These chapters, and several that follow, describe the widening conquest of Canaan.
I. The fall of Ai (8:1-29)
- Israel confidently sent 3,000 soldiers against the city, but was handily routed by Ai before (chapter 7). This time they send 35,000 troops (Joshua 8:3, 12).
- Previously Israel conducted a one-front attack on the city; this time they pretended the same tactic in order to draw Ai out into the fields to fight.
II. The law of God (8:30-35)
- After the battle, Joshua erected a stone memorial altar; and he had the law of God written thereon (Joshua 8:32-35).
- Then the word of God was read publicly.
- Separation of church and state was not an issue.
III. The Gibeonite ruse (9:1-27)
- The inhabitants of Gibeon, a large and powerful, royal city (Joshua 10:2), desired peace with Israel.
- But had forbad covenants with the Canaanites (Deuteronomy 20:16-20).
- The Gibeonite ambassadors pretended, quite believably, to be from a distant land.
- Joshua and the elders of Israel, depending upon their own intuition, accepted the actors, and made a peace treaty with them.
- Upon discovering the charade, Joshua ordered that the Gibeonites be allowed to live, in keeping with the terms of the treaty; but they would become servants to Israel.
- The Gibeonites, pleased to be alive, accepted servitude.
Meditation Points:
- Sometimes what appears to be a small problem can be very difficult to solve, and may even require our full strength to overcome.
- When God has given us victory over our enemies we should rededicate ourselves to His service.
- Joshua entered into a covenant with the Gibeonites in much the same way that Isaac blessed Jacob instead of Esau–living by sight rather than by faith and obedience to the word of God.
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