Broken Faith

Background to passage: Just coming off the destruction of Jericho, the Israelites press on taking the promised land. The next town on the list to be taken was a small town called Ai. They sent a reconnaissance team to assess the situation. The determination was made that the city was so small, and only a small attack army unit was needed.

However, the first sentence, sets a bad tone. The fact that Israel broke faith brought death and loss. The expression to break faith meant to act unfaithfully, to be treacherous, to break covenant. It was usually used in the context of infidelity in marriage of man’s breach of covenant with God. It is based on unbelief and willful rebellion.

You will probably read ahead now or later, but the spoiler, and important part of the story is that a man named Achan disobeyed God related to the devoted things, and Israel was guilty.

Joshua 7:1–12 ESV

1 But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel. 2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, “Go up and spy out the land.” And the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not have all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not make the whole people toil up there, for they are few.” 4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people. And they fled before the men of Ai, 5 and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water. 6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord God, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say, when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies! 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name?” 10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. 12 Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.

Opening illustration: maybe a few pictures of Ai

Main thought: We are going to look at four results of breaking faith.

1) Defeat (v. 4-5)

Joshua 7:4–5 ESV

4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people. And they fled before the men of Ai, 5 and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water.

1) Defeat (v. 4-5)

Explanation: After the undefeated Israel had seen the walls of Jericho fall, fear spread throughout the surrounding countryside every more than it already had. The faith of most of the people was incredibly strong because of the display of power from God. Notice that it said Israel broke faith. It may have only been one man, but the guilt was shared by the nation, and thus the sting of defeat was experienced. Not only were they defeated, but 36 men died. Those men that were confident enough to walk around Jericho for seven days now melted like wax.

Argumentation:

Illustration: One classic example is the Battle of Cannae during the Second Punic War in 216 BC. The Roman army, commanded by Consuls Lucius Aemilius Paullus and Gaius Terentius Varro, faced off against the Carthaginian forces led by Hannibal.

During the battle, Hannibal employed a double envelopment strategy. The Romans, confident in their superior numbers, pushed aggressively into the center of Hannibal’s forces. However, the Carthaginian center was intentionally weak and began to give ground, creating a concave formation. Meanwhile, Hannibal's cavalry on the flanks quickly overpowered the Roman cavalry.

Despite orders to hold their ground or advance cautiously, the Roman flanks (both infantry and cavalry) failed to maintain their positions and were driven back. This retreat allowed Hannibal's cavalry to encircle the Roman army from the rear. As a result, the Romans were surrounded on all sides, and their forces were effectively annihilated. This disobedience, along with Hannibal's brilliant tactics, led to one of the worst defeats in Roman military history, with tens of thousands of Roman soldiers killed.

The Battle of Cannae is often cited as a textbook example of how the failure of a flank, or disobedience on the battlefield, can lead to a catastrophic defeat.

Application: When you act in unbelief, rebelling in disobedience, on the norm, you will experience defeat. In your prayer life, you will find it hard to connect and commune. The sin that you are trying to defeat with thrive. The grudge that you hold will turn to bitterness. Your will struggle to minister to your spouse, neighbor, classmate, friend. There will be no victory in your spiritual advance. You will be frustrated on every side.

Maybe you are experiencing these evidences now. Comb through your life to see if you have areas of disobedience. Jesus is clear on certain commands. Then their are principles to follow. Then there may be things that God is leading you to do that you are not.

2) Confusion (v. 6-9)

Joshua 7:6–9 ESV

6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord God, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say, when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies! 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name?”

2) Confusion (v. 6-9)

Explanation: People were confused. They couldn’t understand why God didn’t knock down some walls or something. Let’s have a repeat. Have you ever had tragedy in your life that you don’t understand? Of course, we all have. Is it all due to sin, no. The man born blind was born that way for the glory of God. In this case, and possibly in yours, a cause can be disobedience.

Joshua and the leaders tore their clothes, fell on their faces, and put dust on their heads (all signs of repentance). He asked God why. Sometimes we ask “why.” It is OK to question as long as we are not questioning his character. Interesting, and accurate, that he puts the glory of God in the center of the problem.

But Joshua had not sinned. The leaders had not sinned. However, Israel, as a nation was guilty

Argumentation:

Illustration: think of a small child whose parents go through a divorce or maybe he loses a parent. They are confused, might blame themselves. Most, if not all, of these circumstances, there is no blame on the child. However, usually there is sin that brought about the actions of others.

Application: Sometimes tragedy happens in our lives and we cannot make any sense of it. It could be that our sin in finding us out. It could be that we have chosen a sinful lifestyle or a particular sin that brings with it consequences. It could be that someone else has sinned. I heard someone say this week that no one sins in a vacuum, meaning your sin affects others. When defeat is felt where victory was expected, it’s a confusing time in our lives.

3) Weakness (v. 12)

Joshua 7:10–12 ESV

10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. 12 Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.

3) Weakness (v. 12)

Explanation: Joshua immediately hears from God. He gets a basic explanation that Israel had sinned by taking some of the things that were supposed to be devoted to God, either for destruction or for the treasury of the Lord. God told Joshua that Israel would not be able to stand against any of its enemies until the situation is remedied.

This was the whole point of invading the land. Taking possession of land that belonged to other people groups was a non-negotiable to taking the land. How were they supposed to possess their inheritance without being able to stand before their enemies. Remember, this was a small, weak city-state.

Jeremiah 38:17–18 ESV

17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: If you will surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then your life shall be spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live. 18 But if you do not surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape from their hand.”

Illustration: The guy from the marriage book about his infidelity

Application: We all go through intense times of suffering. There will be times where we are so weak that our tears dry up. Sometimes you may go for days or weeks or months without good sleep. It could be a situation in your family. It could be pain and sickness. It could be a loss of something or someone. It could be financial crisis.

We know that when we are weak, he is strong. We know that he is able to move mountains. We know that he is able to forgive sin. But sometimes our strength is just gone. Sometimes it is due to sin. Do you want to be able to stand up against your enemy/enemies? Seek to kill sin. Things that draw your heart away from him. Things that you make excuse for. Things that you know are not right and the Spirit has convicted you about.

Remember, this was a corporate thing. One man sinned, but 36 other men lost their lives. If we want to press forward as a church into the heights of health, each of us must examine ourselves, and fall on our faces, seek holiness, obey Jesus. The Lord will not bless us as a church if you continue in sin. That’s why in preparation for seeking his face, for Refocus, we must ask the Holy Spirit to keep us close and clean.

4) Withdrawal (v. 12)

Joshua 7:12 ESV

12 Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.

4) Withdrawal (v. 12)

Explanation: This result is probably the worst, scariest, and problematic. It is reminiscent of earlier sin when Israel was coming through the wilderness with Moses. God said he would be with them no more if they didn’t deal with the sin in the camp. The presence of God was the constant that kept Israel going. They desperately needed his active presence in their lives.

Judges 16:20 ESV

20 And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.

1 Samuel 15:23 ESV

23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.”

1 Samuel 16:14 ESV

14 Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him.

Exodus 33:13–16 ESV

13 Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.” 14 And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”

Illustration: Like a wife staying married to a husband but having nothing to do with him. Like the Pride of the Southland band telling the football team they support them, but are not going out.

Application: How much of our lives would go on as usual without the active presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives? Do we actually live supernatural lives? Do we abide in him, so that he can abide in us? We need God’s power. We need his presence. We don’t realize how much we need him. If we did, we would root out the things in our lives that thwart his presence. I know that this message seems repetitive, but we all have sin in our lives that we live comfortably with.

We need to be a church that is alive with the presence of God. People need to feel it when they come it. They need to sense it as we sing, pray, read, preach, respond. We must be desperate for the presence of God, enough to do whatever it takes. Some of you just need to be born again. There can be no presence of Christ in those of you who have never surrendered to Christ.

Closing illustration: On Aug. 13, 2012, Scott Stevens, a husband, father of three daughters and businessman, took a hunting bag to a park near Steubenville, called 911 and when the sheriff’s deputies arrived, pulled a gun out and killed himself. He was 52.

What would cause a family man and former chief financial officer to do such a thing is the subject of a lawsuit recently filed in the U.S. District Court in Wheeling.

The wrongful death lawsuit claims that, from 2007 to the day he died, Stevens was a regular patron at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort, where he played the slot machines and, over time, became hopelessly addicted to gambling.

To support his habit, he embezzled more than $7 million from his company and emptied out his family’s savings, 401(k) account and his children’s college funds, the lawsuit said.

Even after an IRS audit discovered the embezzlement and Stevens was fired, he continued playing the slot machines at Mountaineer for 10 more months, never telling his wife about his secret life as he dragged his family deeper into debt, the lawsuit said.

Recap