In short
Joshua ch. 7. In what seems to be the very next battle after Jericho, Israel is defeated because of one man’s sin.
Why it is important
This is the antithesis of the previous story (the battle of Jericho):
- Without the LORD, the battle is lost
- One man’s sin is the downfall of many
- Joshua’s confidence is undone
What is in this story
In the previous chapter, the people were told:
- All silver and gold (and some other vessels) “are holy to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the LORD” (Josh 6:19)
- Everything else is to be destroyed (Josh 6:17)
- Consequences of disobedience: “But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it” (Josh 6:18)
- Guess what happens in chapter 7….
In this story (Joshua 7):
- “But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan… took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the LORD burned against the people of Israel.” (v. 1)
- Meanwhile…
- Joshua organizes an attack on the city of Ai (vs. 2-3)
- But it fails. Israel retreats; 36 people die; Israel has a meltdown (vs. 4-5)
- And even Joshua laments and questions God, with the elders by his side (vs. 6-9)
- The LORD replies – GET OVER IT. You have sin in the camp: GET IT OUT (vs. 10-15)
- With divine help, they determine it was Achan that took a small fortune in silver, gold and a really nice piece of cloth (vs. 16-22)
- So they take Achan and his family away and destroy them all (vs. 24-25)
- “Then the LORD turned from his burning anger” (v. 26)
And in chapter 8 they listen to the LORD and conquer the city of Ai.
Things that are not so well-known
The process to find Achan is neat. It’s like a battalion formation (all tribes), then a company (Judah), then a platoon (Zerahites) then a squad (Zabdi) and finally one man, Achan (vs. 16-18).
Also, the cloak that Achan took is from “Shinar” (v. 21), which is Babylon.
Theology and doctrine
“And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. …And all Israel… burned them with fire and stoned them with stones.”
Joshua 7:24-25
This is not an instruction to us or even to the Jews. The death penalty was indeed enforced in some cases* in the Old Testament. But only God has the right to command this in other cases.
The punishment here seems to be like what God did to the Israelites that rebelled in the wilderness (Num 14:26-34): He turns their disbelief into their ironic punishment.
Israel was to burn Jericho and destroy everything in it, but Achan disobeyed. As punishment, Achan is burned and his family and “all that he had” was destroyed.
Footnote
* Such as:
- Idolatry, Deut. 17:2-7
- Murder, Deut 19:11-13 (Gen 9:6)
- Bearing false witness, Deut 19:18-20
- Rebellious children, Deut 21:18-21
- Adultery, Deut 22:22-24
No responses yet