Joshua 8;1

Joshua 8:1 says, And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land:  God told Joshua to not fear or be dismayed.  The people of Ai had just defeated the army of Israel, but God told Joshua to not let this cause him to be afraid or dismayed.  God had already assured Joshua of the victory.  The army of Israel were fighting by their own power the first time, and now they were fighting under God's leadership.  If we suffer defeat in the world today, we need to listen to God's voice to make sure that we are doing what He is directing us to do, and if we are, then we need not be afraid.  Verse two states, And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.  God said that the army of Israel would defeat Ai just as they had Jericho, but this time the spoils would go to the people of Israel.  God was already giving them victory over their enemies, and now He was going to give them material blessings.  If we want to be blessed by God, we must do things according to His timetable.  The first spoils went too God, then He gave the next to the people of Israel.  They were  to lay an ambush behind the city.  Verse three declares, So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour, and sent them away by night.  Joshua chose thirty thousand men of valor and sent them away by night.  They were not really referred to as an army, but as people of war, which we would call an army.  These men were noted for their valor, but I am sure many were the ones who had recently been routed by the people of Ai.  Even if we have recently failed God, we must still be people of valor as we do God's work.  We cannot allow past failures to keep us from future success.  Verse four adds, And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, even behind the city: go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready:  These men Joshua selected were to lay in wait behind the city, but close to it.  Joshua was carrying out God's plan, just as we must today if we re to be successful.  Verse five continues, And I, and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city: and it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them,  Joshua said that the rest of the people and he himself would come to the city from the front and flee when the people of Ai came out to face them.  They were basically to be the bait, and they were to flee as they had before.  Joshua was actually placing himself in a more dangerous position, and we today should be willing to accept the dangerous position if we know that we are doing what God wants us to do.  Verse six states, (For they will come out after us) till we have drawn them from the city; for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: therefore we will flee before them.  Joshua said that the people of Ai would come out of the city to chase the people of Israel, believing that they were fleeing again.  If we have failed in our stand for God, then the people of the world may be emboldened.  Verse seven adds, Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon the city: for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.  Joshua told them that when the people of Ai had left the city that those behind them were to seize the city, because God had given it to them.  Joshua did not say that it was his plan, but that it was God's plan and that God was giving them the victory.  The only way that we are going to be victorious today is if we are following God's plan, and when we are victorious, we should always give God the credit for the victory.  Verse eight continues, And it shall be, when ye have taken the city, that ye shall set the city on fire: according to the commandment of the LORD shall ye do. See, I have commanded you.  Though the people of Israel were to share in the spoils, the were to burn the city itself.  Verse nine concludes, Joshua therefore sent them forth: and they went to lie in ambush, and abode between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua lodged that night among the people.  The ambush was set, and Joshua remained among the people who stayed behind.  Sometimes, even if we are in a position of leadership, God may direct us to stay behind where we might think that we are out of the battle.  Just like Joshua though, we are to follow what we believe to be God's leadership for us.