Ai was a small Canaanite city in the central hill country of Canaan, a few kilometers east of Bethel.
Abram already knew the place before any conquest. He pitched his tent and built an altar to the Lord in the hills between Bethel and Ai, and returned there years later.
Centuries later, Ai entered Israel’s history for another reason. It was there that the people suffered their first defeat in the conquest of Canaan, because of Achan’s hidden sin.
Once the sin was dealt with, Joshua defeated Ai in a second battle, through an ambush ordered by the Lord. The city was burned and became a permanent heap of ruins.
Ai still appears on Assyria’s invasion route against Jerusalem and among the cities resettled by Jews who returned from the Babylonian exile.
The story of Ai reminds us that God does not ignore hidden sin among his people, but also restores those who repent and turn back to trust him.
