Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land.
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You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city."
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So Joshua and the whole army moved out to attack Ai. He chose thirty thousand of his best fighting men and sent them out at night
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with these orders: "Listen carefully. You are to set an ambush behind the city. Don’t go very far from it. All of you be on the alert.
- P120
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I and all those with me will advance on the city, and when the men come out against us, as they did before, we will flee from them.
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They will pursue us until we have lured them away from the city, for they will say, ‘They are running away from us as they did before.’ So when we flee from them,
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you are to rise up from ambush and take the city. The Lord your God will give it into your hand.
- P121
The Lord tells Joshua not to fear and to take over Ai. He instructs Joshua to set an ambush behind the city.
Joshua and the soldiers prepare, choosing
thirtythousand warriors to go by night. Joshua sends them to hide between Betheland Ai while he stays with the rest of the army, ready to draw out Ai‘s troops.- P121
When Israel goes to fight the city of Ai for the second time, the whole armygoes up, and the result is very different. Joshua was dismayed by the failureof the first attack, but when he seeks God‘s instructions this time, he is toldnot to be afraid or discouraged. Joshua is assured that Israel will secure avictory just as they defeated Jericho. Israel will even be allowed to keep theplunder and livestock. - P122
When we experience failure in our lives, we may bediscouraged and afraid to try again. However, when we seek the Lord andfollow His lead, we should be confident that He can provide an entirelydifferent outcome because we are not operating in worldly ways; we arewalking in the ways of God.- P122
Dear Jesus, when we hear Your voice, help us to obey quickly andwholeheartedly. - P123
Teach us to trust Your loving truth and never hesitate as wefollow You. In Your name, amen.- P123
What Jesus Says About Himself
First, we must recognize that Jesus does not state blatantly, "I am God," butHe reveals it in two ways: first, through His relationship with the first personof the Trinity, God the Father, and second, through His relationship with thethird person of the Trinity, God the Holy Spirit. - P168
