning and had them stationed in ambush position between Bethel and Ai. Having stationed his men where they were, Joshua spent the night in the midst of them. It came about in the morning, that the king of Ai saw Joshua. He and all his people charged out after Joshua without thinking. They did not realize that they were walking into a trap. They probably thought that they could repeat another massacre of Israel. But how wrong they were! There is always a price attached to carelessness. They went out unsuspecting that they had walked into an ambush. At first, Joshua and the 5,000 men with him acted as if they were running away from the king of Ai and his fighting men. The plan was to lure them away from the city so that the 30,000 could emerge from the rear end, annihilate the city and sandwich the forces of Ai in-between. This would give the army of Ai no room to escape. There is a lesson for us here. It is imperative that we stay circumspect in our Christian walk. It pays to stay alert and circumspect at all times in our spiritual journey. Be sure not to walk into any trap of the enemies making. No matter how well-meaning people may seem to be, we must stay alert and discerning. Remember the proverb that says, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Learn to read intentionality.     

The carelessness of the king and the people of Ai leaves us with another lesson. We must watch out for our unguarded moments in life. The king of Ai and his men left the city unattended to pursue Joshua and the 5,000 men. This happened because they did not take the time to consider every conceivable angle. By their carelessness, they were blind-ended and took things for granted. It is said that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. We must seek always to engage our mind with God’s thoughts. The great commandment tells us not only to love the Lord with our heart and soul, but it also tells us to love him with our mind. Our mind is often where the battle is fought and won. Transformation of life always takes place with the renewal of our mind. Take to heart what Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” One sure way to be certain of God’s will for our life is to have a “Word and Spirit” renewed mind. Make it a point to cultivate a renewed mind.  

Joshua 8:3-8 – Strategic alliance with God ensures victory

Having learned from his defeat. Joshua was all the more determined to fully rely on the Lord. From what he did, we see the illustration of a strategy that will help us to attain victory over our flesh and avoid defeats in life. The first is not to be overconfident. So, this time he chose 30,000 valiant men. They were sent out in the cover of the night. They were called “valiant men” because they were brave, reliable, trustworthy and able. This reminds us that in the Lord’s service, we sent our best. Every one of us can be that man when we take time to build our life in the Lord. We learn to live life with discipline, cultivating spiritual habits that will enable us to connect with God all the time. Habits such as prayer, devotion, meditation, solitude, worship are all needful and good. They help us to come to avail ourselves before God so that His grace can work in our lives. Bear in mind that the habits are just the means where we avail ourselves to the grace of God. So, do not think that the habits in and of themselves make us spiritual. Devoid of God’s grace, the habits in and of themselves only become self-will. Ultimately, we need to rely on the Lord to supply the grace.

All of us can become a “man of valor” in God. How? By living as God has designed for us to live and always seeking to walk in His will for our life. The depth of our life in Christ will determine the breadth of our victory. The depth of our root will determine the measure of our fruit. The possibilities we have in God can be harnessed by a life that lives to honor and please Him. Seek to take the high road of being with the Lord and not the low road, and find ourselves being disqualified. Notice that these valiant men were sent in the night. This may be seen as their willingness to give up sleep to fulfill the plan of God. It speaks of self-sacrifice and self-denial. To be a good soldier of the Lord, we not only must listen to our commander, but we must be willing to make sacrifices to accomplish the mission. The command of God often times will require us to deny our fleshly desire. Who doesn’t want to pander to the desire of the flesh? But we know that if we pander to the flesh, we will end up ill-equipped and set ourselves up for defeat. Self-sacrifice and self-denial are choices we have to make if victory is to be experienced.   

The strategy was for Joshua to take 5,000 men and approach Ai. Then when the men of Ai came out to fight them, they would retreat before them. This was to lure them out and away from the city. When those men were pursuing Joshua and the 5,000 men, the 30,000 hidden men of valor would emerge and ambush the city and raze it to the ground. These 30,00 Israelites together with Joshua and the other 5,000 men would then surround the pursuing men of Ai and utterly destroy them. The strategy was detailed and had to be executed with precision. Obedience was imperative if we are to experience victory. We need to remember that the key to victory is to yield and submit to our God and obey His commands.  

One more lesson can be gleaned from Joshua’s victory. It is the need to stay united. They remained as a unit where everyone needed to play their role. Everyone stuck to the role required of each of them. No one sought to carry out his own desire. They co-operated and collaborated with each other, sharing a common purpose. No one was jealous of someone else’s task. Everyone did what was required of them. In the same way, our willingness to play our part will ensure a well-coordinated fellowship that will enable us to function effectively to bring about our desired victory.

One phrase in verse 8 deserves our full attention. It’s the phrase, “You shall do it according to the word of the Lord.” Like them, the key to victory is found in obeying the commandment of the Lord. And as God had commanded through Joshua, He will also do so through our leaders today. It will help if we submit to God through the leadership of the church. The victory we see in Ai was a collaborated effort between God, the leader, and the people. Everyone did his part. While God was fighting for them, they also had to work in tandem with God. Be aligned with God and work with Him through the leaders He had appointed over us. Let’s play our part and together experience the victory God has designed for our life. Let’s do it!