AFRAID AND DISCOURAGED?

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land. You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city."

So Joshua and the whole army moved out to attack Ai. He chose thirty thousand of his best fighting men and sent them out at night with these orders: "Listen carefully. You are to set an ambush behind the city. Don't go very far from it. All of you be on the alert. I and all those with me will advance on the city, and when the men come out against us, as they did before, we will flee from them. They will pursue us until we have lured them away from the city, for they will say, 'They are running away from us as they did before.' So when we flee from them, you are to rise up from ambush and take the city. The Lord your God will give it into your hand. When you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do what the Lord has commanded. See to it; you have my orders."

Then Joshua sent them off, and they went to the place of ambush and lay in wait between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai — but Joshua spent that night with the people.

Early the next morning Joshua mustered his men, and he and the leaders of Israel marched before them to Ai. The entire force that was with him marched up and approached the city and arrived in front of it. They set up camp north of Ai, with the valley between them and the city. Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city. They had the soldiers take up their positions — all those in the camp to the north of the city and the ambush to the west of it. That night Joshua went into the valley.

When the king of Ai saw this, he and all the men of the city hurried out early in the morning to meet Israel in battle at a certain place overlooking the Arabah. But he did not know that an ambush had been set against him behind the city. Joshua and all Israel let themselves be driven back before them, and they fled toward the desert. All the men of Ai were called to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were lured away from the city. Not a man remained in Ai or Bethel who did not go after Israel. They left the city open and went in pursuit of Israel.

Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Hold out toward Ai the javelin that is in your hand, for into your hand I will deliver the city." So Joshua held out his javelin toward Ai. As soon as he did this, the men in the ambush rose quickly from their position and rushed forward. They entered the city and captured it and quickly set it on fire.

The men of Ai looked back and saw the smoke of the city rising against the sky, but they had no chance to escape in any direction, for the Israelites who had been fleeing toward the desert had turned back against their pursuers. For when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city and that smoke was going up from the city, they turned around and attacked the men of Ai. The men of the ambush also came out of the city against them, so that they were caught in the middle, with Israelites on both sides. Israel cut them down, leaving them neither survivors nor fugitives. But they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.

When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai in the fields and in the desert where they had chased them, and when every one of them had been put to the sword, all the Israelites returned to Ai and killed those who were in it. Twelve thousand men and women fell that day — all the people of Ai. For Joshua did not draw back the hand that held out his javelin until he had destroyed all who lived in Ai. But Israel did carry off for themselves the livestock and plunder of this city, as the Lord had instructed Joshua.

So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolate place to this day. He hung the king of Ai on a tree and left him there until evening. At sunset, Joshua ordered them to take his body from the tree and throw it down at the entrance of the city gate. And they raised a large pile of rocks over it, which remains to this day.

Joshua 8:1-29

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

49. This is how many times we find the words, “Do not be afraid”, spoken in the Old Testament. 49 times the Lord had to take time to reassure His people that things were going to be OK…that He was with them and would deliver them.

As we start, Joshua, Chapter 8, we see the Lord saying these very words to Joshua in the aftermath of his men being slaughtered by army of Ai…loss that occurred because of Achan’s sinful greed and subsequent breaking of the covenant. The loss had left Joshua forlorn and discouraged…unsure of why God allowed his men to be killed until the Lord revealed to him Achan’s sin…and thus the reason for His anger. So Joshua and Israel carried out judgment on Achan and God restored His favor upon His people in return.

We know this because God gives Joshua a plan right off the bat…a plan that involves going back after the people of Ai. God tells him to:

“Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land. You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city."

These words had to be an awesome boost of confidence for Joshua and the people of Israel. For they had seen first hand what happens when the Lord delivers the enemy by what had happened at Jericho. With the guarantee that the “king of Ai, his people, his city and his land” would all be given to them and that they could “carry off their plunder and livestock” for themselves, all that was left was for Israel to be obedient to God’s order to attack.

Scripture verifies their obedience as we read where “Joshua and the whole army moved out to attack Ai”. Joshua “chose thirty thousand of his best fighting men and sent them out at night” with the following orders:

"Listen carefully. You are to set an ambush behind the city. Don't go very far from it. All of you be on the alert. I and all those with me will advance on the city, and when the men come out against us, as they did before, we will flee from them. They will pursue us until we have lured them away from the city, for they will say, 'They are running away from us as they did before.' So when we flee from them, you are to rise up from ambush and take the city. The Lord your God will give it into your hand. When you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do what the Lord has commanded. See to it; you have my orders."

And with that “Joshua sent them off, and they went to the place of ambush and lay in wait between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai”.

Joshua’s plan was designed to maximize on Ai’s overconfidence after already having victory over Israel. Joshua would take some of his men and assemble in a place where they would be in plain sight of Ai. Joshua knew that the king of Ai would take his men, leave the city and come out wanting to once again attack and kill every Israelite he could. And he was right. For the king of Ai took all his men and left the city to attack Joshua and his men. And what further caused the ruse to be so convincing was Joshua and his men running away, convincing the men of Ai that they were retreating when in fact they were just trying to lure them as far away from their city as they could.

The plan was a major success. For the army of Ai pursued Israel and after they had been drawn far enough away from their city, “the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Hold out toward Ai the javelin that is in your hand, for into your hand I will deliver the city.’ “ So we read where Joshua does as the Lord commands. He “held out his javelin toward Ai” and “as soon as he did this, the men in the ambush rose quickly from their position and rushed forward”, entering the city and capturing it quickly. They set the city on fire and it was the rising smoke from a burning city that signaled to Ai that they had been tricked and now had lost everything that they had come out to fight for. And now they were about to perish as well.

For Joshua and his men turned from their faked fleeing and turned toward Ai’s men, ready to engage them in battle. Meanwhile, the ambushing Israelites came from the city toward the army of Ai in the opposite direction. In other words, there was no escape for Ai’s army and scripture tells us Israel cut them down, leaving them neither survivors nor fugitives. “All the Israelites” then “returned to Ai and killed those who were in it”. And when the battle had ended, all the people of Ai…12,000 “men and women fell that day”. The only person left to live was “the king of Ai” but he didn’t survive long. Because after Ai had been burned to the ground, Joshua “hung the king of Ai on a tree and left him there until evening” after which the king’s body was taken down and thrown down “at the entrance of the city gate” before having a “large pile of rocks” raised over the body.

So Israel had gone from the outhouse to the penthouse…from defeat to victory…from fear to confidence…from discouragement to joy. All because God was back with them, holding them in His good favor.

Do not be afraid…do not be discouraged. God’s words to Joshua are words to us as well. For life’s circumstances can get us down if we allow them to. Often times, we forget to turn to God for help, choosing instead to rely on ourselves…to formulate our own solutions. In other words, we live like we’re in control…like our lives are predicated on our will. And God will allow us to do this all we want just to show us how much we can screw our lives up when we take charge. And where do we so often find ourselves when we refuse to let go and let God handle things. How about afraid and discouraged?

Friends, why would we ever in our right minds turn away from God …the One and only One who can do anything and everything. There is nothing beyond the works of His hands…no problem He can’t fix. We simply need to trust Him…honor His power and might…and respect His wisdom, a wisdom that always knows the right time to make things happen. Wait on the Lord patiently and know He has a plan and purpose for you in your life. Stand firm in your faith through any and all circumstances because God is with you…24/7, 365 days a year. And never…ever…be afraid or discouraged. For God is in control and He WILL work things out for you in His perfect timing and in His perfect way. Believe that. Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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