Joshua 8:1-35 - Victory at Ai

The Reality of Spiritual Failure

I hope you’re encouraged by seeing all of those folks we’re sending out on the mission field. It’s an exciting time to be here at The Well. Not to mention what happened this last Sunday at Easter. I don’t know how many of you tried to get out there and maybe survived it, or maybe decided, “You know what, I’m out.” I was getting texts a little after 9:00 AM of people over at our Fig Garden campus sitting in chairs out in the courtyard because they just had to open up all the doors and let the volume come out. It was by far the most amazing Easter we have ever had, and I cannot help but think that God is doing something. I think it’s the Gospel, truthfully, and I’m very thankful for that.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that I don’t know what you expected when you trusted Christ and what you thought the trajectory would be. I came to Christ late in college and I thought, “Oh! The Bible says if anyone’s in Christ, he’s a new creature. Old things have passed away, new things have come. Let’s go!” I wanted to be different. I didn’t want to be the same guy. I kind of thought that would be the trajectory. And then, about three days later, I ended up doing something stupid. I realized that while I had new life in Christ, the real heavy lifting comes with living that out. Doggone it, old habits are hard to break.

In my early days, I experienced lots of spiritual failure. I knew I was supposed to be sober, but I was having a hard time with that. I knew I was supposed to be moral, but I kept falling. I knew I was supposed to keep wholesome words in my mouth, yet the old ones came out. I told the Lord, “I don’t quite know how to handle failure.” When I failed, I just felt like a loser. The voice in my head would say, “How could God love you based on who you are and what you do? There’s no way. You’re never going to be a faithful Christian. You’re a mess.”

Have you ever experienced something like that? Where you read something in your Bible and think, “That’s right, I should do this,” and then two days later, you’re doing the same old stuff? The question I want to ask and answer, and I think the text here is going to help us understand, is: How do we handle spiritual failure? If you just trusted Christ at Easter, I don’t want to break bad news to you, but you’re in for a street fight. Trusting Christ is the easy part. Walking with Christ is the hard part. But the good news is God will be with you, and we will walk together through the successes and the failures.

In Joshua chapters one through five, Joshua took over for Moses and led the people into the Promised Land. In chapter six, they experienced a tremendous spiritual victory at Jericho. It was an incredible demonstration of God’s power. But then we got to chapter seven, and they went to a city called Ai. Joshua experienced spiritual failure there. The implicit takeaway was that Joshua didn’t seem to pray or listen to the Lord; he just operated based on what he thought was right. The explicit takeaway was Achan’s sin—he took things God had forbidden, which caused a catastrophe. Sin always over-promises and under-delivers. It takes you farther than you want to go and costs you more than you want to pay. At the end of chapter seven, it was nothing but failure. Chapter eight gives us the clue on how to handle it.

We live in the tension of the “already and not yet.” We have embraced the Gospel, which invites us into a life we are unable to live on our own. The standard is high.

1 Peter 1:14-16 (NASB)

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts [which were yours] in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all [your] behavior; because it is written, ‘YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.’

Because that is the standard, and yet there is still flesh in us, we are going to experience spiritual failure. I don’t know what your besetting sin issues are, but I want you to bring that issue to mind. For me, it tends to be anger and control. They came out tonight. My dog has a little toy that knocks over dog food pellets. It’s cute until it’s in my bed. He jumped out of bed, swung the toy, and food went everywhere. I pegged the anger meter. I said, “I have asked a hundred times, can we please, for the love of God, not do this?” It was flesh. So, how do we handle that?

Turn to God

The first thing I would suggest when we experience spiritual failure is that we first turn to God. Notice the very first verse of chapter eight.

Joshua 8:1 (NASB)

Now the LORD said to Joshua, ’Do not fear or 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.

This is significant because we didn’t see the Lord speaking to Joshua in the previous chapter. The first thing you do in spiritual failure is turn to God and say, “God, I am a hot mess. I am in such need of You. My goodness, where did that come from? That was ugly.” In those moments, you turn to Him and experience the glory of walking with God through confession and repentance.

We tend to think God is up there disappointed, waiting for us to blow it so He can say, “I knew it!” That might be your earthly father, but that’s not your Heavenly Father. Our Heavenly Father says that if we confess, He is faithful to forgive.

1 John 1:9 (NASB)

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

When we turn to God in failure, we acknowledge that what we did was not right. We own it. We want to repent, which means turning in the other direction. It doesn’t matter if you did it five minutes ago or if you might struggle again in five minutes; the point is developing a heart that confesses. When we turn to Him, we experience His character.

Psalms 103:8 (NASB)

The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.

Joel 2:13 (NASB)

And rend your heart and not your garments.’ Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil.

Turning to God is not a natural move. Our natural coping mechanisms go all the way back to Genesis 3. When Adam and Eve sinned, they experienced shame and guilt. Shame made them want to cover themselves with fig leaves; guilt made them want to hide from God in the garden. That is human nature. If you’ve raised a toddler, you know this. You walk in, they have Sharpie all over their body and the walls, and they try to hide it. Turning to God is an unnatural movement of grace.

Psalms 51:16-17 (NASB)

For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

When we come to God in our brokenness, He doesn’t shake His head in disappointment. He accepts a contrite heart.

Obey God

The second move is to obey God. In verse two, the Lord gives Joshua fresh marching orders.

Joshua 8:2 (NASB)

‘You shall do to Ai and its king just as you did to Jericho and its king; you shall take only its spoil and its cattle as plunder for yourselves. Set an ambush for the city behind it.’

God told them to set an ambush. Joshua took 30,000 valiant warriors and sent them out at night. They feigned defeat to lure the men of Ai out of the city, and when the city was empty, the ambush was sprung. Joshua stretched out his javelin as a signal, and the city was captured and destroyed. They did exactly what God said.

What does it look like for us to obey God in the midst of spiritual failure? It probably isn’t laying siege to a city, but it might be something even harder. It means asking, “God, what do I need to do to clean this up? What are You asking me to do to make it right?” This usually involves asking forgiveness and making amends.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that if you are at the altar and remember someone has something against you, you should leave your offering and go make it right first. That is seeking restoration. It means saying, “I’ve blown it. Search me, O God, and see if there is any hurtful way in me.” Even as I’m sharing this, I realize I probably need to go talk to my wife and daughter because they got some “volume” from me tonight that they don’t normally get. I need to be obedient to that.

Usually, when we blow it, we get defensive. We develop forty reasons why we were actually right. But obedience means saying, “I’m sorry. That was my fault. That was harsh. Will you forgive me?” Those are the hardest words to say in a marriage, but that is the obedience we are invited into.

Colossians 3:12-13 (NASB)

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

Obedience also involves making amends—the idea of making someone whole if your failure defrauded them.

Romans 12:18 (NASB)

If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

Romans 13:8 (NASB)

Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled [the] law.

Years ago, when I was a student at Fresno State and far from the Lord, I stole a backpack from the Kennel Bookstore. I still have it as a reminder. After I trusted Christ, the Lord put it on my heart that I needed to go pay for it. I argued, “Lord, that was two years ago! I’m on a football scholarship—what if I get in trouble?” But the Lord insisted. So, two years later, I walked into the bookstore with $37 to pay for a bag I’d stolen years prior. That is making amends.

I told the Lord when I moved out of Fresno, “Lord, I’ll go anywhere but Fresno.” I was a scoundrel there and didn’t want to face my past. Of course, the Lord sent me to Fresno. I have spent many years making amends as I run into people I knew. Even last Easter, as I was getting ready to teach, the Lord told me I needed to make amends with someone right then. This is the Christian life. It’s the heavy lifting of obedience. Zacchaeus is the great example of this; when his heart changed, he offered to pay back anyone he defrauded four times over.

Luke 19:8 (NASB)

Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.’

Go Back to the Word

After the victory at Ai, Joshua does something very strange. He builds an altar on Mount Ebal, about 25 miles north of the battle.

Joshua 8:30-35 (NASB)

Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, in Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the sons of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of uncut stones on which no man had wielded an iron [tool]; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings. He wrote there on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written, in the presence of the sons of Israel. All Israel with their elders and officers and their judges were standing on both sides of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, the stranger as well as the native. Half of them [stood] in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had given command at first to bless the people of Israel. Then afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the book of the law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel with the women and the little ones and the strangers who were living among them.

Joshua was following instructions given by Moses in Deuteronomy 27. He built an altar of uncut stones and wrote a copy of the Law on them. Then, the entire assembly of Israel—men, women, children, and strangers—stood between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. They shouted the blessings and the curses of the Law back and forth. It was like a high school spirit rally, but with the Word of God. Joshua read every single word of the Law to them.

How do you handle spiritual failure? You go back to the Scriptures.

Proverbs 16:20 (NASB)

He who gives attention to the word will find good, And blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.

Psalms 1:1-3 (NASB)

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree [firmly] planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.

The Word of God is critical because it is the revelation of who God is. If your “God” isn’t the God of chapter and verse, he cannot save you. We come to the Word because it is the inspired revelation of our Creator.

2 Timothy 3:16 (NASB)

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

2 Peter 1:21 (NASB)

for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

When you fail spiritually, come back to the Word because that’s where you find God’s design for human flourishing. Jesus says that if we hear His words and do them, we are building our house on the rock.

Matthew 11:28-29 (NASB)

’Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. ’Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.

As we do life according to the Scriptures, we find rest. If you want to know how to run a business, handle a marriage, raise a kid, or deal with issues of justice—what does the Bible say? We must return to the Word.

Temporary Setbacks

Years ago, I played for a coach named Jim Sweeney. He was an absolute wild man, but he had what he called “good self-talk principles.” He used to say, “You treat every setback as temporary.” When you messed up on the field, you’d hear him: “Temporary setback! Temporary setback!”

That resonated with me. I tend to overthink every foolish thing I’ve done until it feels like the weight of a thousand years. But we need to treat spiritual failure as a temporary setback. Yes, it happened. Move on to the next play. Don’t dwell on it. You’re probably going to fail again, but if we treat setbacks as temporary, we begin to see failure as part of the process of growth.

If we never experienced spiritual failure, it would be because we were perfect—and if we were perfect, we’d be dead. As long as you are breathing, you will experience failure because the flesh is still there. When you do, remember: temporary setback. Get back on your feet. Turn to God, obey God, and go back to His Word.

As a community, let’s be a people who invite each other back to that grace. We don’t need to hide. Authenticity is beautiful because that is where we experience real relationship.

1 John 1:6-7 (NASB)

If we say that we have fellowship with Him and [yet] walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

I’m a lead pastor, so maybe I shouldn’t be so honest about my struggles, but this is the Christian life. I don’t delight in my issues, but I delight in the fact that they are shared, and we are walking out this messy process together.

Father, thank You for the freedom we have in Christ. We know that because of Him, we are fully forgiven and fully loved. You will never love us more or less than You do right now. We are secure because on the cross He cried out, “It is finished.” Lord, as we walk this messy life, we will stumble. Thank You that You simply say, “Temporary setback.” Help us turn to You, obey You, and return to Your Word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.