Joshua Oh Achan!

One man couldn’t follow the Lord’s command. Oh Achan, the pain that you brought down on Israel for your sin. ALL would feel the sting of this sin.

The campaign of Jericho was an AMAZING miracle! The fighting men stayed silent for six plus days while they marched around the city. They waited on the Lord’s hand to move. They moved through the city with ease. They gathered the spoils the Lord had commanded. And they came away victorious.

All but one man. He saw the bounty that was within the city and decided that he HAD to have some of it for himself. To catch him, we have to back up in our story just a little bit. Let’s rejoin the might men as they sack the city of Jericho.

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The walls have fallen down upon themselves like a sand castle swept away by the tide. The men of Israel rushed into the city from possible direction. They are like a swarm of angry hornets. Slashing and striking as they make their way towards the center of the city. The people of Jericho fall by the thousands. They cannot withstand the onslaught.

Once every last moving thing in the city lies dead, the men of Israel begin to scour the city for spoils. Joshua has told them to gather the gold, silver, and bronze and iron vessels. NOTHING else is to be taken out of the city. The whole city is to be devoted to destruction. The spoils gathered ALL belong to the Lord, and will go into the treasury.

Achen isn’t usually a greedy man. He shares what he has with his neighbors, when they are in need. Yet, as he moves through the city collecting the spoils for the Lord, he is feeling a little cheated. “’We’ did all the hard work of taking the city. ‘We’ should get something for our troubles.”

He is doing his best to resist this temptation until he comes across a room that has so much ‘treasure’ in it that his mouth begins to water. The first thing that his eyes land on is a beautiful cloak from Shinar. Achan steps over to it and runs his fingers lightly over the embroidery of gold threads. It is of the finest wool Achan has ever seen. And the embroidery is that of a master craftsman. As good as what is hanging in the Tabernacle. He looks back over his shoulder, to ensure no one is watching him, and he slips it across his back and over his shoulders. It fits as if it was made just for him. He is careful not to handle it too much as his hands are not exactly clean after the battle. But he can’t help but rub his cheek against the fabric. “I HAVE to have this” he says to himself.

Achan carefully takes it off and lays it across a nearby bed so he can carefully fold it. Lying on a table next to the bed is a man’s purse. Achan seems drawn to it. He opens it and finds 200 shekels of silver and a gold bar worth 50 shekels. His hand reaches for these almost of its own accord. In the blink of an eye, these small, ‘insignificant’ pieces are placed in the center of the cloak. Achan begins folding the cloak carefully. It gets smaller and smaller in size. He unstraps his breastplate and works the folded cloak, with its bundle, under his tunic. Then he refastens his breastplate. It does create a bulge, but he is confident that no one will notice, as they are too busy with their own tasks.

Achan then quickly gathers the rest of the spoils from the room and carries them to where the piles are quickly growing. Achan keeps his head lowered and his back to those working around him. Soon all the spoils for the Lord are loaded onto a cart. In minutes the whole city is ablaze as the men of Israel lay torches to the houses, the palace, and the piles of whatever refuse they could pile together.

As the city burns, Israel reassembles outside of the fallen walls. Joshua pronounces an oath from the Lord over the city. “At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates.” (Joshua 6:26)

Before setting off back to camp, Joshua sends for the two of his best spies. He would have used the men who had gone to spy out Jericho, but they were tending to Rahab and her family.

“Go to Ai and spy it out. It will be our next target.”

With a nod of the head, they set off for Ai.

Joshua put the troops back into formation for the return to camp. Achan was from the tribe of Judah. He made sure he was on an outer edge and didn’t interact all the way home. The mood of the whole company was jubilant, so no one noticed that Achan wasn’t really joining in.

The troops are released as soon as they make it back to camp. Achan hurries to his tent. Achan’s wife tries to greet him but he holds out his hand to stop her.

“I must wash, as I am unclean.”

She bows her head and Achan slips inside his tent. He quickly digs a hole with his hands and places his bounty in it. Once he is satisfied that it can’t be seen, he grabs a towel to take with him to wash.

Achan’s wife had left the area by the time he slipped back out of his tent. He hurried to the stream to wash himself. The rest of the soldiers have already visited the stream and washed. They will be able to return to their tents once the sun goes down.

The next morning, the spies return from Ai and go straight to Joshua. After exchanging greetings, they dive right into their report.

“This city is nothing like Jericho. They are few in number and have no defenses. ‘Do not have all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not make the whole people toil up there, for they are few.’ (Joshua 7:3b)”

Joshua was pleased to hear this good news. No reason to muster the whole camp when only a few would do. “Take 3,000 of the best men with you and do to Ai as was done to Jericho.”

Within the hour, the smaller contingent set out for Ai. The men were still on a high from the conquest of Jericho. They were men of warfare though, so they maintained discipline and kept quiet as they approached the city.

As soon as they were within a stone’s throw from the city, the men of Ai rushed out and began attacking them. No matter what they did, they couldn’t get the upper hand. Israel ended up turning and running from the men of Ai. They ran for their lives until the men of Ai finally quit pursuing them.

More than 35 men from Israel fell in battle. There was no going back for their bodies. Fear gripped the men’s hearts as they made their way back to camp. When they reached the camp, fear moved through the camp. The men hadn’t come back in victory but bloody and wounded from battle. This was not something that was seen in Israel for a LONG time!

Upon seeing the defeated forces, Joshua went straight to the Lord. The elders followed in his wake. Joshua. They went to the door of the Tent in the middle of the Tabernacle. Joshua tore his clothes and fell on his face before the Lord. The elders followed suit. They threw dust on their heads and Joshua cried out to the Lord.

“Alas, O Lord God, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan! O Lord, what can I say, when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies! For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name?” (Joshua 7:7-9)

Joshua and the elders stayed in front of the door to the Holy Place until evening. As the sun was setting, the Lord finally spoke to Joshua.

“Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you. Get up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the Lord, God of Israel, “There are devoted things in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you.” In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes. And the tribe that the Lord takes by lot shall come near by clans. And the clan that the Lord takes shall come near by households. And the household that the Lord takes shall come near man by man. And he who is taken with the devoted things 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 an outrageous thing in Israel.’” (Joshua 7:10-15)

Joshua rose immediately and called an assembly. As soon as the people were assembled, Joshua shared the words of the Lord with them. “Israel has sinned. That is why we were defeated. And we will NOT be victorious until that sin is cleansed from among the people.” Joshua looked out at the people, wondering who and how many had committed this sin against the Lord.

“Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the Lord, God of Israel, “There are devoted things in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you.” In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes. And the tribe that the Lord takes by lot shall come near by clans. And the clan that the Lord takes shall come near by households. And the household that the Lord takes shall come near man by man. And he who is taken with the devoted things 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 an outrageous thing in Israel.”

Joshua waited while the words spoken by the Lord truly sank in. “We will meet again here tomorrow morning. And the Lord will reveal those who have done this detestable thing.

Achan had trouble sleeping that night. “Should I confess now? If I did, would I be forgiven, or still suffer the same penalty that Joshua stated? Maybe no one will find out. If I keep my mouth shut, no one will know it was me.” Achan almost fell asleep with this resolve, until another thought hit him. “It’s not Joshua finding out. It’s the Lord!” He spent the rest of the night in terror. By morning though, he had resolved to keep quiet and see what happened. Maybe God wouldn’t point him out. Maybe someone else had taken more than he had. Only time would tell.

The whole assembly stood before Joshua the next morning. “Have the leaders of each tribe step forward.” Once they had, the priest used the Urim and Thummim to judge between the tribes. The tribe of Judah was identified. Next by clans. The clan of the Zerahites was identified. Next by the heads of households withing the clan. The household of Zabdi was identified. Finally, all the men in that household were brought to stand before Joshua and the priest.

Each time the identification was made, Achan cringed a little. By the time he was standing before Joshua and the priest, he was certain that his guilt was visible to the whole congregation, but he still remained silent.

The priest is moving down the line of men and he finally comes to Achan. He consults the Urim and Thummim while standing before Achan. They point directly to him. The priest looks up and sees sweat running down the sides of Achan’s beard. Then he looks back at Joshua and nods. “This is the one.”

Joshua steps over and stands directly in front of Achan. Joshua’s tone was soft but his words were firm. “My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” (Joshua 7:19)

Achan, with his knees nearly ready to buckle on him, confesses his sin to Joshua. He would hold nothing back. “Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” (Joshua 7:20-21)

Joshua put a hand on Achan’s shoulder. “Oh Achan.” Joshua shook his head. Then he called for two of the leaders of Achan’s clan to go and search Achan’s tent. “When you find what Achan has hidden away, bring it to me.”

The two men ran to Achan’s tent and quickly found what they were searching for. Under a corner of a rug, buried under the sand was a fine cloak, 200 shekels of silver, and a gold bar worth 50 shekels. They brought it straight to Joshua and held them out towards him.

Joshua shook his head as if in disbelief. “Gather ALL that he owns, including his tent and all its pegs, along with every member of his family. Bring them, along with this,” Joshua motioned with his hand towards the items that had been brought from Achan’s tent, “to the valley of Achor.”

The two men gathered three others, got a cart, and went to Achan’s tent. They tore it down and rounded up every last peg of all his family’s belongings. Achan’s sheep, oxen, and donkeys were brought out from among the herds of Judah and brought along with the cart to where Joshua and all of Israel waited.

Once everything had arrived, Joshua directed that it be brought to the center of the valley and deposited there. Achan’s family was led to the place as well. Finally, Achan alone stood before Joshua. Joshua took him by the shoulder and stood him before his family and all that he owned. Next, Joshua looked away from Achan and motioned for the people to form a ring around Achan and all that was his.

In a voice tinged with sorrow, Joshua addresses Achan one last time. “Why did you bring trouble on us? The Lord brings trouble on you today.” (Joshua 7:25)

Before Achan could answer, Joshua turned away and walked to join the ranks of the people surrounding Achan. Joshua bent down and picked up a stone. The rest of the people followed suit.

While everyone was picking up stones, Achan’s wife and daughters clung to each other, crying out in fear. Achan’s head rested on his chest. There was nothing he could do to save them. HE had condemned them to death.

Once everyone was standing and ready, Joshua hurled his stone at Achan and his family. The stones flew at Achan, his wife, his daughters, and his animals for nearly an hour. Nothing survived the onslaught. Once it was clear that they were dead, Achan, his family, his animals and all his belongings were set on fire. Once the fire died burned itself out, the stones that were used to stone Achan were piled on top of his bones. So great was the heap of stones that covered Achan and his family’s remains that it stood high above the ground. It would serve as a reminder of the cost of sin.

The Lord’s anger was satisfied and the sin was cleansed from the people.

Joshua made his way to the door of the tent again. He needed time with the Lord. As he knelt there, the Lord spoke to him concerning Ai.

“Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Take all the fighting men with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, his city, and his land. ² And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its livestock you shall take as plunder for yourselves. Lay an ambush against the city, behind it.” (Joshua 8:1-2)

Israel was once again on the right side of the Lord’s plan. They were again His instrument.

(to be continued)

I could NOT have held it together if I was Achan. I’m sure I would have been found out right away. And NO WAY would I have stood there while the people beside me were being eliminated a handful at a time. I would have blurted out that it was me! I don’t like that kind of pressure.

I would hazard a bet that everyone, at one time or another in their lives, has met with the temptation to take something that wasn’t theirs. As a teenager, my friends pushed me into such a position. The item was a pair of Wal-Mart ear rings. I don’t think I even made it to the door of the store before guilt was so heavy on me that I pulled them from their hiding place and left them in the store. I know that I have taken other things that didn’t belong to me over my lifetime. Sometimes it’s a slice of pie that should have been for someone else. Another time it was office supplies from work that were going to be thrown out. Every time, guilt comes along for the ride. I know I wouldn’t survive being challenge like Achan was. Man wasn’t judging him; God was. And God KNOWS EVERYTHING. There is no fooling Him.

Would Achan have been forgiven if he had brought his sin to Joshua? Even up to the night before the morning of revelation? His sin cost the lives of his family and at least 36 men in battle.

Father God, I KNOW You had to ‘hold the line’ with Achan. If You would have ignored his sin, or been softer on it, then the people would have tested every boundary You ever erected. They pretty much did anyway. But during this time, it was critical for them to start out right. This was a HARD lesson! I’m MORE than grateful that my lessons along the way have been MUCH milder. I pray I never put myself in a situation where other lives are lost because of MY sin. Thank You for the Holy Spirit’s conviction when I do find myself going astray. Bring me back into right relationship Father God; no matter where I wander off to.