In the book of Joshua, we learned how Joshua said, “I, and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city: and it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them”, and in chapter eight and verse six of the book of Joshua, we learn how Joshua said, “(For they will come out after us) till we have drawn them from the city” where we read,
(For they will come out after us) till we have drawn them from the city;
for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: therefore we will flee before them.
The verse reads, “(For they will come out after us) till we have drawn them from the city;” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “(for they will come out” which means “because, since and on account that they, the people of Ai, shall exit, depart and go forth” “after us” or “following and pursuing us, Joshua and the warriors with him”), “till we have drawn them” which means “until such time that we, Joshua and the warriors with him, have separated, pulled and torn them, the people of Ai” “from the city” or “separate and apart from the dwelling place or town”. Joshua parenthetically declared that the people of Ai would pursue him and the warriors with him until such time that Joshua and his men caused them to be separated from the town of Ai.
The verse goes on to say, “for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: therefore we will flee before them.” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “for they will say” which means “because, since and on account that they shall utter, declare and proclaim”, “they flee before us” or “they, the people of Israel, take flight, drive hastily and depart to escape” “as at the first” or “similar and in likeness to the first time they attacked”: “therefore will we flee” which means “wherefore, then and on this account shall we, the people of Ai, shall depart, escape and take flight” “before them” or “in front and within the presence of them, Joshua and the people of Israel”. Joshua knew the people of Ai would declare that the people of Israel have been put to flight in front of them like they did the initial time they came, and this would be the reason the people of “Ai” would depart in a hasty manner.
When we consider the words in this verse, we continue to see the plan of Jehovah God through Joshua for conquering the “city of Ai”. This time, contrasted to the primary attempt to take the city, Joshua not only set an ambush, but he also instructed the men with him to expose themselves to the people of “Ai”, retreat in a hasty manner and expect that the people of “Ai” would assume this was like the initial time they attacked “Ai”. We shall see the wonderful conclusion to this strategic effort in our next verses, but for now, let us be mindful that God is with Joshua and the people of Israel. God loves Israel, and He loves us. He desires a personal intimate relationship with all of us through His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind, and when He raised Him from the dead after three days, He made the way through trust and faith in Him to be forgiven of our sins, granted everlasting life and provided with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and empower us to live according to that truth so we too, like Israel, will not only hear God’s plan for us, but also to walk according to His purpose and will for our lives.
Next time we learn how Joshua says, “you shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon the city”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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