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Church of the Nazarene, Harrisonburg Campus
Joshua Part 5 – Harrisonburg Campus
After Jericho…
Review of the series:
WEEK 1: Be Strong & Courageous
WEEK 2: Rahab Hides the Men of Israel
WEEK 3: The 12 Stones – Remembering God’s Faithfulness
WEEK 4: God’s Victory at Jericho
TODAY: Consequences of Sin
Breakdown of the Book of Joshua
CHAPTERS 1-6: Entering the Promised Land
CHAPTERS 7-12: Conquering the Promised Land
CHAPTERS 13-22: Settling the Promised Land
Consider: What was the next thing that happened after the tremendous victory at Jericho?
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Joshua 6:16-19
The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For 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. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.”
Joshua 7:1-5
But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, 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. 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 army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there.” So about three thousand 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 in fear and became like water.
Joshua 7:15
Whoever is caught with the devoted things shall be destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to him. He has violated the covenant of the Lord and has done an outrageous thing in Israel!’ ”
Two “Why” Questions:
1) Why did the Israelites crush Jericho but lose to a lesser opponent in Ai?
After all, they had just celebrated a dramatic victory over mighty Jericho. Ai was the underdog. Yet they scattered God’s people.
Joshua 7:10-12
The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.
Joshua 7:20-23
Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the Lord.
Second “Why” Question:
2) Why was the response to Achan’s sin so extreme? The death penalty for theft? That doesn’t seem “fair.”
Without understanding God’s Holy Justice, we can never truly grasp, appreciate or enter into His Grace.
Today, we get to hear about Israel’s loss and Achan’s death from the shadow of the cross, where the Holy and terrible Justice of God was fulfilled on your behalf. In fact, it is a great gift to be shown the deadly underside of disobedience while there is still time. To get a clear picture of the darkness of sin is something to be grateful for. To get a clear picture of Holy God and an opportunity for repentance in His mercy, in the Name and for the cause of Christ.
Joshua 8:1-2
Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land. You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city.”