12 April, 2010

Text: Joshua 8

BACK IN COMMAND

1. The Lord's role as Commander of the Lord's Army    Joshua 5:14-15

2. Inspiration

a) Fear dismissed
"Do not be afraid"    Joshua 8:1b

b) Anxiety dismissed
"Do not be dismayed"    Joshua 8:1c

c) Victory assured
"I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land"    Joshua 8:1f

3. Instruction

a) Involvement of the whole army
"Take all the people of war with you"    Joshua 8:1d

b) War Strategy "Lay an ambush for the city"    Joshua 8:2c

c) Spoils of war allowed for
"Only the spoil and its cattle you shall take as booty for yourselves"    Joshua 8:2b

ALL GEARED UP

1. Choosing of a fighting force of 30,000 men    Joshua 8:3 (Cf. Joshua 7:3-4)

2. Commands given to the army    Joshua 8:3-8

a) Fleeing before the Ai army    Joshua 8:4-6

b) Capturing the city of Ai and razing it to the ground    Joshua 8:7-8

LEADING THE PEOPLE

1. Involvement and Identification
"Joshua lodged that night among the people"    Joshua 8:9

2. A good example
"Joshua rose up early in the morning and mustered the people"    Joshua 8:10a

3.Involvement
"He and the elders went up before the people"    Joshua 8:10b

EXECUTING THE BATTLE PLAN

Ambush plans    Joshua 8:11-13
1. Rehearsed

2. Executed

AI FALLS INTO THE TRAP

1. They were ignorant of the ambush    Joshua 8:14

2. They left the city open    Joshua 8:17

A SIGNAL FROM THE LORD

1. Symbol of the spear
"Stretch out the spear that is in your hand toward Ai"    Joshua 8:18a

"Joshua did not draw back his hand, with which he stretched out the spear,
until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of the land"    Joshua 8:26

2. Ambush began    Joshua 8:19-29

a) Ai defeated and razed to the ground    Joshua 8:28

b) King of Ai hanged    Joshua 8:29a

c) His body was then taken down and buried under a great heap of stones     Joshua 8:29b

d) Booty taken- "according to the Word of the LORD"    Joshua 8:27b

    i) Livestock    Joshua 8:27

    ii) The spoil of the city    Joshua 8:27