Joshua 7

 Read Joshua 7.

Who? God, Achan and his family, Joshua, the people of Israel, the people 

of Ai

What? Sin and defeat

Where? Ai, westward and up into the central hill country

When? After the victory in Jericho 

Why? Israel is defeated because of their disobedience concerning the designated things of Jericho.

How? They are routed by the people of Ai because God is not fighting for them due to their sin.

Read 2 Corinthians 6:16-18.  God wants His people to be separate from the rest of the world.  He is holy and wants His people to be holy.  In Joshua, we have had the story of Rahab, which is a story about faith and God’s grace.  Now we have the story of Achan, which is a story about unbelief and God’s holiness and wrath.  God pours out His wrath on sin (see John 3:36, Romans 1:18, Colossians 3:6, and Hebrews 10:26-31).  There are no exceptions to this fact.  Achan is one of the Israelites, one of the chosen people.  He was circumcised at Gilgal and participated in the Passover feast.  But he has an unregenerate heart because he doesn’t see sin as God sees sin.  And all of Israel suffers for his sin.  

The difficulties begin when Joshua and the elders of Israel look to Ai with confidence and fail to first consult God (vv. 2-3).  God is the One with the battle plan and He knows what needs to happen.  If they had first consulted God, they would have known there was a problem.  God has removed His protection because of their sin.  Even a small town like Ai, much less fortified and populous than Jericho was, leads to defeat and the loss of life because God is not fighting for them (Deuteronomy 28:25).  The Israelites are not a warrior people.  They have been wandering in the wilderness, not training for battle.  Their confidence is misplaced to think that they could defeat anyone without God.  In the end, their hearts are melting in fear (v. 5), fear of the Lord.  In terms of war, this isn’t a huge defeat, but it is clear to them that God is no longer protecting them.  The confidence of the body has been shaken and the Canaanite towns now have a glimmer of hope.  

Now, Joshua does what he should have done in the first place and falls on his face before the Lord in mourning, grief, and repentance (v. 6).  Joshua was unaware of the sin in Israel, so he asks God “why” (v. 7).  When we ask “why?”, God looks at the heart - are we rebellious (Numbers 14:3) or do we have true faith that is just perplexed by our circumstances (Psalm 22:1)?  Joshua (v. 9) is concerned for the welfare of the people and the promises made to them (Genesis 12:2), and he is especially worried that the Lord’s name will be disgraced (Ezekiel 36:20-23).

The Lord answers Joshua by telling him what the real problem is - sin (v. 11).  Sin is always our problem.  One sin affects the whole nation (Joshua 22:18) because it violates God’s covenant.  This covenant is God’s covenant, so He dictates the terms.  Sin has consequences (Galatians 6:7-8).  The consequences are compounded because there is no repentance.  When sin is kept secret, it only makes things worse for us (vv. 11-12).  Israel is routed because of their disobedience (Joshua 6:18), not because God has broken His promises.  Their disobedience is sin, and sin’s consequences go much further than just for the one who did the original act.  All Israel is affected.  Thirty-six men are dead and their families are in mourning because of Achan’s sin and Joshua’s failure to first consult God.  God tells Joshua that He will not be with them anymore (reverse of Joshua 1:5).  This is the worst possible punishment, to be separated from God, yet this is the ultimate consequence of all sin.

The people must now deal with their sin in repentance.  Once again, they must consecrate themselves (Joshua 3:5), but in preparation for God’s judgement rather than for victory (v. 13).  God shows Joshua who the guilty party is using lots (possibly the Urim and Thummim, or “lights” and “perfections”, see Exodus 28:30, Numbers 27:26, Deuteronomy 33:8, 1 Samuel 23:6-13, 28:6, Ezra 2:63) (v. 14).  The instructions Joshua is given seem very harsh, but we need to see sin as God sees it and treat it as God treats it, not the “no big deal” we often think sin is.  Sin is folly for God’s covenant people (v. 15).  Keep in mind that, throughout this whole process, Achan could have stepped forward in repentance.  He deluded himself into thinking that he could deceive God (Numbers 32:23).  He knew what was expected of him and yet purposely chose to disobey.  

Finally, Achan is called forward and forced to own his sin (v. 18).  Joshua prompts him to glorify God by repenting, but why does he wait until now to confess when it has been clear what is happening all along?  Is he truly repentant or just sorry he got caught?  Notice his full confession.  He knows that his sin is against the Lord (v. 20).  He admits his progression of sin - he saw, he wanted, he took, he concealed (v. 21).  This isn’t something new.  It is often the pattern of sin (Genesis 3, 2 Samuel 11, James 1:14-15).  Covetousness is the root sin that led to Achan’s disobedience.  This is idolatry - worshipping the creation rather than the Creator (Matthew 6:33, Ephesians 5:5, 1 Timothy 6:6-10).  Now, because Achan has broken the ban, he becomes part of it.  Notice that he has led his family into sin as well.   His family is punished, not because of his sin, but because they helped him conceal his sin, which was itself sin.  Each person is put to death for his or her own sin (see Deuteronomy 24:16 and Ezekiel 18:20).  They are put to death in the Valley of Achor, which means disaster or trouble (vv. 24-25).  This heap of stones is now a reminder of what happens when one is unfaithful to God.  Achan brought disaster on Israel, so disaster is visited on him.  Once the sin in Israel is dealt with, God turns from His fierce anger (v. 26).  God’s wrath always ceases as soon as the sin is dealt with (Romans 3:25, 26).  He never holds grudges.  

God is the same now as then.  How arrogant of us to think He won’t punish sin.  Let us look at sin as God sees sin and remember what happens in our unfaithfulness.  

Question 1:  How does sin affect us?  How does it affect those around us?  Cf. Isaiah 59:1-2.  Our sin separates us from God and, often, from other people.  The consequences spill from us to others around us.  Sin is like a cancer, infecting us and growing if we do not repent and believe.  Even when we are saved, removing sin from us is a lifelong process of sanctification.

Question 2:  What are the consequences of our sin - for us and for those around us?  Is this harsh or is it just?  God’s wrath is poured out on sin - either on us or on Jesus if we are saved.  But even here on this earth we have consequences.  If we refuse to repent, we remain separated from God until we do.  This means we have removed ourselves from His protection and are on our own, a scary thing for sure.  

So how do we apply the lessons of this chapter?  First, we must look at sin the way God does.  We must agree with Him that sin is a big deal and needs to be avoided and, when we don’t avoid it, dealt with.  Secondly, we must know that we cannot hide sin from God.  We shouldn’t even try.  The best way to deal with sin is to flee from it in true repentance.  Lastly, we must especially think about covetousness and our love of the things of this world (1 John 2:15-17).  Even in bringing our offerings to God, we often show our love for the things of this world by robbing God (Malachi 3:8).  Obedience must come first, always.