THE ACCURSED THING. Joshua 7 There is a clear contrast between the story of Rahab and that of Achan. Her courage and loyalty to Israel led her to leave Canaan because of her faith in the Lord God of Israel. The land she received was a renewed land as God's people moved forward. Her faith stands out even though she was not fully righteous, which led to her salvation and the salvation of those in her household. Achan was disloyal to the Lord and ignored God’s commandments through His servant Joshua. He lost his life, his inheritance, and his greed caused the death of others who were affected by his sin in taking those items that were dedicated to the Lord.
The actions of that one man affected the entire nation. The hearts of the people of Israel melted just like those of Jericho and the other nations, as one man’s disobedience challenged the power and righteousness of the Lord. Panic-stricken fear of God caused Joshua and the elders of the people to fall on their faces before the ark of the Lord until the day’s end.
When self-assuredness rises and confidence in God diminishes, His power is ignored or taken for granted, and self-confidence becomes inflated. Replacing kneeling before God in humility, appreciation, and gratitude with a self-centered swagger leads to a false sense of security. This ultimately results in a humiliating defeat.
One of the biggest dangers for a believer is when they experience a major victory. In the excitement of success, we often tend to take credit for what God has done through His chosen vessel. A serious risk that can lead to failure in future endeavors is self-confidence - the mindset that says, "We did it. Look how strong we are." It is crucial, in any victory, whether big or small, to give all the glory to God. When health returns after sickness, give God all the glory. When a soul is saved while you are guiding them through the scriptures, give God all the glory. When a new project starts and hope is high, give God all the glory. Otherwise, defeat may be lurking nearby, even if you can't see it.
The word “but” at the beginning of the chapter sets a foreboding tone for the story. So far, they have been victorious, and the narrative is one of success. However, here they are in full retreat. Joshua is on his face before God, filled with dismay. He had counted on unbroken victory in the land and was probably confident that the days of defeat were over—that Israel would never fail again. When things go wrong, how do we react? Is God unable to handle the enemy? What about God’s reputation and the dishonor to it? Circumstances reveal what is inside us. Self-confidence, self-interest, and independence do not align with a life of faith. God's purpose is for believers to live in unbroken victory over sin.
The Lord cannot overlook unfaithfulness related to God. The human heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. An outward appearance of righteousness can hide decay, deception, decline, departure, and darkness. Only when we walk in the light can we truly have fellowship with God. Joshua and the spies judged by sight rather than by faith and divine guidance from the Lord. They relied on themselves and their opinions, not on the Lord.
It is only when we walk in the light that we have fellowship with God. When we walk with Him, we receive our counsel from Him as we listen to His word and apply what He says to our situations. If we become overconfident or proud of a victory, we tend to trust in ourselves and take credit for what God has done. Self-confidence leads to defeat, and despair follows right after the defeat. Defeat reveals the true condition of our hearts. Life's circumstances can quickly expose the state of our souls.
Joshua was the leader, but this time, he didn’t lead – he sent men. He didn’t consult God about what to do but simply did what he thought was right. This attitude and action led to failure. Failure results in grief, torn clothes, and someone being laid flat on the ground with his face in the dirt. He was embarrassed and humiliated before those he led, and he took the proper position only to complain as if his failure was God’s fault.
It almost seems as if he believed God had let them down by permitting Israel's defeat to a small city like Ai. In his intense distress, while on his face before the Lord praying, his words and those of the elders with him suggest genuine sorrow but also a lack of understanding. This is understandable, but it is not an acceptable response to God's faithfulness, who had repeatedly demonstrated His love and power on their behalf.
Remorse and repentance are quite different. Remorse occurs when we realize that something is very wrong and that we are responsible for it. Repentance happens when we admit we are wrong and take responsibility for our own sins. Despair stems from our separation from God, not His separation from us. God’s honor in the world is reflected in the lives of His people. When we sin, we are the cause of dishonor brought upon the name and person of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Prayer and thanksgiving to God during times of victory foster humility and gratitude, helping us avoid self-centeredness. Humility in victory serves as a strong safeguard against pride, arrogance, and placing our focus on the wrong things, in the wrong way, or on the wrong person. Alongside self-confidence and self-centeredness is selfishness. Failure occurs when we disobey what we know to be the mind and will of God. During such times, we may be disloyal to God and betray His trust. If I consider what is important to God as unimportant to me, I am stealing from Him. Moreover, my actions as an individual impact the entire assembly of believers of which I am a part. A person can be strong in faith one day and then be weak as water, acting in the flesh, the next.
Joshua did not consult with God or return to Gilgal before sending men to spy on Ai. He acted when God was silent to him. Even the strongest believer can fail in the warmth of victory. We must always be cautious about claiming what belongs to God alone. The men he sent to assess Ai's condition and strength did not give an accurate report. They did what many of us do—underestimate those still in Satan's bondage.
It is always important for us to understand that God sees and knows what we cannot see or know. The soldiers who went up to Ai failed because they thought too highly of themselves, believing they had conquered Jericho by their own efforts. Overestimating ourselves and our abilities is probably a bigger problem than underestimating the strength of the enemy. Defeat from failing to reach our goal, shame when fear takes over instead of faith in God, and running away when the goal is right in front of us are all results of acting according to the flesh.
The reasons for failure at Ai included self-confidence because, compared to Jericho, it was small. They seemed to think that some greatness and strength of their own caused the defeat at Jericho. There is no more dangerous time in a believer’s life than when they experience deliverance from sin. We are always dependent on God for everything. Neglecting prayer was another reason. Joshua didn’t return to Gilgal to communicate with God. He didn’t humble himself in prayer. He didn’t seek God’s counsel.
Failing to pray makes us blind to sin. If you pray in times of victory, you won’t have to beg in defeat. The moment of victory is the time for us to act humbly. Disobedience in taking the “accused thing” was the third reason. "Accursed thing" is the word in the AV; “devoted thing” is in the RV. The spoils of Jericho were to be set apart for God. One man had stolen what belonged to God. It was set apart for the Lord. “Israel hath sinned” – they were a nation, a complete entity; God dealt with them as a group. When one member of an assembly is guilty before God of sin, the verdict from God is, “My people have sinned.” No individual can sin without affecting the entire church.
Joshua and the elders fell before the ark of the Lord as mourners in their grief and confusion. Humiliation in defeat is understandable, but such humility does not fix the problem or provide the right solution. Sin must be acknowledged and addressed. Even when God grants us victory, we often want some of the credit, and self-confidence can open the door to defeat. Defeat reveals the condition of the heart; what starts inside works its way outward. Departure leads to despair. When God's name and character are slandered in any way, action must be taken. God's people must uphold the honor of His name and character in their testimony before the world. When sin enters among us, men die. Contagious fear, broken fellowship, and doubting God will bring serious judgment upon all who are connected to that sin in any way.
God was not then, and is not now, impressed with false humility. Sharp words, when they come from divine omniscience, make us face and take responsibility for our own sins. It is up to us to deal with sin immediately, personally, and properly. What we do impacts others, and we must awaken those who could be hurt by our actions and set ourselves apart. It is crucial to act now. Do not wait another day. When something needs to be addressed, get up early; this is a major priority and requires immediate action. Identify the problem promptly and be thorough and careful. Learning the solution begins with defining it precisely. Face the problem directly and seek a confession. Don’t overlook any details. Take the time to gather all the facts in a confession, leaving nothing to guesswork. Emotions and sentiment have no place here. When sin is committed, all the people of God are at risk. Deal with sin biblically, urgently, humbly, and with genuine repentance evident.
There was a charge to Israel to sanctify themselves before going any further. A series of purification rites had to be performed first in preparation for a meeting with God. When God summons His people to come to meet with Him, that should not be taken lightly or without first dealing with any sin problem we might be aware of. The “accursed things” should never be taken lightly because the consequences of disregarding God, His will, and the holy things that are devoted to Him go beyond our limited understanding. “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” May we who belong to God never seek to hide evil among us or approach Him thinking that He does not know when sin remains unjudged.
Acting without divine authority and guidance leads to mistakes, misjudgment, misgivings, and misery. Unbroken victory over sin is undoubtedly God's purpose. However, even though God does not make it impossible for His children to sin, He always makes it possible for them not to sin. Defeat may occur in a Christian’s life, but it doesn’t have to. The child of God who is progressing in his walk with Christ and experiencing victory is more vulnerable to defeat than those who stay in the sheltered valley. Satan targets such a person with his attacks.
On the high ground of fellowship with divine Persons, defeat doesn't have to happen, but it may, even there. When evil is detected, we must sanctify ourselves and deal quickly with it. The passing of time does not improve the situation; the longer it is delayed, the greater the negative impact it has on all the people of God. All of Israel was involved in dishonoring the Lord, even though Achan was the one who took what was forbidden. When we are sensitive to right and wrong, we rely on God to guide us and make us spiritually aware of everything around us.
When those men stood before the Lord and Joshua poured out his soul to God in prayer, it marked the first step to recovery. He recognized how negligent he had been, and once he had spoken to the Lord and heard God's response, he was quick to act on what God revealed. Godly sorrow, even when expressed incorrectly, opens the door to hope and the restoration of spiritual health for the soul. Joshua's heartfelt prayer was a way of venting his distress over what had occurred. Although it may have seemed like he was accusing God of not keeping His promise, it was the beginning of the process to restore fellowship with God.
Immediately he rose early in the morning, obeyed God, and searched for the evil. It wasn't long before he was again speaking with the Lord, understood the problem, and took the necessary actions. The consequences of failing at Ai were that people died, v.5. Then Israel’s army melted in fear, v.5, and Joshua questioned God, v.7-9. God threatened to withdraw His presence from them, v.12, if the sin wasn't dealt with. Achan and his family had to be destroyed, v.24-26.
The Lord's explanation of the problem was clear. Sin had occurred, and it could not be ignored. It needed to be addressed. When sin happens, you must stand up and take action to deal with it. Remorse alone doesn’t resolve the issue and should not prevent us from acting. A trespass involves crossing God's boundary, which is exactly what Achan did when he took what belonged to God. He stole from God by claiming what was God's for himself. He may have felt remorseful, but he did not seem truly repentant.
When we are indifferent to evil and idolatry of any kind, we stand condemned. God intends for us to do His will at all times, not just some of the time. Confronting sin and turning away from it, even with tears, leads to repentance and forsaking sin. Blessings come when we view events through God's eyes. We should never underestimate what is important to God, even if we do not fully understand what is involved at the moment. If something matters to Him, it should matter to me.
When the sin was uncovered and identified as “the accursed thing” and what they had done, nothing was hidden or excused. The choice was clear to the Israelites. It was God or Achan; there was no middle ground. “All Israel stoned him with stones and burned him with fire.” The heap of stones was built to ensure everyone remembered the lesson of taking God's word for granted and believing anything can be hidden from Him. The Valley of Achor (Trouble) was not meant to be forgotten. Instead, it would become a place of hope for repentant sinners to realize, “There is a way back to God from the dark paths of sin. There’s a door that is open for all to enter. At Calvary’s cross is where you begin when you come as a sinner to Jesus.”
The cleansing power of sanctification prepares our souls to act quickly, scripturally, and wisely in resolving the problems caused by sin. The items that were recovered were not acceptable to God because of the defilement brought on them by His people. The garment originated from Babel, symbolizing the confusion of idolatry. The gold and silver came from the earth, and the love of these riches is the root of all evil. When someone sets their heart on material possessions, sorrow follows. Consecration serves as a reminder of our sinfulness and God’s holiness. A person who falls can be recovered if their heart remains sensitive and they are willing to walk softly before the Lord and His people. Aware of the seriousness of sin and its impact on all of God's people can change one's heart and conduct.
Regarding Achan's confession, “I saw---I coveted---I took,” it was simply words. He had surrendered to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Achan underestimated God and did not take Him seriously. He needed to confess and accept God's righteous justice. His confession did not excuse him or those around him from the consequences of his actions, nor can we escape the effects of the "accursed thing." Condemnation and righteous justice are the only ways to deal with the evil that led to Israel's defeat, the death of soldiers, and dishonor to the Lord. The root cause of it all had to be eliminated.
Divine authority is given to be used when sin must be judged. That God-given authority must be exercised properly, and repentance or holy justice should be seen as the right outcome. Do not support or permit the cause of sin or allow the sin itself to continue or be accepted as acceptable. Sin should never have a place among God’s people, and the riches of the world—gold, silver, and goods—should not tempt anyone to compromise divine instructions. Remove the causes of sin and handle the offender in a way that is appropriate and based on Scripture.
Feeling sorrow for sin, and having godly sorrow, is beneficial for the soul. Weeping over evil helps us to turn away from it and leads to renewed blessings and victories through Jesus. Apostasy and worldly pursuits can trap God’s people. “Many sorrows” come from covetousness. When we restore our fellowship with God, “He is faithful and just” to forgive us and bring us to a place where His grace refreshes us with reminders that we are still loved.
When we become aware of God’s favor, it is wise to walk humbly before Him, even though we are forgiven. The reality of His faithfulness deepens our gratitude and encourages our faithfulness to Him. Purpose of heart, dependence on the Lord, and humility of spirit open the way to greater usefulness and victory. A person of faith will never feel at rest until the name of the Lord is honored, and He is truly Lord of all.