Click to read Joshua 7
(Request - Please leave your comment after reading this blog. Help me know if what I am doing is correct, incorrect and if it is helping you. Thanks.)
Synopsis
Just after a great victory at Jerico, Joshua and the nation was moving against Ai, a small city. Instead of seeking God's guidance, they decided to do things "on their own". They sent out spies and decided to send a small army to attack the city. They were routed and 36 lives were lost. Fear came upon the people. It caused Joshua and the leaders to question and perhaps even doubt God.
Only when they sought God, did they know what had happened. Achan kept some of the things belonging to the Canaanites. These were all components devoted to the pagan gods of Jerico. Because of his sin, Israel, as nation, suffered the defeat. The nation was frightened and their hearts melted!
While God cannot condone sin, He also provided a way out for them. The people were to re-consecrate themselves before Him and the sinner had to be dealt with.
Achan and his whole household, including the live stocks he owned, were stoned to death and burnt. This may seemed a harsh punishment but it was something that had to be done to preserve Israel's relationship with God and to get His protection. This is especially so when Achan had disobeyed a very important instruction - the cleansing of the land so that Israel would not have to live with the pagans.
Major verses
V6 - 9 - Joshua did not consult God before deciding on attacking Ai. In fact, they depended on their own ability; spying and calculating the strength of the attack force needed. And when he came before God finally, he poured out his heart. It was an earnest complaint about the failure.
What I learnt
We must learn to rely on God completely, even when the task seems easy and are well withing our "human wisdom and strength". Relying on Him completely does not mean not doing anything at all. It means to revere Him in our decision, mindful that He is the controller of all things.
Joshua poured out his grieves and complaint to God. We must also learn to walk so closely to our Abba Father that we can come before Him completely assured that He will listen to our cries for help.
V10 - 13 - Until those offending items, which were devoted to the pagan gods, were removed from the camp, God told Joshua that the nation would not be able to stand against the enemy. God provided a way out for them; to consecrate the people again and to destroy the items.
What I learnt
We must desire to live by God's standard. While in the process of sanctification, we may fall short, we certainly must purpose it in our heart to keep His ways. We cannot serve two masters.
Summary
God's standard requires that all sin be purged. Sin and godliness do not mix and cannot go hand in hand. I thank God for His promise in 2 Cor 5:21 ; "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." Hallelujah.
Next up
Joshua 8 tells us that we can obtain victory by trusting God...coming on 15th Jan.
Hello Steven, leaving a post to say I read the blog and was blessed and even challenged by your sharing. Please keep it up. Many people read without commenting as it is hard to know what to say especially about issues of God's judgment. The tradegy with Achan is that his sin resulted in other innocent people dying including his sons and daughters. Our actions can bless others but also they can cause others to suffer, we should live right before God for others sake as well as our own.
ReplyDelete