Joshua had just watched Israel pull off an impossible victory at Jericho. The walls fell, the Israelites took the city, and everything appeared to be going exactly as God had promised. Their next target was Ai, a much smaller city. The spies Joshua sent ahead told him there was no reason to send the whole army. A few thousand men should be enough.
It wasn’t enough.
The men of Ai defeated Israel, killing about thirty-six men and chasing the rest away. Joshua was devastated. He tore his clothes, put dust on his head, and fell facedown before the Ark of the LORD until evening along with the elders of Israel. He asked God why He had brought Israel across the Jordan only to hand them over to their enemies. Joshua even worried about what would happen when the surrounding Canaanite peoples heard about the defeat.
The LORD answered Joshua with a question.
“Stand up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face?”
Joshua was mourning a military defeat. God told him there was a reason for it that Joshua didn’t know about yet.
Before Jericho fell, God had commanded Israel not to take the things that had been designated for destruction. Achan had disobeyed. He took a valuable cloak, silver, and gold from Jericho and hid them beneath his tent. One man’s hidden disobedience had consequences for the entire nation.
God told Joshua, “Israel has sinned,” and explained that He would not remain with them unless the things designated for destruction were removed. Joshua had been asking why God had allowed Israel to lose at Ai. God’s question redirected him from mourning the defeat to dealing with the reason behind it.
“Why is it that you have fallen on your face?”
There was a time to lie before the LORD in grief. This wasn’t it. God had already told Israel what He required, Israel had violated His command, and something now had to be done about it.
Joshua got up.
The next morning, the tribes and families of Israel were brought forward until Achan was identified. His stolen goods were found buried beneath his tent, exactly where he admitted hiding them. After Israel dealt with Achan’s sin, God told Joshua not to fear or be dismayed and instructed him to return to Ai.
The first battle at Ai ended with Joshua facedown on the ground asking God what had happened.
The second began after God told him to get up.
Joshua 7:1–8:2
God has more questions. See Let Me Ask You Something: When God Asks a Direct Question.