The first thing Joshua does after Israel is defeated by Ai is to humble himself before God and mourn. Still, it is not long before God tells him it was enough. God does not delight in the grief of his saints merely for grief's sake. Rather, godly grief is granted by God as a means to an glorious and good end. in the grief of penitents when they afflict their souls further than as it qualifies them for pardon and peace; the days even of that mourning must be ended.
