The people, excited about their first victory against Jericho, send spies to check out the next city they must take Ai. The spies come back confident that this will be an easy victory and that they don’t even need to send all their men to battle. But when the battle takes place, they begin to lose, and Joshua orders a retreat. God shows Joshua that His hand has caused this because of a hidden sin within the camp of Israel. A wrong which must be made right before the people can proceed to take the promised land.