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Day 208 – Ambush Joshua 8:1 Now JEHOVAH said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land. 2 You will do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its cattle you will take as booty for yourselves. Lay an ambush for the city behind it.” 3 Joshua arose, and the people of war, to go against Ai; and Joshua chose thirty thousand mighty men of valor and sent them away by night. 4 He commanded them, saying, “Behold, you will lie in ambush against the city, behind the city. Do not go far from the city, but everyone be ready. 5 Then I and the people with me will approach the city; and it will happen, when they come out against us as at the first, that we will flee before them. 6 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. 7 Then you will rise from the ambush and seize the city, for JEHOVAH your Elohiym will deliver it into your hand. 8 It will happen, when you have taken the city, that you will set the city on fire. According to the commandment of JEHOVAH you will do. See, I have commanded you.” 9 Joshua, therefore, sent them out; and they went to lie in ambush, and stayed between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai; but Joshua lodged that night among the people. 10 Then Joshua rose early in the morning and mustered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai. 11 Every man of war with him went up and drew near; and they came before the city and camped on the north side of Ai. Now a valley lay between them and Ai. 12 Then he took about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city. 13 When they had set the people, the army on the north of the city, and its rear guard on the west of the city, Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley. 14 Now it happened, when the king of Ai saw it, the men of the city hurried and rose early and went out against Israel to battle, he and his people, at an appointed place before the plain. However, he did not know there was an ambush against him behind the city. 15 Joshua and Israel made as if they were beaten before them and fled by the wilderness. 16 Everyone in Ai was called together to pursue them. They pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city. 17 No one was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel. They left the city open and pursued Israel. 18 Then JEHOVAH said to Joshua, “Stretch out the spear in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.” Joshua stretched out the spear in his hand toward the city. 19 Then those in ambush arose out of their place; they ran as soon as he stretched out his hand, and they entered the city and took it, and hurried to set the city on fire. 20 When the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and behold, the smoke of the city ascended to heaven. They had no power to flee this way or that way, and the people who had fled to the wilderness turned back on the pursuers. 21 Now when Joshua and Israel saw the ambush had taken the city and the smoke of the city ascended, they turned back and struck down the men of Ai. 22 Then the others came out of the city against them; and were caught in the middle of Israel, some on this side and some on that side. They struck them down, so that they let none of them remain or escape. 23 However they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua. 24 It happened when Israel made an end of slaying the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness where they pursued them, and when they had fallen by the edge of the sword until they were consumed, that the Israelites returned to Ai and struck it with the edge of the sword. 25 It happened that those who fell that day, both men and women, were twelve thousand—every person of Ai. 26 For Joshua did not draw back his hand, with which he stretched out the spear, until he had destroyed every inhabitant of Ai. 27 Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel took as booty for themselves, according to the word of JEHOVAH which He had commanded Joshua. 28 Joshua burned Ai and made it a heap forever, a desolation to this day. 29 They hung the king of Ai on a tree until evening. As soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his corpse down from the tree, cast it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and raise over it a great heap of stones that remains to this day. 30 Now Joshua built an altar to JEHOVAH Elohiym of Israel in Mount Ebal, 31 as Moses the servant of JEHOVAH had commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses: “an altar of whole stones over which no man wielded an iron tool.” They offered on it burnt offerings to JEHOVAH and sacrificed peace offerings. 32 There, in the presence of the children of Israel, he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. 33 Then Israel, with their elders and officers and judges, stood on either side of the ark before the priests, the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of JEHOVAH, the stranger as well as he who was born among them. Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of JEHOVAH had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel. 34 Afterward he read the words of the law, the blessings and the cursing’s, according to everything written in the Book of the Law. 35 There was not a word of everything Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before the assembly of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the strangers living among them. God’s names: JEHOVAH – Self-existent, Eternal Elohiym – Supreme God Yeshuwa – Jesus God’s character: Conqueror Rock What happens when you follow instructions? Everything works as it should. Your project is a success. After their defeat against Ai because Achan took some of the spoil for himself and died because of it. JEHOVAH told them to go against Ai with an ambush in place. He also told them they could take the spoil for themselves. When they followed JEHOVAH’S instructions, Israel defeated Ai, killed the people, and took the spoil as Elohiym directed. Then according to what Moses directed, Israel built an altar and wrote the words of the law of Moses on the stones and proclaimed the blessings and cursing’s on Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim and read the law as Moses directed them. When you accepted Yeshuwa as Savior and Lord, you committed yourself to obey everything He tells you. Yet many Christians believe they know a better way to do what Elohiym tells them and proceed to do His will their way. It never works out the way Elohiym intended. Only when you obey everything Elohiym tells you, will you defeat your enemies, and they will flee before you. When Satan sees you will not back down from everything Yeshuwa tells you, his power over you ceases and he must flee. Many Christians don’t realize Satan has no power over them and continue to live in slavery to Satan. Only when you realize your power over him, will he stand defeated before you and flee from you. The only way you can know your power in JEHOVAH is to spend time in His Word. His Word brings life. Satan will no longer wait in ambush, but you will ambush him in everything he plots against you with JEHOVAH’S Word is in your heart, mind, and soul. Yeshuwa’s blood covers you. Prayer is how you start and end your day. Only then will Satan flee from you in defeat, powerless against Yeshuwa’s Word. Psalm 119:11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You! Deuteronomy 32:30 How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and JEHOVAH had surrendered them? What are you waiting for? It’s time to ambush Satan with the power of JEHOVAH’S Word. Let’s pray: Father, Your Word says I can put ten thousand to flight when I put Your Word in my heart. Help me ambush Satan with Your Word when he comes against me. Let Your Word be in my heart and on my tongue. Let Your Word and praise fill me to overflowing until the only thing Satan can do is flee from me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. Copyright © 13 August 2024 by Valerie Routhieaux The image belongs to me.