Thirty-Six
of Joshuah’s Men Died as a Result of Achan’s Sin
6.
Defeat at Ai and the Sin of Achan (Joshua 7:1-26)
36 of Joshuah’s
men died as a result of Achan’s sin
(7:2-5)
2 Now
Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven,
east of Bethel, and said to them, “Go up and spy out the land.” 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; only about two or
three thousand men need go up to Ai; do not make all the people toil up there,
for they are few.” 4 So
about three thousand men from the people went up there, but they fled from the
men of Ai. 5 And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of their men, and pursued them from the gate as
far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent,
so the hearts of the people melted and became as water.
The
defeat of Israel’s army at Ai described here is the only defeat recorded in
Joshua and the only report of Jews slain in battle. Ai was smaller than
Jericho! How could such a defeat occur so quickly? The root cause, as summarized in verse one, was
the sin of Achan. There are other issues
involved, however, which led Joshua to go up against Ai when he should not
have.
Introduction
After
such a wonderful experience at Jericho, chapter 7 is surprising to say the least.
Suddenly we are presented with a series of failures that stand in striking
contrast to the victories of the past six chapters. But how instructive this is
if we only have the ears to listen to the message of this chapter. The thrill
of victory was so quickly replaced with the agony of defeat. Here is the story
of life and one we must learn to deal with in our daily walk because this
passage is so typical of most of us. One minute we can be living in victory—the
next in defeat.
The
distance between a great victory and a great defeat is only one step, and often
only a short one at that. One sad truth of reality in a fallen world is that we
can be riding high on the cloud of some great spiritual success and the very
next moment find ourselves in a valley of spiritual failure and despair. One
moment we can be like Elijah standing victoriously on Mount Carmel and the next
shriveled up under a juniper tree or hiding in a cave in deep despair
complaining to God: “… I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill
me too” (1 Kings 19:10).
Because
of its strategic location, Ai was the next objective in the path of conquest.
As with Jericho, its defeat was vital to the conquest of the entire land. Ai
was smaller than Jericho, but its conquest was essential because it would give
Israel control of the main route that ran along the highlands from north to
south in the central portion of the land.
Jericho
had been placed under the ban, a phrase which comes from the Hebrew word, herem, “a devoted thing, a ban.” The verb form, haram,
means “to ban, devote, or destroy utterly.” Basically, this word refers to the
exclusion of an object from use or abuse by man along with its irreversible
surrender to God. It is related to an Arabic root meaning “to prohibit, especially
to ordinary use.” The “harem,” meaning the special quarters for Muslim wives,
comes from this word. So, to surrender something to God meant devoting it to
the service of God or putting it under a ban for utter destruction.32
For
something to be under the ban meant one of two things. First, everything living
was to be completely destroyed. This has been called
barbaric and primitive and nothing less than the murder of innocent lives. The
Canaanites, however, were by no means innocent. They were a vile people who
practiced the basest forms of immorality including child sacrifice. God had
given them over four hundred years to repent, but now their iniquity had become
full (see Gen. 15:16; Lev. 18:24-28). The few who did turn to the Lord (Rahab
and her family) were spared. As with Sodom and Gomorrah, if there had been even
ten righteous, God would have spared the city (Gen. 18), but since He could not
find even ten, God removed Lot and his family (Gen. 19). Further, if any city
had repented as did Nineveh at the preaching of Jonah, He would have spared
that city, but in spite of all the miraculous works of
God which they had heard about, there was no repentance, they remained
steadfast in their depravity.
… the
battle confronting Israel was not simply a religious war; it was a theocratic
war. Israel was directly ruled by God and the extermination was God’s direct
command (cf. Exod. 23:27-30; Deut. 7:3-6; Josh. 8:24-26). No other nation
either before or after Israel has been a theocracy. Thus, those commands were
unique. Israel as a theocracy was an instrument of judgment in the hands of
God.33
Second,
all the valuable objects like gold and silver were to be dedicated to the
Lord’s treasury. This was evidently to be done as a kind of first fruits of the
land, and as an evidence of the people’s trust in the Lord’s supply for the
future (cf. Lev. 27:28-29).
The
Disobedience of Israel Defined
(7:1)
1 But
the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully in regard to the
things under the ban, for Achan, the son of Carmi,
the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, from the tribe of
Judah, took some of the things under the ban, therefore the anger of the LORD
burned against the sons of Israel.
Chapter
7 opens with the little but ominous word, “but.” This word contrasts this
chapter with the preceding, but particularly 6:27. First, there was the thrill
of victory, but now there is the agony of defeat. This little conjunction of
contrast is designed to drive home an important truth—the reality of the ever present threat and contrasts of life—victory is always
followed by at least the threat of defeat.
Never
is the believer in greater danger of a fall than after a victory. We are so
prone to drop our guard and begin trusting in ourselves or in our past victories
rather than the Lord. One victory never guarantees the next. Only as it builds
our confidence in the Lord and develops our wisdom in appropriating God’s Word
do our victories aid us for the next battle. Always, the basis of victory is
the Lord Himself and our faith/dependence on Him. A New Testament chapter that
deserves consideration here is 1 Corinthians 10, especially verse 12. The
problem is clearly stated in the words, “The sons of Israel acted unfaithfully
in regard …” Let’s note several things about this problem facing the Israelites
as a nation.
(1)
The word “unfaithfully” represents a Hebrew word that means “to act
underhandedly.” It was used of marital infidelity, of a woman who was
unfaithful to her husband. The sin here was both an act of spiritual
infidelity, being a friend of the world rather than a friend to the Lord (Jam.
4:4), and a faithless act, seeking happiness and security from things rather
than from God (1 Tim. 6:6f).
(2)
We see that the Lord held the whole camp of Israel accountable for the act of
one man and withheld His blessing until the matter was corrected. There was sin
in the camp and God would not continue blessing the nation as long as this was
so. This does not mean this was the only sin and the rest of the nation was sinless,
but this sin was of such a nature (direct disobedience and rebellion) that God
used it to teach Israel and us a couple of important lessons.
God
viewed the nation of Israel as a unit. What one did was viewed as a sin for the
whole nation because Israel’s corporate life illustrates truth and warnings for
us as individuals (1 Cor. 10). As a warning for the church, it shows us we
cannot progress and move ahead for the Lord with known sin in our lives because
that constitutes rebellion against the Lord’s direction and control (Eph. 4:30;
1 Thess. 5:19). It is a matter of loving the world—and to do so is to make one
behave as though he or she was an enemy of God (Jam. 4).
Achan’s
behavior also illustrates how one or a few believers out of fellowship, when
pursuing their own selfish desires and agendas, can negatively impact an entire
group. Such behavior can create trouble for the rest. Achan’s
name, the Hebrew, akan, is a play on the word akor, which means “trouble.” So
Joshua would declare that the Lord would bring trouble (akor)
on Achan who had become a “troubler” to the nation
because of his sin (cf. 7:24-25). Thus, the site of Achan’s
death and grave was called, “the valley of Achor”
(Hebrew, akor, “disturbance, trouble”). Though the
crime was committed by one person, the whole nation was considered guilty. The
nation was responsible for the obedience of every citizen and was charged with
the punishment of every offender. This should call to mind the following
verses:
See
to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness
springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no
immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single
meal (Hebrews 12:15-16).
Your
boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole
lump of dough? Clean out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, just as
you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed (1
Corinthians 5:6-7).
The
apostle Paul saw the same principle of solidarity at work in the church (1 Cor
5:6-13). Unjudged sin contaminated the whole assembly—”Don’t you know that a
little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?” (v. 6).34
(3)
We also are reminded how nothing escapes the omniscience of God (Psa. 139:1f).
Sin never escapes His watchful eye. We can fool ourselves and others, but never
the Lord. God sees the sin in our lives and desires us to deal with it, not
hide it. Hiding it only hinders our progress in God’s will and plan (Prov.
28:13) and creates trouble for others. Numbers 32:23 reminds us, “be sure your
sin will find you out.” This is similar to the idea of
reaping what we sow because of the natural consequences of God’s spiritual and
moral laws and because of God’s personal involvement. The Numbers text,
however, does not just teach that sin will be discovered but that the
consequences of our sin become active agents in discovering us (see Gal.
6:7-8).
(4)
The words, “therefore the anger of the Lord burned against the sons of Israel,”
dramatically call our attention to the holiness of God. Sin is no small matter
with God because sin is rebellion and rebellion is as
the sin of divination (1 Sam. 15:23). Even though Christ died for our sins and
stands at God’s right hand as our Advocate and Intercessor, God does not and
cannot treat sin in our lives lightly. It is against His holy character (His
holiness, righteousness, love, etc.) and against His holy purposes for us because
it hinders His control and ability to lead us.
Or do
you think the scripture means nothing when it says, “The spirit that God caused
to live within us has an envious yearning?” But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but he gives
grace to the humble.” (James 4:5-6, the NET Bible, emphasis mine).
Thus,
God must deal with us and the sin in our lives; He deals with us as a Father
and as the Vine Dresser, but He nevertheless deals with us (John 15:1f; Heb.
12:5).
The
Defeat at Ai Described
36 of Joshuah’s
men died as a result of Achan’s sin
(7:2-5)
2 Now
Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven,
east of Bethel, and said to them, “Go up and spy out the land.” 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; only about two or
three thousand men need go up to Ai; do not make all the people toil up there,
for they are few.” 4 So
about three thousand men from the people went up there, but they fled from the
men of Ai. 5 And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of their men, and pursued them from the gate as
far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent,
so the hearts of the people melted and became as water.
The
defeat of Israel’s army at Ai described here is the only defeat recorded in
Joshua and the only report of Jews slain in battle. Ai was smaller than
Jericho! How could such a defeat occur so quickly? The root cause, as summarized in verse one, was
the sin of Achan. There are other issues
involved, however, which led Joshua to go up against Ai when he should not
have.
In
these verses we see some of the varying consequences of sin in the life of
God’s people or in the life of the individual. Sin has many consequences, none
of them good.
No
doubt Joshua was eager to move forward for the Lord and to take more territory
in keeping with God’s directions and His purpose for Israel. But being a little
self-confident and resting too much on the victory at Jericho, Joshua evidently
failed to take time to get alone with the Lord to inquire of Him and seek His
strength. If he had, he would not have remained ignorant of the sin of Achan and could have dealt with it first. Four deadly
errors were the result: (a) They remained ignorant of the sin of Achan. (b) They underestimated the strength of the enemy.
(c) They over-estimated the strength of their own army. (d) They presumed on
the Lord—they took Him for granted.
Later,
when God gave the orders for them to go up against the enemy, perhaps because
of their previous self-confident attitude and their presumption, He commanded
them to take “all the people of war” (8:1). With Gideon, however, the Lord had
him reduce his forces lest they boast in their own power as the source of their
victory (Judges 7:1f).
How
often are we not just like Joshua here in chapter 7? Because of a workaholic
mentality or an activity-oriented bent or a desire to get things done and to be
successful, there is the tendency to rush off without taking time to draw near
to the Lord, draw on His resources, and to put on the full armor of God. Such
is not only unwise, but it often causes us to be insensitive to serious
failures in our own lives and ministries which grieve and quench the Spirit and
leave us defenseless against the enemy because we are operating in our own
strength and wisdom. Ultimately, then, these failures stand in the way of our
progress and ability to handle the various challenges in life.
The
last part of verse 5 reads, “so the hearts of the people melted and became as
water.” The defeat at Ai demoralized the people. This is perhaps even more
significant than the defeat itself because it created misgivings and a lack of
confidence in the Lord. Rather than examine their own lives as the source of
their defeat, they began to doubt the Lord and wonder if He had changed His
mind or if they had misread His directions. Should we have crossed the Jordan?
Should we have stayed on the other side? (cf. 7:7).
In
our sinful human nature, we are typically just like that. We are so quick to
become depressed, discouraged, and disoriented. We look in every direction for
a reason for defeat—except to ourselves. We blame, we make excuses, we hide and
hurl, but we so often fail to honestly examine our own lives. We assume the
problem could not possibly be us … could it?
The
Dismay of Joshua Depicted
(7:6-9)
6
Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark
of the LORD until the evening, both he and the elders of Israel; and they put
dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord GOD, why didst Thou ever
bring this people over the Jordan, only to deliver us into the hand of the
Amorites, to destroy us? If only we had been willing to dwell beyond the
Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say since Israel has turned their back before
their enemies? 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will
hear of it, and they will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And
what wilt Thou do for Thy great name?”
The
Consternation Before the Ark (vs. 6)
In
this description of Joshua we see one of the great
evidences of the inspiration of Scripture. God’s people, including the great
heroes of the faith, are pictured with blemishes, warts and all. God does not
touch up the photo. Rather, He shows us their humanness to comfort us in our
own failures and to challenge us to realize He can use us greatly if we will
but trust Him. Failure is unique to none of us … and it is not the end. In
fact, it can be the beginning depending on how we respond. Of course, it is
always better to make a few new mistakes and learn from them than to repeat old
ones. When we keep making the same mistakes our defeats have no life-changing
value. In the defeat at Ai we see a real test of Joshua’s leadership. As
Sanders remarks, “There are tests to leadership as well as tests of
leadership,”35 and one of those tests is the test of failure. Failure is unique
to no one. Failure, like all testings, are common to
all men (1 Cor. 10:13) and thus, the manner in which a
leader handles failure, his own and others, will have a powerful impact on his
growth and future leadership.
A
study of Bible characters reveals that most of those who made history were men
who failed at some point, and some of them drastically, but who refused to
continue lying in the dust. Their very failure and repentance secured for them
a more ample conception of the grace of God. They learned to know Him as the
God of the second chance to His children who had failed Him—and the third
chance, too …
The
successful leader is a man who has learned that no failure need
to be final and acts on that belief, whether the failure is his own or that of
another. He must learn to be realistic and prepared to realize that he cannot
be right all the time. There is no such thing as a perfect or infallible
leader.36
Joshua,
of course, was stunned by the defeat and catastrophe at Ai, and his actions and
those of the elders were in keeping with the Hebrew practices of mourning and
despair. Prostrating himself before the Ark of the Lord certainly suggests that
he and the elders were humbling themselves before the Lord. Joshua and the
elders were not guilty of callused indifference. They were showing a deep
concern and their need of God’s hand; they needed His intervention and wisdom.
However, from the words that follow, intermingled with these feelings, there is
also evidence of some self-pity and doubt.
Today
we do not normally tear our clothes, fall face down on the ground, and put dust
on our heads. But we do have ways of showing our consternation and pain and
doubt. We may fall on our knees or put our face in our hands and sob, but if
there are feelings of self-pity and depression, we may become inactive or
sullen. But these responses do not remove the pain nor
do they solve the problem and enable us to grow through the experience.
The
Complaint to the Lord (vss. 7-8)
Finally,
after a whole day on his face, Joshua verbalized his perplexity in three
questions and two statements. He didn’t take it out on others, nor did he try
to escape or repress it. He did what we should all do—he took it to the Lord.
The
First Question (vs. 7a): “Alas, O Lord God, why did You ever bring this people
over the Jordan …” The NIV translates this, “Ah, Sovereign LORD, why did you
ever bring this people across the Jordan …” The word “alas” or “ah” is a strong
interjection of despair. “Ah” is practically a transliteration of the Hebrew.
It often, as here, points to a mood of hopelessness and defeat. In most places
it is used with “Lord God” though not always as an expression of despair (Jud.
6:22; Jer. 1:6; 4:10; 14:13; 32:17; Ezek. 4:14; 9:8;11:13). With one breath he
cries out “Ah, Adonai Yahweh,” which acknowledges God’s sovereign authority and
lordship over their lives, but with the very next breath he seems to question
God’s purposes and promises as the Sovereign Lord.
With
the question, “why did You ever bring this people across the Jordan …” he was
acting as though God were not in control or as though God had merely tricked
them or had made a mistake. How quick we are to act religious while at the very
same time we can deny God’s authority and power by other things we may think,
or say, or do. Here is a perfect illustration of how focusing on the problem
negatively affects our view of God which in turn affects our faith in His
purposes, plan, and promises.
A
wrong focus, on the one hand, often turns mountains into mole hills. Perhaps,
trusting in their past victory instead of the Lord, they had their eyes on the
smallness of Ai and saw it as just a little problem. On the other hand, with
their eyes on the defeat, they turned this mole hill into a mountain that was
too big for the Sovereign Lord to handle.
Whenever
we are occupied with the problem, or whenever we fail to focus our minds and
eyes on the Lord, we become insensitive to the Person, plan, promises, and
purposes of God. At this point, it seems it never entered Joshua’s mind that
God may have had a reason for allowing the defeat or that they might in some
way be the cause. When our focus is wrong we either
forget God’s promises or we question them. We then quit relating to God’s
person in all His divine essence. In such a condition we no longer see the Lord
as our hope, instead He becomes the villain.
The
First Statement (vs. 7b): “If only we had been willing to dwell beyond the
Jordan!” How narrow our vision grows and how negative we become to God’s
purposes when we have our eyes on the circumstances and lose sight of the Lord!
We go into reverse and look back. The tendency is to become nostalgic for the
‘good old days.’ We become like Israel who remembered the garlic, leeks and
cucumbers, but forgot about the taskmasters and mud pits. In order to be comfortable we are willing to settle for a life of
mediocrity rather than learn what the hindrances are so that we can move ahead
in the pursuit of excellence.
There
is the assumption here that, since they had been defeated, they could not go
forward and that it would have been better not to have encountered the enemy.
In their perspective, their failure had somehow weakened God’s ability to give
them future victories. This is a typical assumption, but one that is wrong. God
is never limited by our defeats. As the Sovereign Lord, He is
able to work all things together for good, the good of conforming us
like His Son (Rom. 8:28-29).
The
Second Question (vs. 8): “O Lord, what can I say since Israel has turned their
back before their enemies?” Following the defeat of Jericho, chapter 6 ended
with the statement, “So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the
land.” Now we have this statement in 7:8 and it seems Joshua was now worried
about the complaints of the people and their willingness to follow his
leadership. Will this failure preempt my ability to
do what you have called me to do because of their attitudes and questions?
Furthermore, people were going to want some answers and he simply didn’t have
any at this time. What could he possibly say to them?
This was really a prayer for wisdom (Jam. 1:5).
Perhaps
also, feeling a little shame or personal blame for the way the men had turned
and fled, he was doubting his own ability to lead the army. He was perhaps
feeling that he had let them down, that people would be blaming him for the
defeat, and he was concerned about the impact of all this on his ability to
lead the people.
A
Second Statement and Worry (vs. 9): “For the inhabitants of the land will hear
of it, and they will surround us and cut off our name …” Joshua was concerned
about the impact of this defeat on their testimony to the nations and how it
could bring them down in a concerted effort against God’s people. Would this
provide a beachhead for the enemy to now go on the offensive and attack Israel
rather than vice versa? The world is watching us and the way we handle our
problems affects the attitude of the world toward the Christian community (1
Pet. 3:13-17).
The
Third Question: “And what will You do for Your great name?” Even in all his
fears, we see Joshua’s character and love for the Lord manifesting itself. It
appears that Joshua’s greatest concern was that the news of this defeat might somehow
reduce the respect of the heathen nations for God’s own name. Joshua may have
been guilty of thinking what people often think, that one failure must lead to
other failures; that victory is less likely now because they had so miserably
failed. True, our sin and failure may affect our testimony for a while; it may
give Satan an opportunity to establish a beachhead; it may have repercussions
in other ways, but God is always able to work all things together for good for
those who love Him.
Nothing
is ever accomplished with our face in the dirt or with our eyes on our failures
and problems. First, we must confess our failures and the things that caused
them when they can be determined. Then we must seek to learn from them.
Finally, we need to know that God’s will is immediate recovery and faith in the
grace of God. God’s will is to get up and move on
(vss. 10f).
Let’s
summarize the causes of failure: (1) Apparently, there was a lack of prayer or
a failure to get alone with God to seek His guidance. (2) Clearly, there was
reliance on human wisdom when Joshua listened to the suggestion of the spies
when they returned from the spying out Ai (vs. 3). (3) Then, relying on their
past victory instead of the Lord, there was overconfidence in their own ability
thinking they could easily go up against such a small city when compared to
Jericho (vss. 3-4).
Now
with verse 10, our attention is turned to God’s response and directions to
Joshua. This is highly instructive for it not only gives us greater insight
into the nature of Joshua’s actions (dismay and doubt), but it provides us with
God’s evaluation of what Joshua was doing (He was not pleased) and His
instruction for what was to done to correct the
problem.
The
Directions From God Delineated
(7:10-15)
10 So
the LORD said to Joshua, “Rise up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face?
11 Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I
commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things under the ban and
have both stolen and deceived. Moreover, they have also put them among their
own things. 12 Therefore the sons of Israel cannot stand before their enemies;
they turn their backs before their enemies, for they have become accursed. I
will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from
your midst. 13 Rise up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves
for tomorrow, for thus the LORD, the God of Israel, has said, “There are things
under the ban in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies
until you have removed the things under the ban from your midst.” 14 In the
morning then you shall come near by your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe
which the LORD takes by lot shall come near by families, and the family which
the LORD takes shall come near by households, and the household which the LORD
takes shall come near man by man. 15 And it shall be that the one who is taken
with the things under the ban shall be burned with fire, he and all that
belongs to him, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and
because he has committed a disgraceful thing in Israel.’”
The
Directions to Joshua (vss. 10-12)
With
the words, “So the Lord said to Joshua,” we have an illustration of the
personal involvement of God in the lives of His people. God cares about our
lives and ministries and is ever at work to reveal Himself and teach us about
ourselves and what we need to be doing as we walk through life (1 Pet. 5:6-7;
Heb. 13:5-6). The issue is are we listening?
“Rise
up!” This command comes with Joshua lying on his face in despair and panic with
dirt on his head in typical oriental fashion. As mentioned, falling on his face
demonstrated his deep concern and humility since he was crying out to God. In
view of God’s response, however, it seems Joshua’s actions were primarily out
of despair and the product of a spirit of hopelessness and unbelief as his
words in verse 7 aptly demonstrate. Note again the word “Alas,” the Heb. ‘ahah, an interjection, which, in this context, shows
despair or deep concern.
Since
nothing is accomplished with our face in the dirt, the Lord tells Joshua to rise up out of this condition. Such a condition, though very
human and characteristic of all of us from time to time, is not a state we can
afford to stay in—it accomplishes nothing, it dishonors God’s promises and
person, and neutralizes us for ministry and for the Lord.
The
KJV has “get thee up,” the NIV “stand up,” the NASB “rise up,” and the NET
Bible has “get up.” The verb here is the Hebrew qum
which often means to rise up from a prostrate position
for various reasons and from various conditions. From this literal meaning, qum often has a figurative idea. It is used of rising as an
act of preparation for action, of rising out of a state of inaction or failure,
of showing respect and worship, of rising to hear God’s Word, of becoming
strong or powerful, of rising up to give deliverance, of assuming an office or
responsibility (as a prophet or a judge), and of rising up to give testimony.
Several of these ideas are applicable here. This command calls for Joshua to rise up from his state of despair and futility, which has neutralized
him, in order to prepare himself for action, listen to the Lord, take up his
responsibility, and lead the people in God’s deliverance.
Application:
While the Lord understands and sympathizes with our problems and fears, and
while humbling ourselves before the Lord is always needed, He nevertheless
never condones our being prostrate in despair nor excuses us from appropriating
His grace and moving out in obedience. His word to us is get up off our face,
get our eyes on Him and deal with our problems according to the principles and
promises of Scripture. This is a call for decisive action that is willing to
make tough decisions to deal with our sin. Feeling sorry and sad about our
condition is not enough. We must be willing to deal decisively with our sins.
“He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and
forsakes them will find compassion” (Prov. 38:13).
“Why
is it that you have fallen on your face?” Literally, the text say, “Why are you falling on your face?” The nature of this
question carries a note of rebuke with a call for examination to get to the
bottom of the problem, i.e., the cause of their failure. In effect, God is
saying in view of who I am, in view of My plan for Israel and My promises to
you, Joshua, what possible reason could you have for such despair? Here then is
a call to get his eyes on the Lord but also to look for the cause in their own
sinfulness! When failure comes, we should never think God has abandoned us or
that His plan has failed. We need to ask, could I be the cause?
This,
then, is a call for Joshua (and for us when this is applicable) to examine the
nature of what we are doing and to look for the root causes for the defeats of
life when they occur. We need to know precisely just what lessons God is
seeking to teach us. Is this caused by something I did or failed to do?
The
Cause of Israel’s Failure (vs. 11)
Reading
verse 11 in the NASB or KJV makes it look like there are several different
violations because of the way each clause is connected by “and,” but for the
most part, each clause is a further explanation of the preceding. The
translations of the NIV and the NET Bible seek to show this: each description
is a further explanation of the problem, which goes from the general to the specific
with each explanation adding more detail of what was involved.
Israel
has sinned; they have violated my covenantal commandment. They have taken some
of the riches; they have stolen them and deceitfully put them among their own
possessions (NET Bible).
(1)
“Israel has sinned” (this states the basic nature of their failure and ours—sin
[the Heb. is hata meaning “miss, miss the way or goal
or mark”]); (2) “they have violated” (“violated” is the Hebrew abar, “to pass over, overstep, go beyond, transgress”) “my
covenantal commandment” (this points to the specific issue). (3) “They have
taken some of the riches (the devoted things); they have stolen them” (this
shows how they had transgressed the covenant and just what this entailed,
stealing—stealing that which belonged to the Lord as devoted Him); (4) “and
deceitfully put them among their own possessions” (this describes the further
consequences, the snowball effect of sin and brings out the selfish, coveting
nature of what was done, which is the root of most sin).
The
Consequences of Israel’s Failure (vs. 12)
We
should pay special attention to the “therefore” that introduces this verse. The
NIV has “that is why” and the NASB and KJV have “therefore.” In this way, we
are pointed to one of consequences of the sin of Achan
and of unconfessed sin in general—weakness, inability to serve and live for the
Lord. Why? Because sin grieves and quenches the Spirit (Eph. 4:30; 1 Thess.
5:10). This illustrates the truth declared in John 15:1-7 (the need for abiding
in Christ); Ephesians 4:30 (how sin grieves the person of the Spirit); 1
Thessalonians 5:19 (how sin quenches the power of the Spirit); Proverbs 28:13
(how failure to confess and decisively deal with sin keeps the Lord from
prospering our walk). In Christ we have the capacity to live victoriously for
the Lord regardless of what we face, but the ability to do so always depends on
fellowship with the Savior in the power of the Spirit; we need to walk in the
light (1 John 1:5-9).
Directions
for the People (vs. 13-15)
In
preparation for his ministry of leadership, Joshua is again told to “rise up.”
He can’t lead the people with his face in the dirt or while moping about,
depressed over the defeat. This is in essence a call
for restoration to fellowship and faith in the power of God. It’s like the
Lord’s words to Peter in Luke 22. Peter was warned that Satan would sift him
like wheat, but then the Lord told him, “and you, when once you have turned
again (restoration to fellowship), strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32).
Peter was not to allow his failure and denials to neutralize him or keep him
from being a leader and ministering to others. So later, after being restored
to fellowship, Peter himself would exhort, “gird up the loins of your mind …”
(1 Pet. 1:13). In view of what follows, the examination and discharge of
discipline on Achan and his family, Joshua
undoubtedly communicated this same command to the people.
Next,
in verse 13, Joshua was told to “consecrate the people” to prepare them to deal
with the problem. He was to call their attention to the cause of their defeat.
Someone had taken things that were under the ban which had caused God to
withhold His power. As the Lord had emphasized to Joshua, so he was to call
their attention to both the cause and the consequences of the sin. This also
called for them to consecrate themselves, that is to prepare themselves for the
activities that would take place on the next day. They were to set the day
apart for this activity and to prepare their hearts perhaps by prayer and
worship for what God would have to do.
In
verse 14 specific instructions were given for purging out this sin from their
midst. First, there was to be examination of the people tribe by tribe, family
by family, and finally, man by man. Note how the men were the ones held
responsible for their families. The examination would reveal the guilty party.
Verse 15 describes the punishment that was to be carried out on the guilty
party with the reason given for the severity of the punishment.
The Discovery
of Achan Described
(7:16-21)
16 So
Joshua arose early in the morning and brought Israel near by tribes, and the
tribe of Judah was taken. 17 And he brought the family of Judah near, and he
took the family of the Zerahites; and he brought the
family of the Zerahites near man by man, and Zabdi was taken. 18 And he brought his household near man
by man; and Achan, son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, was taken. 19
Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I implore you,
give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and give praise to Him; and tell me
now what you have done. Do not hide it from me.” 20 So Achan
answered Joshua and said, “Truly, I have sinned against the LORD, the God of
Israel, and this is what I did: 21 when I saw among the spoil a beautiful
mantle from Shinar and two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold fifty
shekels in weight, then I coveted them and took them; and behold, they are
concealed in the earth inside my tent with the silver underneath it.”
The
Search for the Guilty Party (vss. 16-18)
Four
times we read in Joshua that he rose early in the morning to take care of
important business. Joshua was no procrastinator.
Then,
in verses 16 through 18 the process of discovery is described beginning with
all Israel until it was narrowed down by tribes to the tribe of Judah, then by
families or clans to the Zerathites, then to the
family of Zimri, and from that family to Achan. Why did Joshua follow this procedure and how was he
able to narrow the search to Achan? The answer is
found for us in verse 14 in the repeated words, “which the Lord takes” or
“selects” (NET Bible). The words “by lot” found in the NASB are in italics and
are not in the original, but they most likely express the means used because of
the words, “which the Lord takes.”
“Which
the Lord takes” or “selects” in verses 16-18 refers to a choice probably based
on the use of the Urim and the Thummim in accordance
with Exodus 28:15, 30 (cf. Num. 27:21) and which somehow involved the casting
of lots (cf. Prov. 16:33; Jos. 14:1-2; 18:6).
A key
question is what was the Urim and the Thummim? They
appear in Scripture without explanation, but the following may help us though
several theories have been given as to their meaning.
(1)
The Hebrew for this phrase probably means “the lights” and “the perfections” or
“light and perfection.” The Hebrew word for Urim (‘urim, a plural noun) is probably derived from ‘or “be
light.” Thummim, also plural, probably comes from a Hebrew word meaning
“perfection.”
(2) Urim begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet
(aleph) and Thummim (thummim) begins with the last
letter (taw). Perhaps, as the Law which was built on the Hebrew alphabet (aleph
to taw) stood for God’s moral will, so the Urim and
Thummim stood for God’s guidance in special situations beyond human knowledge
and ability.
(3)
The Urim and Thummim appear in Scripture without
explanatory identification, except that they were to be put “in the breastplate
… and be upon Aaron’s heart” (Ex. 28:30), which may suggest that these are none
other than descriptive terms for the twelve precious stones of the immediately
preceding context, inscribed with the names of the tribes of Israel (vv.
17-21), and set in the breastplate of judgment upon Aaron’s heart (v. 29).37
Some believe they consisted of only two special stones.
(4)
Michaelis (Laws of Moses, 5:52) gives his opinion that the Urim
and Thummim were three stones, on one of which was written ‘Yes,’ on another
‘No,’ whereas the third was left neutral or blank. These were used as lots, and
the high priest decided accordingly as one or the other was drawn out. Kalisch
(on Exodus 28:31) identifies the Urim and the Thummim
with the twelve tribal gems. He looks on the name as one to be explained by an hendiadys (light and perfection—perfect illumination) and
believes the high priest, by concentrating his thoughts on the attributes they
represented, to have divested himself of all selfishness and prejudice and so
to have passed into a true prophetic state. The process of consulting Jehovah
by Urim and Thummim is not given in Scripture.38
(5)
They were contained in the breastplate or pouch of judgment worn on the outside
of the ephod. The point is they were a means of seeking divine guidance and
answers to questions and crises beyond human perception through the ministry of
the priest.
Dr.
Hannah in The Bible Knowledge Commentary says:
How
they were used in determining God’s will is unknown, but some suggest the Urim represented a negative answer and the Thummim a
positive answer. Perhaps this view is indicated by the fact that Urim … begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet,
and Thummim … with the last letter. Others suggest that the objects simply
symbolized the high priest’s authority to inquire of God, or the assurance that
the priest would receive enlightenment (“lights”) and perfect knowledge
(“perfections”) from God.39
(6)
Whatever, they were probably sacred lots and were used in times of crisis to
determine the will of God (see Numb. 27:21). Every decision of the Urim was from the Lord (Prov. 16:33). The use of the Urim and the Thummim to determine God’s decisions or to
find His will was to be done by the high priest because he alone could wear the
ephod which contained the Urim and Thummim.
(7)
In 1 Samuel 2:28 three tasks of the priests are mentioned: (a) To go up to my
altar, i.e., to perform the sacrificial rites at the altar of burnt offering in
the courtyard of the tabernacle; (b) To burn incense at the altar of incense in
the Holy Place (Ex 30:1-10), and (c) To wear an ephod. This is a reference to
the special ephod to be worn by the high priests. This included the breastplate
or pouch which contained the Urim and Thummim, the
divinely ordained means of communication with God and to make decisions all of
which was somehow related to casting lots.
God
gave divine direction and Achan was discovered by
supernatural means. He did not come forth voluntarily to confess or repent and
throw himself on the mercy of God. His failure to do so stands in contrast with
the attitude of the prodigal son and the publican in the New Testament.
Lessons
From Achan’s Sin (vss. 20-21)
As 1
Corinthians 10 reminds us, what happened to Achan is
recorded for our warning and instruction to remind us of one of the processes
to sin. The process to Achan’s sin was a familiar
one. He saw, he coveted, and he took. It was the same with Eve (Gen. 3:6) and
with David (2 Sam. 11:2-4) and it is the same with us. Joshua’s approach was
tender, yet firm. He hated the sin, but loved the
sinner. Achan’s confession while honest, was too late
and it was the product of discovery. It was not an act of repentance or godly
sorrow that leads to repentance (2 Cor. 7:8-11).
Certainly there
are some important lessons here:
(1)
Confession without repentance or a genuine change of mind is hollow. It does
not restore us to fellowship not because repentance is a work
we must do to gain God’s forgiveness, but because without it we retain a wrong
attitude which keeps a barrier between us and the Lord.
(2)
Sometimes confession is too late to stop the discipline as in the case with
David. The primary purpose of confession is not to get out of trouble or to
keep us out of God’s woodshed. The purpose of confession is to reestablish fellowship and turn our lives over to God
because we want to walk with Him under His control, going in His direction
(Amos 3:3).
Perhaps
the most practical need here is for us to note the process to see if we can
discover what led to Achan’s choice and sin. The fact
Achan hid the plunder shows he clearly knew he was
doing wrong. So, why did he go ahead and do it? Well, why did Eve sin and fall
for the deceptions of the serpent?
In
answer to this, we might first take note of what Achan
took. He took gold and silver which suggests materialism, trusting in riches
for our security and happiness. But he also took a beautiful robe which came
from Babylon. This not only points to materialism, but the desire to be
fashionable and gain the approbation of men, seeking our sense of significance
from the praise or applause of others.
Principle:
These desires (lust patterns) illustrate the various lust patterns we all face
and which, if not dealt with in faith, can dominate our lives. They include
things like desire for position, power, prestige, pleasure, possessions, praise
or applause, and recognition, but they are nothing more than human solutions or
protective strategies we use to find security, significance, and satisfaction
apart from God. Jeremiah calls them broken cisterns. “For My people have
committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To
hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns, that can hold no water” (Jer.
2:13).
These
lust patterns have their source in: (a) The sinful nature with its faulty
thinking and reasoning (Isa. 55:8f; Prov. 14:12; Rom. 1:18f; Eph. 4:17f). (b)
The world and its human reasoning or viewpoint that seeks to live life apart
from God and His revelation and plan (Rom. 12:2). (c) False belief structures
which, thinking with man’s viewpoint and believing the delusions of the world
and Satan, believe that these things will meet our needs like security or
happiness. (d) Unbelief in God’s goodness, wisdom, and timing in the way He
supplies our needs.
Achan, as with
Eve, was dissatisfied, impatient, and self-reliant. He was believing, trusting
and using his own protective strategies to get what he wanted out of life.
Ironically, God was in the process of taking all of Israel into the land where
each man would have his own land, house, and abundant blessings. But
dissatisfaction caused by failure to find his happiness in the Lord produced
impatience which caused him to covet and run ahead with his own solutions.
Though the command against coveting is only one of the Ten Commandments, it is
the root sin against which most of the others were given and the root cause
behind most of our sin.
Coveting
stems from being dissatisfied with our lot in life and from our failure to seek
our happiness in the Lord and to trust Him as the source of our needs for
security, significance, and satisfaction. The New Testament defines coveting as
idolatry (Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:5). In the final analysis, idolatry is seeking from
things what only God can give. An idol may be (a) an impotent graven image made
of wood or precious metal to which one prays and seeks help, (b) but it may
also be materialism, that way of life that seeks security and significance from
money, possessions, power, prestige, and pleasure. (c) It may also be
secularism, a philosophy of life by which men seek to live apart from
dependence on God, or (4) it may be the approbation of men, seeking
satisfaction and security from the praise of others. Campbell writes:
It
has been estimated that Americans are bombarded by 1,700 advertisements a day
via various forms of the media. While there is no danger of our purchasing all
1,700 items, there is the possibility of our accepting the philosophy behind
those advertisements—that we will have complete, fulfilled, satisfied lives if
only we drive this car, use this hair spray, or drink that beverage.40
So,
what is our need? It is to learn Paul’s secret of contentment in the Lord as
described in Philippians 4:12-13 (see also Phil. 3:13-14 and 1 Tim. 6:6-19).
The
Death of Achan Discharged
(7:22-26)
22 So
Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was concealed
in his tent with the silver underneath it. 23 And they took them from inside
the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the sons of Israel, and they
poured them out before the LORD. 24 Then Joshua and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the mantle, the bar of
gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent and
all that belonged to him; and they brought them up to the valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? The
LORD will trouble you this day.” And all Israel stoned them with stones; and
they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones. 26 And they
raised over him a great heap of stones that stands to this day, and 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.
When
we read this passage, one of the questions that comes to mind is why was God so
harsh on Achan and his family? In contrast to the
mercy we see in the New Testament, this seems terribly harsh. We might think of
the mercy the Lord demonstrated to the woman at the well who had five husbands
(John 4:18) and the woman taken in adultery who, as a Jewish woman, could have
been stoned according to the Law (John 8:3f) and wonder why Achan
did not receive similar mercy. We are apt to forget a couple of other New
Testament passages like the death of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5) and the
awesome judgments of the Tribulation where the blood of men is pictured as
flowing up to the horses’ bridles in the wine vat of God’s wrath (cf. Rev.
14:18-20; 19:13 with Isa. 63:1-6). We might also be prone to either forget or
minimize the holiness of God. God is described as holy more than by any of His
other attributes, more than even His love, mercy, and grace. As a holy God, He
is perfect righteousness and justice, and because of His justice, He must deal
with sin (cf. Psa. 50:21; Eccl. 8:11-12).
But
there is another issue here we must not ignore as we think about this passage.
Who were these people and what was their purpose? They were a people called of
God to be His witness to the world and through whom God would give the Savior
(cf. Ex. 19:4-6; Deut. 10:15f; with 1 Pet. 1:14f; 2:9-12). This involved
protecting the welfare and purpose of the majority by dealing with this sin in
such a way that it would cause them to realize just how serious was their
calling and their walk with God. As the situation with Ananias and Sapphira
occurred in the very early period of the church, so this judgment against Achan also occurred in the initial period of Israel’s
entrance into the land in order to strike the fear of God into the hearts of
the people and to provide an example of the seriousness of what Achan had done in violating the covenant of God. The great
heap of stones set up over Achan’s grave seems to
have been done as a memorial of warning for the generations to come.
The
final stroke was accomplished by the raising of a historical marker, a large
pile of rocks, over the body of Achan. This seems to
have been a common method of burial for infamous individuals (cf. 8:29). It
served in this case that good purpose of warning Israel against the sin of
disobeying God’s express commands.41
Initial
possession and enjoyment of the land and its blessings and their ability to
fulfill their calling as God’s chosen people was dependent on obedience to God
for it was He who was giving them the land with all
its many blessings and responsibilities (Deut. 28-30).
We
should note that though Achan did confess his sin, he
only did so when he was found out and forced to. Had he voluntarily cast
himself on the mercy of God, his life might have been spared, as was David when
he sinned. Campbell writes: “In view of the fact that the Law prohibits the
execution of children for their father’s sins (Deut. 24:16), we assume that Achan’s children were accomplices in crime.”42
Another
key issue that must not be forgotten is the trouble this brought on others. God
took severe action because of the serious consequences of Achan’s
sin on others (it was a terrible example, several lives were lost, Israel was
routed, and God’s honor impugned [cf. vs. 25]). The memorial of stones in the
valley called Achor, which means “trouble” addressed
this fact.
Conclusion
There
are three concluding points that I would like to focus on from this chapter.
(1)
Our sin needs to be dealt with honestly and decisively.
(2) Achan’s choice grew out of the soil of dissatisfaction. How
could there be dissatisfaction in view of all he had learned and seen as one of
the privileged people of Israel? We don’t know, but for whatever reason, Achan was dissatisfied with his lot in life because he
failed to rest his life in God’s providence and goodness. His failure to walk
by faith led to seeking satisfaction, security, and significance in the
material world so that, lusting after things, he chose to take the things under
the ban. It was this spiritual condition of dissatisfaction and independent
living that led him to take matters into his own hands believing he could meet
his wants by his own solutions. Our failure to find our contentment in the
Savior and His love and grace is surely the cause of a great deal of our own
self-made misery and sinful behavior. The Lord highlighted this very thing in
Matthew 6 when He warned the disciples against storing up treasures on earth
and against worrying about the details of life—drink, food, and clothing. In
the process, He defined the pursuit of the details of life at the expense of
seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness as a simple matter of
not truly trusting in God’s supply. The issue is one of having too little
faith. After pointing to the way God cares for the birds and clothes the grass,
He said,
“But
if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is
thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little
faith? 31 “Do not be anxious then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall
we drink?’ or ‘With what shall we clothe ourselves?’” (Matt. 6:30).
(3)
It would be helpful to note that when Achan sinned
and there was sin in the camp of Israel, the blessing and strength of God was halted and the nation met with discipline and failure. But
once the sin was dealt with as the Lord commanded, by His grace the blessing
and strength of God resumed. Again we are reminded
that known sin in our lives creates a barrier between us and the Lord because
it shows our commitment to go our own way and to handle our own lives by our
own strategies.
32 R.
Laird Harris, Editor, Gleason L. Archer, Jr., Bruce K. Waltke, Associate
Editors, Theological Word Book of the Old Testament, Moody Press, Chicago, Vol.
1, 1980, p. 324.
33
Norman L. Geisler, A Popular Survey of the Old Testament, Baker Book House,
Grand Rapids, 1977, p. 100.
34
Frank E. Gaebelein, General Editor, Expositors Bible
Commentary, Old Testament, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 1997, electronic media.
35 J.
Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Leadership, Moody Press, 1967, p. 159.
36
Sanders, p. 163-164.
37 R.
Laird Harris, Editor, Gleason L. Archer, Jr. Bruce K. Waltke, Associate
Editors, Theological Word Book of the Old Testament, Moody Press, Chicago, Vol.
1, 1980, p. 26.
38
The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, electronic version.
39
John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck, Editors, The Bible
Knowledge Commentary, Victor Books, Wheaton, 1983,1985, electronic media.
40
Donald K. Campbell, Joshua, Leader Under Fire, Victor Books, 1989, p. 65.
41
Walvoord, Zuck, electronic media.
42
Campbell, p. 66.
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