Joshua 7 Verses 6 to 12, 20 to 21 Sin in the Camp August 20, 2023

Joshua 7 Verses 6 to 12, 20 to 21 Sin in the Camp August 20, 2023

Class Presentation Notes AAA

Background Scriptures:

· Psalm 66:18 (NASB) 18 If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear;

· Luke 12:2-3 (NASB) 2 "But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. 3 "Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops.

· 1 Timothy 5:24-25 (NASB) 24 The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sinsfollow after. 25 Likewise also, deeds that are good are quite evident, and those which are otherwise cannot be concealed.

Main Idea: Our sin will always hurt those around us.

Study Aim: Our personal sin can cause ruin and defeat in our lives.

Create Interest:

· We will see in our lesson today there are some things which should be delt with if the church is going to thrive as God would desire it should. Consider the following as we study this lesson.

o “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God.” Here is the first thing that is vital to everything relative to our temporal needs. If we expect God to feed us and to clothe us, we are told to seek first His Kingdom, then says the Spirit: “All these things shall be added unto you.”

o First be reconciled to thy brother. God tells us in Matthew 5:24, if we are bringing our gift to the altar, and we remember that our brother hath ought against us, we are to leave there our gift and to go our way. Then He says: “First be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” Think you, that God will receive anything of our hand, until we are first right with each other?

o First get the beam out of thine own eye. Matthew 7:5 instructs that we consider a person with a beam in his own eye is not prepared to pull out the mote that is in his brother’s eye?

o God cannot and will not bless the unclean. “Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.”[1] (Isaiah 52:11)

Lesson in Historical Context:

· Our Scripture opens in chapter 7 with the following statement: “But the Children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing.” The fact is as we all know that the trespass was committed by one man, Achan, the son of Carmi. However, even as a false brick in a building mars the beauty of the whole building; thus the sin of one affects a whole people.

o The children of Israel sinned because Achan was one of their number, and no man sins unto himself.

§ The leper of old contaminated everything he touched.

§ The sin of a father and husband brings shame and disgrace upon the children and wife.

· Joshua was unaware of a problem among his people. He was unaware that fellowship has been broken with the Lord and the Lord had withheld His blessings. He was still on the mountain top enjoying the victory over Jericho. Joshua was about to learn that yesterday’s victory does not make believers immune from defeat today.

o Living in the past can bring defeat in the present.

o A daily walk with God is needed for consistency and spiritual growth in our lives.

· Joshua sent his men to Ai which means “A Heap of Ruins.” Israel was about to find ruin at Ai. They would flounder, falter, fear, fail, and flee.

o Why do they fail here?

o The remainder of this chapter reveals the reasons for failure. The same reasons why Joshua and Israel failed are the same reasons why we fail in our Christian growth and spiritual battles.[2]

· The Children of. Israel had gone forth to conquer the village of Ai, which was on the east side of Bethel. They had gone expecting an easy conquest, for the people at Ai, compared to Jericho, were but few.

· There was one thing, however, they had neglected to do. Before they crossed the Jordan and marched around Jericho, they had sanctified themselves (Josh. 3:5). Now they were attempting to take Ai with sin hidden in their midst.

· Unexpectedly Israel next tasted defeat. Up to this point in the Conquest the army Joshua led had experienced only victory. The possibility of a military defeat was the remotest thing from the Israelites’ minds, particularly after the triumph over Jericho. Yet God’s people are never more vulnerable, never in greater danger, than right after they have won a great victory.

· Ai was the next objective on Israel’s path of conquest. It was smaller than Jericho but was at a strategic junction of two natural routes ascending from Jericho to the hill country around Bethel. Defeating Ai would also lead to the ultimate control of the main “ridge route” running from north to south along the central highlands.

· The importance of the happenings there can be seen from the amount of biblical material given over to a discussion of Israel’s defeat (chap. 7) and her victory at that site (chap. 8).[3] Can you imagine how the nation felt?

· Let us remember that if we want conquest, we must first rid sin from our camp. God can do no mighty works where there is unbelief.

Bible Study:

Joshua 7:6-9 (NASB) 6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until the evening, both he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads. 7 Joshua said, "Alas, O Lord GOD, why did You ever bring this people over the Jordan, only to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? If only we had been willing to dwell beyond the Jordan! 8 "O Lord, what can I say since Israel has turned their back before their enemies? 9 "For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and they will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will You do for Your great name?"

· Blind to the great things the Lord had done at the time of the crossing and at the fall of Jericho, Joshua raises the daring question of the “why” of it all. Did God mean to bring Israel into Palestine only to destroy it by the hands of the Amorites?

o These are bold words and can be explained only as an utterance of supreme grief.

o Out of context these words resemble the murmuring of Israel in the desert (Num. 14:3), but there is also an element close to self-reproach. Israel could have stayed on the other side, and Joshua now wishes that they had done so. As it is, Israel has turned tail before its enemies, and this leaves Joshua speechless.

o Complaints of this kind must have struck a responsive chord in the hearts of the readers for whom these words were recorded (cf. Pss. 44, 74).

§ Psalm 44:1-3 (NASB) 1 O God, we have heard with our ears, Our fathers have told us The work that You did in their days, In the days of old. 2 You with Your own hand drove out the nations; Then You planted them; You afflicted the peoples, Then You spread them abroad. 3 For by their own sword they did not possess the land, And their own arm did not save them, But Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence, For You favored them.

§ Psalm 74:1-4 (NASB) 1 O God, why have You rejected us forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture? 2 Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old, Which You have redeemed to be the tribe of Your inheritance; And this Mount Zion, where You have dwelt. 3 Turn Your footsteps toward the perpetual ruins; The enemy has damaged everything within the sanctuary. 4 Your adversaries have roared in the midst of Your meeting place; They have set up their own standards for signs.

o Israel’s historiography is not aimed at celebrating the great accomplishments of a super-people, even though Israel could rightly claim to be God’s elect. Israel’s failures and frustrations are frankly set forth in the sacred record.

· In Exod. 23:22 God had promised that when Israel did His will its enemies would be his enemies, but that defeat would be the price for covenant disloyalty. Of the latter Joshua had not yet been apprised, although he might have concluded from the facts that the covenant had been broken.

· The “name” of the covenant people may be connected correctly with the “name” of the Lord himself, as is done by Joshua in v. 9.

o But when Israel’s name is wiped off the earth, what will happen to the Lord’s name?

o God acts on behalf of his people, and he does so for his name’s sake (Ezek. 20:9, 14, 22; cf. Ps. 79:4, 10; Jer. 14:7).

· God’s choice of Israel is entirely voluntary and gracious (see Deut. 7), but this choice involves a mutual obligation and commitment.

o It therefore also involves, humanly speaking, the possibility of a loss of “face” on the part of him who had committed himself as sovereign to assist his people (3:10).

o Joshua had a right to plead as he did, for he did not yet know what the readers know, namely that the covenant, the very basis of God’s gracious help to Israel, had been violated. Moses’ prayers in Exod. 32:11–13; Num. 14:15–16 may have served as models for Joshua.[4]

Thoughts to soak on:

· The remedy for sin and defeat is a confrontation with the Lord. As soon as the retreating, defeated soldiers returned to camp, Joshua took immediate action. He did exactly what he needed to do: he confronted the Lord seeking the reasons for the defeat. Lets’ look at what Joshua and the leaders did to get right with God:[5]

· The first remedy for sin and defeat is intercession (vv.6–9). Joshua was stunned, bewildered, confused, shaken, utterly dumbfounded over the shocking defeat of the soldiers he had sent out against the enemy. He and the leaders immediately went to the Tabernacle and sought the Lord in prayer.

· Note that they fell face down before the Ark of the Lordand remained there until evening. Joshua acknowledged his utter dependence upon God, addressing God as Sovereign Lord(Adonay, Yahweh).

o Joshua was perplexed, when he asked God, “Why?”

o Was Israel now to be destroyed by the Amorites?

o Should they have stayed in East Jordan?

§ He was simply seeking the face of the Lord for the answer for the defeat. He was asking God if he had misread the will of God, if he had perhaps moved the people across the Jordan too soon.

o What could Joshua now say to the people? Was he to continue as leader?

· Note that Joshua’s major concern was the honor of God’s name (v.9). He feared that the enemy would soon wipe out Israel and ridicule God’s name.

o They would call the Lord weak, powerless, unable to save and deliver His people and to fulfill His promises to them.

o God’s great name and His reputation were at stake. Therefore, above all else, Joshua begged God to protect His own name, to protect the strong witness of the Lord before the peoples of the earth.

· Intercession is the answer to sin and defeat. When we sin and suffer defeat, we must seek the Lord in prayer. If we seek the Lord in prayer, He will hear us and meet our needs according to His will.

o Matthew 7:7 (NASB) 7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

o John 15:6-7 (NASB) 6 "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

o Deuteronomy 4:29 (NASB) 29 "But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.

Joshua 7:10-12 (NASB) God’s explanation of Israel’s defeat. 10 So the LORD said to Joshua, "Rise up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face? 11 "Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things under the ban and have both stolen and deceived. Moreover, they have also put them among their own things. 12 "Therefore the sons of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; they turn theirbacks before their enemies, for they have become accursed. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from your midst.

· 7:10. So the LORDsaid to Joshua, "Rise up”. No doubt Joshua did well to humble himself before God, and mourn as he did, under the tokens of His displeasure; but now God told him it was enough, he would not have him continue any longer in that melancholy posture.[6]

· The Lord’s response to Joshua’s and the elders’ mourning was directed to Joshua alone, and it was a rebuke couched in holiness terms. Israel (not just Achan; see v. 1) had sinned, and God would not tolerate it.

o Joshua 7:1 (NASB) 1 But the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully in regard to the things under the ban, for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, took some of the things under the ban, therefore the anger of the LORD burned against the sons of Israel.

· This passage shows that God was not open to the charge of a double standard with reference to his treatment of Israel and the Canaanites.

o He had ordered Israel to exterminate the Canaanites because of their sin, but here he allowed all Israel to be affected by the sin of one man.

§ The overriding concern in all such episodes was his demand for holiness and obedience and the concern for purity of worship.

· 7:11 Despite the indication in 7:1 that only Achan had violated the instructions concerning the things banned, this verse extends the responsibility to the entire nation, in an example of what has been called “corporate solidarity.” This concept embraces at least the following ideas:

o the entire group is treated as a unity;

o sometimes the entire group is represented by a single individual;

o sometimes the individual and the group are merged.

§ The third of these ideas is embodied here; the individual and the group are closely identified: the verse affirms that “Israel has sinned,” and yet later Achan confesses, “I have sinned” (v. 20).

· Israel had violated God’s covenant. The word “covenant” refers to many different dealings of God with his people at different times, but here the specific reference appears to be to the portion of the covenant he had made with his people through Moses that referred to the annihilation of the Canaanites (Deut 20:10–20).

· 7:12 The reason for Israel’s defeat is now revealed: Israel itself—just as Jericho before it—was made liable to destruction because of itssin, and it had suffered a humiliating defeat because of this. What’s more, God would no longer be with Israel, until they (the “you” is now plural) removed the sin from the camp.

o To take God’s property is theft. The denial of the theft is deceit. Having detailed Israel’s sins as the reason for their defeat, the text now explains a chilling fact:

§ as long as Israel possesses the devoted things, God will consider them as devoted things.

§ He will not win victories for them.

§ Instead, he will guarantee their defeat and destruction.

· Either Israel must destroy the devoted things that it possesses or it will be destroyed as devoted things.[7]

Thoughts to Soak On

· Vs. 12: Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies: Israel could not fight in God’s power and presence unless they walked in obedience to God. Israel was under a covenant with God that promised blessing on their obedience, and also promised curses upon their disobedience.

· We are not under that kind of covenant.

o Our position with God is made by the work of Jesus on our behalf, not our own works.

o Yet if we want God’s power and presence in our own battles, we must walk in fellowship with Him, and this fellowship is hindered by our own sin and rebellion.

o Our position before God is secure in Jesus; but our fellowship with Him is hindered by our ownsin (1 John 1:6). This fellowship with God is our wellspring of power to live in the Spirit.[8]

Joshua 7:13 (NASB) The requirement for consecration 13 "Rise up! Consecrate the people and say, 'Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for thus the LORD, the God of Israel, has said, "There are things under the ban in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you have removed the things under the ban from your midst."

· 7:13. The sin needed to be dealt with, and vv. 13–15 detail God’s instructions for this. In v. 13, the instruction is again to Joshua: he was to sanctify the people in preparation for what God would do on the morrow.

o The language here echoes that of 3:5 in an ironic way, where Joshua ordered the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lordwill do amazing things among you.”

o Here, the people also were to consecrate (qdš)themselves, but, in contrast with the “amazing things” (niplāʾôt) that would be “among” (bĕqereb) the Israelites, now the “devoted things” (ḥērem) were “among” (bĕqereb) them. The need for purification was due to very different things in the two cases.

Thoughts to Soak On:

· Obeying God, heeding His Word is the remedy for sin and defeat

· When we sin, we must listen to the Word of God and do exactly what He says. It is the Word of God that tells us how to deal with sin and defeat, that tells us.:

o how to approach God

o how to receive the mercy of God

o how to receive forgiveness of sins

o how to repent and be restored to God

o how to dedicate and recommit our lives to God

o how to renew our covenant with God

· We must hear the Word of God and do exactly what God tells us.

o John 17:17 (NASB) 17 "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.

o Ephesians 6:16-17 (NASB) 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

o 2 Timothy 3:16 (NASB) 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

o Hebrews 4:12 (NASB) 12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

o Proverbs 6:23 (NASB) 23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; And reproofs for discipline are the way of life

Joshua 7:14-15 (NASB) 14 'In the morning then you shall come near by your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which the LORD takes by lot shall come near by families, and the family which the LORDtakes shall come near by households, and the household which the LORD takes shall come near man by man. 15 'It shall be that the one who is taken with the things under the ban shall be burned with fire, he and all that belongs to him, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he has committed a disgraceful thing in Israel.'"

· 7:14 by its orderly instructions and by the verb used here, indicates that the Lord was in control of the entire process of identifying the culprit through the basic social units of society: tribe, clan, and family.

o Three times the verb “catches” or “captures” is used in v. 14 (lqd), again at the beginning of v. 15 and once each in vv. 16–18. The NIV translates it “takes” (as do most versions), but the idea indicated by “catches” is much more expressive, as well as accurate.

· The punishment was severe and total: Achan and everything that belonged to him were to be burned with fire (v. 15), a sentence that was carried out after stoning (v. 25). Achan’s sin involved violating the Lord’s covenant and doing a “disgraceful thing” (nĕbālâ).

o The latter concept denotes “disorderly and unruly action in breaking a custom” or “behaving treacherously toward God.”[9]

Thoughts to Soak On

· This sin involved stealing from God and then lying about it (v. 11). Achan had taken the forbidden wealth but pretended that he had obeyed the Lord. Achan had done a foolish thing (v. 15) in thinking he could rob God and get away with it.

· Israel couldn’t face any of her enemies until their sin had been put away. The tribes could never claim their inheritance as long as one man clung to his forbidden treasures. Everything God had done for His people up to this point was to no avail as long as they couldn’t go forward in victory.

o What a lesson for the church today!

· That evening Joshua sent word throughout the camp that the people were to sanctify themselves and prepare for an assembly to be held the next morning. You wonder whether Achan and his family got any sleep that night, or did they think they were secure?[10]

Joshua 7:20-21 (NASB) 20 So Achan answered Joshua and said, "Truly, I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel, and this is what I did: 21 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."

· Sin cannot be hidden, not from God. We may be able to deceive people, commit sin under the cover of darkness, and keep it secret. But not before God.

o God sees every sinful act, even every single thought that crosses our minds.

o When we commit sin, the only remedy is to identify the sin and open it up to God.

o Confession needs to be made to God while there is still time, so that we can be forgiven our sins.

· If we wish forgiveness, we must uncover and unveil our sins before the face of God. Only as we expose and confess our sin will God forgive us.[11]

o Luke 12:1-2 (NASB) 2 "But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

o James 1:13-15 (NASB) 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.

o Numbers 32:22-23 (NASB) 22 and the land is subdued before the LORD, then afterward you shall return and be free of obligation toward the LORD and toward Israel, and this land shall be yours for a possession before the LORD. 23 "But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out.

o Proverbs 28:13 (NASB) 13 He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes themwill find compassion.

Thoughts in Closing:

· Achan’s punishment was deemed particularly fitting by the Israelites. Since he had failed to carry out his obligation to destroy the enemy and all his property, his own family and all his holdings would be annihilated.

· The Israelites’ strong sense of community solidarity led them to see that the consequences of sin can never be restricted solely to the individual.

· At this time they held the family, tribe, and even the nation accountable for the sins of one of its members (cf. Ex. 20:5).

· Later, they recognized a much larger degree of individual responsibility (Deut. 24:16; Jer. 31:29–30).[12]

[1]R. E. Neighbour, Wells of Living Water: Old Testament, vol. 3, Wells of Living Water (Union Gospel Press, 1939–1940), 119. [2]Rod Mattoon, Treasures from Joshua, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 2002), 109. [3]Donald K. Campbell, “Joshua,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 343. [4]Marten H. Woudstra, The Book of Joshua, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1981), 124–125. [5]Leadership Ministries Worldwide, The Book of Joshua, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2003), 82-84 [6]Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume(Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 302. [7]Richard S. Hess, Joshua: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 6, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 165. [8]David Guzik, Joshua, David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible (Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik, 2000), Jos 7:12–13. [9]David M. Howard Jr., Joshua, vol. 5, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 193–195. [10]Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Strong, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 90–91. [11]Leadership Ministries Worldwide, The Book of Joshua, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2003), 85. [12]Ben F. Philbeck, “Joshua,” in The Teacher’s Bible Commentary, ed. H. Franklin Paschall and Herschel H. Hobbs (Nashville: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1972), 140–141.