The Book Of Joshua 6 Of 9

WHAT A VICTORY! But now there were many more cities that needed to be defeated, such as the city of Ai which was next on the agenda.

We do not know a great deal about Ai.

• The reason we do not know a great deal about this town is because of its insignificance

• We know that it was located east of Bethel and near Bethaven. The scripture tells us it had a population of around 12,000 inhabitants. This is about all we know about this small town.

Look at verse 2, “And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east side of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.”

Joshua and the army of Israel recognized the insignificance of this city, by stating that it could be captured by only sending a small group of soldiers.

Look at verses 3-4, we read, “And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few. So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.”

Look at the confidence they had, the spies said in verse 3, “…Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai…”

Joshua took their advice and sent THREE THOUSAND men to take the city. As they endeavored to take the city, look at-

I. THEIR SURPRISE

Look at verse 5, we read, “And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.”

Life is full of surprises, but when Israel sent those three thousand men, they got the surprise of their lives. The Bible tells us that the men of Ai tore them up!

This was the upset of the year!

Illus: When football coaches make out their schedule for the coming year, they always find the worst team on their list to play for homecoming. Why? Because a football team never wants to lose, but especially not at homecoming!

If Ai had been a football team, they would have chosen Israel to be their homecoming game.

Out of the three thousand that Joshua sent:

• Thirty-six men were killed

• The others were chased off like scared rabbits

After their big victory at Jericho, this was a total surprise.

Illus: If Las Vegas had been betting on this battle, they would have given odds of 100 to 0 that Israel would win.

WHY WOULD THEY HAVE GIVEN SUCH HIGH ODDS?

• God had opened the Red Sea for these people and they marched across on dry ground, while the army of Egypt was drowned in the same sea

• These were the people who had already won several big battles with Og and Sihon, on the other side of Jordan

• These were the people that Joshua led through the Jordan river on dry ground. God had caused the water to back up, flooding the land

• God led Joshua and these people to march around Jericho, and the walls came tumbling down

Now they come to a little hick town like Ai, with only 12,000 people, and they beat the stuffings out of the army of Israel. THIS WAS A SURPRISE!!!

If anyone placed a bet on this battle they would have placed it on Israel with their track record, but they would have lost big time. This was THEIR SURPRISE! But look at -

II. THEIR SORROW

After the victory at Jericho, they were grinning from ear to ear. But after Ai, that smile was wiped off their faces.

Look at verses 6-9, we read, “And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads. And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies! For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?”