Joshua 7

         Verse 1: Notice that the text states, “…the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing…”. It doesn’t say Achan, even though it was only he that had disobeyed God’s commandment regarding the plunder of Jericho. Only after that opening sentence does the author then tell us that it is Achan, “…the son of Carmi…of the tribe of Judah…” who “…took of the accursed thing…”. This is results in the anger of the LORD being kindled against the entire nation, not just Achan.
 
           Verses 2-5: Unaware of Achan’s sin, Joshua and all the people prepare for their next battle in their campaign of the conquest of the promised land. Joshua sends spies into the nearby region surrounding Ai in order to size up the strength of its people and that city. (v.2) The spies bring back a good report, advising Joshua that only a small portion of Israel’s army needs to go into battle against Ai. (v.3) The city is vulnerable and its defenses minimal. But the three thousand men that Joshua orders into battle are quickly and soundly defeated. (v.4) Thirty-six of them are killed, and the rest flee back to camp causing great dismay for Joshua and all the nation. (v.5) Such a dismal defeat coming so soon after such a great victory over Jericho causes the hearts of the people to melt with fear.
 
            Verses 6-9: In another demonstration of godly leadership, Joshua immediately turns to the Lord, seeking both solace and an explanation for the humiliating defeat at Ai. Joshua and the elders assume the traditional display of great mourning in the ANE by tearing their clothes and pouring dust on their heads as they fall to the earth prostrate before the ark of the covenant. (v.6) (Genesis 37:34, 1 Samuel 4:12)
           Notice the theme of Joshua’s cry: the glory and honor of God. (v.9) Joshua knows that something has gone wrong, for God would not have brought His people this far only to leave them at the mercy of their enemies. (v.7-8) The defeat at Ai will embolden Israel’s enemies, and they will surround the camp in a vigorous campaign that will quickly destroy the fledgling nation. Joshua’s plea in verse 9 echoes that of Moses’ intercessory plea of behalf of Israel in the times of their great disobedience. (Exodus 32:11-12, Numbers 14:15-16) Like Moses, Joshua recognizes that it is the holy name of God that is at risk of being defamed and blasphemed by Israel’s enemies because of this defeat at Ai.
 
            Verses 10-15: The LORD's response is immediate: Israel has sinned. The statement in verse 1 is echoed in verse 11. In the eyes of God, one man’s disobedience has condemned the entire nation. “Israel hath sinned…they have even taken the accursed thing…and they have put it even among their own stuff.” The reason for Israel’s defeat at Ai is because they are cursed, and God is no longer on their side. (v.12) But then He graciously offers a way to atone for their sin and restore their broken relationship. He commands Joshua and the people to “…sanctify yourselves against to morrow…” (v.13) because the whole nation will appear before Joshua, and God will reveal to him the guilty party. (v.14-15) Until the sin is removed from the camp the people will have no more victory against their enemies. The man who has disobeyed God’s command will perish “…because he hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord…”. (v.15)
          Once again, we see the command to sanctify oneself prior to seeking God’s face. (Exodus 19:10) The Israelites must constantly be reminded of God’s holiness and his inability to abide by any sin. We, too, must also be reminded daily of the effect of our sin as a stain upon our relationship with the holy and righteous and almighty God. Any sin – no matter how small or slight – poisons us and adversely affects our relationship with our Lord and savior. Only when we have purged from our lives whatever sin we have allowed to fester can we have a renewed and closer walk with God.
 
          Verses 16-23: By a process of divine guidance, Joshua and the elders single out Achan. He confesses to Joshua his sin, describing the Babylonian garment, 200 shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold equal to 50 shekels of weight. “…then I coveted them, and took them…”. (v.21) Achan had violated the eighth and tenth commandments, robbing from God Himself. Remember that the Lord had commanded Joshua that all the silver and gold was to be taken to the tabernacle for use in the house of the LORD. (Joshua 6:19) While there are no degrees of sin with God – a simple lie is as heinous in the Lord’s eyes as murder – there is degrees of the severity of punishment by God for different sins. In the Levitical law, for example, adultery is a capital offense, while the theft of one’s neighbor’s ox is only punishable by a fine. In taking the silver and gold for himself, Achan had stolen what directly belonged to God, and that is part of the reason for the degree of severity with which God judged and condemned him.
            The stolen possessions are indeed found buried beneath Achan’s tent, and they are laid out in front of Joshua and all of Israel. (v.23) What was once concealed and hidden from the nation is now on full display for all the people to see. This is the hideous deception of Satan in that he so easily convinces us that our sin can remain a secret. We fool ourselves into believing that what is done in secret, in the privacy of our home, can be easily concealed from everyone at church or from our own, family, friends and community. We think it’s just between us and God, and no one else has to know. But the truth is that that secret sin is poison to the body of Christ, and that God can – and often does – hold the entire church responsible and accountable for the private sins among His people. This is part of the harsh lesson shown here in the story of Achan.
           
            Verses 24-26: Achan, his whole family, and all his possessions and livestock are brought to the valley  of Achor. (v.24) Joshua announces God’s judgment against Achan, and then all the people stone Achan and his family to death. (v.25) Afterwards, they burn them with fire as ordered by God. The whole pit is then covered with a great pile of stones, and God’s wrath is satisfied. (v.26)
           
            One aspect of this account often troubles believers, both those who are newly saved and those who are veterans of the faith. If it was only Achan who committed the sin, why did God condemn his whole family? And why was all of his livestock and other possessions destroyed as well? The answer is simple, though difficult to grasp because of two things: our own sin nature as well as our modern day cultural view of laws and personal responsibility.
            As I discussed in the earlier commentaries of Genesis and Exodus, God had already judged and condemned the Canaanites because of their extreme wickedness fueled by their pride and rebellion against Him. God had commanded Moses on several occasions to slaughter not only the men but also the women and children. (Numbers 31:16-18[vii] is just one example.) It may seem cruel and unjust in our eyes to kill innocent babies and young children, but we must keep in mind that 1) if they are under the age of accountability, meaning that they are too young to truly understand their sin nature and their need of salvation, then they are immediately transported to heaven at the moment of death; and 2) if they are past the age of accountability, then they are fully aware – even at a young age – of their sin and its consequences. Therefore, they are just as guilty as their parents and, thus, fully deserving of God’s wrath and punishment for their sin.
            In the matter of Achan, it is not clear from the text whether his whole family was indeed aware of his sin and, thus, co-conspirators, or if they were truly innocent in that they had no knowledge of it. But that brings us to the primary point of this passage: we must understand God’s view of sin, specifically how it affects not only the one who is engaged in the sinful act/behavior, but also how it has consequences for not just the sinner but those around him/her as well. In the case of Achan, even though his sin was done in secret, God viewed it as a stain upon his whole family and all of Israel. This is what we, in our fallen, corrupt nature, have a hard time grasping. We view our sin as something secret, something that is only between us and God, and it’s nobody else’s business but ours. But that’s not how God sees it. Any sin, no matter how small or slight, is never a stain upon just the individual sinner. It is a stain upon all in that sinner’s immediate circle of family and friends – including his/her church family – often in ways of which he/she is not even aware.
            Have you ever wondered why you and I, descendants of Adam and Eve who are born in sin, are condemned simply because of Adam’s and Eve’s act of disobedience thousands of years ago in the garden of Eden? Why did God condemn their children because of Adam and Eve's sin? While there’s no definitive and clear answer to that question, it does help to explain how God views sin as a stain upon all of His creation, even when it was just two people who committed the act. Their sin caused all of creation to fall from perfection, and that meant that their children were born with that same fallen, corrupt nature. And because God is holy, perfect, and pure, He cannot be in the presence of any sin whatsoever. In the case of Achan, God could not dwell among His chosen people when there was unconfessed sin in Achan’s heart and within his tent. We can reasonably conclude from the text that Achan never once confessed his sin and offered up the proper sacrifice to atone for that sin. Therefore, God could not dwell among the children of Israel when there was active sin in the camp. And because He withdrew His presence the Israelites lost the battle of Ai, suffering the consequences of one man’s secret sin.
            The same is true today within the church. If there is unconfessed sin among the body of Christ, it will have all kinds of negative consequences and side effects within the church. The root of sin is pride, and when we are not humble and submissive to God’s will for our lives, God cannot use us. Pride can lead many believers to cause division and strife within the church body, and God cannot use a church for His honor and glory when the infection of sin cripples that body. The only way to be right and pure before God is to confess the sin and repent and get rid of it completely. That’s the reason for the death sentence against Achan and all his family and household. That’s why his livestock and possessions were eliminated alongside him, his wife, and all his children. Everything that Achan’s sin had directly infected was killed and then burned. When it comes to sin in our lives, there is no such thing as half measures when we are eradicating it. We must have the same view as God and the Israelites. We must thoroughly exterminate all sin from our daily lives, else we risk severe damage to our relationship with God as well as collateral damage to our fellow believers in the body of Christ.
            The account of Achan is a sobering one, and even though believers today don’t have to fear death by stoning due to unconfessed sin, we shouldn’t take lightly this grievous lesson that cost Achan and all his family their lives. God’s view of sin has not changed. He sees it the same today as He did back then. We, therefore, should do the same.