INTRODUCTION: Defeat can be demoralizing and potentially could set up a pattern of defeat. Even just the threat of defeat can cause detrimental effects. But victory can also be dangerous. It can produce a self-confidence in a Christian whose power and strength are to come through Christ and His Spirit, not by “the arm of the flesh” (JER 17:5).
We are to wait on the LORD, to seek His face and petition Him to take away our human weaknesses as well as our strengths and replace them with His grace and power – only these will do in this walk we live out in this world (ISA 40:31).
Where is Joshua’s prayer to the LORD for counsel? Or at least for confirmation on this plan conceived by the people? Did the LORD speak at all, that He would bless such a plan? I’m sure He was waiting to be consulted, but He was never approached.
Yet if He had been, the LORD would have informed Joshua about a rebellious Hebrew that let his coveting turn into capturing… some of the dainties of Jericho! The ensuing defeat could have been avoided.
May this be a lesson to us: a sanctified saint, free of the corrupt influences and prizes gained from this sinful world is a saint safe in their own integrity! And may we always be sure to consult the LORD in the Word and in prayer as well as godly counsel before making any major life decisions!
JOSHUA 7:1
But the children of Israel committed a trespass [Heb word ma’al – literally “treachery”] regarding the accursed things, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things; so the anger of the LORD burned against the children of Israel.
All Israel was warned in the previous chapter by Joshua who heeded this warning from the LORD:
JOSHUA 6:17-19But Achan didn’t listen. He saw with his eyes the handsome, intricately woven Babylonian garment, some shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels (about 1.5 lbs.) and valued in those ancient times at the equivalent of five to seven years of wages for the common laborer (that amounts to about $372,000 for you and me on average!). That’s on top of the silver and the garment! This could easily total something close to half a million dollars! Obviously, he was achin’ to have it (bet you never heard THAT line before! Oh, you did…). Seriously though, he traded whatever integrity he might have had for iniquity.
17 "Now the city shall be doomed by the LORD to destruction, it and all who are in it. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. 18 "And you, by all means abstain [shamar – to hedge about, to guard, protect, attend, circumspect] from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, [cherem -a doomed object, extermination, utterly destroyed] and trouble [akar - to disturb, afflict] it. 19 "But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are consecrated to the LORD; they shall come into the treasury of the LORD."
I’m intrigued at how often our temptations involve our eyes (GEN 3:6; 1 JOHN 2:16) and when the LORD speaks it’s with our (spiritual) ears – typically through the Holy Scripture via the Holy Spirit. It’s no wonder we need to have a guard on our eyes (JOB 31:1; PSA 101:2; PROV 4:25-27; MATT 6:22-23).
Our temptations more often than not happen in steps that we take contrary to the will of the LORD, resisting the Holy Spirit’s urging to return to GOD. We persist in playing with temptation until we reach the top of those steps and onto the gallows where we fall into sin and get the noose!
For an examination of this process, check out The SEVEN LETHAL LEVELS LEADING TO SIN.
JOSHUA 7:2-4
2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, "Go up and spy out the country." So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 And they returned to Joshua and said to him, "Do not let all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not weary all the people there, for the people of Ai are few." 4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai.
Remember how when Moses sent out twelve spies to reconnoiter the land of Canaan? And ten of them were cowardly – only two, Joshua and Caleb expressed faith in the LORD GOD and His Word. Here, Joshua sends in some spies (perhaps hoping that they would render an accurate appraisal) and they did, as far as the natural eye and mind perceives.
Now I’m sure that these spies had the best of intentions, not wanting “all the people [to become] weary”, so they recommended only two or three thousand to engage in the battle. That’s completely reasonable and practical logistically – but for one, it’s human reasoning, and for another, it’s human counsel, apart from the LORD’s own which they didn’t enquire of.
And they were entirely unaware that “there is sin in the camp”!
JOSHUA 7:5-9
5 And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water. 6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, "Alas, Lord GOD, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all-to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan! 8 "O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies? 9 "For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?"
Joshua isn’t just grieved for Israel’s defeat; like Moses, he is concerned for the LORD’s Righteous Reputation (“Your great name”).
It wasn’t the fact that the armies of Israel lost thirty six men out of two or three thousand (that’s a kill ratio of just over one percent. Not bad at all for casualties!). It was the fact that they were defeated, period by a vastly smaller enemy force! And not even so much as an actual battle, but a rout: “…they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them down on the descent”.
And consider the ramifications of such a loss, once the other Canaanites heard of this defeat. They would know that the army of Israel isn’t invincible after all! That little town of Ai took them down! “If they can, then so can we!” That would only encourage Israel’s enemies and cause anxiety for the Hebrews.
Joshua’s despair is somewhat reminiscent (but only somewhat) of that first generation of liberated Hebrew slaves that regretted venturing into the desert under the leadership of Moses and whined about how life was so much better in Egypt (EXOD 16:3; NUM 11:1-6). Only in Joshua’s case, it wasn’t Egypt he wanted to return to, but simply the land on the other side of Jordan.
I think that despite the LORD’s admonition to “fear not” (JOSHU 1:9) that this newly elected-of-GOD leader was insecure in his position. At the slightest set back, in this first defeat in Canaan, he seems to fall into despair. But this man of GOD is a work in progress, and the LORD is going to work in and through him until he becomes the valiant, faithful warrior that GOD intends!
And in the face of this troublesome defeat, he even sounds like his mentor, the former leader of Israel, Moses when he was shamed by Pharaoh who commanded the Hebrew slaves workload be increased:
EXODUS 5:19-23JOSHUA 7:7
19 And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble after it was said, "You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota." 20 Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them. 21 And they said to them, "Let the LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us." 22 So Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? 23 "For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all."
And Joshua said, "Alas, Lord GOD, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all-to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan!
Joshua wasn’t interested in going back to the world (Egypt by type) but was willing to dwell contentedly with second best (the lands east of the Jordan River), when GOD desired the very best (the heart of Canaan land) for His people. And the LORD wanted His people in that land for specific reasons, not the least of which for prophetic fulfillment that would come to pass in regions, cities and towns within her borders that would play major parts in His plan in establishing the kingdom of Israel!
Notice that Joshua tore his clothes in abject grief and fell before the ark of the LORD – for how long? Until evening! It doesn’t say when Joshua sent his force of 3,000 men, but such assaults usually took place pre-dawn or immediately afterwards. So, Joshua was grieving for his people all day along with all of the elders.
The army of Israel went from confidence to cowardice! How did such a thing happen so quickly? Two reasons:
The first reason: after such a glorious victory over Jericho, it seems likely that these Hebrew warriors forgot Who was responsible for it! Not all perhaps, but many could’ve felt the conquest was to their credit. Pride will always bring you down! Satan can take the victory that GOD granted to you, and with sly subtlety persuade you to “touch the glory of GOD” and think it’s all about you – and turn that victory into a defeat!
The second reason was also due to pride, but not the kind that resulted in victory, but in a desire to put one’s own priorities over GOD’s! Which brings us to vs. 10:
JOSHUA 7:10-12
10 So the LORD said to Joshua: "Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? 11 "Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff. 12 "Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you.
The LORD specifically stated that the valuables in Jericho would go into His treasuries (JOSH 6:19). He laid claim over that which is rightfully His anyway, for He is the Maker of heaven and earth and all that is contained in them (PSA 24:1) – including gold, silver, etc. What does GOD need with these? Unquestionably at least in part, for the building of the Tabernacle which will serve the needs of and bless His people Israel!
Achan wasn’t just guilty of coveting, he was guilty of stealing from GOD! The LORD had every intention of blessing His people with “war booty” in the conquest of Canaan, but not here, not now. They would have to wait for it – and that is another ploy of Satan, who will tempt you to “have it now” rather than wait upon the LORD to bless us in His own time.
On the subject of stealing from GOD – here I need to tread carefully but confidently. Are you a thief? Have you stolen anything in your lifetime? I think most of us would blush as we raised our hand to that question.
Yet I’m talking about a far more serious crime than stealing from another human being. I’m talking about stealing from GOD Himself! And I’m not addressing the spiritually lost here so much as the blood-bought saints of GOD! And no, this isn’t about tithes and offerings – necessarily. Hear me out please:
1 CORINTHIANS 6:19-20Do we understand what this verse is saying? We are saved by the blood of Christ – AMEN! And this means that we no longer belong to ourselves. We are no longer at liberty to do as we please (certainly not to engage in sin whenever the mood strikes us, right?).
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit Who is in you, Whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
Every major and serious decision we make, every path we take must be in alignment with the will of GOD. This is why it’s essential to consult the Holy Scriptures, seeking the LORD’s guidance in prayer. In a real sense we are His “property” but not as a commodity or a resource (just a thing to own). We are under His sovereignty. He is our LORD, and we are His servants (consider the role of a servant in human relations: someone whose life revolves around that of another in making their life better, freeing them up to do other things while the servant cares for the more mundane aspects of their master.
In a nutshell its being “others-centered”). The apostles often referred to themselves as “bond servants” or doulos. Check out what these sort of servants are at the link provided!
We have the Supreme Role Model in the LORD Jesus Christ, the Servant of YHWH! He never did anything contrary to the will of the Father. Do we? Sadly, yes…
And in that sense, we are taking that which belongs to the LORD (ourselves) and stealing it for our own uses (even if those things we engage in are not sinful in themselves, but the act of living life without the approval and direction of the LORD is itself a sin of commission as well as omission).
Before I became a pastor, when I was offered the position, while greatly honored to be considered for that lofty and lowly position, I had to take two years to seriously pray and seek GOD on whether or not this was truly His will for my life. I wouldn’t presume to take that office without consulting the Head of the church. Had I done so, I could’ve potentially been engaged in something that wasn’t GOD’s will, while missing out on what His will for me was elsewhere!
Now please don’t get me wrong – our LORD is a loving, gentle, generous and gracious LORD. He grants us all sorts of liberty to engage in honorable, wholesome hobbies, recreation, entertainment and enjoys seeing us enjoy these things. What I’m saying is that we need to “check in with headquarters” first before we set off in any direction. What He has planned for us is always way better than what we have in mind!
Dutiful husbands are careful to check in with their wives first before they go and spend time with their buddies – how about we do that with the LORD?
Had Achan had that frame of mind, he would have never gotten in trouble, nor would he had dragged his family into scandal, or caused this tremendous defeat in Israel. It’s been said before – “no one is an island unto themselves”. This is never truer than in the body of Christ because we are a “body” comprised of members (you and I), and what I do affects you on a spiritual level, just as you affect me. Just as a finger that’s been struck with a hammer will affect the entire body!
Vs. 11: “…they have even taken some of the accursed things and have both stolen and deceived…”
Have you ever noticed that sin brings its friends into your life? We commit a sin, then we have to lie, deceive, misdirect in order to conceal that sin. David did this when he committed sin with Bathsheba. He attempted to deceive Uriah by getting him drunk, hoping he’d go home and enjoy some intimacy with his wife so that nine months later he would presume the baby born was his – and not David’s, which it was! When that didn’t work, he resorted to murder by proxy (2 SAM 11)!
I recall a book someone gave me as a gag – it was called Jimmy and the White Lie. It really illustrates well – and with a considerable amount of humor! … how lies and deception can grow to such proportions that things spiral out of control and can no longer stay hidden (NUM 32:23; GAL 6:7)!
This is what Joshua and the people of Israel encountered, but Achan kept quiet and didn’t ‘fess up to his sin. And things began to grow worse and worse…
JOSHUA 7:13-15
13 "Get up, sanctify the people, and say, 'Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says the LORD God of Israel: "There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you." 14 'In the morning therefore you shall be brought according to your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which the LORD takes shall come according to families; and the family which the LORD takes shall come by households; and the household which the LORD takes shall come man by man. 15 'Then it shall be that he who is taken with the accursed thing shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he has done a disgraceful thing in Israel.'"
Before Israel could engage the enemy, they had to set things right before the LORD by sanctifying themselves. They had to go to drastic measures in order to do this properly. Why? Because sin is a far, far more serious issue than we tend to treat it.
It’s of the utmost seriousness with the LORD GOD because He sees it through His absolutely holy eyes, whereas we because we still retain a sin nature, at times don’t see it as “that bad”.
However, “For the wages of sin is death…” (ROM 6:23a). Death in all of its forms – not just physical death, not even just spiritual death, but ruin, destruction, corruption, infestation, dilapidation, decay, etc. It’s the most dangerous, destructive force in all creation – far more than nuclear warheads!
It’s such a powerful force of wickedness that it took no one less than GOD made flesh to vanquish it! So the next time you start dabbling with temptation, thinking you can handle the subsequent sin, without it getting out of control – THINK AGAIN! Sin may start out subtle, but like leaven, it grows silently and before you realize it, it’s completely taken over!
“…you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you…”
This is why it’s absolutely necessary, an obligatory essential that before we engage in any form of spiritual warfare, that our conscience is clear of any wrong, any offense, any sin or transgression. We need to ask the LORD to search our hearts (PSALM 139:23-24), so that we may confess our sin and be cleansed (1 JOHN 1:9). Only then will the attacks of the enemy be neutralized.
This is where the armor of GOD comes in. It will always benefit the saint to learn what this armor is, how to use it, and what awaits us on the battlefield against the kingdom of darkness. GOD will always be faithful to “teach [our] hands to war” (PSA 18:34)!
Make no mistake – Satan in tempting Achan wasn’t merely interested in taking him down. The enemy knew that if just one person in Israel would be corrupted and disobey GOD, that it would spell defeat for the armies of Israel, and perhaps even destruction of the nation, which has been and always shall be his constant objective through the ages!
JOSHUA 7:16-21
16 So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17 He brought the clan 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 Then 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. 19 Now Joshua said to Achan, "My son, I beg you, give glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession to Him, and tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me." 20 And Achan answered Joshua and said, "Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I have done: 21 "When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it."
Our sin nature is very subtle. That stands to reason because that nature closely resembles that of the serpent of GENESIS 3 that was the most subtle. Due to this crafty nature of corruption, our sin can at times be very difficult to detect.
We need the Holy Spirit and His ministry in our lives. We need to cultivate an intimate relationship with Him so that we’re able to discern and identify any sin issues. And this is where the Holy Spirit, coupled together with the Holy Word are most potent in this function (JOHN 16:18; ACTS 2:37; ROM 3:19; 2 TIM 3:16).
Once we identify areas of sin, maybe things that our flesh considers so very precious, we must be ruthless and tear those things out of our lives with abandon that offends GOD:
MATTHEW 18:8-9JOSHUA 7:22-26
8 "If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. 9 "And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.
22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver under it. 23 And they took them from the midst of the tent, brought them to Joshua and to all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD. 24 Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Achor 25 And Joshua said, "Why have you troubled us? The LORD will trouble you this day." So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones. 26 Then they raised over him a great heap of stones, still there to this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Achor to this day.
In our 21st century sensitivities, we see this action as barbaric, cruel and unduly harsh. It’s not until we can appreciate that GOD’s holiness is so awesome, far beyond our ability to comprehend that the offense takes its proper form in the light of it. This is high treason against the Throne of heaven! This is subversive rebellion against the GOD of justice and order.
I don’t know if Achan was a true believer of the LORD YHWH – if he was and this was just a serious misstep (i.e., sin), then he simply left this earthly domain to enter the place where our LORD Himself would go, leading the Old Testament saints into heaven after His resurrection. If he wasn’t a genuine saint of GOD, then this makes this event all the more tragic!
GOD is serious about obedience from His creatures. Because of the fact that He is (1) Creator GOD, He owns everything: the sun, moon and stars, the planet Earth and all the universe, right down to the subatomic structures and everything in between! The fact that He owns it all, makes Him the Sovereign – or (2) LORD, having the authority to do with His creation whatever He desires, answerable to no one but Himself. Since He is the Sovereign KING, with jurisdiction over all His domain – that is to say His “Kingdom” He writes the Laws. As the Law Maker, He is uniquely qualified to be (3) the Judge Who enforces that Holy and Pure Law.
Because we are a race of sinners, GOD is righteous in condemning all that offends His Law, as spiritual criminals. HOWEVER – GOD is just as much love as He is holy. While He is justified in condemning sin (“spiritual criminality”), He desires to save souls from that terrible eternal fate of separation from the only source of life, that is, Himself. So He has come as (4) Savior, taking on humanity, thus becoming a member of our human family, and on our behalf took all of our sin and guilt worthiness, along with all punitive action from GOD the Father, we who by faith believe the GOSPEL are delivered from sin, death, judgment and hellfire.
Check out the following four part series that examines these Four Primary Offices of the LORD GOD as mentioned above.
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