The Big Reveal, Joshua 7:10-18

 

10 So the Lord said to Joshua: “Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? 11 Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff. 

Israel was on a winning streak, until they weren’t. Joshua didn’t take it too well, and spent the day, on his face, with dirt on his head, complaining and blaming, God.  

After Joshua finally finishes his unreasonable, emotional venting session, (The Time Joshua Tried to Throw God Under the Bus, Joshua 7:6-9), God responds.

His answer to Joshua, is a big reveal.

In just five verses God explains exactly what happened, and why; and how to fix it. Joshua 7:10-15.

Those same answers, apply to us, today.

 

WHAT HAPPENED…

Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? (Joshua 7:10).

 Can you believe it? God just told Joshua to stop praying.

Sounds like the time God said, “Why’d you come crying to Me?” Exodus 14:15. He told Moses, stop praying, take action. He did and the Red Sea parted; the rest is HIStory.

Prayer is powerful, but just talking, with no action, is like faith without works…dead. James 2:17.

God is a doer.

James 1:22, tells us to be doers of the Word, and not hearers only. Jesus is the Word, became flesh, John 1:14, and He went about doing Good, Acts 10:39.  

We think, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), means, pray continually.  However, perhaps there’s more. Could it imply, we should pray, without stopping, to pray? Pray, without ceasing, in doing Good. Pray along the way, as we’re actively being about our Father’s business.

Perhaps it means, exactly what it says. Pray, without ceasing.

This was especially appropriate to Joshua and crew in this situation since the entire prayer/complaint session was based on a false assumption that God dropped the ball. Things went wrong, and it was all God’s fault.

 

Israel has sinned…

As soon as God tells them to stand-up and take it like a man, He tells them the truth about what happened.

Israel has sinned; missed the mark. They have transgressed; which in the original text means, crossed the line.

They didn’t just miss the mark, they completely crossed the line, broke covenant, a sacred bond; akin to breaking the marriage vow. You may recall this chapter opens with marital language. Joshua 7:1, states that, “Israel committed a trespass.” The word “trespass” is used in the King James translation. However, in the original Greek, it’s the word, maal, which ‘means, “unfaithful.”  Which is the word used in most other English translations.

God takes sin personal. When we sin, it’s being unfaithful, to Him.

Not only were they unfaithful, they stole from the Hand that feeds them, mocking His divine provision, as if it weren’t enough.

They insulted His sovereign, omniscient, omnipresence, by trying to hide, from His all-seeing eye.

Now, we all know, reaching for something off limits, didn’t start here. Lusting for forbidden fruit, goes all the way back to Adam, and flows all the way, to you and me.

It’s serious.

It’s terminal.

Hebrews 10:24-31

And let us consider one another in order to (consider how we can) stir up love and good works, ²⁵ not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

²⁶ For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation (raging fire) which will devour the adversaries. ²⁸ Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” ³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

 

That’s a lot of words, but simply means, we should continue gathering together to encourage each other, especially now, as we see, the Day of His return approaching. Furthermore, our covenant with Christ is more powerful than the one written by Moses (the one Joshua and crew were under). His may have been written in stone. But ours, is written in Blood. The Blood of Christ. Therefore, we must be even more diligent to honor God, and shun sin. If not, we insult His grace, and He will repay. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Now that we paused to be sure, we know, this is applicable to us, here and now, not just Joshua and crew back in the day. Notice how God includes all in the accusation. He says, “Israel, (the whole nation) they, them, their...”

 Perhaps, indicating that one man, (Achan), may have done the deed, but others knew about it, and didn’t say anything.

“Silence in the face of evil, is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” Dietrich Bohnoeffer; thirty-nine-year-old pastor, martyred (hung), for speaking out against the Nazis in 1945. His last words on this earth: “This is the end—for me, the beginning of Life.”

Lord Jesus, we need passion, to be strong and courageous, speaking the Truth in love. Don’t allow us to atrophy, due to apathy.

Sin corrupts the vessel it’s in, and everyone and everything, around it. Like cancer, it spreads, like stench, it permeates.

A little leaven leavens the whole lump. Galatians 5:9.

One bad apple spoils the barrel.

Should we go on?

“Bad company corrupts good character.” 1 Corinthians 15:33.

 

After God reveled, what happened, we don’t know if Joshua responded, it’s not recorded.

Remember, up to this point, Joshua didn’t even know that anybody had stolen anything. Yet, he’d been slinging mud at God all day, from morning ‘til evening. So, now, how could he respond?

What could he say?

“Uh. Um. Oh…sorry.”

In one short phrase, God revealed the truth about what happened.

In a word: sin.  

It’s important to note, God did not say the problem was the sinner. He has yet to reveal the name of the culprit; Achan.

That one word (sin), defining what happened, also explains a lot about why, it happened.

Why they were defeated.

Why they were so fearful.

Why they couldn’t stand..

But, just to be clear, God goes on, to spell it out.

 

WHY IT HAPPENED...

12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you. 

Therefore, the reason why, you could not stand, but ran, is because, I am, no longer with you.

When my kids and grandkids were small, I’ve taken the same walk, had the same talk.

“Do you know where we’re at?"

“Nope.”

“Do you know the way home?”

“Umm, nope.”

“Are you scared?”

Giggle. “Nooo”

“How come?"

Shoulder shrug. “I dunno.”

“But it’s getting dark.”

Little hand squeezes mine a little tighter.

“You don’t know where we’re at. Don’t know the way home. It’s getting dark. And you’re not scared. You must be really brave.”

More giggles. “Cuz I’m with you papa, that’s how come.”

They didn’t know it, but in that moment, in their own way, they were a walking, talking, giggling, hand holding, Bible lesson about God's presence.

God tells us, in His presence is fullness of joy, Psalm 16:11, and His joy is our strength, Nehemiah 8:10. And God is Love, 1 John 4:8, and perfect Love casts out all fear, 1 John 4:18.

Thus, in His presence, we can’t help but be, strong and courageous.

So, we like children going for a walk with Papa, when we don’t know where we’re at, when we don’t know which way to go, when the whole world is getting dark, and shouting, “Aren’t you scared?!?”

We can just shrug, “Nope.” Then look up, smile and say, “Cuz I’m with you Papa, that’s how come.”

 

Each Christmas we sing, Immanuel, which means God with us.

God tells Joshua, because of what happened, (sin), I am no longer with you—that’s why you’re scared, why you’re defeated.

Why, you've gone from Immanuel to Ichabod (glory is gone) and anathema (doomed for destruction).

God doesn’t sugarcoat a thing. He lets them know the consequences of sin are severe and pervasive. Unless you destroy the sin in your midst, it will destroy you. Same thing He told Cain, “Sin lies at the door, seeking to devour you, but you must overcome it.”

Same thing He is saying to us, today.

And then, in His abundance of mercy, and grace, and in accordance to His divine justice, He tells Joshua exactly, how to fix it.

Step by step.

 

HOW TO FIX IT...

13 Get up, sanctify the people, and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says the Lord God of Israel: “There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you.” 14 In the morning therefore you shall be brought according to your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which the Lord takes shall come according to families; and the family which the Lord takes shall come by households; and the household which the Lord takes shall come man by man. 15 Then it shall be that he who is taken with the accursed thing shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he has done a disgraceful thing in Israel.’ ”

16 So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17 He brought the clan of Judah, and he took the family of the Zarhites; and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man, and Zabdi was taken. 18 Then he brought his household man by man, and Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.

Notice, there’s plenty of warning regarding what’s about to happen. Get ready, for tomorrow…

We’re not exactly sure how they were chosen. Whether by God simply telling Joshua, or by the Urim (lights) and Thummim (perfections). They were gemstones carried by the high priest and occasionally used to determine God’s will.

It’s likely that the Lord, simply spoke His choice to Joshua, the same way He’d articulated the process for making the selections.

It wasn’t a fast process. It was methodical, one step at a time.

Step by step, tribe by tribe, family by family, household by household, man by man. Until finally, Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was chosen.

God could’ve called Achan out in a moment.

But He was patient.

He could’ve struck him down the moment He touched what wasn’t his.

Yet God waited.

Like He did with Adam and Eve. The moment they touched the forbidden fruit, He could’ve squashed them like a bug, a fruit fly.

Yet He waited.

Like He’s done with me, and maybe even one or two, of you.

God is patient, but testing His patience is a dangerous game of Russian roulette for your soul.

You see, Achan played too long. God gave him chance after chance to step forward, to confess, to come clean.

With every chance we miss, every moment we hesitate, our soul goes a little farther, our heart grows a little hardener, bit by bit, until one day, we don’t even know it, but we’ve gone from, Immanuel to Ichabod. We’re totally numb. We think we’re good. But we don’t feel any conviction, remorse, or guilt over sin.

That’s when, the live round enters the chamber. We shake our head one last time and pull the trigger.

Then, nothing remains, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fiery, devouring, inferno.

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.  

Hebrews 10:27,31.

 

God’s words to Israel, about how to fix this mess, echoes to us, here and now.

Get ready, sanctify (set apart) yourselves, for tomorrow…

For tomorrow judgement comes.

That means, get read, today.

In His divine mercy and patience, He gives us today.

He calls to us today, is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:2.

Today, if you hear His voice, harden not your hearts. Hebrews 3:15.

Tomorrow is too late. Luke 12:20.

 

Once exposed, Achan confessed. But it was too late. He, his family, and all that he had, suffered the same fate as what he lusted after, Jericho.

 They were stoned, burned and buried under a pile of rocks, in the valley of Achor. (Achan and Achor, have the same meaning: trouble).

 

Because of what happened, (sin), we’ve been separated from Him. That’s why we’re so often scared, why we’re so easily defeated.

But all is not lost.  

Immanuel, has come, and offers to turn our Valley of Achor (trouble), into a blessed door of hope. Titus 2:13.

One day, the very place that was a valley of trouble, will be a gateway of hope; a place of celebration, akin to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

Therefore, behold, I will allure her and lead her to the wilderness, and speak to her tenderly. ¹⁵There I will give back her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor into a gateway of hope. There she will respond as she did in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt. ¹⁶In that day,” declares the LORD, “you will call Me ‘my Husband,’ and no longer call Me ‘my Master.’ Hosea 2:14-16.

“Sharon will become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds, for my people who seek me” (Isaiah 65:10).