Joshua 8:9–17

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. 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. And all the people of war who were with him went up and drew near; and they came before the city and camped on the north side of Ai. Now a valley lay between them and Ai. So he took about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city. And when they had set the people, all the army that was on the north of the city, and its rear guard on the west of the city, Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley.

Now it happened, when the king of Ai saw it, that the men of the city hurried and rose early and went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at an appointed place before the plain. But he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city. And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. So all the people who were in Ai were called together to pursue them. And they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city. There was not a man left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel. So they left the city open and pursued Israel.

The king of Ai, fresh off his victory over Israel just a few days earlier, takes the bait. He thinks he’s got them on the run and commits everyone to the pursuit of Israel.

There was not a man left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel. So they left the city open and pursued Israel.

This is, of course, a fatal mistake. But it’s important to understand what exactly that mistake is. This kind of “bridge too far” error is a manifestation of sin. At the heart of sin lies pride—thinking too highly of ourselves. That leads directly to overconfidence, which leads, in turn, to mistakes of overconfidence.

That’s the king’s mistake. Pursuing the Israelis is nuts. His pride causes him to do something he wants to do but doesn’t need to do. He needs to protect his people, not go off on some wild goose chase crusade.

Ai is a city. Cities have walls. Those walls give the city an advantage over attackers. The attackers can’t get in, and while they’re trying, you can rain death and destruction down on them from the top of the walls. By leaving the city, the king and his army abandon that advantage and enter a level playing field.

But the king enjoyed his previous victory. He wants to bask in the glory again.

His ego is all that matters.

We’re more prone to make mistakes when we’re riding high and our ego is puffed up.

But we’re not getting people killed. Our ego-driven mistakes are more likely to be words. It’s amazing how often bragging is a bad idea.

Humility keeps our tongue in check.

These Monday—Friday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. The Weekend DEEPs are written by Matt Richardson. To subscribe to all the DEEPs click here:

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.