神必使我們得勝
約書亞記八章1至10節
1耶和華對約書亞說：不要懼怕，也不要驚惶。你起來，率領一切兵丁上艾城去，我已經把艾城的王和他的民、他的城，並他的地，都交在你手裡。
2你怎樣待耶利哥和耶利哥的王，也當照樣待艾城和艾城的王。只是城內所奪的財物和牲畜，你們可以取為自己的掠物。你要在城後設下伏兵。
3於是，約書亞和一切兵丁都起來，要上艾城去。約書亞選了三萬大能的勇士，夜間打發他們前往，
4吩咐他們說：你們要在城後埋伏，不可離城太遠，都要各自準備。
5我與我所帶領的眾民要向城前往。城裡的人像初次出來攻擊我們的時候，我們就在他們面前逃跑，
6他們必出來追趕我們，直到我們引誘他們離開城；因為他們必說：這些人像初次在我們面前逃跑。所以我們要在他們面前逃跑，
7你們就從埋伏的地方起來，奪取那城，因為耶和華─你們的神必把城交在你們手裡。
8你們奪了城以後，就放火燒城，要照耶和華的話行。這是我吩咐你們的。
9約書亞打發他們前往，他們就上埋伏的地方去，住在伯特利和艾城的中間，就是在艾城的西邊。這夜約書亞卻在民中住宿。
10約書亞清早起來，點齊百姓，他和以色列的長老在百姓前面上艾城去。
信息分享
今天所讀的故事，與昨天所讀的完全是兩個調子。第七章記載以色列民進攻艾城時慘敗，究其原因，是因為亞干犯罪，連累全民。如今，神既懲治了罪惡，便會繼續幫助以色列民進入迦南。我們豈不是有過相同的經驗嗎？曾幾何時，我們因為犯罪而與神的關係疏離，以致我們在撒但的面前連番敗北。直至聖靈幫助我們認罪、悔改，與神和好，神便使我們更新，我們能夠再過得勝的生活。
請留意，神如今願意把進攻的戰略告訴約書亞，而約書亞亦樂意去聆聽。神再次對他說：「不要懼怕，也不要驚惶，我會與你同在。」而且，還加上一句：「我已經把勝利交在你的手裡。」我們今天也是站在同樣的有利陣地來與撒但爭戰。我們並非要死拼才能得勝，反之，基督已為我們贏得了勝利。撒但已經成為手下敗將，可是他卻不肯去承認；他力圖反敗為勝，所以我們今天仍要與他戰鬥到底。我們要戰勝他其實不難，只要在基督裡向他誇勝，因為只有基督才能把他徹底擊敗。
神將進攻的戰略告訴約書亞，最終他們便順利奪取那城。我們或許很難明白神為何要他們殺盡當地的居民，這可能與迦南人的罪大惡極有關。神已經給予他們多次悔改機會，他們卻置諸不理。(神要以色列民在曠野飄流四十年，已經讓他們有額外四十年的悔改機會。)神要將他們的地給予以色列民，但由於他們的罪性難改，如果讓他們繼續在那地生活，以色列民將來便會很容易與他們交往及通婚，以致日漸受他們的影響而離棄神。我們在日後的歷史中，便發現以色列民確實深受留在該地的迦南人影響，以致逐漸遠離神。
神的道路永遠是最好的道路；因祂在一開始就預知到事情的結果。祂知道我們若不依照祂的計劃和旨意而行，就會招致甚麼後果。深願我們從以色列民身上學到這功課。
ON THE WINNING SIDE WITH GOD
Joshua 8:1-10
1 Now the LORD said to Joshua: “Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.
2 And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its cattle you shall take as booty for yourselves. Lay an ambush for the city behind it.”
3 So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai; and Joshua chose thirty thousand mighty men of valor and sent them away by night.
4 And he commanded them, saying: “Behold, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready.
5 Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city; and it will come about, when they come out against us as at the first, that we shall flee before them.
6 For they will come out after us till we have drawn them from the city, for they will say, ‘They are fleeing before us as at the first.’ Therefore we will flee before them.
7 Then you shall rise from the ambush and seize the city, for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.
8 And it will be, when you have taken the city, that you shall set the city on fire. According to the commandment of the LORD you shall do. See, I have commanded you.”
9 Joshua therefore sent them out; and they went to lie in ambush, and stayed between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai; but Joshua lodged that night among the people.
10 Then Joshua rose up early in the morning and mustered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai.
Message
What a different story this is from the story we read yesterday. In chapter 7 Israel was defeated because of one man's sin. Now sin has been confessed and put away so God is with them all the way. We know what that is like in our own experience, don't we? There have been times when sin has interrupted our fellowship with God so we have only known defeat in our daily living. Then when God's Spirit has dealt with us and we have confessed our sin and coldness, God has come to us in a new way. We have found victory in the place of failure.
Notice too that now God is willing to tell Joshua how to attack the enemy and Joshua is willing to listen. Again God says, 'Don't be afraid, or dismayed. I am with you'; and adds, 'I have already given you the victory'. That is our position today. We do not fight for victory - Christ has already won it for us. Satan is a defeated foe, but he will not recognise that fact. That is why we have problems---Satan is still fighting us. The only way we can defeated him is to claim the victory we have in Christ. The one person who can always defeated Satan is Christ.
God gave Joshua the plan of attack and it worked. It seems hard to understand why all the people in these cities were killed. The reason behind God's command was the wickedness of the people in the land of Canaan. God had given them every opportunity to repent and they had not done so. (They even had an extra 40 years while Israel was in the wilderness.) God had given their land to Israel but the wickedness of the Canaanites was so bad that God knew the Children of Israel would be dragged down by them if they were left in the land to intermarry and influence the Israelites. This happened with those who were allowed to remain in the land and they brought trouble to the people of God.
God's way is the best way. Let's never forget that. He sees the end from the beginning. He knows what will happen if we do not follow his plan and will. Let the example of Israel be a lesson for us all.