The Tragedy of Wasted Possibilities

Real Characters: Joshua

The Tragedy of Wasted Possibilities

Joshua 7:2–13, 19–26

By Dr. David A. Wheeler

Joshua 7:2-12

2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the region.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.

3 When they returned to Joshua, they said, “Not all the army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there.

4 So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai,

5 who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water.

6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the LORD, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads.

7 And Joshua said, “Alas, Sovereign LORD, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan!

8 Pardon your servant, Lord. What can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies?

9 The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name? ”

10 The LORD said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face?

11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions.

12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.

13 Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.

Joshua 7:19-26

19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and honor him. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.”

20 Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I have done:

21 When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath.

23 They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the LORD.

24 Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor.

25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today.”

Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them.

26 Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.

Introduction

Did I ever tell you about my experience in the army when we were training down at Fort Irwin California. I was a driver for the Brigade XO which meant I was his personal chauffeur. Lieutenant Colonel Andersson and Iwere a good team. We had a good relationship. He liked me and I liked him. Back to the story of Fort Irwin when we were down in the desert training; I would take him to a tactical Operation Center also known in the military as the TOC. On this particular day I was out front waiting for the XO and it was just at dusk when all of the sudden the TOC was under attack from the enemy. All of a sudden everybody seemed to be going crazy. It was like we went from peaceful just sitting around waiting to running around like chickens with their heads cut off. All of a sudden one of my fellow soldiers who happened to be the driver for the Brigade Sergeant Major came running out of the tent and came up to my door yelling let me see your binoculars let me see your binoculars. so instinctively I handed him my binoculars. When the Lieutenant Colonel got in the vehicle he said go go we are being attacked he said just drive and once we got moving he started giving me directions to where he wanted to go. After a little while we stopped on the side of a Wadi because we could see enemy movement out on the horizon. what do you think that he asked me for; he said give me the binoculars I need to see the enemy if that's them for sure. I was dumbfounded. I didn't know what to do so I told him the bumbled truth. I told him that the sergeant major's driver came to the vehicle and needed our binoculars so I lent them to him and he didn't return them. I never saw the XO so mad he yelled at me he screamed at me I thought He wanted to punch me. He said because of your stupidity you have just gotten us killed if that's the enemy sitting out there and we see them they can possibly see us and we're dead drive drive drive he said get out of here we got to go. I went from being a great Soldier to being stupid and immature in the eyes of the man that I respected. It was a Learning lesson for me for sure and I never made that mistake again; but I had let the man down that I respect.

On the heels of one of the greatest miracles of all time, Joshua 7 outlines how quickly a people can fall from God’s blessing.

Think about it: Joshua 6 describes how the children of Israel obliterated the mighty fortress of Jericho in a week without utilizing any conventional forms of warfare.

Surprisingly, all they did was trust God by marching around Jericho as the priests blew their trumpets, and then shouting at the top of their lungs when they were allowed by the Spirit of God on the “final day.

And as it says in Joshua 6:20,

“The people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.”

Imagine what the people of Israel felt after the great victory. As for Joshua, note what it states in Joshua 6:27:

“So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout all the country.”

Nevertheless, as is with many great spiritual victories, the people forget their blessings and stray from God’s will. This is what occurs in Joshua 7.

The question is, how?

Point I

Consider the following steps to disaster:

Step I

First, the children of Israel relaxed and let down their guard (vv. 2, 3).

“Unfortunately, this is what often happens to believers when they are accustomed to walking in God’s favor.

Note Joshua’s arrogance as he instructs his warriors in verse 3,

“Do not let all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not weary all the people there, for the people of Ai are few.” Joshua 7:3

It was obvious that his guard was already down and Joshua was feeling invincible!

Step II

Second, the children of Israel underestimated their real enemy (vv. 4, 5).

Based on the misguided instructions of Joshua, from the spies according to verse 4,

“About three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent.” Joshua 7:4-5

It is always dangerous to underestimate one’s enemy, especially in spiritual matters against an enemy as formidable as Satan.

Look at what Jesus said in reference to the devil, in John 8:44:

He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44.

Step III

Third, Joshua lost track of his vision and destination (vv. 6, 7).

The key is the statement in verse 5 when it describes that “the hearts of the people melted and became like water.”

This is followed up by the revealing of Joshua’s clay feet in verses 6 and 7:

“Then Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads. And Joshua said, ‘Alas, Lord GOD, why have You brought these people over the Jordan at all—to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan!’” Joshua 7:6-7

When my daughters were younger and in Grammar School. I remember my youngest daughter: and I don't know where she got it from, but she would go around saying I'm melting. I'm not sure where she got that from but I remember it and it was so funny. She would just go limp like she was melting. This is how I imagine Joshua being. In verse 6 it says:

“Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the Earth on his face before the Ark of the Lord until evening.” vs 6

Step IV

Fourth, Joshua began to focus on self (v. 8).

This is called the dangerous I factor. Notice the subtle statement by Joshua in verse 8,

“O Lord, what shall I say when “Israel turns its back before its enemies?” (emphasis added). Joshua 7:8

In the midst of losing thirty-six warriors, Joshua seemed to be worried about himself and his reputation.

This was, at best, misguided and narcissistic!

As if this weren’t bad enough, Joshua passed the buck of responsibility and began to play the “Blame Game.” Look at what Joshua says to God in verse 9:

“For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?” Joshua 7:9

Before God speaks to Joshua, Joshua is covering his bases by trying to deflect responsibility.The real issue is revealed next . . .

Step V

Fifth, Joshua and the people forgot the seriousness of sin (vv. 10–13).

The direct approach by God with Joshua is almost comical.

while Joshua is apparently clueless as to why all of this had occurred, God intervenes by stating,

Joshua 7:10-11

The Lord said to Joshua, "Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions.

Point II

Here is the thing; God always takes sin seriously!

Against the direct commands of God, one man, Achan, chose to disobey, with no regard to consequences (vv. 20, 21).

All it took was the sin of one selfish man to derail a whole nation and for thirty-six warriors to lose their lives.

1 Cor 12:12-13

12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.

13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free — and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

NIV

Ultimately, like many people today, Achan forgot the importance of unity and community in the body of believers (vv. 22–26).

In the end, Achan died, along with his entire family.

His faulty belief that a person could sin in a vacuum without consequences brought devastating results.

Conclusion

One should always be saddened by the tragedy of wasted possibilities. This never occurs by mere accident; rather, it is a progression of missteps that usually begins when a person lets down his guard.”

Excerpt From

Nelson's Preacher's Sourcebook

Thomas Nelson

https://books.apple.com/us/book/nelsons-preachers-sourcebook/id6443651804

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