8:1a
Things now get back on track. “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged”. Joshua had suffered a great defeat and thought that God was no longer with them. Having weeded out Achan, he would still feel unsure. God assures him that the matter has been dealt with and he can now get on with the plan. In the same way, we can feel unsure about whether the cross has really dealt with our sin, does God have anything against us? The answer is a resounding yes. We are truly forgiven and justified.
8:1b,2
The Lord now instructs Joshua about the next steps. They are to go up and attack Ai, this time taking the whole army. “For I have delivered ....” Even so, there is to be no complacency, so the whole army is to go. They are to do to Ai what they did to Jericho. Except there are two key differences. First, the tactics are different. There is no marching around the city seven times. Indeed, initially it seems that the tactics come mostly from Joshua, with God simply telling them to lay an ambush.. Secondly, this time they are allowed to carry off the plunder and livestock. See what a fool it makes of Achan. If only he had waited and obeyed the Lord, he could have had all the plunder he wanted. In Ex 15:22-27 the Israelites complained about the bitter waters of Marah, but the sweet waters of Elim were just around the corner. Saul could not wait for Samuel, and so lost his throne. There are two applications I would like to make. One is that we should literally wait upon the Lord. It can sometimes seem that He is not going to show up, but He is always on time. The second is the matter of sex before marriage. Even in some evangelical circles there is a tendency to think that sex before marriage isn’t that important a matter, or is even OK. It is foolishness not to wait, for God knows what He is talking about.
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