Joshua 8:1-2 meaning

In Joshua 8:1-2, God instructs Joshua on how to proceed in conquering the city of Ai.

In the previous chapter, an Israelite soldier, Achan, stole some of the spoils of Jericho which God had commanded to be given to the treasury. In defiance of this command, Achan secretly kept silver, gold, and a costly cloak for himself. This sin caused Israel’s army to lose the following battle against Ai, a small Canaanite city near Beth-Aven (which means "house of wickedness"), east of Bethel (which means "house of God"). Joshua and the elders mourned their loss and cried out to the LORD for help. God urged Joshua to examine each tribe, clan, and family to identify the culprit of their failure. Joshua obeyed the LORD and successfully identified Achan as the sinner who brought the curse upon the covenant community.

This curse upon Israel was brought by Achan's sin, because Israel was the chosen people of God, and there was a covenant/treaty between God and Israel. Israel had promised to obey the stipulations of the treaty. God promised blessings for obedience and cursings for disobedience, to which Israel agreed. The cursings would be the negative consequences for disobedience to the provisions in the Suzerain-Vassal style treaty that God entered into with Israel, that had just been ratified and renewed by this current generation of Israelites (Deuteronomy 26:17).

Once caught, Achan confessed his sin and disclosed the nature and location of the stolen items. Joshua sent messengers to Achan's tent to find the objects. Then, the Israelites killed him and his entire family to purge the evil from them. They also burned all of his belongings (Joshua 7:1-26).

Israel's negative experience in Ai came as a great surprise because it was her first defeat in the land of Canaan. The people were in a state of panic. But the LORD told Joshua not to fear or be dismayed (Joshua 8:1). In ancient Israel, the covenant people went to battle at God’s command and in His presence. For instance, when Israel marched against Jericho, the Levitical priests carried the Ark of the Covenant, symbolizing God's presence (Joshua 6). That explains why the Israelites approached battles much like worship in the sanctuary (1 Samuel 13). Warfare to them was a sacred event, and they secured victory only when they obeyed and depended on the LORD.

Joshua is apparently unconfident about what to do next now that the sin has been discovered and dealt with. The city of Ai still stands in the Israelites' way, and at the last enoucounter, some Israelites lost their lives. The LORD strengthens Joshua by urging him not to fear or be dismayed. This statement echoes the words God used earlier to encourage Joshua when he first began to lead the covenant people after Moses's death (Joshua 1:9). This refrain of encouragement reminds him that Yahweh was still with him, so he had no reason to fear.

Fear is an emotional response to a threatening situation (whether real or imagined). It is a survival mechanism that prepares the human body to react to danger in a certain way. Joshua and the Israelites were afraid of the people of Ai because Israel’s army had previously suffered thirty-six casualties before retreating. No wonder "the hearts of the people melted and became as water" (Joshua 7:5). The sin of Achan had infected the covenant community of Israel causing them to be vulnerable in battle. But once the Israelites destroyed Achan and his family and burned all his belongings, God removed the curse placed upon the nation. He "turned from the fierceness of His anger" (Joshua 7:26). The negative consequence was removed now that the guilty party (Achan) was punished. He was ready to accompany His people in their second battle against Ai. Therefore, He encouraged the Joshua, the Israelite leader, to be bold.

Before Israel's first attack on Ai, God was angry because Achan had sinned against Him. Therefore, He did not provide guidance (Joshua 7:3-4). But since the people purged the sin among them and destroyed Achan, the LORD forgave them and vowed to grant them victory over Ai during their second attack. He commissioned Joshua to return there and said: Take all the people of war with you and arise, go up to Ai. The phrase all the people of war refers to the soldiers equipped for battle. In the Book of Numbers, God had Moses count all the Israelites "from twenty years old and upward, whoever is able to go out to war in Israel" (Numbers 1:3, 45). There is no retirement age given for soldiers in the Bible. But for Levitical priests the minimum age was twenty-five years old and the maximum age was set to fifty (Numbers 8:24-25). Joshua was to take all the active warriors with him and attack Ai.

God then encouraged Joshua by saying: See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land. The text uses the present perfect ('I have given') to describe future actions. This tense communicates that something has already happened, thus suggesting that the Israelite victory over Ai was a done deal. It also tells the reader that God plays an important role in Israel’s victories.

When He withdrew His presence, the Israelites experienced defeat and shame (Joshua 7). But when He led them in battles, they triumphed over their foes. God is always the divine warrior who fights for His covenant people. This assurance of victory was stipulated in the covenant treaty made between God and the Israelites, where God promised, if the Israelites fulfilled their obligations, that He "shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and will flee before you seven ways" (Deuteronomy 28:7).

In the next verse, God reminded the Israelites of the inspiring events of the siege of Jericho: You shall do to Ai and its king just as you did to Jericho and its king. The Israelites attacked the city of Jericho and captured it. They burned the city but saved the precious metals for the temple (Joshua 6:22-25). God instructed them to do likewise to Ai at the second battle, with one notable difference.

Contrary to the instructions concerning Jericho, the Israelites could take and keep the spoils of war during the conquest of Ai. Thus, God stated: You shall take only its spoil and cattle as plunder for yourselves. The fact that God did not want the Israelites taking certain plunder from Jericho, but permitted them to take from Ai shows that the Israelites were to follow God's instructions each step of the way. They were not take for granted that what God instructed during a past circumstance applies to all others. God was giving the land of Canaan as a promised inheritance, and the Israelites were expected to listen, trust, and obey Him at every point during this time of receiving the promise (Exodus 6:8).

Perhaps Jericho was so steeped in paganism and immorality that God had specific intentions for it, much like the Amalekites in 1 Samuel 15:3. It was not for the Israelites to question God's reasons and fall into the sin of Eve, Achan, and King Saul. Achan's flesh (his sinful nature) caused him to question God's commands much like the serpent caused Eve to question God's command not to eat the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:4-5). Likewise, King Saul questioned God's instructions and preferred exaltation in the eyes of the people over exaltation in the eyes of God (1 Samuel 15)

The plunder refers to any removable goods seized during a war (1 Samuel 30:19). This practice of seizing the enemy's valuable items was one of the benefits of victory in battle (Deuteronomy 2:35, 3:7, 1 Samuel 23:5). The people of God would gain spoils and livestock when they captured Ai. To do so, the LORD told Joshua to set an ambush for the city behind it. In other words, the Israelites were to attack Ai to the west to catch its army by surprise.

In warfare, the Israelites were to be courageous to advance toward their foes. Courage is a virtue of faith, the proper attitude required of all believers. Being cowardly is to be avoided by God's people (Revelation 21:8). The covenant people were not to fear but trust that their Suzerain God would deliver the enemy into their hands (Exodus 14:13-14, Judges 7:3). With God’s help, they would defeat the people of Ai in this second battle.