The Battle for Ai
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THIS IS NOT ABOUT ANYONE I HAVE SPOKEN TO RECENTLY
Israel has been in the desert for 40 years for their lack of faith in God’s ability to bring them into the promised land (spies story)
But now they start their conquest to empty Canaan of the inhabitants there
Now they were starting to inhabit Canaan and bring judgement on the inhabitants of Canaan
show map of canaan
It was a judgement fullfillment
Why....Canaan and not somewhere else?
Noah seen naked by Ham, his youngest son (sexually inappropriate behavior by Ham)
Noah found out about it
Noah says this...
Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and went outside and told his brothers. Then Shem and Japheth took a robe, held it over their shoulders, and backed into the tent to cover their father. As they did this, they looked the other way so they would not see him naked. When Noah woke up from his stupor, he learned what Ham, his youngest son, had done. Then he cursed Canaan, the son of Ham: “May Canaan be cursed! May he be the lowest of servants to his relatives.” Then Noah said, “May the Lord, the God of Shem, be blessed, and may Canaan be his servant! May God expand the territory of Japheth! May Japheth share the prosperity of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant.”
Ham was the ancestor of the peoples of Africa-black man
They had now crossed the Jordan and had just defeated the first city..Jericho
Ham was not cursed
His son Canaan was
Canaan was the father of the Canaanites who inhabited Canaan
They had now crossed the Jordan and had just defeated the first city..Jericho
God has pronounced a Harem concerning the battle for Jericho
The verb form, haram, means “to ban, devote, or destroy utterly
Jericho and everything in it must be completely destroyed as an offering to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and the others in her house will be spared, for she protected our spies. “Do not take any of the things set apart for destruction, or you yourselves will be completely destroyed, and you will bring trouble on the camp of Israel. Everything made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron is sacred to the Lord and must be brought into his treasury.”
This is important
God clearly instructed them about what their behavior should be
Every living thing killed
Every sacred thing devoted solely to God
So they defeat Jericho and move to their next battle…the city of Ai
Joshua sends spies out to look at the city and this is what they tell him
So they defeat Jericho and move to their next battle…the city of Ai
When they returned, they told Joshua, “There’s no need for all of us to go up there; it won’t take more than two or three thousand men to attack Ai. Since there are so few of them, don’t make all our people struggle to go up there.” So approximately 3,000 warriors were sent, but they were soundly defeated. The men of Ai chased the Israelites from the town gate as far as the quarries, and they killed about thirty-six who were retreating down the slope. The Israelites were paralyzed with fear at this turn of events, and their courage melted away.
Joshua 7:
Imagine what the israelites must have been thinking
Imagine what the israelites must have been thinking
This tremendous deliverance from Egypt (young people who never experienced it but believed..?)
40 years in the desert being told they would have this “promised land”
Second City they are defeated......was Jericho a fluke?
They must have thought they were finished…had believed a lie.
We often think these things when life takes a turn
Joshua and the elders of Israel tore their clothing in dismay, threw dust on their heads, and bowed face down to the ground before the Ark of the Lord until evening.
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But the Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this? Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. And they have not only stolen them but have lied about it and hidden the things among their own belongings. That is why the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat. For now Israel itself has been set apart for destruction. I will not remain with you any longer unless you destroy the things among you that were set apart for destruction.
They do a search and discover one man has taken some expensive cloth, Gold and silver and hid it in his tent
Notice that God says...
Israel sinned.....God sees one person’s sin as all Israel
God also said.....
For now Israel itself has been set apart for destruction.
The sin of one person could bring God’s disfavor on the whole group
The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthians tells us why this is so.
The church there had a man sleeping with his step mother…!
And they were not doing anything about it.
You get what you expect and you deserve what you tolerate.
-Mark Graban
Your boasting about this is terrible. Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old “yeast” by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us.
You get what you expect and you deserve what you tolerate.
-Mark Graban
What we tolerate in our lives and in church will multiply
Discontent or disagreement always evangelizes
Rarely brought to leadership
But “shared” between congregation
Misery loves company
Back to Joshua
They killed Achan and his family by stoning....
It is better to be humble before God
It is better to be humble before God
than
Being humbled by God
Disobedience was the issue here....not the stealing or greed itself
Keeping the spoils from war was not a sin
City of Ai , Israel was allowed to keep the plunder
City of Jericho they were not…
Achan disobeyed....
and it hindered Israel’s ability to continue in its job of taking the promised land.
Why is this story in the bible
God saw Israel as one people made up of many people
What one person does effects the whole group
God sees the church as one entity made up of many saints
One person’s disobedience can hinder the whole church
TONY & AGNUS’S WORDS TO MOSAIC
What is the Christian definition of sinful disobedience?
Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
It is not a crazy thought to say that disobedience by people in a church can hinder the forward progress of that church.
Is there willful disobedience in our individual lives
Are we doing what God is asking us to do
These are the words I received when praying about this situation
Disobedience
Honesty
Truth
Spiritual Laziness
Being Called Out
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.
Hebrews 4:
Grace is here for people now..........no stoning required......only repentance
People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.
Hebrews tells us what to do with our sinful disobedience
This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. 11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.
Keeping the spoils from war was not a sin
12 So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees.
City of Ai , Israel was allowed to keep the plunder
City of Jericho they were not…
Achan disobeyed....and it hindered Israel’s ability to continue in its job of taking the promised land.