Total Pageviews

Wednesday 2 March 2016

Historical Books Joshua Chapter 8

HISTORICAL BOOKS

JOSHUA 

CHAPTER 

8





1. Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Do not fear or be dismayed; take all the fighting men with you, and go up now to Ai. See, I have handed over to you the king of Ai with his people, his city, and his land.



(Historical Books Joshua Chapter 8 verse 1)




Oh God, my Father how great full we are to be to You. After You permit us to experience what we may consider as being a desolation or downfall You immediately follow it up or compensate such an event with a more positive one. As in the case of Joshua and Your people, in order to help to strengthen their faith and find the motivation to continue the process of occupation of the land.




2. You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king; only its spoil and its livestock you may take as booty for yourselves. Set an ambush against the city, behind it."



(Historical Books Joshua Chapter 8 verse 2)



As in the case of Jericho, the same criteria applied. The people were to benefit from the material goods but they were not allowed to come in contact with the devoted things, or false gods of the people of the land. Thus, oh God the most important priority was and always will be the safeguard of our soul that is more important than our job our career and even family.  As in the case of Joshua oh God You are able to give us the required knowledge in order to act according to Your will. I pray oh God that I will always be in a position to listen and stay tuned to the same frequency as Yourself so that I will not lose one word of what You wish to pass on to me.




3.  So Joshua and all the fighting men set out to go up against Ai. Joshua chose thirty thousand warriors and sent them out by night 4. with the command, "You shall lie in ambush against the city, behind it; do not go very far from the city, but all of you stay alert.



(Historical Books Joshua Chapter 8 verses 3 to 4)




Oh God the forces of evil work in the same way. They are always waiting in ambush for the opportunity to persuade us to sin against You and even against our fellow persons. Throughout our daily life during our daily interactions ambushing is a way of trapping each other during conversations. It is an unfair means of using one's weaknesses that one has genuinely shared with us as an accusation against that same person. This technique is also used by lawyers in court. Other people who like to use this ambushing technique are journalists. I invite you to click on this link to view a typical example.




Example of ambushing




5. I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. When they come out against us as before, we shall flee from them. 6. They will come out after us until we have drawn them away from the city; for they will say, "They are fleeing from us, as before.' While we flee from them, 7. you shall rise up from the ambush and seize the city; for the LORD your God will give it into your hand. 8. And when you have taken the city, you shall set the city on fire, doing as the LORD has ordered; see, I have commanded you." 9. So Joshua sent them out; and they went to the place of ambush, and lay between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai; but Joshua spent that night in the camp.



(Historical Books Joshua Chapter 8 verses 5 to 9)



Oh God on reflecting this is a good means to use against the evil one. When somebody wrongs us, we can give the evil one the impression that we can get even with the person and go to the person's house not to seek revenge but to seek reconciliation. Therefore in such a way we are taking over the city of our opponent. Moreover, when the evil sees us going to the other person's city, he will leave us alone for he will think to our intention is to do the person harm, but in truth, we will be a blessing and not a curse. This will even have a positive impact on the person who had previously wronged us.




10. In the morning Joshua rose early and mustered the people, and went up with the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai. 11. All the fighting men who were with him went up, and drew near before the city, and camped on the north side of Ai, with a ravine between them and Ai.



(Historical Books Joshua Chapter 8 verses 10 to 11)



Oh God my city, and my fortress at times I feel that the world makes barriers and even ravines in order to hinder our relationship with You. Every day of my life is a step towards the holy City that is heaven. Due to my frailty as a sinner at times, I also fall into ravines. On the way, I need to fight battles as in an online game in order to reach my objective. There I times when I have You as my shield I win the level however at times I decide to do the level on my own and end up losing many lives, so I end up doing the level again. This is the story of my life oh God.




12. Taking about five thousand men, he set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.  13. So they stationed the forces, the main encampment that was north of the city and its rear guard west of the city. But Joshua spent that night in the valley.




(Historical Books Joshua Chapter 8 verses 12 to 13)




Oh God when reflecting on verses 12 to 13 it is like when we do the sign of the cross starting from the north, as in the name of the 'Father' going down to the 'Son' that is to the 'South' and then crossing our arms to the west that is when referring to the 'Holy' 'Spirit' Amen. It is as if God marked the city to be conquered by His people and, therefore, it was marked out for destruction. On reflecting oh God these, cities were all marked for destruction so that the actual conquest of the promised land could actually take place.




14. When the king of Ai saw this, he and all his people, the inhabitants of the city, hurried out early in the morning to the meeting place facing the Arabah to meet Israel in battle; but he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city.



(Historical Books Joshua Chapter 8 verse 14)



At times, others may also try to ambush us in what we say and do for different reasons. However, You love us so much that You send your angels to save us from the pending danger planned against us. For those of us who are in doubt if God can send angels to help us in moments of greatest need, I invite you to click on the following link: - Saved by Angels




15. And Joshua and all Israel made a pretense of being beaten before them, and fled in the direction of the wilderness. 16. So all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and as they pursued Joshua they were drawn away from the city.




(Historical Books Joshua Chapter 8 verses 15 to 16)



In order to win over our souls, the evil one also tries to lure us away from You my God, who is our city and stronghold. The one and only city of God. When these evil means have made us venture on, to the dangerous grounds of sin, then victory will be claimed over us, however oh God my Father You always have a backup plan ready in order to save me from the clutches of evil, if I decide to turn away from my ways and accept You as God and Father. Amen.




17. There was not a man left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel; they left the city open and pursued Israel.



(Historical Books Joshua Chapter 8 verse 17)




Oh God, how much we are inclined towards evil. In a split second, a manhunt was raised against Your people. The drive for the shedding of blood and destruction is able to drive us out of control so much that we lose control of ourselves. It, therefore, stands that when left to our own devices we are totally prone to evil.




18. Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Stretch out the sword that is in your hand toward Ai; for I will give it into your hand."




(Historical Books Joshua Chapter 8 verse 18)




Oh God my Father You are able to perform great wonders in our live if only we obey Your will and not act in contrary to it. All that is needed for a complete victory over our sinful self is the absolute resignation of our lives to Your Will. When we are totally Yours in both mind body and spirit, You can use us to perform wonders on both our behalf and even in order to be of help to others. We become perfect instruments in Your hand. Oh God that You give us this gift of total submission, so that my will, will always be according to Your will. Amen





19. As soon as he stretched out his hand, the troops in ambush rose quickly out of their place and rushed forward. They entered the city, took it, and at once set the city on fire. 




(Historical Books Joshua Chapter 8 verse 19)




As much as the soldiers of Joshua obeyed his command to move out of their place of ambush and take over the city, in the same way Your angels will obey Your command when You order them to intervene in our lives against the forces of evil on our behalf and free us from our bondage and persecution as a result of our sins, especially during delicate moments of persecution.





20. So when the men of Ai looked back, the smoke of the city was rising to the sky. They had no power to flee this way or that, for the people who fled to the wilderness turned back against the pursuers. 21. When Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city and that the smoke of the city was rising, then they turned back and struck down the men of Ai. 22. And the others came out from the city against them; so they were surrounded by Israelites, some on one side, and some on the other; and Israel struck them down until no one was left who survived or escaped.




(Historical Books Joshua Chapter 8 verses 20 to 22)




At times oh God we find ourselves sandwiched between two opposing forces. Those that are in favour of Your will and those who are against You and Your will. The two forces may try to persuade us into choosing sides, and thus one choice grants determines one outcome as in joy happiness, sadness and salvation in Your presence





23. But the king of Ai was taken alive and brought to Joshua,




(Historical Books Chapter 8 verse 23)




Oh God, my Father I pray that when our time of judgement comes You will also have mercy on us and spare us from the condemnation that we merit as sinners. I pray for Your mercy both for myself and even for the entire world. Amen.





24. When Israel had finished slaughtering all the inhabitants of Ai in the open wilderness where they pursued them, and when all of them to the very last had fallen by the edge of the sword, all Israel returned to Ai, and attacked it with the edge of the sword.




(Historical Books Chapter 8 verse 24)




Oh my God in the same context we are also to evaluate, our good and bad habits, starting from the least harmful or sinful and then moving on to our greatest sins, meaning our inner city of Ai and launch a final and decisive attack on it by willfully bringing to an end our mortal sins and bad habits such as addictions and compulsions, sexual gratifications, desires among others.





25. The total of those who fell that day, both men and women, was twelve thousand-all the people of Ai. 26. For Joshua did not draw back his hand, with which he stretched out the sword, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. 27. Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel took as their booty, according to the word of the LORD that he had issued to Joshua.




(Historical Books Chapter 8 verses 25 to 27)



As previously referred to my God when we attempt with the help of God, to turn away from our sins, it is to be a complete rejection of the source of our sins. We cannot go back to our old life. This is why You ordered Joshua to destroy this city completely.





28. So Joshua burned Ai, and made it forever a heap of ruins as it is to this day.




(Historical Books Chapter 8 verse 28)




Oh, readers of this blog and all Christians in the world, if there happens to be something such as a website that is causing you to sin, or a negative situation, bring it to an end. If porn is or lust is Your weak spot block it from your browser forever. Youtube can still function in 'Safe Mode' but you and I will never be able to function in Safe Mode, for even when you are not online the evil one will flash those dirty and negative images and remind you and me of those situations or objects that give unnatural pleasure as in masturbation on seeing a pornographic site and we will go back to stage 1. God wishes to heal us, therefore, we need to burn our cities of Ai forever to ashes. Amen.





29. And he hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening; and at sunset Joshua commanded, and they took his body down from the tree, threw it down at the entrance of the gate of the city, and raised over it a great heap of stones, which stands there to this day.




(Historical Books Chapter 8 verse 29)



As previously mentioned if we are to change our ways we are to completely find the primary  source of the problem as symbolised by the king of Ai and then attack the rest of the habit which is the rest of the city and destroy, it completely into a state of nonexistence.




30. Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, 31. Just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelites, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, " an altar of unhewn stones, on which no iron tool has been used"; and they offered on it burnt offerings to the LORD, and sacrificed offerings of well-being.




(Historical Books Chapter 8 verses 30 to 31)



Oh God my Father how glorious is that day when with Your help we achieve victory over our sinful actions, addictions or bad behaviours or even inclinations, on that day it would be proper to offer You praise and worship in an attitude of thanksgiving for these are truly divine interventions that go beyond human capacity or intellect. Amen, praise be to You my God and Father.




32. And there, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. 




(Historical Books Chapter 8 verse 32)




At times my God as humans, we tend to write our own rules, stick to our agendas, work to achieve our own goals and never think twice if these goals are in line with Your Holy Word or Message. I pray oh God that we base our agendas on the teachings that You gave us so that we will always live according to the commandment that You gave us as a basis for a life that is holy and just as You planned it to be. Amen.




33. All Israel, alien as well as citizen, with their elders and officers and their judges, stood on opposite sides of the ark in front of the levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant, of the LORD, half of them in front of Mount Gerzim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded at the first, that they should bless the people of Israel.



(Historical Books Chapter 8 verse 33)





As much as all the people of Israel stood both in front and behind the ark of the covenant as a witness to the covenant given by You to Moses, we are also to stand as witnesses before others and proclaim Your Word Amen.




34. And Afterward he read all the words of the law, blessings and curses, according to all that is written in the book of the law. 35. There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the aliens who resided among them.




(Historical Books Chapter 8 verse 34 to 35)




Oh God every day of our lives You read Your Word to us and we are witnesses of that Message. Therefore, this message does not remain words but is to remain alive in us and be transferred in positive acts of love thus reflecting our love and belief in You, my God.





Oh God my Father, I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:-




Oh God, my Father I thank You for the tribulations that I experience throughout the journey of my life, for during such moments of trials, at some point or other You help me see Your hand at work. Even though I have experienced many ambushes, I have also experienced victories and Your salvation in different situations. I pray that you continue to help me achieve the greatest victory of all that is that of my mind and body so that I will be healed of all negative thoughts feelings and desires so that one day I will be more like You and behave from the spirit and not from the flesh. Amen. Thank You Jesus. 





























































No comments:

Post a Comment