The voice of the Lord

After the sins have been removed, it is time to hear the voice of the Lord. The Lord spoke to Joshua. (1) Do not fear or be dismayed. (2) Take all the people of war and go up to Ai. (3) The city of Ai and all things within are given into Joshua’s hand. Even for us, once we are cleansed of our sins, draw near our Lord with confidence and listen to His voice. The Lord will speak to us.

The Lord’s strategy

Learning from both the victory at Jericho and the defeat at Ai, a new strategy was adopted. (1) To ambush the city from behind, the battle at Jericho was won using supernatural methods, but the battle at Ai was to be fought using a normal combat strategy. The Lord’s battle is not confined to supernatural methods. He utilizes human methods as well. (2) During the battle at Jericho, the city was placed under a ban for complete destruction. However, in comparison, this battle was gentler. The Lord gave Israel permission to take its spoil and its cattle for themselves (everything else, including the king, the residents, and the city itself are all placed under the ban). As a result, there no longer was a risk for Israel to make the same mistake as Achan. (3) Achan ignored the Lord’s command and stole from the devout according to his greed, which brought him destruction. The Israelites followed the Lord’s command and, as a result, were able to take the spoil for themselves, according to the Lord’s will. Those who make a great sacrifice for the Lord shall receive far greater blessings. Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life” (Mk. 10: 29–30). Let us wait for the Lord’s timing and work through the Lord’s methods.