JOSHUA 7

After such a tremendous victory at Jericho, Joshua chapter 7 is surprising to say the least. It teaches us the lesson that God looks upon the body of Christ and the local church as a community. The body of Christ is not one member but many. Whether good or bad, what happens to the hand affects the rest of the body.

It teaches us the lesson of how secret or hidden sin renders us powerless in spiritual warfare. A little bit of leaven corrupts the entire body.

It teaches us that the pleasure of sin is short lived and deceitful, because ultimately, the wages of sin is death. Truly, the way of the transgressor is hard.

It teaches us the lesson of the danger of entering into battle without prayer or the failure to consider the express warnings of the Word of God.

 

1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass (ESV, broke faith) in the accursed thing: for Achan (trouble), the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.

• Chapter 7 opens with a small but ominous word, and it is the word “but,” which contrasts this chapter with the preceding one.
• Trespass- this was a Hebrew word that was used of woman who was unfaithful to her husband. The sin here was an act of spiritual infidelity against their God. In James 4.4, we read that loving the world system constitutes spiritual adultery against our Bridegroom, Jesus Christ.
• Accursed Things - Cherem (Heb.) refers to something dedicated to divine service or to something that was to be totally destroyed. In this instance, the things stolen were things that were meant to be dedicated to God.
• Observe that the personal sin of Achan had an impact upon the entire nation if Israel. Note that God says that the children of Israel committed a trespass…..thus, the anger of The Lord was kindled against the children of Israel.
• CHS writes- “This one man's sin, like a single drop of a potent poison, was sufficient to do damage to the whole body of Israel.  Sin is so deadly an evil that the smallest measure of it may do more injury than we can reckon or imagine.”
• Observe a very important biblical principle beloved. Israel could not be defeated by the Canaanites, but they could defeat themselves by walking in disobedience to His clear command, and in doing so, alienate themselves from God’s protection and power.
• The Holy Spirit reveals the secret or hidden sin of Achan before it reveals the entire nation being defeated in battle. Beloved, secret sin in the heart (lust, greed, pride, anger, materialism) leaves one powerless in spiritual warfare. 
• Israel’s success as a nation was measured to the degree that every individual within the camp was living in a state of being conquered by God. The same holds true of every Christian and local congregation. A successful Christian or congregation is not measured by numbers, but by being fully submitted to The Lordship of Christ.

 

2 And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east side of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.

• There is no record of prayer before this assignment. Heroes of the faith, are pictured with blemishes, warts and all. God does not touch up the photo. Outside of The Lord Jesus Christ, there is no such a thing as a perfect or infallible leader. Keith Krell.
• Wouldn’t you think that Joshua would have remembered what happened when Moses sent out a team of men to spy out the Promised Land and came back with an evil report?
• Before we pick up stones of disapproval and criticism of Joshua here, how many times have you failed to pray before engaging in important decisions or in moments of trial or temptation? How many times have we forgotten lessons that God has tried to teach us in the past?

 

3 And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few (Heb. Little or small).

• They are but few- According to 8:25, there were approximately 12,000 people in this city.  
• Three Thousand - With a total population of 12,000 in Ai it can be estimated that there were about 6,000 males. Of that amount, the Israelites most likely estimated that there were approximately 1,000 to 1,500 of fighting age. Therefore, after their success at Jericho they were most likely full of confidence in their ability to win this battle without putting on the whole armor of God.  

 

4 So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.

5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water (i.e they were utterly discouraged.).

• The end result of carnal security apart from prayer and seeking the guidance of The Lord always results in either defeat or death. Self confidence is a most lethal sin beloved. Pride always precedes a fall.
• 1Cor 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
• The defeat at Ai reveals that what matters most in battle is not the strength of the opponent, or the strength of the army of Israel, but the constant need of God’s guidance, help and strength.  Without God’s help, all would be lost. Vain are human resources in times of battle and temptation.

 

6 ¶ And Joshua rent (tore) his clothes (a common sign of humiliation and grief by the Jews), and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads (a further sign of humiliation and grief).

• Before the Ark - The ark represented God's divine presence among the people of God.

 

7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!

• NIV translates this, “Ah, Sovereign LORD, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver. Herein is the great irony of this statement which is so typical of my own life. With one breath, Joshua cries out “Ah, Adonai Yahweh,” which acknowledges God’s sovereign authority and lordship, but with the very next breath he seems to question God’s Sovereignty and Lordship.
• Why Have You brought this upon this people - Joshua falls into the common trap of blaming God for their defeat and failure rather than self-examination. Wasn’t this what Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden? They indirectly blamed God for their sin. Isn’t this so common amongst us as well?

• Rather than examine their own lives as the source of their problem and defeat, they began to doubt the Lord and question whether or not they were really supposed to cross over the Jordan in the first place. “Were we really supposed to have crossed the Jordan? Should we have stayed on the other side?” Did not the forefathers of the nation of Israel say that life was better in Egypt after God judged them for their sin in the wilderness? (Numbers 11).
• When you face defeat in life, (1) beware of blaming God for reaping what you sow (2) beware of the whisper of the devil that seeks to convince you “toss in the towel” of following Jesus and believe that your life in Adam was better than life in Christ.

 

8 O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!

9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?

• If they had been as concerned about the honor of God before they went up against Ai as they were after their defeat, the outcome would have been much different.
• Our greatest disappointment when we stumble before the enemy should be that we have possibly caused reproach on the great name of God. David Guzik

10 ¶ And the LORD said unto Joshua, (with these words we see the personal involvement of God in the lives of His people) Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?

• Why is your face on the ground.: Get up! This is why God tells Joshua to get up.  Joshua doesn’t need to beg God to change His heart towards Israel.  The nation of Israel must change Israel’s heart before God.
• The good news was that God had not failed the nation.  The bad news was that this defeat was due to the sin of Israel. 

 

11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled (deceived themselves) also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.

• Israel has sinned- What was the sin.  Someone in Israel took things that were devoted to God. God considers taking things that are to be devoted to Him for personal use as robbery.
• God says that Israel had sinned, not only one man.  It is staggering to think that the whole nation was found guilty, and thirty-six men were dead, all for the sin of one man and his family.
• Paul speaks in similar terms concerning sin in the church; regarding sin among the Corinthian church, he says Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? (1 Corinthians 5:6).  A small amount of sin accepted and tolerated among believers can infect an entire congregation.

• Deceived - God was not deceived, but Achan deceived his fellow Jews.

 

12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.

• God had warned them that if they took the things that were to be destroyed or dedicated to Him, they would become accursed. When God stands against His own people, all of the praying in the world or binding of Satan is of no avail.
• Israel could not fight in God’s power and presence unless they walked in obedience to God.  Israel was under a covenant with God that not only promised blessing on their obedience, but also promised curses upon their disobedience.
• We are not under the covenant of the law.  Our acceptance and position with God is made possible by the work of Jesus on our behalf, not our own works.  Yet if we want God’s power and presence in our own battles, we must walk in submission and fellowship with Him. Remember this beloved, our fellowship with Him is hindered by our own sin and rebellion.
• Pr 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
• 1Jo 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

 

13 Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow:

for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.

• Sanctify yourselvess- consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow. Again note that Israel would be defenseless in battle as long as the accursed thing was in their midst.

 

14 In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes (tribe by tribe): and it shall be, that the tribe which the LORD taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the LORD shall take shall come by households; and the household which the LORD shall take shall come man by man.

15 And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.

·      Burned With Fire - This would have been done after they had been executed by stoning (v.24). To be burned was a way of recognizing the extreme severity of a crime (Lev. 20:14).  Wrought folly (done a disgraceful thing) - This sin had brought great shame upon the entire nation and had resulted in 36 men losing their lives.

 

16 ¶ So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken:

• To Joshua’s credit, He heeded the instruction of God in order to get to the root of the sin within the camp.

 

17 And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken:

18 And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.

• Achan may have doubted at first at the idea of his sin being detected, but when the tribe of Judah was taken, he must have felt ill at ease; when the Zarhites were taken, fear must have seized him, and his terror must have been extreme when at last the lot fell on his father's family.

 

19 And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.

• Though the identity of the sinning individual within family was unknown to Joshua, he most certainly was known to God.  Secret sin on earth is an open scandal before God. Nu 32:23 be sure, your sin will find you out.
• How different things may have been had Achan had come forth voluntarily to confess or repent and throw himself on the mercy of God.

 

20 And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:

21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

• As we follow the progression of sin in Achan’s life, it is important to observe beloved that Achan’s sin grew out of the soil of dissatisfaction. Discontent and the deceitfulness of sin are always seeds of disaster.
• When I saw - The process of sin begins when we are exposed to and entertained by things that God things that God calls sinful. Know this beloved, the remaining corruption in our flesh always finds an attraction to the forbidden pleasures of sin. The sin of Eve began "when she saw." The eventual adultery and murder committed by King David began when he "saw a woman washing herself."

·      Two things can be learned here. First, "guard your heart with all diligence" as the scripture warns (Prov. 4:23). It is only by maintaining a watchful attitude over our hearts, and bringing every thought into the obedience of Christ that the seeds of lust, pride, greed, etc. are denied taking root and a providing provision for the flesh to be fulfilled. This is clearly laid out in James 1:13-15. Secondly, as much as it lies within our ability in a sinful world, we should avoid exposure to "I saw..." the things that have the potential to stimulate an attraction to sin.

·      I coveted them-  Covetousness is a strong desire for something God has forbidden. How does the New Testament define coveting? It is defined as idolatry (Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:5). Idolatry is placing my will or my pleasures above the will and pleasures of God. This is the second step in the process of sin. Once Eve saw the beauty and potential good taste of the forbidden fruit, she next was convinced that in spite of what God said, it was a tree to be "desired." David likewise, once he saw Bathsheba expressed his desire for her. The scriptures declare the mysterious attraction of sin when it states, "Stolen water is sweet and bread eaten in secret is pleasant." However, it goes on to warn, "but he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of hell" (Prov. 9:17-18). Paul expressed this same attraction of what is forbidden in his own life in Romans 7:7-11. Remember beloved that coveting stems from being dissatisfied with our lot in life and believing the lie of the enemy that the grass is greener on the other side.

·      I took them- The third step in this sin is that actual carrying our of the sinful desire acting on them. Once Eve had seen and desired "she took of its fruit and ate" (Gen. 3:6). David also "took" Bathsheba after he had seen and desired her.

·      I hid them- The fact that Achan hid the plunder shows he clearly knew he was doing wrong. After a person sins, the next step is an attempt  to conceal the wrong they have done. Adam and Eve "hid from the presence of the Lord" (Gen. 3:8), just as David sought to hide his sin from Bathsheba's husband and the nation (2 Sam. 11:1-7).

·      Sin's fifth step is the tragic impact it brings upon others. Eve's sin affected her husband and the entire human race. David's sin affected Bathsheba, Uriah, and the nation. Likewise, in Achan's case others were affected, in that 36 men lost their lives and God's presence and blessing was removed from Israel.

·      He saw, he coveted, he took, he hid, and he was exposed. Truly, the wages of sin is death. The wages of the pleasure of sin is never worth the momentary pleasure of that sin.

·      Observe that Achan confessed his sin after he was exposed.

o   2Co 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

o   Godly sorrow repents before The Lord when their sin is brought into the light and is followed by a change of behavior. Worldly sorrow stems from being caught, not from being sorry because what they have done was sin in the eyes of God. 

 

22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.

23 And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD.

24 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.

• All iniquity is perfectly known to God, and it is a solemn thing to stand before Him and have it brought to light and spread out before the sun.

 

25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.

26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor (trouble), unto this day.

• Great Heap of Stones - First they were stoned to death by the representatives of Israel, then they were burned, which was reserved for only the most severe crimes.

·      Let this heap of stones be a monumental warning to us.  Have we any hidden sin within our hearts?  Are any of this household indulging evil passions or following wrong courses in secret?  If so, be sure your sin will find you out.

• Prov 28:13 ¶ He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
• 1Jo 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
• Beloved, in Christ, sin and failure does not need to be the end of your story. In fact, sin and failure may be just the beginning of a fresh new walk with Christ, if we bring our failures and sin to The Lord with a broken and contrite heart. Godly repentance is a beautiful thing beloved.
• Ps 86:5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
• True, our sin and failure may affect our testimony for a while; it may even give Satan an opportunity to establish a beachhead of condemnation and guilt for the rest of your life. It may even have practical repercussions in other ways, but God is always able to work all things together for good for those who love the Lord.
• In Christ we have the capacity to live victoriously for the Lord regardless of what we face, but the ability and strength to do so always depends on walking in the light (1 John 1:5-9) and continual fellowship with the Savior in the power of the Spirit.