Joshua 8:25-35
Jos 8:25
And so it was, that all that fell that day,
both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of
Ai.
The total number killed that day which would have been
both in the fields and inside the city were twelve thousand. It was not a large
city but in their original estimation of needing only 3,000 men was not correct
and could have suffered much more than the 36 casualties they did plus they did
not go the first time according to the appointed time as the LORD stated in
8:14. In the kingdom of God, the
LORD’s timing must always be factored in.
Jos 8:26
For Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he stretched
out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.
And Moses said
unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will
stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. (Exodus 17:9)
Just like the time when Israel came out of Egypt and faced the
Amalekites. Moses went to the top
of the mountain and held his hands up and as long as his hands were lifted up,
Israel prevailed.
And it came to pass, when Moses held up
his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek
prevailed. (Exodus 17:11) Here
Joshua did likewise as he held up the spear until the campaign to destroy Ai was
completed. It was like Moses
holding the rod of God for Israel.
Here Joshua’s spear was the rod of God for Israel.
Jos 8:27
Only the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel took
for a prey unto themselves, according unto the word of the LORD which he
commanded Joshua.
The only things that survived were the cattle and all the
spoils they took from Ai which the LORD allowed them to keep.
A good
man leaveth an inheritance to
his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner
is laid up for the just.
(Proverbs 13:22) Even though
Proverbs was no yet written in Joshua’s time, it was pre-fulfillment of
Scripture to be written.
Jos 8:28
And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever,
even a desolation unto this day.
Joshua had burned Ai and made it a heap like a heap of
burned garbage after any fire and it was desolate and no one inhabited it
because it could not sustain life being a heap of burned ruins.
However, there was no prohibition given by the LORD for a rebuilding of
this city. About 900 years later on
the return of Nehemiah to Jerusalem, it seems the city of Ai was rebuilt and
under the name of Aija and was inhabited by the children of Benjamin along with
Beth-el.
The children also of Benjamin from Geba
dwelt at Michmash, and Aija,
and Beth-el, and in their
villages, (Nehemiah 11:31)
Jos 8:29
And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide:
and as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his
carcase down from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city,
and raise thereon a great heap of stones, that remaineth unto this day.
Then Joshua took the king of Ai and hung him on a tree
and allowed his body to remain there until the evening.
Joshua had him taken down as the sun set in obedience to the Scriptures
in Deuteronomy.
22 And if a man have committed
a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a
tree: 23 His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou
shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged
is accursed of God;) that thy
land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee
for an inheritance.
(Deuteronomy 21:22-23) Then
when Joshua had his body taken down, they buried him next to the main gate of
the city and placed over him a great heap or mound of stones making sure
everyone sees that someone is buried there but so they especially know that a
fate like that awaits anyone who goes against the LORD.
It remained to the day that Joshua penned his book which was about 1386
B.C.
Jos 8:30
Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in
mount Ebal,
Then in obedience to the law of God Joshua built an alter
to the LORD on Mount Ebal.
And there shalt thou build an altar unto
the LORD thy God, an altar of stones: thou shalt not lift up
any iron
tool upon them. (Deuteronomy
27:5) Mt. Ebal was 23 miles (37 KM)
northwest of Ai. It was at least a
day’s ride to arrive there.
Jos 8:31
As Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children
of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole
stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron: and they offered thereon
burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.
Just as in the time of Moses when they built an altar to
the LORD there was to be no iron works with the stone.
This was because the pagan societies would fashion their altars with all
kinds of workmanship and the LORD did not want to give any indication of being
like one of those false gods so he had his people build altars of whole stones
without any work done to them. Then
once the altar was built according to the way the LORD commanded they would be
allowed to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD.
Thou shalt build the altar of the
LORD thy God of whole stones: and thou shalt offer burnt offerings thereon unto
the LORD thy God: (Deuteronomy 27:6)
Jos 8:32
And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of
Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel.
Then they had placed a copy of the ten commandments upon
the stone which represented the entire law.
They were not etched into the stones because that would have violated the
Lord’s decree. What they did was to
place the commandments on some type of canvas or even a pillar of stones erected
for that purpose and then place them in front of the altar.
Joshua did the writing of the commandments in front of all Israel so they
would all be part of it.
Jos 8:33
And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their
judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the
Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, as well the stranger,
as he that was born among them; half of them over against mount Gerizim, and
half of them over against mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the LORD had
commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel.
12
These shall stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people, when ye are come over
Jordan; Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin:
13 And these shall stand upon mount Ebal to curse; Reuben, Gad, and
Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. (Deuteronomy 27:12-13)
Then the Ark of the Covenant was brought out from the Tabernacle and the
political leaders as well as the religious leaders stood by the Ark and even
including the strangers that were born among them which would probably have been
those who came out of Egypt with them.
It was also a foreshadow of the time when the Gentile nations would be
evangelized with the true gospel.
Then Joshua in obedience to the Scriptures had separated the people.
Six tribes were placed on Mt. Ebal and six tribes were placed on Mt.
Gerizim. Mt. Ebal was about 3 miles
(5 KM) northwest of Mt. Gerizim.
The distance between them would have been needed to accommodate such a large
crowd.
Jos 8:34
And afterward he read all the words of the law, the
blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law.
Then once the altar was built and the people were now in
position, Joshua had read the law of Moses in the valley between them and then
Levites would repeat it to both groups of people, the part which contained both
the blessings and the curses.
And the Levites shall speak, and say unto
all the men of Israel with a loud voice, (Deuteronomy 27:14)
These parts of the law were written to remind Israel that they are to be
obedient to the LORD. The obedience
would yield the blessings and the disobedience would yield the curses.
Jos 8:35
There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which
Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the
little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them.