C: The Israelites had tried to attack Ai and were defeated in chapter 7. After this, they stoned Achan and his family. It had been a discouraging time. But in chapter 8 we'll see how they bounced back after the defeat.

1. Keep Trying If You Fail.

Joshua 8:1-2
1 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.
2 You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city."

C: All of us here have failed in our lives, at one thing or another.

Q: When you've failed, how do you feel? [Depressed. Don't want to try again. Wanting to blame others.]

What did God tell Joshua in v.1? ["Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."]

C: God promised Joshua victory if he would attack Ai again. The only thing that Joshua had to do differently than the first attack was to deal with the sin of Achan.

C: Often the difference between success and failure is very small. So instead of quitting, we must keep trying. Perhaps you've tried to be fruitful. You've invited people, and followed up, but very few visitors have come. Don't give up! Keep evangelising, praying, and following-up, and you will be fruitful. Perhaps you've been looking for a job, or a husband or wife, but with no success. Don't get discouraged. Victory may be just around the corner. Look at what happened to Joshua.

Joshua 8:18-19
18 Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Hold out toward Ai the javelin that is in your hand, for into your hand I will deliver the city." So Joshua held out his javelin toward Ai.
19 As soon as he did this, the men in the ambush rose quickly from their position and rushed forward. They entered the city and captured it and quickly set it on fire.

C: The victory came about quickly. It must have been so encouraging for Joshua's men to see that they had already won the battle.

2. Devoted to the Bible

Joshua 8:30-35
30 Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel,
31 as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses--an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used. On it they offered to the LORD burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings.
32 There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua copied on stones the law of Moses, which he had written.
33 All Israel, aliens and citizens alike, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD, facing those who carried it--the priests, who were Levites. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel.
34 Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law--the blessings and the curses--just as it is written in the Book of the Law.
35 There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the aliens who lived among them.

Q: What did Joshua do after the victory? [He built an altar to God (v.30), and there they sacrificed animals to God (v.31).]

C: After the sacrifices, Joshua copied on stones all the law of Moses. The Israelites were standing on two mountainsides, facing each other (v.33). Joshua was in the middle. There he read all the law (probably Deuteronomy) to the people. He read every word (v.35).

Q: What was their attitude towards the Bible? [It was very serious.]

C: Many people in India are serious about not letting the Bible fall to the ground, or touch our feet. But the real thing that we should be concerned about is whether we are reading and obeying the Bible. Joshua wanted to make sure that the people knew what God had commanded. Ignorance of the truth is no excuse.

Q: Think about it: have you been reading the Bible with all your heart? Do you devote time every day to God's word? Or are you more interested in reading magazines, newspapers, and watching TV?

C: Let's make sure that God's word is going into our hearts, and that we are obeying it every day.

3. Pray Before Decisions

Joshua 9:3-15
3 However, when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai,
4 they resorted to a ruse: They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded with worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended.
5 The men put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy.
6 Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, "We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us."
7 The men of Israel said to the Hivites, "But perhaps you live near us. How then can we make a treaty with you?"
8 "We are your servants," they said to Joshua. But Joshua asked, "Who are you and where do you come from?"
9 They answered: "Your servants have come from a very distant country because of the fame of the LORD your God. For we have heard reports of him: all that he did in Egypt,
10 and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan--Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth.
11 And our elders and all those living in our country said to us, 'Take provisions for your journey; go and meet them and say to them, "We are your servants; make a treaty with us."'
12 This bread of ours was warm when we packed it at home on the day we left to come to you. But now see how dry and moldy it is.
13 And these wineskins that we filled were new, but see how cracked they are. And our clothes and sandals are worn out by the very long journey."
14 The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the LORD.
15 Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath.

C: The people of Gibeon had heard about how Israel had destroyed Jericho and Ai (v.3). So they decided to trick the Israelites.

Q: How did they trick the Israelites? [They loaded up their donkeys with old sacks and food, making it look like they'd come a long way before meeting Joshua. Then they asked for a treaty (v.11).]

How did the Israelites respond to their offer? [They looked at their provisions (v.14), and they thought, "yes, these are old." But they did not pray to God. So they made a treaty with these guys, when they were actually their next-door neighbours.

C: In life, we frequently have to make decisions. Satan tries to trick us into making the wrong decisions. We have to decide about things like marriage, jobs, traveling out of town, loaning money, court cases, etc. Before making these decisions, we should pray a lot, and seek advice from leaders. This is the spiritual thing to do.

4. Keep Your Promise, Even If It Hurts

Joshua 9:16-21
16 Three days after they made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites heard that they were neighbors, living near them.
17 So the Israelites set out and on the third day came to their cities: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth and Kiriath Jearim.
18 But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the assembly had sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. The whole assembly grumbled against the leaders,
19 but all the leaders answered, "We have given them our oath by the LORD, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now.
20 This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them."
21 They continued, "Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for the entire community." So the leaders' promise to them was kept.

C: Just three days later, the Israelites heard that the Gibeonites were their neighbours (v.16). Their land was land that God had promised to the Israelites. God wanted them to take that land. But they couldn't attack, because they had made a treaty (v.18). The people did not like this, but the leaders stood firm about keeping their promise (v.19). So instead of killing the Gibeonites, they made them servants for the Israelites. This took courage. They kept their promise, even though it hurt.

Q: Have you ever had someone promise something to you, only to change their mind and not do what they said?

When you make promises, do you keep your word? Do you pay money back when you owe it? Do you show up on time? The only time we should break a promise is if we would be sinning by keeping the promise.

Conclusion

We saw how we must depend on God, and not our own wisdom. We must keep trying if we fail. We must pray before making decisions, and rely on the word of God. And we must be reliable, keeping our commitments.