Reading: Joshua 7
Joshua sent some men to spy out the land called Ai. When the men came back, they seemed to believe that Israel could easily take over the land because not many people lived there. So they recommended that Joshua only send two or three thousand men, but not to bother sending the whole army. We can gather that these men were pretty confident that they would not be defeated. However, they were wrong–but there was a reason.
The Israelites were defeated in this endeavor to take over the land of Ai and this brought devastation to the men. Joshua, the leader, was definitely impacted, overwhelmed by sadness and mourning. This is where God interjects. He told 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.” Joshua 7:10-11 Wow! So now we see what’s going on here!
Joshua could have sent 5,000, 10,000, 20,000 men on this assignment in Ai, but they would have still been defeated because someone/some people were doing things that were not right towards God. In this case, they were stealing, lying and being deceitful. How does this account relate to our lives today?
Is there anything that’s so easy, so doable, something you can do with your eyes closed, but still seems to not be going right? Don’t get me wrong, there could be other reasons why this odd ‘defeat’ is happening, however, there is something to glean from the Israelites’ experience that is relevant to our lives. So take some time to reflect. Is there anything that is meant to honor God (devoted to God) that you may be holding back for yourself? It may not necessarily be in the category of money, but maybe something else like time, talent, etc.
In this account, the culprit was a man named Achan who stole a robe, silver, and gold. He coveted these things and took them from plunder that was meant to honor God. Joshua gave him the opportunity to share what was going on and he ended up confessing everything. This confession was presented to God as well. (v. 23)
Once we reflect and identify what it is that could be offending God, like Achan, confess it.
Now in the end, Achan and others in his camp were stoned to death as the repercussion of the sins. And this is where we can say “thank God for Jesus!” If it weren’t for Jesus, that’s exactly the type of destiny we would face as well. What pleases God is a heart willing to repent–change our ways. And that’s what we can be excited about! There’s no need to be downcast, but rather be joyful because we get to go after doing better, giving back the devoted things of God.