书七6　　约书亚便撕裂衣服，他和以色列的长老在耶和华的约柜前，面伏于地，直到晚上…。

　　林后二10　　你们饶恕谁什么，我也饶恕；我若曾有所饶恕，我所已经饶恕的，是在基督的面前，为你们饶恕的。

　　加五25　　我们若凭着灵活着，也就当凭着灵而行。

　　在耶利哥，约书亚照着神的经纶打发探子，不是为着争战，乃是要得着喇合。在毁灭耶利哥的事上，不需要争战；但在艾城，由于（以色列人）失去了主的同在，约书亚就为着争战打发探子（书七2）。探子回到约书亚那里说，因为那里的人少，众民不必都上去。…他们因着愚昧、骄傲和盲目，就轻视仇敌。约书亚接到探子的报告，就差遣三千兵丁去攻打艾城。但以色列人被艾城的人击败，有三十六人被杀。这时，约书亚就领悟事情不对了；于是他在耶和华的约柜前，面伏于地，直到晚上（6~9）（约书亚记生命读经，五六页）。

　　Josh. 7:6 And Joshua rent his clothes and fell to the ground upon his face before the Ark of Jehovah until the evening, he and the elders of Israel…

　　2 Cor. 2:10 But whom you forgive anything, I also forgive; for also what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, it is for your sake in the person of Christ.

　　Gal. 5:25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

　　At Jericho, according to God’s economy, Joshua sent out spies, not for fighting but to gain Rahab. In the destruction of Jericho, no fighting was needed. But at Ai, because they lost the presence of the Lord, Joshua sent out spies for fighting (Josh. 7:2). The spies returned to Joshua and said that because the enemies were few, not all the people needed go up…. Because of their foolishness, pride, and blindness, they despised their enemy. Nevertheless, Joshua received the report from the spies and sent three thousand men of war against Ai. But when Israel was defeated by the people of Ai and thirty-six men were slaughtered, Joshua realized that something was wrong. He then fell to the ground upon his face before the Ark of Jehovah until evening (vv. 6-9). (Life-study of Joshua, p. 46)

　　我们都需要从这记载学功课。我们这些神的子民该一直与我们的神是一。今天，尤其在新约里，我们的神不仅在我们中间，也在我们各人里面。因此，我们每个人都不是独立、单独的人。反之，我们是有神的人—神人。…为这缘故，我们必须领悟，无论我们作什么，无论我们去哪里，无论我们是什么，都不该凭着我们自己。我们不该凭着自己，乃该同着神行动、为人或行事。

　　探子向约书亚（关于艾城）的报告，指明以色列人把神放在一边。他们忘记神，只知道自己。那时他们没有与神是一，只关心自己。因此，神离开他们，祂对约书亚说，“你们若不把当灭的物从你们中间毁掉，我就不再与你们同在了”（书七12下）。神不再与我们同在，是一件非常严重的事。…以色列人因着他们的罪与神分开了；这罪使他们变得愚昧。以色列人该求问神，问祂要他们如何攻打艾城。这是他们得胜的秘诀。约书亚该对百姓说，“不要忘记我们在耶利哥所经历的。我们没有争战；我们乃是与神同行，如同一人。让我们在艾城作同样的事，同着约柜绕城。”

　　以色列人在艾城失败的关键，乃是他们失去神的同在，不再与神是一。这次失败以后，约书亚学了功课，知道要留在约柜前与主同在。至终，主进来对他说话，告诉他要作什么。今天对我们来说原则是一样的。我们若有神的同在，就有智慧、眼光、先见、以及对事物内里的认识。

　　我们研读这段以色列历史的内在意义时，需要学习与主同行的秘诀。今天我们不该仅仅跟随主，乃该与祂同行，与祂同活，并与祂一同行事为人。这是基督徒行事为人的路，神儿女争战的路，也是建造基督身体的路。…我们需要记得我们是神人，并要实行与主是一。关于这点，主耶稣说，“到那日，你们就知道我在我父里面，你们在我里面，我也在你们里面”（约十四20）。这话启示我们是“在里面”的人：我们在基督里面，祂也在我们里面（十五4）。因此，我们无论作什么，都不该凭着自己作，乃该同着且凭着另一位作（约书亚记生命读经，五七至五八页）。

　　参读：神的建造，第七篇；倪柝声文集第一辑第七册，二二七至二二八页；基督徒的生活，第十五篇。

　　We all need to learn a lesson from this account. We, the people of God, should always be one with our God. Today, especially in the New Testament, our God is not only among us but also within each one of us. Therefore, every one of us is not a solitary individual, a person alone. On the contrary, we are men with God, God-men…. For this reason, we must realize that whatever we do, wherever we go, and whatever we are should not be by ourselves. We should not act, behave, or do things by ourselves but with God.

　　The report of the spies to Joshua indicates that Israel had set God aside. They forgot God and knew only themselves. At that time they were not one with God but cared only for themselves. Thus, God stayed away from them, and He said to Joshua, “I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy that which was devoted to destruction from among you” (Josh. 7:12c). It is a very serious matter for God no longer to be with us. Israel was separated from God because of their sin. This sin caused them to become foolish. Israel should have asked God what He wanted them to do against Ai. This was the secret for their victory. Joshua should have said to the people, “Do not forget what we experienced at Jericho. We did not fight, but instead we walked with God as one. Let us do the same thing at Ai, walking around the city with the Ark.”

　　The secret of Israel’s defeat at Ai was that they lost God’s presence and were no longer one with Him. After this defeat, Joshua learned the lesson of staying with the Lord before the Ark. Eventually, the Lord came in to speak to him and to tell him what to do. The principle is the same with us today. If we have God’s presence, we have wisdom, insight, foresight, and the inner knowledge concerning things.

　　As we study the intrinsic significance of this part of Israel’s history, we need to learn the secret of walking with the Lord. Today we should not merely follow the Lord but walk with Him, living with Him and having our being with Him. This is the way to walk as a Christian, to fight as a child of God, and to build up the Body of Christ. We need to remember that we are God-men and to practice being one with the Lord. Concerning this, the Lord Jesus said, “In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you” (John 14:20). This word reveals that we are a people of “ins”: we are in Christ and He is in us (15:4). Therefore, whatever we do should not be done by ourselves but should be done with and by another One. (Life-study of Joshua, pp. 46-48)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1958, vol. 2, “The Building Work of God,” ch. 7; CWWN, vol. 7, pp. 1143-1144; CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 2, “The Christian Life,” ch. 15