A Hard Lesson

Reading: Joshua 7

Prayer: Psalm 19

Sermon

Last week we covered the narrative about the capture of Jericho and we saw several important details. Right off we saw clear proof that God was leading Israel and promising to fight for them. When faced with the imposing walls of Jericho, God instructs Israel to march around the city, be silent, and trust that he will be fighting for them. Following the miraculous destruction of the walls, Israel was supposed to destroy everything and everyone that wasn’t set aside for the Lord, the gold and silver for the Tabernacle and Rahab and her family for salvation. Through Israel’s obedience we saw another example of God’s faithfulness to his people and we saw the salvation of Rahab and her family as a result of their obedience to the Lord. At the end of the narrative for last time, the end of Joshua 6, it seemed that all was well and Israel would be able to continue on with the conquest of the Land of Canaan. The Lord fought for His people and they were able to conquer Jericho without much difficulty. When we get to Joshua 7:1 though, we find that not everything is as it should be; while Israel doesn’t know it yet, they no longer have the favor of the Lord because of sin among them. As the narrative unfolds, we see Joshua sending out spies similar to what he did at Jericho and when they bring back their report, Joshua launches an attack against the city of Ai which easily repels the Israelite forces. The author of Joshua is painting a picture for the reader in highlighting something that is conspicuously absent from the attack on Ai, something which was present in the attack on Jericho. Nowhere in the brief account of the attack is God mentioned, either in the preparation for or execution of the attack. In the attack on Jericho, Joshua and the spies give Glory to God for his provision even before they cross the Jordan and when it comes time to attack the city, God gives explicit direction for the people to follow. Whether it be from pride, overconfidence, or forgetfulness, or something else, the narrative doesn’t tell us, but the spies in this narrative make no mention of the Lord in their report and Joshua fails to call upon the Lord for guidance in the attack. Once Israel suffers defeat, Joshua goes to the Lord, maintaining a right focus on the glory of the Lord but placing blame in the wrong covenant party. Instead of trusting that God will be faithful and asking what it is they have done, Joshua voices a complaint not much different from the Israelites in the desert. In response, the Lord makes Joshua aware that ISRAEL has sinned and that is why they were defeated, not God’s inability or unwillingness to uphold his end of the covenant. After this revelation, God gives Joshua specific instructions on how he is to find the guilty party, ensuring that while they single out Achan, the process is a clear reminder of his connection to all the Israelites. Joshua follows the Lord’s command, finds the guilty man Achan, and urges him to confess and give glory to God. Following his confession, Achan and any who would have been complicit in his sin were executed to cleanse the people and prepare them to take Ai. Next week we will see the completion of this narrative arc in Joshua 8:1-29.

Joshua Pointed the Blame in the wrong direction

Israel received the just consequences for their covenant breaking.

It is evident from the narrative that all Israel is culpable for the rebellion of Achan.

Quote from commentator: “the narrator makes clear that his (Achan’s) actions affect the whole nation. Just as Rahab’s confession was sufficient for her whole family to be delivered, so also Achan’s sin is sufficient to affect the whole nation. Sin is not an isolated act, something done in private without effect on others. Instead, the individual’s sinful decision impacts the whole community.”

This is an outworking of what God told Joshua in the previous passage (Josh. 5:13-14a)

Because Israel set itself in opposition to God through Achan’s sin, God was fighting against them as they continued through the land

God Illustrated once again His covenant faithfulness

He acted consistent with his character

Holy (Hab. 1:12-13a)

Just (Prov. 11:20-21)

Upholding the terms of the covenant

He provided a path to redemption for the people

Cleansing/repentance from sin

Worship to God

Achan was removed from the people of God

Achan’s rebellion broke his connection to Yahweh

He violated the terms of the covenant (Deut. 12:28)

His rebellion brought upon himself all the curses of the covenant found in Deut. 28

Achan’s sin is the first illustration during Joshua’s leadership which demonstrates that Israelites weren’t people of God just because of their parentage

Illustrated throughout Israel’s history

Illustrated during Christ’s lifetime (Matt. 3:9)

Reinforced in the epistles (Rom. 9:6-8)

So What?

God is faithful (when it appears he isn’t, it is one of three things)

Sometimes we have done something to get in the way

God is either disciplining us to bring us on the right path

Sometimes God is testing us

No clearer example than Job

Sometimes faithfulness doesn’t look like we expect (1 Cor. 2:11)

Illustration: when I was in college I firmly believed that I was pursuing God’s will when I chose to follow the path to the medical field. I started in a biology degree and joined the school’s pre-med program hoping that when I graduated I could be an ER doc. I told myself that I was pursuing this path because I wanted to be able to serve God by doing medical missions and outreach but when I was really honest I was mostly looking to have a good paycheck and medical missions work was a beneficial side effect of being a doctor. For two years I kept pursuing the medical field as God, gradually at first then more rapidly and obviously shut all the doors to the medical field. With very little other options left, I finally submitted to God’s leading and began pursuing a ministry degree. My point is this: I went into college fully believing I was following God’s will for my life when I chose to pursue the medical field. When that dream began to fall apart I thought that God was somehow not working for me when really he was trying to lead me in another direction. It was mostly my stubbornness which kept me from seeing what God was already doing in my life, leading me to the ministry.

Sin has disastrous consequences.

Achan and his family paid with their lives and total destruction of their property

Israel paid with defeat for failing to observe and root out the sin

Can cause physical sickness or even death (1 Cor. 11:29-30)

Weakens our communion with the Lord (Ps. 66:18)

Affects those around us

Turn to God to provide the means of salvation

Salvation is both immediate and ongoing for believers

Moment of justification (Rom. 10:9-10)

Process of sanctification (Phil. 2:12-13)

God is the one who provides both the method and the means

God provides the path for our sanctification (2 Cor. 4:5)

God provides the strength to accomplish it (2 Cor. 4:6)

It is always appropriate to look back at the gospel

Part of the reason I present the gospel each week is for anyone who God might be calling to salvation, part of the reason I present it every week is because it is good for believers to be reminded of the essentials of our faith (2 Cor. 4:10-11)

Invitation

If anyone here has not walking the path of salvation, I urge you to accept this invitation today! Christ calls all who would hear and obey to join him in eternal joy. He simply asks that we acknowledge and repent of our sins, believe that He died for our sins and confess him as Lord, continue living your life in obedience to his call! Additionally, if there is anyone here who is not a member of this church and you feel the Lord calling you to membership here I would be happy to answer any questions you might have about membership.

Any questions or need of prayer, I will be up here ready to pray with you this morning. Or, if you aren’t comfortable coming up this morning, you can stop by my office or call/text me and I would be happy to sit down with you.

Benediction

Prayer

2 Corinthians 13:14 ESV

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.