I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Joshua 8-9.

The first time the Israelites attacked the city of Ai they were defeated badly.  Yesterday’s passage blamed that on the fact that Achan had kept for himself loot from the sack of Jericho despite God’s command to destroy it all.  Yet, in today’s passage, Joshua set an ambush with a larger force than the force sent in the first attack while launching a frontal attack with the rest of the Israelite army.  Typically, we understand yesterday’s passage to mean that if Achan had not sinned the force sent against Ai the first time would have been sufficient.  However, today’s passage suggests another interpretation: God allowed the Israelites to originally underestimated the force necessary to defeat Ai because of Achan’s sin.

In a way, the defeat at Ai reflects the same mistake which Israel made when they allied with the Gibeonites, and the victory gives us guidance into what they should have done.  After spying out Ai, the Israelites relied entirely on their own judgement about the situation in deciding what to do, and sent an inadequate force to attack.  In making an agreement with the Gibeonites, the Israelites relied on their own ability to judge the situation as to where the Gibeonites came from.  In both cases they failed to seek God’s guidance before making a decision.  In the successful attack on Ai, Joshua sought God’s guidance as to how they should attack.  The important point about both stories, the failed attack on Ai and the deal with the Gibeonites is that we do not know what we do not know.  If we seek God’s guidance, even for a decision which we think looks obvious, He will reveal to us those things which we may not realize are important.