So, the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land. But the Israelites acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So, the Lord’s anger burned against Israel. (Joshua 6:27-7:1, NIV 1984).
My Musings – This set the stage for Israel’s roller-coaster relationship with God. Their instructions before going into the city were quite clear. “The Lord has given you the city! The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise, you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it.” (Joshua 6:16-18, NIV 1984). Disobedience, not dealt with through confession and repentance will have consequences.
The consequences came during their next campaign. “Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, ‘Go up and spy out the region.’ So, the men went up and spied out Ai. When they returned to Joshua, they said, ‘Not all the people will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary all the people, for only a few men are there.’ So about three thousand men went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted and became like water.” (Joshua 7:2-5, NIV 1984).
Confident, and perhaps a bit cocky from the victory at Jericho, there is no indication that Joshua inquired of the Lord before sending his men into battle. If he had done so, he would likely have been aware of what Achan had done. Yes, it seems like such a little thing, involving only one individual, for it to be dealt with so harshly. But little things have a way of turning into big things. Eventually, “a little yeast [will work] through the whole batch of dough? [One must] get rid of the old yeast that [they] may be a new batch without yeast.” (1 Corinthians 5:6-7, NIV).
It needed to be dealt with before it worked its way through the whole “batch” of Israelites. Put in this context, it doesn’t seem so harsh after all. To mix my metaphors, the cancer needs to be caught early and cut away until the margins are clean. Otherwise, the cancer grows and metastasize, leading to more radical treatments and perhaps even death.
At any rate, God got their attention, and the offence was dealt with decisively. “Joshua said, ‘Why have you [Achan] brought this trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today.’ Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest [his family, because they kept quiet], they burned them. Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger.” (Joshua 7:25-26, NIV 1984).
My Advice – “But the Israelites acted unfaithfully,” and so do we. When we act unfaithfully and sin “against the Lord…[we] may be sure that [our] sin will find [us] out.” (Numbers 32:33, NIV 1984). That’s the bad (but ultimately good) news. The good news? “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, NIV 1984).
In between the bad news and the ultimately good news there may be consequences. But that is actually good news too. Why? “What son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:7-8, 10-11, NIV 1984).
The Brew Is A Musing 