Tuesday - Joshua 8 - Aye-eye or Ah-ee

However you want to pronounce it ("a i" or "ah e"), Ai should've never been remembered. It was an insignificantly small and irrelevant town full of doomed heathens. But, due to the sin of Achan, Ai became a major hurtle. Incidentally, this story should be a clear message to us - sometimes it's the small things... which we don't expect to affect us... that end up tripping us up the most quickly (Song of Solomon 2:15).

If Achan could have persuaded himself to wait, he could've had all the loot he wanted... but, sadly, he didn't wait. Again, we can take lessons here - there are infinite pleasures awaiting God's children after this life is over... pure, holy, innocent pleasures. But, if we aren't careful we'll risk those infinite benefits for finite pleasures that are truly not worth the cost; not on any level (Psalm 16:11& Hebrews 11:25).

Now, God gave Joshua a specific plan for defeating Ai. It seems that perhaps one of the lessons that He was trying to teach them was to not take things for granted. Presumption is obviously one chief thing that does indeed offend God. So, with God's promise of His approving presence, Joshua sent a much larger force against Ai the second time, not because God needed that really, but to show that he wasn't overlooking an enemy again. Like with Jericho, the method of reaching victory was God's prerogative (Judges 7:7 & I Samuel 14:6).