Joshua 7:1
1 But the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully in regard to the things under the ban, for Achan,…took some of the things under the ban, therefore the anger of the LORD burned against the sons of Israel.NAS
This concept is called “corporate solidarity” and it is found in various places throughout the pages of Scripture (2 Chronicles 7:14; Nehemiah 1; Daniel 9; 1 Corinthians 5ff.). What is played out in Joshua 7 is the realization of this corporate solidarity in the life of Israel.
**Now, as we stated previously, there are six elements to the story, in the last post we looked at the first three, in this post we will look at the final three.
Element #1 – The Disobedience of Achan – v.1
Element #2 – The Defeat at Ai – v.2-5
Element #3 – The Dismay of Joshua – v.6-9
Element #4 – The Direction from the Lord – v.10-15
In verses 10-15 the Lord speaks to Joshua directly (as He has done previously), as He directs Joshua He does three things.
(1) He gave Joshua a mild rebuke –v.10
10 So the LORD said to Joshua, "Rise up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face?
The Lord had allowed Joshua and the Elders to stay on their faces until they got their frustration out of their system and when they finally came to an end to themselves, God said, “Get up, it is time to deal with the reason for the defeat.” There is a time to pray and then there is a time to act. Now it was time for Joshua to get up off of his face and to act.
(2) He explained to Joshua the reason for the defeat –v.11-13
11 "Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things under the ban and have both stolen and deceived. Moreover, they have also put them among their own things.
Here again we see the emphasis on the concept of corporate solidarity. Although Achan is the one who took the “herem” (the Hebrew word translated “accursed,” “under the ban” etc.) the Lord lays the sin at the feet of Israel (notice the use of the plural pronouns in verses 11-13 – “they,” “them,” “their” etc.). Listen to the indictment as it is spelled out to Joshua.
· Israel has “sinned”
· Israel had “transgressed” God’s covenant
· Israel had “taken” some of the things under the ban and have both “stolen and deceived”
· Israel had “put” the things under the ban among their “own things”
The bottom line is that Israel itself had become a “herem” – devoted to destruction / accursed (Joshua 6:17-19).
12 Therefore the sons of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, for they have become accursed. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from your midst.
There is no double standard with God, the Canaanites had become a “herem” because of their sins and now Israel had become one as well. Although we don’t see it in the English text, the word “herem” is repeated six times in this section (v.11-15). The repetition reveals the severity of the disobedience and the consistency of God’s attitude toward sin.
v.11 – And they have even taken some of the things under the ban
v.12 – for they have become accursed
v.12 – I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from your midst
v.13 – “Rise up! Consecrate the people and say, 'Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for thus the LORD, the God of Israel, has said," There are things under the ban in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you have removed the things under the ban from your midst.”
v.15 – 'And it shall be that the one who is taken with the things under the ban shall be burned with fire
As long as Israel allowed this “herem” to exist to exist in their midst, God would not be with them.
· I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from your midst – v.12
· You cannot stand before your enemies until you have removed the things under the ban from your midst – v.13
(3) He revealed unique instructions to Joshua on how they were to discover the culprit – v.13-15
13 “Rise up! Consecrate the people and say, 'Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for thus the LORD, the God of Israel, has said," There are things under the ban in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you have removed the things under the ban from your midst.” 14 'In the morning then you shall come near by your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which the LORD takes by lot shall come near by families, and the family which the LORD takes shall come near by households, and the household which the LORD takes shall come near man by man.
The key to the discovery would be that each individual member would consecrate themselves first (Psalm 139:23-24). Then, God would direct a fourfold process where the culprit would be discovered. This process involved identifying first, the tribe of the individual, then the family of the individual, then the household of the individual and finally, the individual himself.
Exactly how this identification was done is not made clear in the text, only that the Lord would direct it. The NASB says that the Lord would take each group “by lot.” However, the phrase “by lot” is in italics which indicates that it was not in the original but added by the translators ostensibly to help clarify the text (see 1 Samuel 14:36-43 for a similar case). Given that the lot was often used as a means of determining God’s will, it could well be that it was used by the Lord to identify the sinner who brought all this on Israel, the text just doesn’t say that for sure (for an interesting description of how the lot may have been used in this instance see Paul Enns in his volume on Joshua, pp. 67).
15 'And it shall be that the one who is taken with the things under the ban shall be burned with fire, he and all that belongs to him, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he has committed a disgraceful thing in Israel.' "
Verse 15 reiterates the seriousness of the sin. Achan had “committed a disgraceful thing in Israel.” The phrase “disgraceful thing” speaks of a flagrant sin. God is saying that Achan has done this with his eyes wide open, knowing the consequences if he were to be caught.
Element #5 – The Discovery of Achan – v.16-21
Whenever I read this passage I am reminded of a movie I once saw in school called “The Lottery.” You can find a brief synopsis of the movie here. I will never forget watching the process this little town went through to select the person who would be sacrificed by stoning. That process was very similar as to what happened in Joshua, although the reason was completely different. Nonetheless, it was a horrifying experience.
16 So Joshua arose early in the morning
This is a phrase that is used five times in the book of Joshua and is always used in the context of Joshua fulfilling some assignment from God.
16 So Joshua arose early in the morning and brought Israel near by tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17 And he brought the family of Judah near, and he took the family of the Zerahites; and he brought the family of the Zerahites near man by man, and Zabdi was taken. 18 And he brought his household near man by man; and Achan, son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, was taken.
In following God’s instructions, Joshua was methodical in identifying the culprit. First the tribe of Judah was taken. Then the family of Zerah was taken. Next, the household of Zabdi was taken. Finally, Achan the son of Carmi was taken.
Think about what must have been going through Achan’s mind as “the accusing finger of God pointed closer and closer to him.” Achan learned what we all should instinctively know, nobody can hide from God.
Jeremiah 23:24
24 "Can a man hide himself in hiding places,
So I do not see him?" declares the LORD.
"Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?" declares the LORD.NAS
Jeremiah 16:17
17 "For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity concealed from My eyes. NAS
As Warren Wiersbe writes,
Whether sinners run to the top of the mountains or dive to the bottom of the seas, God will find them and judge them (Amos 9:3). “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” (Ecc. 12:14). “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” asked the prophet (Jer. 17:9); and he answered the question in the next verse: “I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings” (Be strong, pp. 91).
What Achan could hide from the rest of Israel, he could not hide from God. How sobering that should be to us.
Now as we come to verse 19-21 all eyes turn to Achan.
19 Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, I implore you, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and give praise to Him; and tell me now what you have done. Do not hide it from me."
Many in the crowd must have wondered what this man could have done that so displeased the Lord. The families of the thirty-six soldiers who were killed as they attacked Ai must have especially wanted to know.
In any event, Joshua turns his attention to Achan and addresses him personally. As he addresses Achan Joshua tells him to do three things. Taken together these three things encompass Joshua admonition to give glory to the LORD.
First, he tells Achan to “give praise to Him.” The NKJV says, “and make confession to Him.” Interestingly, the Hebrew words for praise and confession come from the same root word. When we confess our sin to God, we are in essence giving Him praise because we are acknowledging that we have sinned against Him. In the New Testament the word confess (homologeo) means to agree or acknowledge. What do we agree with God about? We agree that our sin has been against Him.
Second, he says to Achan, “tell me now what you have done.” Not only was Achan to confess his sin to God, but he was also to confess his sin corporately to Joshua, the Elders and the people. Corporate confession is important, especially given the fact that God was holding Israel corporately responsible for the sin of Achan.
Third, Joshua tells Achan to come completely clean about his sin, “do not hide it from me.” When a group is experiencing the consequences of sin corporately, there must be confession to God, to the group and their must be integrity with the individual by coming clean about the sin.
20 So Achan answered Joshua and said, "Truly, I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel, and this is what I did: 21 when I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle from Shinar and two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold fifty shekels in weight, then I coveted them and took them; and behold, they are concealed in the earth inside my tent with the silver underneath it."
Achan heeds Joshua’s admonition and confesses his sin. The evidence that this is a sincere confession can be seen in the fact that Achan gives complete confession. He acknowledged that his sin was a sin against God. He had violated the first, eighth and ninth Commandments (Exodus 20:3, 15, 17). He had violated God’s instructions in Deuteronomy 20:10-20 and Leviticus 19:11.
Also, note the description of his temptation in v.21 and how it parallels Eve’s temptation in Genesis 3:6. In fact the same Hebrew verbs are used in both descriptions. They both “saw,” they both “coveted” (desired), and they both “took.” Notice too, that after they sinned they both tried to hide what they had done from God (Genesis 3:7ff). Remember that sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2). The sin of Achan and of Eve is even more tragic when you consider what God had done for both of them.
Achan’s sin becomes even more odious when you stop to realize all that God had done for him. God had cared for him and his family in the wilderness. He had brought them safely across the Jordan and given the army victory at Jericho. The Lord had accepted Achan as a son of the covenant at Gilgal. Yet in spite of all these wonderful experiences, Achan disobeyed God just to possess some wealth that he couldn’t even enjoy. Had he waited just a day or two, he could have gathered all the spoils he wanted from the victory at Ai! “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matt. 6:33, NKJV) (Warren Wiersbe, Be Strong, pp. 86).
The question arises, why did God use the tactic that He did to identify Achan? Why didn’t He just immediately tell Joshua who it was so that they could deal with it and move on? Gene Getz offers two possible reasons.
First, God wanted Israel to observe the process and to never forget! As each lot fell and as each tribe, family and household was identified, all Israel would have a chance to think hard and long about the seriousness of violating God’s commandments! Short memories often need dramatic experiences!
Second, I believe God, in His divine love and mercy, was once again offering a way of escape to a man who had woefully disobeyed Him. Had Achan immediately confessed and truly repented of his sin, he and his whole household may have been spared! It would be consistent with God’s nature to do this, for years later He pardoned David the King of Israel who committed two horrible sins which should have brought him death. But because of David’s repentant heart the Lord spared him.
In Achan’s situation it seems that God was giving him time–just as He did for the people of Jericho. First, his tribe was identified—then, his family, and finally his household! And then the lot fell on him! After all this, Achan confessed his sin! His back was against the wall. He had no choice, His confession was forced! It was too
late—just as it will be for many someday when every knee shall bow before God and acknowledge who He is (see Phil. 2:10,11) (Joshua: Defeat To Victory, pp. 113-114).
Element #6 – The Destruction of Achan and His Household – v.22-26
22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was concealed in his tent with the silver underneath it. 23 And they took them from inside the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the sons of Israel, and they poured them out before the LORD.
Verse 22 confirms the veracity of Achan’s confession! They went to his tent and found the silver where he said it would be. Also, notice the phrase “poured them out before the Lord” in verse 23. It is a phrase that is used in other places to refer to a drink offering. It is also used of someone being ceremonially anointed with oil. The stolen items were retrieved from Achan’s tent and symbolically “poured out” before the Lord, returning what belonged to Him.
24 Then Joshua and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the mantle, the bar of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent and all that belonged to him; and they brought them up to the valley of Achor.
Notice the word “all” in verse 24. It is important because it once again emphasizes corporate solidarity. The execution of Achan would be a corporate response to the corporate guilt that Achan had brought upon Israel.
25 And Joshua said, "Why have you troubled us? The LORD will trouble you this day." And all Israel stoned them with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones.
In view of Deuteronomy 24:16 which tells us that no one is to be put to death for another family member’s sin and that everyone shall be put to death for his own sin, Achan’s family must have been complicit in his sin.
26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones that stands to this day, and the LORD turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the valley of Achor to this day.
The wording in verse 26 calls to mind the memorial established in chapter 4. In a short period of time we have two memorials established for Israel, one positive and one negative. One memorial reminded Israel of God’s protection and power and the other reminded them of His holiness and justice. One focused on the consequences of faith while the other focused on the consequences of sin.
It is important to note this merciful phrase, and the LORD turned from the fierceness of His anger. This is what God did for us on the cross. On Jesus He poured out His anger and wrath against sin, so that we might be saved from the consequences of sin (Romans 6:23). Thankfully, none of us today have to pay for our sin with our own lives Jesus Christ did that for us. In His death he atoned for our sin, he appeased the wrath of God and made it possible for us to be reconciled to God. This concept is explained wonderfully for us in 2 Corinthians 5:11-21.
11 Therefore knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences. 12 We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, that you may have an answer for those who take pride in appearance, and not in heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. 16 Therefore from now on we recognize no man according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.NAS
If you have not yet been reconciled to God by faith in Jesus Christ, we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God!
**Rather than reinvent the wheel, and because it is so good, I have used Paul Enns outline on Joshua 7 (Paul Enns, BSC, Joshua, pp. 63-70).
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