Joshua is stunned when this happens. Ai is a much smaller, less heavily fortified city than Jericho. Only a small portion of Israel's army should have been required to defeat the soldiers of Ai, yet yesterday's text told us that the Israelites "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".
Joshua is grief-stricken by the loss of thirty-six men and by the loss of the battle. He knows the nations of the land of Canaan, whose hearts formerly melted in fear at the thought of the army of Israel, will now perceive the Israelite army as weak. The heathen nations will assume that the Lord is no longer with Israel and will view this as an opportune time to attack. Not only that, but he likely fears that his own people will begin to blame him for this disaster. He sent in only three thousand soldiers because that should have been more than enough, but he knows the people may second-guess his decision and say, "If only Joshua had sent four thousand men instead of three thousand! Or if only Joshua had sent the entire army! Because of his poor battle strategy we have some new widows today. We have some fatherless children today. Perhaps Joshua wasn't chosen by the Lord to replace Moses after all. Maybe we need to choose for ourselves a different leader." In deep distress Joshua throws himself prostrate on the ground before the Lord. "Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there until the evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads." (Joshua 7:6)
"And Joshua said, 'Alas, Sovereign Lord, why did You ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! Pardon Your servant, Lord. What can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will You do for Your great name?'" (Joshua 7:7-9) Joshua does what we all do when bad news comes or when unexpected problems arise: he asks the Lord why this has happened.
He begins his prayer by acknowledging the Lord's right to handle the affairs of man however He pleases; Joshua calls Him by the title of "Sovereign Lord". The Lord is King of kings and all authority belongs to Him. He created all things and He has power over all things. Joshua acknowledges that the Lord has the right to orchestrate events to suit His purposes, even when man doesn't understand His purposes.
Next Joshua asks for understanding. He says, "Why did You bring us across the Jordan River if we aren't going to be successful? Have we come all this way and been through everything we've been through just to be defeated? Are the heathen nations of the promised land going to wipe us out? Please forgive me for asking such questions. Please pardon me for feeling disappointed and shocked and offended by this turn of events. Did we bring this defeat on ourselves? Were we too ambitious? Should we have been content to possess the land on the other side of the Jordan like the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh? Have You changed Your mind about giving the land on this side of the Jordan to the descendants of Abraham? Help me to understand, Lord! I am afraid the pagans of this land will band together and completely destroy us. If that happens, remember that the glory and honor of Your name is at stake. The idolatrous nations will mock Your name. They will say You lacked the power to do what You said You would do. Lord, rise up and defend Your honor! Make the nations tremble at the mention of Your name. Show them that You are the God of heaven and earth. Revive us from this crushing defeat, Lord!"
I've had to pray prayers similar to Joshua's when things have happened that I don't understand. I've had to say, "Forgive me, Lord, but I'm disappointed and shocked and offended. Why have You let this happen to me? I'm hurt. I'm angry. Why is this happening? What will unbelievers say? Will they say, "What good is it to serve the Lord if He doesn't protect you from disaster?' Don't let anyone be able to say that, Lord! Come to my rescue!"
David prayed prayers similar to Joshua's. In times of distress He said to the Lord, "In You, Lord my God, I put my trust. I trust in You; do not let me be put to shame, nor let me enemies triumph over me...Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in You." (Psalm 25:1-2) "In You, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in Your righteousness." (Psalm 31:5) Joshua is asking the Lord not to put Israel to shame. He doesn't want anyone to be able to say that the Lord is not able to defend Israel, or that the Lord is not able to deliver the promised land into the hands of the Israelites as He swore on oath to Abraham.
There is a time for prayer and there is a time for action. The Lord sees the humble and penitent attitudes of Joshua and the elders of Israel. He hears the cries of mourning rising up from the camp. But as often happens in the human mind, the people are beginning to catastrophize. They are imagining the worst: that all their enemies are about to rise up against them and destroy them. They are giving in to a defeated spirit. They are afraid that the Lord has abandoned them and will no longer help them. My mind becomes overtaken with such thoughts sometimes. Something upsetting happens and I start imagining the worst possible outcome. My attitude of prayer turns into a session of wallowing in pity and panic. I think that's what's happening in the Israelite camp in our text today so as soon as the mental condition of the people starts going in the wrong direction the Lord tells Joshua it's time to take action. He answers Joshua's question "why" with the answer that there is sin in the camp and that something must be done about it. "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 7:10-12)
There is no such thing as a "small" sin. Granted, some sins have more widespread and more long-lasting repercussions than others, but sin is sin. No doubt Achan thought the taking of items from Jericho was a small sin. I think he said to himself, "No one will miss these items if I take them. I know the precious metals were to be devoted to the Lord, but it's not like we had an inventory of these items before we invaded the city. If I put a few things in my pockets as we plunder the houses and public buildings of the city, who will know? Who is going to miss them? Besides, does the Lord really need gold and silver? It's man who needs gold and silver! And besides that, what's the harm in taking items that are not made of precious metals? Look at this beautifully embroidered robe from Shinar! Look at the intricately detailed images on it of gods and goddesses drinking and feasting together! Why should something this gorgeous go onto the bonfire? What a waste! I'm going to stuff this into my robe and save it to wear when I receive my allotted portion in the promised land. I'll look like the king of the castle in this."
One small sin is capable of infecting a person's character. It's also capable of infecting a whole household or an entire congregation. If Achan is allowed to get away with stealing from the Lord (taking the items meant to be devoted to Him) and if he is allowed to get away with keeping idolatrous items that were meant to be burned in the fire, this will only encourage others to disobey the Lord. If there are no consequences to disobedience, what's to stop everyone from doing what they want? The Bible tells us the Lord disciplines those He loves. (Hebrews 12:6) The Lord loves Israel and that is why He cannot turn a blind eye to the sin that took place here in Chapter 7. That's why He can't turn a blind eye to sin in your life and in my life: He loves us. Like any good father, the Lord prefers that we immediately recognize and repent of sin as soon as we've committed it. But if we cling to it---if we keep hiding it and nurturing it and reveling in it as Achan has been doing with his secret loot---He must discipline us for our own good.
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