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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.

Photo by Omar Ramadan on Unsplash

God hates evil. We can too

I was working on a Sunday school lesson I would teach out of Psalm 5 when the news came in about the shooting of Charlie Kirk. Psalm 5 is a psalm of King David as he laments the persecution and mistreatment he was enduring. It is a psalm about leaning on God, trusting his judgment, and finding shelter in his loving presence.

As the news unfolded about the shooting and the subsequent death of Charlie Kirk, I began to realize I was studying Psalm 5 for more than a Sunday school lesson to teach.

1 John 4:8 says, “God is love.” Psalm 5 talks about what God hates. I gave that some lengthy thought and realized that the God who is love is also capable of hating. Those thoughts gave clarity to some of what I was feeling. 

God hated last Wednesday’s events and the events we remembered the next day, 9/11/01. God hates evil, and we can and should hate evil as well. David’s psalm describes the evil God hates and reminds the reader that we have a safe shelter in our loving God. 

Charlie Kirk sat under the shelter of an awning when he was fatally shot. As Christians everywhere lament his loss, we wonder why God didn’t shelter his child that day and protect him from an evil assassin. King David had similar questions about his life. I hope his psalm will help all of us today.

How did David pray when he was being persecuted?

Psalm 5 begins, “Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch” (Psalm 5:1–3).

David knew God’s heart and knew God would listen to his. He knew to seek God for his greatest needs because only God was sufficient for those needs. David knew God as his King, but he also knew him personally. The phrase “my God” is much the same as the phrase Jesus used when he called the Creator God his “Abba.” David knew to meet God in the morning and then watch for God throughout the day.

So many on the news said they were praying for Charlie Kirk’s mission to continue and prayed especially for his young family, who will continue without him. This is another time of heartbreak for our country. We all need to turn to God with the same faith as King David. We trust God’s divine holiness, but we also need to trust him as our Abba, who loves us.

What does God hate?

King David understood that the love of God requires him to hate all that is evil, all that can harm his children. David wrote, “For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man” (Psalm 5:4–6).

God hated the evil that controlled that young man who took the life of Charlie Kirk, his child. The Lord hated the slander and deceitful words that were batted about after the shooting. The Lord hates the vitriol on both sides of the political scene. One day, God will eternally judge and destroy those who are evildoers, liars, and bloodthirsty people. God cannot find any favor with the wicked because no evil can dwell with him in heaven. And God’s greatest desire is that people can one day dwell with him in heaven.

Heaven won’t contain everyone who lived life on earth. It will only include the faithful people, those who have been cleansed of their sins by the blood of his Son. Only those who have been purified can “dwell” in God’s holy Presence.

How will the righteous enter heaven on that day?

In contrast to the “evildoers,” David spoke of his ability to enter “the house” of God. He wrote, “But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you. Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me (Psalm 5:7–8).

David understood that God has abundant love for his children, and they will enter his presence in reverent awe of him as their Father. David prayed for the Lord to lead him to be righteous “because of” his enemies. We find a wonderful lesson in those words. It’s very possible that the most difficult times of our lives will produce our greatest rewards in heaven. David prayed that the acts of his enemies would cause him to be more righteous. We can all pray that prayer as well.

Justice is promised

I’ve known some victims of terrible crimes, and it almost seems like there is no complete, satisfying justice for their pain. If they have lost a loved one to an act of violence or senseless cruelty, there is nothing that truly provides justice because there is nothing that can bring back the person they loved. Often, the evildoer is never caused to speak or confess their wrongful acts and simply takes a plea deal that allows the truth to remain unspoken.

David said, “For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue. Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you (Psalm 5:9-10).

David understood the frustration of evil prospering. He also understood that his God was always just and that the evildoers in the world would “bear their guilt” when they stood in his presence.

God’s protection is guaranteed

David closed his psalm saying, “But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield” (Psalm 5:11–12).

Even as I type those words, they have a hollow ring. Charlie Kirk sat under an awning to protect himself from the sun’s rays, but that awning didn’t protect him from a bullet. He was killed with one well-aimed shot that left widespread destruction in the lives of many. If God allowed the evil to prosper, then we know he has a plan to redeem the evil for his great glory. 

Charlie Kirk took refuge in God that day and he will “ever sing for joy.” God swept him to heaven because he has promised to bless the righteous. He has covered his child with favor “as with a shield.” We cannot know the many ways God will both judge and redeem the evil of last Wednesday. We can know that his word promises us that he will.

God hated what happened to his beloved child last week, and he hated what happened to so many innocent people on 9/11. His eternal redemption and justice don’t seem to feel like enough justice today. That’s okay; we love and follow a perfect God, incapable of error. We can trust God’s perfection because we know his character. Most importantly, God knows us. 

Let’s hate what God hates, but let’s be even more focused on all God loves. Justice is ahead, in God’s perfect timing. God’s plan for redemption will be seen in the days ahead, and we simply need to watch and wait for it.

Let’s pray like King David when he said, “I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.” Charlie Kirk died too soon. His witness, however, is stronger than ever before. How will you help carry the torch that’s been left behind?