Joshua 8:3 - Meaning and Application

Here we have the account of how Ai was taken by a surprise attack. The strategy used here was lawful and good, because God himself directed it. We have no reason to think that such a method would be wrong in other wars, either.

No peace treaty was broken, and no sacred promise was used for selfish gain. Those things are holy, and they must not be treated lightly. Once truth is pledged, it becomes a debt, even to an enemy. But in this case, no lie was told. Nothing was hidden except their own plans, and no enemy has any right to be told those plans.

Nothing was falsely acted out except a retreat, and a retreat does not naturally prove defeat or a plan never to return. The men of Ai should have stayed on guard and kept behind their city walls. Common sense should have told them not to chase an army that was so much larger than theirs and leave the city unprotected. But if people want to be fooled, let them be fooled. If the Canaanites chose to act foolishly and break every rule of good judgment in their pursuit of Israel, then Israel cannot be blamed for taking advantage of that folly.

There is, however, some difficulty in matching the numbers used in the attack. In Joshua 8:3, 30,000 men are mentioned as being chosen and sent away by night, and they are told to surprise the city once it is emptied. Yet later, in Joshua 8:12, it says Joshua took 5,000 men and set them in ambush behind the city, and that ambush entered the city and burned it in Joshua 8:19. Some think there were two ambush groups, first 30,000 and then 5,000, with the larger force used for other work and the main army attacking openly.

Others think all the people were only gathered to camp before the city, and Joshua chose 30,000 from them for the operation. From that group he sent out 5,000 to lie in ambush, since that was enough to move without being seen. The rest, whether 25,000 or the full 30,000, then made the open attack. If we allow a slight disorder in the way the story is told, the main point seems clear enough: there was probably only one ambush, and it likely had 5,000 men, which was enough for the task.

The main details of the story are plain. A hidden force moved behind the city, on the side opposite the main army. The lay of the land likely helped keep them concealed. Joshua and the army with him then faced the city, and the garrison rushed out against them. At that point Israel withdrew, gave ground, and seemed to flee toward the wilderness.

When the men of Ai saw this, they sent out all their forces in pursuit. That left the city open, and the men in ambush took it and set it on fire. When they signaled Joshua with smoke, he turned back with all his army against the pursuers. By then it was too late for Ai. They saw the trap they had walked into, but their retreat was cut off, and every one of them was destroyed. A similar trick appears in Judges 20:30 and following.

We can also see what a brave commander Joshua was. First, his judgment and skill stand out. God gave him the hint in verse 2 to place an ambush behind the city, but Joshua worked out the details wisely. Wisdom really does strengthen a wise person more than ten strong men (Ecclesiastes 7:19).

Second, he was diligent and energetic. Joshua rose early in the morning, so that no time would be wasted and so his mind would be fully set on the task. Anyone who wants to fight spiritual battles should not love ease. Third, he showed courage and firm resolve. Even though Israel had already been pushed back before Ai, he still led them in person a second time (Joshua 8:5). He also took the elders of Israel with him (Joshua 8:10), as if he were going to judge criminals rather than fight enemies.

Fourth, he was careful and thoughtful. He went into the middle of the valley that night to arrange what was needed for the attack and make sure everything was ready. Bishop Patrick thought he may have gone there alone to pray for God’s blessing on the mission, and he did not pray in vain. Fifth, Joshua was steady and persistent. When he stretched out his spear toward the city (Joshua 8:18), he did not lower it until the work was finished. His hands in battle were steady, just as Moses’s hands in prayer were steady until sunset. Those who have stretched out their hands against spiritual enemies must not draw them back.

What Joshua did in this strategy also points us to the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom Joshua was a type, a person who foreshadows Christ. Joshua won by seeming to yield, as if he had been defeated himself. In the same way, when Jesus bowed his head and gave up his spirit, it seemed as if death had conquered him and all his cause had fallen. But in his resurrection he rose again and gave the powers of darkness a complete defeat. He crushed the serpent’s head by allowing the serpent to bruise his heel.

We also see the obedience of Israel. Everything Joshua commanded them to do, according to the command of the Lord (Joshua 8:8), they did without complaint or argument.

The men sent to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, two cities allied against Israel, were placed in real danger. If they had been discovered, they might all have been killed. Yet they went willingly, and when the main army pretended to retreat and fled, that was both shameful and risky, yet they obeyed Joshua.

What a foolish enemy the king of Ai was. First, he did not use his scouts well enough to notice the men hiding behind the city (Joshua 8:14). This is a striking example of God’s power in blinding people to what is best for them, so that “he did not know that there were men lying in ambush against him.” Those who are in the greatest danger are often the least aware of it.

Second, when Israel seemed to run away, he brought out all his forces to chase them and left no one to guard the city or protect his retreat (Joshua 8:17). In this way, the enemies of God’s people often destroy themselves through their own fury. Pharaoh did the same thing when his eager pursuit of Israel led him into the Red Sea.

Third, from the death of only thirty-six men out of three thousand in Israel’s earlier attack, he wrongly concluded that this larger army would also be broken at once (Joshua 8:6). He said, “They are fleeing before us as before.” See how the success of fools ruins them, because it makes them proud and pushes them toward destruction. God had used the men of Ai as a rod to correct his people for their sin, but this victory had made them proud, as if they had won the power to save their own nation. They were soon shown their mistake, and that once Israel had returned to favor with God, Ai could have no power over them. God had used Ai only to discipline Israel, and after that, he would throw away the rod itself, though Ai meant something very different and planned only destruction (Isaiah 10:5-7).

Fourth, see the full victory Israel gained through God’s favor and blessing. Each group did its part. The divided forces of Israel, using the agreed signals, understood one another, and everything happened as planned. So the men of Ai, even while they were most sure of victory, found themselves surrounded. They had neither courage to fight nor room to escape, and they were forced to give up their lives to their attackers. It is hard to tell whether the shouts of Israel or the cries of Ai were louder, but it is easy to imagine the fear and confusion that filled them when their greatest confidence suddenly turned into the deepest despair.

The triumph of the wicked is brief (Job 20:5). They are lifted up for a little while so that their fall and ruin may be all the worse (Job 24:24). See how quickly the balance turns against those who do not have God on their side.