Joshua 6 and 7 (NASB)
So the people shouted, and priests
blew the trumpets; and when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the
people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down flat, so that the
people went up into the city, every man straight ahead, and they took the city.
(6:20)
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. (7:21)
Joshua 6 describes the Israeli conquest of
Jericho, representing the return of the Jews to the Promised Land after
centuries of slavery in Egypt. Joshua 7
describes the story of the sin of Achan and the initial Israeli defeat at
Ai. How and why are these two events
relevant to Christians today?
The story of Jericho rivets the
imagination. Imagine about 40,000 people
(Joshua 4:13) circling the mighty Canaanite city of Jericho for six days and
then 7 times on the 7th day before the trumpets of the priests sounded
(Joshua 6:15-16). All these people
shouted (think of the noise when 40,000 people are cheering at a football game)
and the walls of Jericho “fell down flat” (6:20). People are fascinated by this story who most
likely first heard it as children and remain fascinated about it as
adults. Jericho represented a
city/society/culture full of sin that God chose to destroy using the Israelites
led by Joshua. Yet God also chose a method
of capturing the city that was far different than any human military leader
would choose. Joshua is an example to us
today of having complete faith in the Lord God.
He followed God’s commands exactly, even if those commands might have
been very hard to understand.
The story of Achan can be entitled “The
unfailing curse of secret sin” (from a sermon I heard the late Adrian Rogers
preach in 1979). Achan decided to steal
some of the spoils of Jericho then lied about it. Joshua 7:21 describes the progression of sin,
true then and true today:
1.
Your
eyes see something you want (“I saw among the spoil…….”)
2.
What
you see, you then covet (“…..then I coveted them…….”)
3.
What
you covet, you eventually steal (“……and took them”)
4.
What
you steal you then try to hid (“….they are concealed in the earth inside my
tent….”)
Because of Achan’s sin, God needed to
punish not only Achan, but the whole Israeli nation. Such fierce judgment and discipline from God
was absolutely necessary or the nation would quickly destroyed by its enemies. Because of the sin of Achan, you can read the
following verses in the book of Joshua about what happened to Israel and Achan:
· 7:9 Dishonor to God
· 7:12 Defeat of our brethren
· 7:17-18 Disgrace
to family
· 7:24-26 Death to loved ones
Joshua is an example of faith and
obedience. Achan is an example of
selfishness and disobedience. Joshua’s
obedience resulted in victory and honor.
Achan’s disobedience resulted in shame and death. You might wonder why stealing and then trying
to hide a theft resulted in death not only to the thief, but to the thief’s
family. Israel’s entire future as a
nation was dependent on strict obedience to God. Any kind of disobedience and hidden sin
simply could not be tolerated.
One last point although a book could be
written (and probably has) on all the learning points from the stories of
Joshua and Achan. Joshua 7:7-26 and I
John 1:3-10 go together. Sin is always
ultimately revealed. Trying to hide sin
only results in a curse. Confess and
repent now, not when you are caught. If
now, forgiveness (I John 1:9). If later,
judgment (Proverbs 28:13).
Read thoroughly and reflect on all the
teachings about obedience and Joshua 6 and disobedience in Joshua 7. Make up your mind to live the rest of your
life like Joshua and never again try to hide any sin like Achan, but to confess
it and be forgiven. Whatever choice you
make, there are consequences. The
stories of Joshua and Achan exemplify those consequences.
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