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6. Defeat at Ai and the Sin of Achan (Joshua 7:1-26)

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
(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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