(1) God knew exactly what everyone had done, even Achan was among 2 millions people. His tribal, clan, family identity were all recorded in 7:1 and 16-18
(2) Failure of depending on the past success and failure of overestimation
A. Joshua sent spies to Ai just like what he did before for Jericho 7:2.
(BKC) On this occasion there is no mention of prayer and no evidence of dependence on God...B. Joshua was first advised to just fight Ai with 2-3 thousands men (7:3), but when God taught them how to fight Joshua employed 35,000 men (8:3,12) hidden behind the city and then he himself led the rest of the army (8:1).
(BKC) The calamity that befell Israel was due, at least in part, to minimizing the enemy and to assuming that one victory guaranteed another. But life simply does not work that way. Yesterday’s victory does not make a believer immune from defeat today. He must continually depend on the Lord for strength.
Application: To be, this is a sober lesson, especially when I feel like everything goes very well. Prayer and relying on God in our ministry are especially important when we feel that our Bible study went very well, the children in Sunday school had good responses to the Word, and the attendance of the church became more stable...
(3) The concept of cooperate holiness
Achan sinned, but God saw that as "Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenantal commandments..." v.10-11
Also the consequence of this 1 person's sin will affect the whole nation. "The Israelites are unable to stand before their enemies; they retreat..." v.12.
Therefore, together, they need to be cleansed.
12 ...I will no longer be with you, unless you destroy what has contaminated you. 13 Get up! Ritually consecrate the people and tell them this: ‘Ritually consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, because this is what the LORD God of Israel has said, “You are contaminated, O Israel! You will not be able to stand before your enemies until you remove what is contaminating you.”
(NET) This incident illustrates well the principle of corporate solidarity and corporate guilt. The sin of one man brought the LORD’s anger down upon the entire nation.
It is like the virus, only 1 person sinned would contaminate the whole community. It was because God will not be with them with just 1 person's sin. Achan's sin was a defiant disobedience to God's command. God told them specifically what should not be taken during the war, which was very obviously a battle God fought for them. He did not sin carelessly. If someone could not obey God in that instant, perhaps, there would be no chance that he would obey any of God's commands.
Application: God ordered the Israelites to set apart and remove the contamination. Although the way to remove the contamination is different, but in the NT, Paul also mentioned to remove the yeast, which will rise the dough in 1 Cor 5:6-8. Do we have Achan in our church? Do we have Achan in our own body?
(4) 19 So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, honor the LORD God of Israel and give him praise! Tell me what you did; don’t hide anything from me.” 20 Achan told Joshua, “It is true. I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel in this way:
(NAC) By confessing (and not hiding) his sin, he was indeed glorifying and praising God
21 I saw among the goods we seized a nice robe from Babylon, 200 silver pieces, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels. I wanted them, so I took them
(BKC) The three crucial steps in Achan’s sin are familiar: he saw; he coveted; he took. Eve took the same tragic steps in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:6), as did David with Bathsheba (2 Sam. 11:2–4)...Achan may well have reasoned, “After all, I have been deprived of the good things of life these many years in the wilderness. Here is a beautiful new and stylish garment and some silver and gold. How could God want to withhold these things from me? They will never be missed, and I am entitled to some pleasure and prosperity.” But there was a specific command against taking any of Jericho’s booty. (Joshua had told the people that all the silver and gold were to be put in the Lord’s treasury; Josh. 6:19.) God’s Word can never be rationalized away without penalty.
Application: What is the nice Babylonian robe to us? Do we rationalize away our sins? How could I let go of something so desirable? How could I not let my family live more comfortably? How could I not treat myself with the best stuff?
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