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So the LORD said to Joshua, “Rise up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face?

“Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things under the ban and have both stolen and deceived. Moreover, they have also put them among their own things.

“Therefore the sons of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, for they have become accursed. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from your midst.

“Rise up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for thus the LORD, the God of Israel, has said, “There are things under the ban in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you have removed the things under the ban from your midst.”

‘In the morning then you shall come near by your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which the LORD takes by lot shall come near by families, and the family which the LORD takes shall come near by households, and the household which the LORD takes shall come near man by man.

‘It shall be that the one who is taken with the things under the ban shall be burned with fire, he and all that belongs to him, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he has committed a disgraceful thing in Israel.’ ” (Joshua 7:10-15)

“I’ll pray for you,” is not always the right response. God had been clear in his instructions about how Jericho was to be treated and he had warned what the consequences would be if anyone violated those rules. Jericho was to be “devoted to God” meaning that, like a burnt offering, nothing was to be left.

Joshua thought attacking Ai, a small city, would be easy compared to Jericho. He sent only a small group against it, anticipating an easy victory. Instead, he experienced a humiliating defeat. He should have prayed before he sent the army up. That was the time for prayer. After the defeat, there was little point. The reason for the defeat should have been obvious.

One man had decided to take a little for himself from Jericho. Because of that theft, when the Israelites went up against Ai, God did not let them win.

Praying can sometimes be used as a way of just looking busy. Telling someone you’ll pray for them when you know that what they really need is your hand is simple laziness. Joshua didn’t need to pray. He needed to judge.

The one who had stolen from God and betrayed his trust and by whose actions the nation had suffered, was caught and disciplined. Then the nation went on to defeat the city of Ai.

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About R.P. Nettelhorst

I'm married with three daughters. I live in southern California and I'm the interim pastor at Quartz Hill Community Church. I have written several books. I spent a couple of summers while I was in college working on a kibbutz in Israel. In 2004, I was a volunteer with the Ansari X-Prize at the winning launches of SpaceShipOne. Member of Society of Biblical Literature, American Academy of Religion, and The Authors Guild
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