Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

The children of Israel sinned when Achan of Judah took things from Jericho. One man sinned on his own, but they all had a piece of it. They shared guilt because they were ONE people. It is the same today. We are ONE body (1 Corinthians 12:12-27) and we’re in it together (Galatians 6:1; John 13:34-35; Ephesians 4:32).

Joshua sent men to check out the next town, Ai. He didn’t seek God and God had given NO instruction to him. They went and came back scoffing. It’s a little place. Very unimpressive. They recommended a small force because they were tiny. They sent out 3,000 men and they got STOMPED by Ai. Thirty-six of them died and they were chased off. Humiliation galore.

What does Joshua do? He sings the refrain of the desert: ‘If only we’d been content on the other side of the Jordan! Why did God bring us over here?’ AND he did it alongside the elders. AND he did it with ripped clothes and everything. God told him to smarten up and stand up. Remember, they hadn’t consulted God before Ai. Now they were whining to Him, so He told them the deal: sin in the camp. Stuff was taken from Jericho and put into the personal possession of someone in the camp. God told them to get right with Him or He wasn’t fighting for them. Get rid of the stuff. Cleanse yourself from evil.

Joshua didn’t have the Holy Spirit. And God is a God of mercy. So the guilty party was being given a chance. It would be revealed by lot (urim and thummim possibly). They would bring the head of the tribe, the head of the clans, and then the head of the families, and then the family, and then the person. Put yourself in Achan’s sandals during this process. How desperate was he to conceal sin and keep treasure that he didn’t come forward, didn’t say anything, and had to be pointed at by the divine finger before he said anything? That is what the flesh does. It holds onto everything it can. Doesn’t speak unless forced. The situation reminds me of Jonathan and the honey (1 Samuel 14:24-30, 36-46). Jonathan didn’t come forth until forced. A similar thing happened in Acts 5:1-11, but THEY had Holy Spirit so it was immediately revealed.

Achan – once pointed out – fessed up. He SAW a robe (said to be Nimrod’s – Genesis 10:8-12), silver, and gold. He COVETED them. He TOOK and hid them. This is how we ALL sin. See it, think on it, do it (James 1:13-15). They went and got the stuff and brought it, him, his family, his livestock, and all his possessions to the Valley of Achor. They burned the possessions (including the spoil) with fire, and they stoned Achan – his family participating – and buried him under a pile of stones as a witness. The judgment on Israel was lifted.

Attack on Ai, the Sequel: this time it’s God’s way. First off, God gives them the victory. Second, ALL the people are to go up. Third, they can keep the plunder this time – if only Achan had held out, he could have enjoyed his riches. Finally, they were to do it by ambush and let the pride of Ai defeat themselves.

They sent a small force out, which ran when the men of Ai pursued them. God told Joshua to point his sword at Ai. Joshua did. It was the signal. Israelites hidden behind Ai jumped up, swarmed into the city, and set it on fire. When the smoke went up, the Israelites turned back and they took all the town. God gave them victory when they sought and followed His counsel. The flesh is defeated when we approach it through JESUS (His merit, not ours).

Then Joshua built an altar at Mt. Ebal, and they sacrificed burnt and peace offerings to God. In the presence of ALL of Israel, Joshua wrote a copy of the Law on the stones used as an altar. He read the Law out, and they pronounced the blessings and the cursings. They did everything Moses told them to do (Deuteronomy 11:29-32).

The reputation of Joshua (Joshua 6:27) was spreading. The people heard about Jericho and Ai. The kings of the west banded together and made preparations to attack Israel.

Not Gideon though. They lived near Jerusalem and they could see which way God was blowing the wind. They dressed in worn clothes. They loaded up with old equipment and mouldy bread. Then they went to Joshua. They asked for a covenant and pointed to their old, worn stuff as proof that they had come from far away – God had told the Israelites NOT to make covenant with the inhabitants of the land (Exodus 34:15).

Joshua and the elders had NO spiritual discernment. They did NOT have Holy Spirit. They COULD have sought His will. Either personally (Joshua 1:5-8) or through the priesthood (Exodus 28:30; Leviticus 8:8; Joshua 7:14-18). They did not. They used human thinking/observation and human wisdom. They left God out of it. They made covenant with Gideon.

Three days later, they heard the truth, but it was too late. The wiles of the Gibeonites had taken the victory. The people of Israel were angry (Joshua 9:8), but the hands of the elders were tied. They had covenant. Joshua made the Gibeonites vassals of Israel. Woodcutters and water carriers in service to the Levites (Joshua 9:27). But their lives were spared and their scheme had worked. The wiles of the devil can ONLY be defeated when we hearken and stand on the Word of God (James 4:7).

Summary

Key Players: God, Joshua, the Elders, Gibeonites, Achan

Key Themes: Possession, Desires of Flesh, Own Understanding, God’s Word

Key Verse(s): Joshua 7:1, 3-5, 13, 25-26; 8:1-2, 27-28, 30, 34-35; 9:3-6, 14-15, 26-27