What is the significance of Ai in the Bible?

Royal city of Canaan. It was known to Abraham, who pitched his tent between Hai and Bethel. Gen. 12:8. It was conquered by Joshua — after a repulse because of the sin of Achan — by a stratagem; it was burnt and made a 'heap.' Joshua 7:2-5; Joshua 8:1-29; Joshua 10:1-2. It was near Bethel, in Benjamin's lot, and apparently rebuilt, for it is mentioned in Ezra 2:28; Neh. 7:32. It is probable that the AIATH of Isa. 10:28 and the AIJA of Neh. 11:31 are the same as Ai, by the places named in association with them. In the district there are ruins scattered along the narrow summit of a ridge, and a depression among the rocky heights well suited for an ambuscade such as Joshua employed. The ruins are called Haiyan, 31 55' N, 35 16' E. Travellers say that when on the spot, the Biblical narrative of the capture of Ai can be vividly realised.

The insignificant place Ai brings defeat. Joshua sent men to view Ai. What authority was given to him to do so? There was no need to send spies once more, for the Lord had said, that the whole land was given to them. They report Ai a place without walls and recommend that only two or three thousand men be sent up. Defeat follows.

Ai means "ruins." It is mentioned for the first time in Genesis 12. Abraham built his altar between Bethel (House of God) and Ai. Ai is another type of the world. But the source of the defeat was Achan's sin. The shekels of silver and gold, the Babylonian garment, had blinded his eyes. These things were to be "accursed," which literally means devoted; devoted to the treasury of the Lord (6:19). Joshua had given the command that such should be the case, and also announced, that disobedience would bring trouble upon Israel. Achan's sin was responsible for the defeat of the people. He confesses, "I saw--I coveted--I took." The same old story, first enacted in the garden of Eden. The evil in the midst of the people of God, unjudged, becomes the most powerful agent against Israel and withholds God's power and blessing. It is so still. As soon as we cling to the things of the world, the enemy gets an advantage over us, and we have little power and cannot advance in the things of Christ. Ah! the Achans in our lives! Judge self, bring the evil thing into the light and victory and blessing will follow. Joshua's prayer and Jehovah's answer; Achan's sin discovered and forced confession; the judgment which falls upon him and his house; the heap of stones raised over him--all is of interest and instruction, which our limited space forbids to follow in detail.

(b) Next we hear of Ai. It is beside Beth-aven, the "house of vanity," and in front of Bethel, the "house of God." In Abram's time, when he first comes into the land, Bethel and Ai lie on either side of him, and thus opposed to one another. (Gen. 12.) Ai is known plainly by what it associates itself with and what it is opposed to, and the stamp of the world is evidently upon it.

Jericho the greater has been overcome: they think but little of Ai; if the world has been judged in gross, it may be supposed a little thing to overcome it in detail, in the little things in which it still presents itself in our path. Just here, and perhaps on this very account, we may suffer unexpected defeat. Israel's detachment of two or three thousand turn their backs before the men of Ai, who smite them on the descent — we are always apt to be smitten upon the descent, — and inflict a loss of thirty-six men, a number which, if small, yet plainly speaks of the government of God (3 x 12) against them. In this there is hope, however, for those that know Him.

If Israel 's conquests are to be successful, they must start from Gilgal (‘rolling away'), the place of the judgment of the flesh. Then they can conquer Jericho, the city of the curse and seat of the enemy's power. But without self-judgment, and with unjudged evil in their midst, even Ai (‘heap of rubbish') is too strong.

We have now a very different lesson, in which Ai and Achan are united together. Ai, in its meaning, a "heap," — to the present time known as Et-Tell, "the heap," — naturally enough connects it with Jericho, just reduced to one; still more when we remember that the "principalities and powers in heavenly places," with whom our conflict is, are the "rulers of the darkness of this world," and that these cities, therefore, naturally represent the world in some shape. Ai is the world seen in its ruin as faith sees it, which yet apart from God's presence with us we are not able to overcome. Unjudged evil in us will yet make the world too strong for us, and this the sin of Achan does for Israel.

Now the Lord gives explicit instructions to Joshua as to attacking Ai. How different these were to the plans Joshua used at first! God tells Joshua not to be afraid, but to take with him all the men of war, not only 3000 men (v.1). It was God who would deliver them into the hand of Joshua, so that there was no doubt of their gaining the victory. They must do with Ai as they had done with Jericho, but in this case the people could take the spoil for themselves (v.2).

God had given the total victory over Jericho, which symbolizes the world as a system of evil. But as to Ai, though God was behind all that Israel did, yet they were to fight in various ways, for Ai speaks of the details of worldliness that hinder the spiritual progress of believers. In their overcoming these things, small as they seem to be, believers will gain spiritually. Thus Israel in this case gained through the spoils.

First they were told to set an ambush behind the city. Joshua therefore chose 30,000 valiant warriors, telling them to lie in wait behind the city, not far from it, and being ready for conflict (v.4). They would wait for Joshua and those with him to show themselves before the city, with the confidence that Ai's men would come out to attack them as before. Israel would then act as though they were beaten and retreat with the men of Ai in pursuit. This would give the ambush time to enter the city and set it on fire (vs.5-8). The men therefore remained in ambush that night (v.9).

Early the next morning Joshua mustered his army and brought them to the north side of Ai, where they encamped (v.11). He also set about 5,000 men in ambush on the west side of the city. Thus there were 30,000 lying in wait behind the city and 5,000 on the west side and a large army with Joshua at the front of the city.

Then Joshua and his army marched into the valley in view of the city gates (v.13). The king of Ai immediately led his army out of the gates to attack Israel as he did before, being ignorant of the ambushes that had been laid (v.14). Joshua and his army retreated then, fleeing from Ai. All the army of Ai joined in pursuit of Israel, leaving the city without defense (vs.15-17). They were not like the men of Jericho who kept their city tightly closed against Israel, but felt themselves strong in taking the offensive, no doubt encouraged by the fact that they had done so before and won.

Israel looked at Ai as contemptible. Its name "a heap of ruins" — suggests that it was not like Jericho — a city mighty and fortified. Had it been a powerful place, maybe Israel would have sought God about its overthrow; but the language of the spies (after they had gone "up and viewed the country") — "Make not all the people to labour thither, for they are few" — indicates confidence in their own strength, instead of trust in God for Ai's destruction. Truly recognizing God as our strength alone, we hang on Him as much for the small as for the great enemies. Do we not know practically how that little enemies occasion great defeats?

At Jericho we see the exhibition of the glory and power of Jehovah, and how He would subdue and drive out the Canaanite before the chosen people. At Ai is displayed His manner to those who while reaping the promises, have dimmed the lustre of the glory of their Leader, the "Captain of the Lord's host." Here is not the éclat of throwing down the walls, not the power that acted without the lifting up of one hand of Israel, but making them feel that their sin had prevented and hindered the visible expression of His power as they had seen it, and in consequence the ordinary and human means of stratagem are used. The trick of pretending to flee was by the command of Joshua, and God gave them the little city, but oh, how little is seen in this of the glory of Jehovah, when the whole force f Israel is brought against the small city of Ai; and even then with the appearance of not daring to meet them in open battle. How far all this is beneath the exceeding display of God's power at Jericho. Then they could boast of the great power of their "Captain." Now it is mingled with a sense of failure and dishonour, and to all among them who had a care for the glory of Jehovah, the feeling that they had tarnished His glory before the Canaanites. God would have continued the wondrous display, but while giving further proof of His grace and faithfulness, Israel has put an obstacle to the visible manifestation of His Godhead to the Gentile as had been seen at Jericho. For there was overwhelming testimony; that glorious conquest might have brought every nation to submit without daring to fight, but Israel's discomfiture at their first attempt against Ai eventually armed the nations and gave them courage to resist if possible Israel's further advance; it gave them the thought that perhaps they might overcome the dreaded people, and that the God of Israel after all was not so greatly to be feared. The Canaanites would naturally think that it was only by mere stratagem that Ai was overthrown. There was apparently nothing supernatural in the taking of Ai as at Jericho, the wonders of which they would willingly forget. Human skill in stratagem, or mere force they could meet. Hence Israel had to contest every step of the way. Only the ground on which they stood could they call their own. Was not this the consequence of their own sin? And so the word is fulfilled (Joshua 1:3) not yet according to the fulness of the original promise, but for the present modified according to their failure in the matter of Achan.

The effect of the defeat at Ai was that the Israelites learnt to know their own hearts better, and at the same time the character of the God who went before them. Before noting the practical results of what God had taught them through discipline, I should like to point out a resemblance between Joshua 7, 8, and Judges 20, 21.

(2) And now what hindered God's power acting for them being removed, Joshua is encouraged to go up again against Ai. But their former presumption still needs rebuke and thus they are made to labor in the capture of the city, spite of its littleness. All the people take part in it. An ambush is placed behind the city, and they are made to feign that they are fleeing as they fled before. All this is clearly humiliation for their pride. How much in that which is work that we do for God has to conform itself to the need there is in us! God shapes His instruments, even while He works with them.

Ai is taken, however, and destroyed, her king hung upon a tree, and then taken down, and a heap raised over him, as before with Achan. They had been indeed partners in evil and Achan a worse trouble than the king of Ai could have been. Evil indulged among the people of God is the ally of the foe without, and the only true hindrance to continuous progress.