The Difference Between Victory & Defeat
Joshua 8
Joshua 8:1-2
1 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take all your fighting men and attack Ai, for I have given you the king of Ai, his people, his town, and his land. 2 You will destroy them as you destroyed Jericho and its king. But this time you may keep the plunder and the livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the town.”
In chapter 7, Joshua and the Israelites were defeated by Ai. The Lord had handed them over because of their sin. But in this chapter, they’ve been given the victory because they dealt with that sin and God was no longer angry with them.
With these two chapters combined, we can see the difference in Israel between defeat and victory.
Hidden sin vs. open obedience
Before, Achan’s sin had been hidden. With it now out in the open and dealt with, Israel could move past it and walk in obedience, which they did.
Self-reliance vs. God-dependence
Before, Israel was relying on themselves. Now, Israel knew to rely on God and His strength, not their own.
Taking the enemy casually vs. taking the enemy seriously and strategically
Joshua 8:3 says they took 30,000 men this time — 10x the amount they’d taken the previous time. Walking in victory meant being strategic and serious about their enemy.
Experiencing God’s anger vs. experiencing God’s favor
The middle of this chapter describes Israel’s victory over Ai, which was thanks to God’s favor (not their own doing).
At the end of this chapter, we see Joshua building an altar to the Lord as he followed God’s commands. And in the end, one thing really stuck out to me:
Joshua 8:34-35 — 34 Joshua then read to them all the blessings and curses Moses had written in the Book of Instruction. 35 Every word of every command that Moses had ever given was read to the entire assembly of Israel, including the women and children and the foreigners who lived among them.
While Joshua is renewing God’s covenant and reading the Israelites everything Moses had written to them, it’s noted that even the foreigners among them were a part of this (meaning non-Israelites).
In Israel’s victory, more people came to faith in the one true God. Gentiles were allowed to be a part of their nation — we’ve always been accepted (remember Rahab’s story?).
But it means something interesting: They were expected to assimilate.
They too could come to believe and follow God. They too were expected to learn the law and follow it. They too were held to the standard Israel was.
David M. Howard, Jr. says, “In this sense, these [foreigners] were true ‘converts’ to faith in Israel’s God. Indeed, the Old Greek translates the Hebrew term here with the Greek word proselutos, which forms the basis of the English word ‘proselyte’ (i.e., one who converts). This shows—as does the story of Rahab—that Israel’s faith was not a closed system: it was open to outsiders.”
It’s still open today, friends. You too can walk in victory rather than defeat. You can come to know Jesus and allow Him to be the Lord of your life. You can join the family of faith as, together, we act with open obedience and God-dependence, taking our enemy seriously, and experiencing God’s favor.
If you woke up this morning, it’s not too late.
Grace & peace,
Michelle Kampmeier
**Notes from Pastor Gary Hamrick from his most recent midweek series on the book of Joshua. Stay tuned on Mondays for more principles from this amazing book!