The Baptist Bible Hour now comes to you under the direction of Elder Lasser Bradley Jr. Mm-hmm. Dozen tumblers seem My great Redeemer's praise, the glories of my god and key, the triumphs of this race. This is Osiri Bradley Jr. inviting you to stay tuned for another message of God's sovereign grace.
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Our text today is Joshua chapter 8, beginning with the first verse. And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed. Take all the people of war with thee, and arise, and go up to Ai. See, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people and his city and is land. And thou shalt do to Ai and her king, as thou didst unto Jericho and her king, Only the spoil thereof and the cattle thereof shall ye take.
for a prey unto yourselves. lay thee an ambush for the city behind thee.
So here is a Promise of victory. and a change in that they are to take the spoil, which they were forbidden to do, Previously. First then we have Focus. on the encouragement that is here given in the passage.
Now recognize that this is an off-repeated message. Begins Really back When Moses was alive, And he was speaking to Joshua about the great work that was before him in leading the people to take the land of Canaan. And then some of those very words were again spoken to him. by God himself after the death of Moses.
So repeatedly In the book of Deuteronomy, and here in the first part of the book of Joshua, it continually is talking about. being of good courage. not to fear. And when we begin to explore the rest of Scripture, we find that this is a familiar theme throughout. really begins in the book of Genesis when the Lord said to Abraham, Fear thou not.
It concludes in the book of Revelation when he said to John on the isle of Patmos, not to fear.
So, the fact that it is repeated so often in Scripture. would certainly confirm the fact that it is something of great need. that indeed God's people often are fearful and easily discouraged. The promises are repeated over and over again. calling upon us Not to fear.
but to trust in the Lord our God.
Now we talked at some length about how This message is specifically needed. Because sometimes we are discouraged by our own past failures. Failing True. Leave behind those things as admonished by the Apostle Paul, forgetting those things that are behind, and pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Sometimes we're discouraged because we're listening to the wrong people. We listen to somebody who continually drags us down and discourages us.
Sometimes we discourage ourselves. We're failing to think on the things that the apostle admonishes us to think about in Philippians chapter 4, verse 8, when he tells us. Brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are pure, and so on. Think on these things. And then We say that the message gives hope.
that there can be a new beginning after failure. They had failed miserably when they first approached AI. And of course, there were two factors. One was they were taking the advice of the spies instead of doing explicitly what God commanded. And then Achan had taken of the forbidden spoil and had hidden it in his tent.
That's o God. saw to it that the people would not succeed. and they were defeated at Ai.
Now We come to Pay particular attention to instruction. They listened to the instruction that was given by God. Previously listening to the advice of the spies. No doubt the spies meant well. They said there's no need to take everybody up there.
It's a small city. We'll be able to conquer it without any problem. No need to trouble everybody. Let not all the people go up. And we talked in a previous message about how sometimes that attitude prevails among God's people in the church today.
Let not all the people go up. Not necessary for everybody to be involved. And yet, there is a job, there is a place, there's a function for every member of the church. But now This instruction is very specific. It's given by God.
The only authoritative source that we have is that which is given us by God. And where do we get that information? We get it in His Word, in the Bible, which is given us by divine inspiration.
So when it comes to the doctrine that we believe, where do we go to get that? Not Try find something that's going to Make people satisfied and happy with what they hear. Not trying to appeal to the philosophies of the day, but to go only to the Word of God, which is our only rule of faith and practice. It's the guide of what we're to believe. It's the guide of how the church is to function.
It's our guide for daily living.
So in this first verse Chapter eight, God says, Take all the people of war with thee, and arise, and go up to Ai. This is God's instruction. And so they, on this occasion, adhered to it, did not veer from it. Verse three of chapter eight.
So Joshua arose and all the people of war to go up against Ai. And Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valor. and sent them away by night. And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city. Even behind the city, go not very far from the city, but be ye ready.
So thirty thousand men are assembled by Joshua, Joshua being the captain, the leader, and gives them instruction, and sends them away by night.
Now the plan was For those that were with Joshua to approach the city, And when the men of Ai would come out against them, they would run. as though they were fearful and were being defeated, as had occurred on the first event. Verse 7 then says, Then ye shall rise up from ambush and seize the city. For the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand. And it shall be when ye have taken the city, that ye shall set the city on fire, according to the commandments of the LORD shall ye do, see I have commanded you.
And they are following exactly what God had commanded. Come to verse 9: Joshua therefore sent them forth. and they went to lie in ambush at abode between Bethel and Ai on the west side. There are about 5,000 men that were appointed to lie in ambush.
So then the thirty thousand men come approaching the city. And the king of AI thinks since we defeated them previously, we ought to be able to do it again.
So he leads the people out of the city, to approach this number that were with Joshua, And when that occurs, then the five thousand men that have been in ambush enter the city and set it on fire. And here, all the people of Ai are out of the city, and they turn around and look back, and their city's burning up. And then Joshua and his force attacked them and killed them. And they killed all the people. except for the king and took him prisoner.
Well God's plan works. This is what God designated that they should do. And they did exactly that. It was a workable plan. It might have seemed to some military leader that this is a little too risky, that it might not work, but when God gives you a plan and God blesses the plan, that it's going to work.
Verse fourteen And it came to pass when the king of Ai saw it, that they hastened and rose up early. And the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people. But he wished not that there were liars in ambush against him behind the city. Obviously, the king of Ai didn't know that.
So he's in a hurry to rush out against the army and meets his defeat.
So Joshua and all Israel made as though they were beaten, they were being defeated just like it was at the first time, and they draw back. But then the city is set on fire by those who were lying in ambush. And then it says the Lord told Joshua to stretch out his spear, and he was to hold it out. until the battle was ended. Makes us think about the fact that Moses' arms were raised, and as long as his arms were up, the people prevailed.
And in fact, he needed to have help because he grew weary, and others came and assisted him in holding up his arms in symbolic of the fact that their trust was in God, looking to him who is above.
So Yeah, sure. is successful then As they moved forward and killed the people of the city, which God had commanded them to do. And took the king captive. Verse 25. And it was so that all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai.
Verse 26. For Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he stretched out the sword, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.
Now, I understand, I've had people tell me at times that they struggle when they read some of these Old Testament accounts. When God instructed his people to kill such a large number of people, including women and children. Say, how can that be? I thought God is a God of love. It just doesn't seem right.
It doesn't fit what we're supposed to believe as Christians and our concern for other people.
Well, you see, part of the problem is We have a tendency to fashion God according to our own preferences. Person says, my God wouldn't do that.
Well, maybe they're a God wouldn't. But the God of the Bible did because it's recorded in his word. And somebody says, well, what about all those innocent people?
Well the fact is there were no innocent people. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And when God's judgment is meted out, it's never upon the innocent.
So you have to remember, these were wicked people. They were idolaters. The first commandment is, Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Now, somebody might say, well, that's what God says, but there are people that are going to worship other gods. Maybe that's not so great an offense.
Well, it obviously is. It's an affront to God. God says there is to be no other God. No other claim where somebody says, Well, we believe that Baal should be respected and this God of man's development should be acknowledged. God says, No other gods before me.
And that embraces not only the idols that men might set up. and the mythical gods that they develop. but anything in our own life. that would take the place of God. It might be A desire for material gain It might be a desire for pleasure and entertainment.
It might be a desire for prestige, whatever it is, it becomes a God in your life. It's violating his law. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. You say, well, these people were in darkness. But there was a certain light that they did have.
We read in the Psalm, Psalm 19, that the creation Displays the fact that there is a God. The handiwork of God shows that there is a God who is the sovereign creator. And Romans chapter 1 tells us that there is enough information given. enough evidence out there Looking at God's creation, plus what God has put into the heart of every human being, so that there is no excuse for somebody to say, I can't believe there's a God because there's not enough evidence. God says there is adequate evidence.
So there was proof. for they looked into the heavens and looked at all of the evidences of his work and his creation around them to know this didn't just happen. This wasn't just some Great. Mystical thing that came about through a long process of evolution. This came about because the sovereign God is the Creator.
In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And so these people rejected the light that they had. And therefore judgment was coming upon them. They Yeah. Secure in whatever they were doing, their ungodly conduct, their worship of false gods.
No thought that they should even cry out to to the true and living God and ask for His mercy and help.
So the judgment that came upon them was not something that was unfair. It was a display. Of the holiness of God, that God will not ignore sin. God hates sin. Scripture has a lot to say about the wrath of God.
And somebody s seems to think that that's contradictory. that on one hand You say God has love, and on the other hand, you say that God has wrath. How can the two be compatible?
Well God is love. gracious, merciful, the fact that he saves anybody. is a great display of mercy. He didn't owe anything to anybody. It didn't have to save.
one single soul. The fact that he determined to save a multitude and elected them and determined to save them by his grace is a marvelous display of his love. God is love. But God is holy. When Isaiah got that vision of the Lord.
In Isaiah chapter 6. saw the Lord high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. What was his response? Woe is me, I'm a man of unclean lips. You get the right view of God.
You see him as one who is absolutely holy, totally separated from us, totally different, hating every evil way. You get the true picture. of the living God as revealed in Scripture. And so God's wrath was here meted out. Because these were people that fashioned God after their own imagination and rejected the revelation that was given them of the true and living God.
So as we think about this interesting story. As they make this second visit to AI and now are successful because they're following God's plan and the sin issue has been dealt with. Achin had been put to death, and so the fact that there had been the loot buried in his Tent is no longer a factor.
Now let's think then about some of the lessons to be learned. Although God said in his promise. that the city is given into your hand. I've given you the city, I've given you the king, I've given you. All that he possesses.
I've given you the land.
So this is an absolute promise. It's reliable. That's the reason he can say, be of good courage, because I've given it to you. The city is yours. But It was still necessary for them to follow God's plan to take the city.
See, they couldn't just sit back and say, well, God's given us the city. Let's just sit here and see what God does. God said, I've given it to you, but here's the way you're going to get it. You go up there. Set five thousand men in ambush.
take thirty thousand men and approach the city. And when A when the king of Ai comes out. Send in the men who were in ambush and burn the place up. This is something that they were to do. We can see the same lesson when it came to their first conquest in Canaan, which was at.
Jericho. God had said, I've given you this city. Yeah. They were to march.
So it might have felt like This is getting us nowhere. marching around the city. We've been marching around for three days. Nothing's happened. Four days, nothing's happened, five days, but God said you've got to march six days.
And you've got to go around seven times on the seventh day. You've got to completely obey. Partial obedience is not enough. And so, while God had given them the city, there was something that they were required to do. and that was to march.
Think about the same thing when Gideon had his little band of three hundred. And when they stood against the Midianites, they cried, The sword of the Lord and Gideon.
Well, it was because God was with them that they were going to gain the victory. The sword of the Lord and Gideon. Gideon was involved. He was the leader. He was the one directing the people to do what God expected them to do.
They had their lights. Covered over And their horns. and at the given signal, as the three hundred had separated into three different bands of a hundred each, The pitcher was broken so that the light shined and the trumpet blasted, and the Midianites that were in the valley. in something of a drunken stupor, heard the blasting of the trumpets, and got up quickly and began to swing their swords and destroyed their own men.
So the fact is, it was the sword of the Lord. But also of Gideon. Because Gideon was to lead them to do what the Lord required. God moved in on his way, his wonders to perform. He plans his food the seas and brights upon the soul deep in unfound of skill he pressured love.
His pride is high and worth his son grandma. I hope these messages from the book of Joshua are proving to be a blessing to you. You can see how many practical lessons can be drawn from these Old Testament experiences, and they are written for our learning and admonition for that very purpose. I hope that you will join us next time. Until then, may the Lord richly bless you all.
If worship and will reign in blessing on your head Just on the Lord by thee hope for his grace be high your proudness He hid us my face His worth The sins will ride at last uncovered. The one may have this birthday, but sweet will be of life. The Baptist Bible Hour has come to you under the direction of Elder Lessere Bradley Jr. Address all mail to the Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45217. That's the Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45217.
By God means show to them and stand his words in pain. God is his home in trouble, refer and he will make it blame.
