Joshua 8

This passage makes for uncomfortable reading. At the surface it seems that all we can take away is that war is horrific. It's consequences are devastating.

But there is a lot more going in here. Remember that this is God's war, not Israel's. It was God who ordered the destruction of these cities. It triggers the issue of God's nature. What kind of God are we dealing with here?

A generous God

The first lesson that Joshua learned is that God is not a God to be taken lightly. But, we see that God is a generous God. He graciously gave them another chance to right their wrong and do things God's way. He is asking "Do you trust me?". Such is the way that God deals with us. He takes us back to that point of failure, we face the mistakes and then He lets us begin again whilst trusting Him in repentance. The failures of our past don't affect our future with God. The worst mistake we could make is to not come back to God and try again. Failure is never final.

But let us remember that God's generosity doesn't offset His holiness. There is the balance between God's hatred of sin and His loving grace. His generosity in this passage where God allows Israel to take home the plunder for themselves is a sad read when you think of Achan (Ch 7). If only he had waited! We too put things aside and try to keep them away from God. We must decompartmentalise our life so that God has access and influence in it all, so that He will give us His blessing in His time, rather than us grabbing what we want whenever.

A righteous God

As we read the brutal execution and burial of the King of Ai, we must realise that this is God's righteous retribution. This is the same as Achan. Both had sinned against God and the punishment was the same. Anyone who stands against God and His purposes must suffer judgement.

The impaling on the tree goes back to what Moses said about those who were hung on a tree is cursed by God's judgement. But they are so cursed that the body must be removed before nightfall. Sin, if left unchecked will cause so much damage. Canaan had been given the chance to change and turn to God, but they had eventually reached a tipping point. A healthy fear of God is what transforms lives. Our ego must be shattered before God - do not mistake God's patience as weakness. God keeps His promises and that includes His commitment to justice. He is a God who doesn't play favourites - Israel weren't getting the land because the deserved it, it was out of grace.

We don't get God's blessing because we go to church, read our Bibles, or pray. We get God's blessing from grace.

A faithful God

At the end of the chapter we see a scene shift to a time of worship. The area they are in is where Abraham first had a covenant with God, and here the people of God renew that covenant. The people were to live under the word of their covenant God. All the people there were read the law and were embraced by the covenant, and therefore love, of God. God is faithful and will bless those who choose to live under His covenant. The perfect example of this is Jesus. As He bore the curse of God's judgement so we can enjoy the blessings of salvation. He fulfills the covenant so that when we break that covenant (as we will as sinful people) we still receive the blessings of grace. We have that choice to accept that grace and try to live under the covenant. It's not our actions but our heart that keeps us in that covenant - our heart for Jesus and His life. Jesus went to the cross and took upon Himself our sin so that we can stand in God's blessing.