Sin in the Camp
Josh 7:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.
Achan took something that was forbidden. They were told to take nothing for personal gain. Achan had taken of the accursed thing, something used in demonic worship. Sin was in the camp because of one man's disobedience. This was a type of Adam partaking of the accursed thing. When sin lies unconfessed, God will withdraw his presence.
Josh 7:2 And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east side of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.
Josh 7:3 And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.
Josh 7:4 So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.
Josh 7:5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.
This defeat, was not because there were not enough men. It was because they did not consult God first. They should not have gone out into battle, not having heard from God and with sin in their camp. They were confident because of the victory at Jericho. They soon forgot that it was God's victory. Now it was Israel's hearts that were melting like water.
God wanted the glory in their lives and in our lives too. We trust in Him and when we are successful, we keep trusting him. We must stay humble and dependent and free from known sin.
Gal 3:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
Put away Sin
Josh 7:6 And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.
This was the way to show grief and humility before the LORD.
Josh 7:7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!
Be careful Joshua, you are beginning to sound like the older generation who perished because of murmurings.
Exo 17:3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
Exo 17:4 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.
Josh 7:8 O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!
Josh 7:9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?
What will they do now?
Josh 7:10 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?
Where is your faith, why are you not strong Joshua? Remember what the LORD had said to you before? Be strong and keep the law of God.
Josh 1:6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
Josh 1:7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
Josh 7:11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.
Josh 7:12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.
Put away the transgression, or God will not be with you.
Deu 23:14 For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.
Hear the words of David, can we agree?
Psa 26:2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.
Psa 26:3 For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth.
Psa 26:4 I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers.
Psa 26:5 I have hated the congregation of evildoers; and will not sit with the wicked.
Psa 26:6 I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD:
Psa 26:7 That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.
Sinner revealed
Josh 7:13 Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.
Israel was under the law, we in Christ Jesus are under grace. Under the law, disobedience brought God's curse, so they needed to sanctify themselves. There was ceremonial cleansing and blood sacrifices, but first they must put away the sin that is among them, the accursed thing. They must make themselves acceptable to God. Even under grace we can be removed from God's presence due to not removing the sin in our lives. Put it away, confess it and be restored.
Josh 7:14 In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the LORD taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the LORD shall take shall come by households; and the household which the LORD shall take shall come man by man.
God was going to reveal the sin in front of Joshua and the priests. First by tribe, then by families, then by a specific family, a household and man by man until the sinner is revealed.
Josh 7:15 And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.
The guilty man would be consumed with fire along with all of his possessions. Sin must be dealt with. Jesus shall bring fire and judgment.
Luke 3:16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:
Luke 3:17 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.
Josh 7:16 So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken:
Josh 7:17 And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken:
Josh 7:18 And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.
Josh 7:19 And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.
The Lord had revealed Achan as the transgressor. It is time to give an accounting. He could not hide from God. It would have been better to have confessed earlier, instead of when caught. We must remember that God knows all, we can hide nothing from him. Fuzzy thinking about morals and excuses, will be exposed to the fire of God.
Achan
Josh 7:20 And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:
Josh 7:21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.
He transgressed the order of Joshua, to not take personal things from Jericho.
Josh 6:17 And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.
Josh 6:18 And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.
Josh 6:19 But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.
This sin caused God to turn away from them, and they were defeated in battle. What of our countries sins and our troops fighting to protect us? Should we not be turning to God and putting away evil from our land? It appears that the trend is to keep evil and put away God from our land. This invites our enemies in to destroy. Those who hate our country hate God as well.
Josh 7:22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.
Josh 7:23 And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD.
Josh 7:24 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.
All the possessions of Achan, family included, were to be destroyed.
Josh 7:25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.
Josh 7:26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.
What does God think of sin? This is an example of just payment for sin. Sin brings death. That is why Jesus came, to die for our sins, so that we would not receive the wrath and judgment of God. Were Achan and all of his family to be cast into hell? Perhaps not, if they repented and trusted the promises of God they would be saved, even by fire. Paul spoke of this in another incident. P> Works shall be tested by fire.
1 Cor 3:13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
1 Cor 3:14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1 Cor 3:15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himse shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
Sin brings death to the body, but not always to the soul.
1 Cor 5:3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
1 Cor 5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1 Cor 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
In Christ Jesus we are saved from the wrath of God and hell.
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