by Jarrod Jacobs
Synopsis: After successfully conquering Jericho, the armies of Israel suffered a serious setback at Ai. Victory occurred because they walked by faith; tragedy struck because sin was in the camp.
Israel's journey to Ai under the leadership of Joshua is recorded in the seventh chapter of Joshua. At this point, they have defeated Jericho, and were traveling west to the city of Ai, which was located about ten miles away. However, rather than being victorious against Ai, the Bible says, "So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai. 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" (Josh. 7:4-5). Let us study and learn why this happened and make applications to our lives.
The loss of life and morale could be traced, not to a group of men, nor a vast conspiracy, but to one man. This man's name was Achan (7:1, 19-20). His name, which means "trouble, troublesome" (Strong), is very fitting because of what he did to cause trouble for the entire nation of Israel!
To understand what he did and why this was so wrong, we need to go back to Joshua 6. At Jericho, God said Israel must keep themselves from "the accursed thing," and that all the gold, silver, brass, and iron was to be given to God (6:19-20). When the time came for the soldiers to utterly destroy this place, Achan "took of the accursed thing… silver, and… gold" (7:1, 21). In other words, this man was guilty of stealing what belonged to God! As a result of his sin, he and his family were executed (7:24-25). They piled stones up and named the place Achor (7:26), which also means "trouble" (Strong).
One man's sin and selfishness brought trouble which resulted in the loss of lives (7:5, 24), the loss of morale (7:5), and confusion among the leaders (7:6-9, 21)! Some have the idea that one man's sin has little effect in the grand scheme of things. They are wrong! If we have this attitude toward sin, repent of that now!
Just as Achan was a troubler of national Israel, we can be troublers in spiritual Israel! This happens when we allow sin to control us. Satan does not sleep! He is very happy to have us wrapped up in sin to impede the growth of the Lord's church (1 Pet. 5:8). This is why examining ourselves according to the Scriptures is necessary (Ps. 119:59; Lam. 3:40; 2 Cor. 13:5; James 1:22-25). Sin affects us, our families, and the church! Let us never forget that.
Perhaps we do not appreciate the horrible nature of sin as we ought. Just think: One man's sin did not merely affect his spiritual life! This one sin resulted in the death of thirty-six men. Therefore, there were no less than thirty-six families with no son/husband/father/uncle. Achan's sin destroyed him and his children (Josh. 7:5, 24). This "one sin" also kept the Israelites from accomplishing their goal set by God (7:4-5).
Sometimes, we hear people say, "One sin will not hurt." Some may think that a "small sin" (in the eyes of men) is of little consequence. Christians ought to know better! Remember that one sin condemned Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:16-21, 24). One sin was the motivation for sending Christ to the cross (Gen. 3:15; Isa. 53:4-6). Victory or defeat at Ai was determined by just one sin (Josh. 7). "Just one sin" resulted in the death of a baby, the ruin of a king (2 Sam. 11-12), and the death of a husband and wife (Acts 5:1-11)!
We need to appreciate how destructive sin is and stay far away from it! When we see sin in our lives, let us humbly approach God and ask for His forgiveness (1 Pet. 5:5-6). Let us be faithful to Him all the days of our lives (1 Cor. 15:58; Rev. 2:10). "Let us put on the armor of light" (Rom. 13:12; Eph. 6:11-17) that we might be able to stand in times of temptation, and not be guilty of sin.
God made it clear to Joshua that the reason they had lost was because of sin in the camp (Josh. 7:10-12). God did not want Joshua to wait for an extended period, but take care of the sin quickly! Therefore, "Joshua rose up early in the morning..." (v. 16). Solomon taught, "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil" (Eccl. 8:11). Allowing sin to continue indefinitely will do nothing but harm. This is true nationally, and this is true in the church. This is why we read such passages as 1 Corinthians 5:3-7 and 2 Thessalonians 3:6-7, which give instruction for handling matters of sin in the body. We cannot wait indefinitely before dealing with sin!
Please read Joshua 7:16 again. Joshua did not wait for Achan to grow old and die; nor did he wait until it had been so long that people forgot what had happened. He took care of things the very next morning! If we love the Lord and love the truth, we will not allow sin to go unanswered, either! Many times, sins need to be taken care of privately (Matt. 5:23-24; 18:15). However, some sins are public and need to be taken care of in that fashion, and done so speedily (1 Cor. 5:3-7; 2 Thess. 3:6-7).
What if Joshua didn't do what God said the very next morning? Would they have defeated Ai, anyway? Of course, not! For Joshua to wait and not deal with the sin would mean he would answer for his sin of rebellion against God's will! Can we see how quickly sin can compound when not handled "speedily"? This happens too many times today among God's people. Let us take a lesson from God (Josh. 7:14). Time, as some suggest, may heal many wounds, but it will not heal the wound of sin!
In reading Joshua 7:6-9, evidently none knew of Achan's trespass, initially (7:1). Yet, God did not allow them to succeed and capture Ai as if nothing was wrong (7:5). Their ignorance concerning Achan's sin did not keep them from facing God's wrath! We also need to see that ignorance is no excuse for sinful behavior! Paul said, "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse" (Rom. 1:20). Men today have no excuse for denying God.
Though ignorant of Achan's sin, the Israelites suffered defeat. We as well will suffer God's wrath, whether or not we are ignorant of our sin. We have multiplied opportunities and freedom to hear and obey God's will. We are without excuse if we die in our sins today!
This is a quotation from Numbers 32:23. This statement could also be applied to Achan. Though no one seemed to know what had happened at first, it was not long until all Israel knew (Josh. 7:14-18)! Ultimately, we see Achan found, confronted, and executed for his sin! I have often wondered if he thought the garment, gold, and silver were worth it just seconds before the first stone hit?
Just as Achan was guilty of stealing from God (6:18-19), are we guilty of stealing from God? Are we giving of our means as we ought (1 Cor. 16:1-2; 2 Cor. 9:6-7)? Are we stealing time from God (Ps. 1:2; 2 Tim. 2:15)? Are we stealing our children from God (Eph. 6:4)? Are we living for self or God (Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Cor. 6:19-20)? Let us not be a troubler like Achan, but live to edify and strengthen the brethren (Acts 4:36; Eph. 4:29).
I had a dear friend ask me how God could kill thousands upon thousands. He said it was hard for him to believe that God would want this. I appreciate this question and respect him for asking it. When we examine the Scriptures, we see that God wants folks to examine, test, and ask questions like my friend did (Isa. 1:18; Matt. 11:29; Acts 17:11; Eph. 5:10; 1 Thess. 5:21; Rom. 12:2). Below is my answer to my friend's question. We include it here in the hope that perhaps this answer might help others who have had the same question.
It is hard to imagine God telling the Israelites to kill another nation, but I have to remember that this is part of a larger context. It is not God randomly saying He wants to kill one group or another for no reason.
God had been patient with these people for at least 400 years. Go back to Abraham and read this in Genesis 15:1-17, where God promises to give the land of Canaan to Abraham, but said he cannot have it now, "because the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." When God saw that the people would no longer repent, then He took them out of the land. Therefore, when the Israelites came there under Joshua's leadership to take the land of Canaan, it was a fulfillment of God's promise, yes, but it was also as a punishment for the sins of the Amorites, Jebusites, Canaanites, etc.
We see a similar theme through the rest of the Old Testament. Even the Jews would be allowed to be killed at times and taken into captivity because of their sins before God. When they refused to repent, they would be handed over to another nation for a while until they repented. We see this described in Judges 2:11-23. Also, when God gave over the northern tribes of Israel to Assyria, or later, the southern tribes over to Babylon, it was because of their sins and their refusal to repent (cf. Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.)
God would overthrow Babylon later for similar reasons. He has a way of making folks face the consequences of their sins. This is true of individuals, and this is also true for entire nations of people. Read Daniel 4:31-32 about Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.
Read Romans 1:21-32 and you will see a synopsis of God's dealings with the Gentiles over the years as they continued to sin before God. Especially notice verse 28. These people were given over when they got to the point they did not like to retain God in their knowledge.
I believe these things recorded in the Bible are also for our learning (Rom. 15:4). We need to understand that God keeps His word and that He will not allow sin to go unpunished. We learn that one day if we are in sin and away from God, we will be lost in Hell. Individual people will be judged… when He judges and shows how they had sinned before Him for years and years and years.
So, that is what we see happening in the Bible in places like Ai, and many others. These are not the acts of a random or vengeful God, but the acts of a just and righteous God who has said these people have lived in sin and refused to repent for too long and must answer for what they have done.
Author Bio: Jarrod has preached the gospel for over 25 years, and is currently working with the brethren in Caneyville, KY. He can be reached at jjacobs291@aol.com.
