Victory and Renewal
Joshua 8:24-35
📖 Scripture
24 When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai in the fields and in the wilderness 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.
25 Twelve thousand men and women fell that day—all the people of Ai.
26 For Joshua did not draw back the hand that held out his javelin until he had destroyed all who lived in Ai.
27 But Israel did carry off for themselves the livestock and plunder of this city, as the Lord had instructed Joshua.
28 So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolate place to this day.
29 He impaled the body of the king of Ai on a pole and left it there until evening. At sunset, Joshua ordered them to take the body from the pole 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.
30 Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel,
31 as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses—an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used. On it they offered to the Lord burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings.
32 There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua wrote on stones a copy of the law of Moses.
33 All the Israelites, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the Lord, facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Both the foreigners living among them and the native-born were there. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel.
34 Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses—just as it is written in the Book of the Law.
35 There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the foreigners who lived among them.
📘 Scripture Summary
Israel kills all of Ai’s inhabitants. Joshua burns the city, then impales the king’s body and leaves it on a pole until evening. He then builds an altar on Mount Ebal and the people offer burnt and fellowship offerings to the Lord. Joshua writes a copy of the Law on stones and reads it, with all its blessings and curses, to all Israel, including foreigners and children.
🔎 Reflection
A Visible Reminder (8:24–29)
Joshua holds out his javelin toward Ai until Israel completely destroys the city. Following God’s instructions, only the livestock and plunder are allowed to remain, and a large pile of rocks is heaped over the body of the king of Ai to commemorate what has happened there. Not long before, Achan was also buried under a pile of rocks to serve as a visible reminder for all. Sometimes we forget both the victories and failures that we have experienced along the journey of life. However, visible reminders can be helpful so that we do not make the same mistakes again. They can also strengthen and encourage us as we go forward, reminding us of God’s faithfulness to us.
Think about the victories and failures you have experienced in the past. What visible reminders could encourage you for the future?
Thankful for God’s Law (8:30–35)
After achieving victory, Joshua diligently builds an altar of worship to the Lord with uncut stones that are carefully chosen to fit together. The people sacrifice their offerings in thankfulness to God, and all of Israel is present as Joshua carefully writes out the Law of Moses. Even foreigners are present at this covenant renewal ceremony. Joshua then proceeds to read out the Law so that everyone, including children and foreigners, will know what is expected of them. Today, we live under the grace of Christ, but we should still seek to know God’s laws because they help us understand whether our hearts are aligned with His. We follow God’s laws, not out of fear of punishment, but out of love and gratitude for how He has rescued us.
How knowledgeable are you about God’s laws? Ask Him to give you a renewed passion for His Word and thankfulness for His covenant commitment to you.
📜 Today’s Inspiration
“Dare then, Christian, to have decided beliefs in this world. Satan and his demons are decided. The world is concrete in its creed. False teachers are bold in their belief. Those attempting to uncreate God’s reality are firmly concluded. Will we not be?”
– Greg Morse
🙏 Prayer
Dear God, thank you for Your grace in my failures and for Your guidance in my victories. Going forward, reinvigorate me so that I may be zealous for Your ways and walk in faithful obedience to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
🖋 Essay
Mindful of Influences
I recently finished a book that celebrates God’s grace. I enjoyed the vast majority of the content. I heartily utilized it as a devotional since each chapter was a separate sermon based on one of Paul’s letters. I nodded in approval and happily highlighted many different points, ranging from Jesus’ perfect righteousness being imputed to His people to warnings about false teachers who mix the gospel with the requirements of the Law. I planned on recommending the book to anyone who needed to understand the gospel better.
However, when I arrived at the final chapter, the author endorsed someone whom I believed was not following in the Lord’s ways. The author praised the person’s willingness to boldly suffer for his convictions, but I did not believe that it was a true example of how we are to proclaim the work of the cross and be unafraid to proclaim the truth.
I had to reread the chapter to make sure that I did not misunderstand the point, but it was clear, and I was sorely disappointed. That day, I was reminded of an important lesson. We truly need to be vigilant and mindful of what influences us. If I had not read carefully, and even decided to recommend the book, myself and others may have been negatively affected. As followers of Christ, we must seek to have our hearts aligned with His ways and His truth. This is a lifelong process, but when we are continually focused on Christ, we will find that we can detect anything that is not like Him more easily.
Written by Bob Koo