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What Joshua would remind us about Ai and AI

“Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.’”’” —Joshua 7:13

AI remains a leading news story, but there was an Ai in the Bible that we should consider today.

Joshua, son of Nun, had been a faithful companion of Moses for many years. He was one of the twelve spies sent into the promised land to bring back news and information about the people there. Joshua and Caleb were the only two spies who encouraged Moses to take the land because God would be with them. The other ten spies spoke of giants and other things they had seen. They warned Moses not to go because they were sure many, most, or all of them would die if they did.

Moses should have listened to Joshua, but he didn’t. Many years later, Joshua would lead the Israelites into the promised land, safely crossing the Jordan River at flood stage. The men were circumcised after crossing, and then several days later, they and their families were marched to an area near the city walls of Jericho, where they set up camp.

For six days, the Israelites marched around Jericho in the morning and then returned to their camp. God gave Joshua and the people very specific instructions for day seven. Joshua told his army to march around Jericho six times. Then, “The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, ‘Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury’” (Joshua 6:16–19).

What were the devoted things?

Oftentimes in Scripture, the words “devoted things” meant items that had been sacrificed or used in the worship of false gods. In Joshua 6, it simply meant the items made from silver, gold, bronze, and iron; things that were valuable and sacred to the Lord. These items were intended to be placed in a treasury and used for the good of all the people.

The people did just as Joshua told them, except for a man named Achan. Achan did not “keep away from the devoted things” he found in Jericho. Instead, he took them and buried them under his own tent back in the camp. Achan had treated Joshua’s words of instruction as a mere suggestion rather than as God’s command.

All was well until Joshua told the Israelites to take Ai.

How do the lessons of Ai speak to God’s people today?

The Israelites, confident after their miraculous battle with Jericho, decided there were not enough people in Ai to require the whole army to do battle. So, they decided for themselves to send only 3,000 men to do battle. That day, thirty-eight of Israel’s men died at the hands of their enemy. That night Joshua tore his robe and grieved. He called out his grief to God, disappointed that God had let them down, and their enemies were no longer fearful of them. God’s answer to Joshua is a word to Christians today.

God told Joshua that an Israelite had sinned and taken what belonged to the treasury. He told Joshua, “That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction” (Joshua 7:12).

“Then God told Joshua how to fix the problem. God said, ‘Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, “Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.’”’” (Joshua 7:13). The devoted things that had been taken were returned, but the unfaithful were punished. Achan and his entire family were taken out of the camp and stoned.

Is there still harsh punishment for the unholy?

The word “holy” means “set apart.” The Israelites had been given the promised land and all of its blessings for their lives. They just needed to live a holy life, set apart and obedient to God, and his blessings would sustain them. We know the rest of the story. The Israelites had it all, but eventually exchanged God’s instructions for their own desires.

President Trump has created a website called “AI.gov,” which, according to a recent Forbes article, is designed to “navigate government services using artificial intelligence.” It’s supposed to be a one-stop shop to help protect Americans by providing them with all they need from the government. It’s just difficult to trust AI for the important things in our lives.

Has anyone considered that only God is perfectly true? Has anyone asked God his opinion of today’s AI? Will God’s people consecrate themselves to God so that every truth is measured against the truth of God’s Word? The world’s truth has always been adapted or subjected to men’s ideas. God’s unchanging, perfect word has endured and transcended every generation, every culture, and every country.

Ai can teach us about AI

After the death of the unfaithful Achan, God gave Joshua new instructions. God told Joshua, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land” (Joshua 8:1).

This time, the people of Israel sought and obeyed God’s leadership, and they succeeded. Ai fell, and the Israelites were able to continue to take the promised land for their own.

As you consider the unknowns about AI, do you then consider the power of the God who actually knows all things?

As the news fills our minds with possibilities, do you trust God’s biblical promises instead?

I wish I could hear someone on my television quote Romans 8:31: “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Jesus promised we would win

Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 24 that there would be wars and rumors of wars. He told them there would be famines and earthquakes. He also told his disciples, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Ai won the first battle against the Israelites because the Israelites had sinned. They consecrated their lives, purged the sin from the camp, and Joshua led them to take the promised land for their home.

The world will swirl around us, but we can stand firm in the knowledge that we have a great and perfect God. If we follow his word, live holy lives, and walk with him, we can count on his peace, his guidance, and his invitation to a home in heaven.

AI can be like the first battle for Ai or like the miraculous battle with Jericho. We just need to choose whether we will be like Achan or like Joshua. Later, Joshua set that example when he said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

I wonder if Joshua was remembering Achan when he said that? We probably should think of Ai whenever we hear about AI. I wish the people working on AI today would take the time to pray and dedicate their thoughts and ideas to God’s Word. It looks like AI is going to play an important role in our country and our culture. Ai reminds us that success belongs to those who will walk with God as their King.

This is a good day to once again consecrate our lives, our families, and our minds to our holy God.

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Our existential “treats”

“Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” —Matthew 24:30–31

We are hearing that AI could be an existential threat in the next decade. Maybe AI is an existential “threat” to our world, and maybe it isn’t. Either way, there isn’t a whole lot most of us can do about that today except turn off the technology and give our world some good news. The gospel provides the existential help everyone will need.

What does the phrase “existential threat” mean? AI quoted the Cambridge dictionary, which says, “Existential Threat: A hazard that threatens total survival, such as a major war or climate catastrophe.”

COVID was an “existential threat” until it wasn’t. So were World Wars I and II. In fact, every time I drive in Dallas traffic, I am experiencing a personal “hazard that threatens” my survival! So, in the midst of all the AI threats, I wanted to write about the existential treats that might improve our outlook.

An existential perspective from The Terminator and the Giver of Life

The news has been warning that we might have only a decade left on earth. Does that mean the “Terminators” are coming? I never watched that movie, but I’ve seen several clips. I would like to compare some wisdom from both the movie and God’s Word. I asked AI for some famous lines from the movie, and I will compare them with the truth of Scripture.

“It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with.”

That line belongs to the character of Kyle Reese in the movie The Terminator. It is his now-famous description of the AI capacity of the relentless cyborg in the 1984 film. I’ve seen the clips of Arnold Schwarzenegger with his metal suit, red eyes, weapons, and cyborg vocals. I didn’t see the movie, but apparently, his cyborg personality is trying to help. Truthfully, I wouldn’t hang around long enough to try to reason with a cyborg!

On the other hand, God told Isaiah, “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

Your existential treat: Whatever might threaten a Christian’s life on earth is actually an avenue to their eternal mansion in glory. Our sins are forgiven. We have been washed as white as snow. We can look at a cyborg and say, “Go ahead. Make my day.” Different movie wisdom, but that line works!

“Come with me if you want to live.”

Arnold’s character told the frightened people in the movie to come with him for protection. They followed The Terminator and kept their lives on earth, but what did their lives look like? People were shot at, injured, blown up, and lived in constant fear. They were hungry, thirsty, in pain, and in need of just about everything, including a shower and a good night’s sleep! They were breathing, but were they really living?

Our existential treat: Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). I’ll take that offer any day and every day! Jesus said, “Come with me if you want to live,” and offered us life eternal where there is no fear, no illness, no pain, and an eternal home with him. Christians are never really “at home” here on earth. By God’s grace, we don’t belong here forever.

“Hasta la vista, baby.”

The most famous line from The Terminator is my favorite. “Hasta la vista” means “see you later.” We are human beings, and we can’t help but cling to our temporary lives on earth. It’s what we know and much of the time, love. We don’t want to miss moments with family and friends. We might miss our beautiful sunrises and sunsets. So, we take medications and exercise, trusting that a healthy lifestyle will give us more time on earth.

We need to think more often like Paul. He realized his earthly life was coming to an end. Rome was an “existential threat” to Christians of his day. He had been faithfully serving God, and now, he was in prison awaiting his termination.

His words to Timothy are our existential treat: Paul told his protégé, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:6–8).

Have you ever considered why God made certain that people would age? Aging is a daily existential threat to life on earth. God wanted us to look forward to life eternal. God wants us to witness to people we know and love so that they will be in heaven with us someday. God allows our steps to slow, our knees to ache, and our thoughts to turn to a home in heaven.

Our existential treat: God wants us to look forward to life eternal and joyfully say “hasta la vista,” or “see you later” to those we love. Everything on earth is temporary, except the souls of the people around us who choose the grace of God that faith in Christ provides.

If we only have ten years before the Terminators arrive . . .

People are saying that AI is an existential threat, and we might have only a decade of life before the cyborgs take over. If we want to get ready for the Terminators, then we should buy a set of encyclopedias for our shelves. We will also need really good books on gardening, hunting, and other practical survival needs. We will need to get a tent, a bicycle, a wheelbarrow, and some really good garden tools. We can also stockpile cans of beans and vegetables, and buy some chickens, cows, and pigs.

Mostly, what we will need is our Bibles. We will want to remember that faith in Jesus is the only means of survival that will last forever.

Our existential treat that transcends all threats

Jesus encouraged his disciples, saying, “Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:30–31).

The Bible commands us, “Do not worry.” Scripture also commands us to “go and make disciples.” Whatever AI decides to do is only a temporary threat to Christians. We just need to remember our job is to help people find faith in Christ and be ready for whatever happens in this world. Everyone deserves to know they have the hope of heaven.

Our existential treat: We will only say “hasta la vista” to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus promised we would “see them later.”