RETURNING TO THE SCENE OF DEFEAT

Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land.” —Joshua 8:1

It takes a particular kind of courage to return to a place or experience of defeat. Brimming with confidence after “their” siege of the city of Jericho and “their” remarkable victory, the people of Israel had anticipated that the town of Ai would be just as easy. The spies that they sent to this neighboring town came back with exuberance, urging Joshua that only a few thousand soldiers would make short work of their defenses (see Joshua 7:2, 3).

They forgot that it was God who was really fighting their battles.

They did not pause to seek His guidance, and they underestimated the importance of the commands God had given. And the people of the “easy target” of Ai beat them soundly. “They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water” (Joshua 7:5). The people did the right thing in turning back to God for an explanation. They learned they had to account for Achan’s sin. But they also had to overcome their fear and return to the place of their defeat. They made some changes, adjusting their self-confident attitude—a painful defeat will often help us with that—and changed their strategy, this time taking with them ten times the number of soldiers as before to take the same small town.

But it was more than a strategic shift; God again gave them the command to not let their fear hold them back. And overcoming their fear was their first victory in this battle.