Reflections on Joshua 7

Joshua 07 (Contemporary English Version)

1. The LORD had said that everything in Jericho belonged to him. But Achan from the Judah tribe took some of the things from Jericho for himself. And so the LORD was angry with the Israelites, because one of them had disobeyed him.
   
2. While Israel was still camped near Jericho, Joshua sent some spies with these instructions: "Go to the town of Ai and find out whatever you can about the region around the town." The spies left and went to Ai, which is east of Bethel and near Beth-Aven.
   
3. They went back to Joshua and reported, "You don't need to send the whole army to attack Ai--two or three thousand troops will be enough. Why bother the whole army for a town that small?"
   
4. Joshua sent about three thousand soldiers to attack Ai. But the men of Ai fought back and chased the Israelite soldiers away from the town gate and down the hill to the stone quarries. Thirty-six Israelite soldiers were killed, and the Israelite army felt discouraged.
   
5. (SEE 7:4)
   
6. Joshua and the leaders of Israel tore their clothes and put dirt on their heads to show their sorrow. They lay facedown on the ground in front of the sacred chest until sunset.
   
7. Then Joshua said: Our LORD, did you bring us across the Jordan River just so the Amorites could destroy us? This wouldn't have happened if we had agreed to stay on the other side of the Jordan.
   
8. I don't even know what to say to you, since Israel's army has turned and run from the enemy.
   
9. Everyone will think you weren't strong enough to protect your people. Now the Canaanites and everyone else who lives in the land will surround us and wipe us out.
   
10. The LORD answered: Stop lying there on the ground! Get up!
    
11. I said everything in Jericho belonged to me and had to be destroyed. But the Israelites have kept some of the things for themselves. They stole from me and hid what they took. Then they lied about it.
    
12. What they stole was supposed to be destroyed, and now Israel itself must be destroyed. I cannot help you anymore until you do exactly what I have said. That's why Israel turns and runs from its enemies instead of standing up to them.
    
13. Tell the people of Israel, "Tomorrow you will meet with the LORD your God, so make yourselves acceptable to worship him. The LORD says that you have taken things that should have been destroyed. You won't be able to stand up to your enemies until you get rid of those things.
    
14. "Tomorrow morning everyone must gather near the place of worship. You will come forward tribe by tribe, and the LORD will show which tribe is guilty. Next, the clans in that tribe must come forward, and the LORD will show which clan is guilty. The families in that clan must come, and the LORD will point out the guilty family. Finally, the men in that family must come,
    
15. and the LORD will show who stole what should have been destroyed. That man must be put to death, his body burned, and his possessions thrown into the fire. He has done a terrible thing by breaking the sacred agreement that the LORD made with Israel."
    
16. Joshua got up early the next morning and brought each tribe to the place of worship, where the LORD showed that the Judah tribe was guilty.
    
17. Then Joshua brought the clans of Judah to the LORD, and the LORD showed that the Zerah clan was guilty. One by one he brought the leader of each family in the Zerah clan to the LORD, and the LORD showed that Zabdi's family was guilty.
    
18. Finally, Joshua brought each man in Zabdi's family to the LORD, and the LORD showed that Achan was the guilty one.
    
19. "Achan," Joshua said, "the LORD God of Israel has decided that you are guilty. Is this true? Tell me what you did, and don't try to hide anything."
    
20. "It's true," Achan answered. "I sinned and disobeyed the LORD God of Israel.
    
21. While we were in Jericho, I saw a beautiful Babylonian robe, two hundred pieces of silver, and a gold bar that weighed the same as fifty pieces of gold. I wanted them for myself, so I took them. I dug a hole under my tent and hid the silver, the gold, and the robe." Joshua had some people run to Achan's tent, where they found the silver, the gold, and the robe.
    
22. (SEE 7:21)
    
23. They brought them back and put them in front of the sacred chest, so Joshua and the rest of the Israelites could see them.
    
24. Then everyone took Achan and the things he had stolen to Trouble Valley. They also took along his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys, and sheep, his tent, and everything else that belonged to him.
    
25. Joshua said, "Achan, you caused us a lot of trouble. Now the LORD is paying you back with the same kind of trouble." The people of Israel then stoned to death Achan and his family. They made a fire and burned the bodies, together with what Achan had stolen, and all his possessions.
    
26. They covered the remains with a big pile of rocks, which is still there. Then the LORD stopped being angry with Israel. That's how the place came to be called Trouble Valley.
    

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    On the heels of a rousing victory with Israel's first battle in Canaan at the city of Jericho, the Iraelites next experienced a demoralizing defeat. Though 7:1 immediately pinpoints the main problem - "The Israelites . . . were unfaithful regarding the things set apart for destruction" - it was not the only problem. Overconfident following their previous victory, Israel overestimated their own strength and underestimated that of their enemies at Ai. But an even greater concern was that they entered battle against Ai without consulting God. It was as if following God's miraculous intervention with their crossing of the Jordan River and defeat of Jericho they assumed His support of them at Ai without consulting Him. As much as we all enjoy success, it is often the greatest contributor to our failures.
    
    Joshua again sent spies to reconnoiter their next military target at Ai. They returned overconfident about encountering the city in battle, recommending that only 2,000 to 3,000 soldiers be sent for this battle, allowing the others to rest. Without checking with God, Joshua took their recommendation and sent only 3,000 men to engage the army at Ai and the Israelite army was immediately routed. Fortunately, Israel only lost 36 men in the battle. It could have been much worse. But it was tremendously demoralizing for the whole Israelite camp. Joshua and the elders of Israel tore their clothes in mourning and "fell before the ark of the Lord" until evening. Joshua asked three questions of God: "why did You ever bring these people across the Jordan to hand us over to the Amorites for our destruction," "What can I say, Lord, now that Israel has turned its back and run from its enemies?" and "When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. Then what will You do about Your great name?" (7:7, 8, 9) Not once did Joshua ask about Israel's hand in the defeat - only God's. Why is it that we are so quick to point our finger in blame at God for our problems, failing to consider our part?
    
    Joshua would have done better to have fallen down before the ark of the Lord in prayer to God prior to attacking Ai rather than afterward. Now that he did enquire of God he learned the problem. Israel had sinned! They had "taken some of what was set apart." This was why "the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies." (7:12) They would be unable "to stand against your enemies until you remove what is set apart." (7:13) The guilty party must be discovered and dealt with, and God described how that was to be done. First, the people were to consecrate themselves. Then each tribe was to be presented before the Lord. The tribe the Lord selected was then to go forward clan by clan. The clan selected by the Lord would go forward until God selected the family, and then each man in the family would go forward until God selected the man. In this way, the man Achan of the tribe of Judah was found to be guilty.
    
    Once Achan was selected he admitted what he had done but it was short of a confession of sin. Would things have turned out differently had Achan confessed from the beginning? 1 John 1:9 says that, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." But without such confession, Achan was taken, along with his family, all he owned, and the things he had taken, to the Valley of Achor and stoned to death, and everything was burned. Then it is said that "the Lord turned from His burning anger." The whole camp had suffered because of the sin of one person.