The Book of Joshua – Part 9, Joshua 8:1-35

“For we are saved by hope. But hope that is seen is not hope; for what anyone sees, why does he also hope for it? But if we hope for that which we do not see, then we wait for it with patience” – Rom 8:24-25

[Study Aired April 22, 2023]

In Joshua 1, Israel heartily agreed to do all that the Lord said to do and was spoken by Moses and Joshua. The miracles of the Jordan being held back and Jericho’s astonishing fall and capture emboldened Israel’s heart as all-powerful. Yet, it took only one man’s sin (Achan’s) to severely flatten the entire nation’s pride. Mercifully, the Lord had only 36 of Israel’s valiant men of war die for Achan’s crime of lusting and stealing the “accursed thing”. 6×6=36, a double (2 six’s) witness for the number 6 representing all mankind, who dramatically ascend to become the idol as depicted in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2.

Mat 24:15 Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand).
Mat 24:16 Then let those in Judea flee into the mountains [to Christ and his Christ’s].
Mat 24:17 Let him on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house;
Mat 24:18 nor let him in the field turn back to take his clothes.

Achan’s sin is part of the Abomination of Desolation, the “accursed thing” sitting in his tent, the inner parts of his personal earthy temple. He precisely turned to bring into his house the accursed Babylonian cloak. Suppose that Joshua hadn’t dealt swiftly with the accursed thing; it would likely have emboldened Achan at some point to stroll through the Camp of Israel sporting his attire; the people no doubt would have likewise relaxed the word of God, and the leaven would have spread throughout all of Israel.

Ecc 8:10 And I have also seen the wicked buried and going away; and such as had acted rightly went from the holy place, and were forgotten in the city. This also is vanity.

Sometimes, to our dismay, wicked people seem to luxuriate in the wealth of their sins forever and eventually die of old age without reproof and get buried with fanfare. We, too, get buried spiritually and “forgotten in the city” since spiritual righteousness isn’t counted in Babylon as virtuous.

Ecc 8:11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the children of men is fully set in them to do evil.

If Achan’s sin wasn’t speedily disciplined, the tortuous path of the harlot Israel would have been outrageously prominent at the beginning of their chronicles rather than at their end.

Ecc 8:12 Though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and prolong his days, yet I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, because they fear before him;

What a blessing that understanding is! 

Achan is us after Christ’s death! We do exactly as Achan did with prolonged days in our sins. The difference is that Israel performed in the flesh; we spiritually “little by little” cast out the giants and children of our land since we are given to fear the Lord. Achan wasn’t afforded that mercy of repentance. If we think the Lord delays His coming (within) on a certain sin, we, too, can suffer a swift spiritual stoning.

Ecc 8:13 but it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days as a shadow, because he feareth not before God.

The Lord nipped Achan’s sin in its infancy to graphically etch in Israel’s heart not to partake of trifling sins and to utterly trust in the Lord for their needs and to fight their battles. In the fall of Ai, Israel is given easy wins over her enemies to build her faith in God. Knowing the end at the beginning, we know that successive wins over sin embolden pride and joyful internal celebrations that, in turn, often lead to slothfulness and spiritual fornication and whoredoms.

Luk 21:20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem [you and I] compassed with armies [false doctrines – like Achan’s], then know that the desolation [of our old man] thereof is nigh.

The Fall of Ai

Jos 8:1 And Jehovah said to Joshua, Do not fear, nor be dismayed. Take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land.
Jos 8:2 And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its cattle you shall take for a prize for yourselves. Lay an ambush for the city behind it. 
Jos 8:3 So Joshua and all the people of war arose to go up against Ai. And Joshua chose out thirty thousand men, mighty warriors, and sent them away by night. 
Jos 8:4 And he commanded them, saying, Behold, you will be an ambush against the city, behind the city. You shall not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready. 
Jos 8:5 And I, and all the people with me, shall go toward the city. And it shall be, when they come out against us, as at the first, we will flee before them,
Jos 8:6 (for they will come out after us) until we have drawn them out of the city. For they will say, They flee before us, even as at the first. And we will flee before them.
Jos 8:7 Then you shall rise up from the ambush, and seize on the city; for Jehovah your God will deliver it into your hand. 
Jos 8:8 And it shall be, when you have taken the city, you shall set the city on fire, according to the command of Jehovah you shall do. See, I have commanded you. 
Jos 8:9 And Joshua sent them out. And they went to lie in ambush, and stayed between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai. But Joshua stayed that night among the people.
Jos 8:10 And Joshua rose up early in the morning and called up the people. And they went up, he and the elders of Israel, in the sight of the people of Ai. 
Jos 8:11 And all the people of war with him went up and drew near. And they came before the city, and pitched on the north side of Ai. And a valley was between them and Ai.
Jos 8:12 And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.
Jos 8:13 And when they had set the people, all the army that was on the north of the city, and its rear ambush on the west of the city, Joshua went that night into the middle of the valley. 
Jos 8:14 And it happened, when the king of Ai saw, they hurried and rose up early. And the men of the city went out to do battle against Israel, he and all his people, at the time appointed, before the plain. But he did not know that there were some lying in ambush against him behind the city. 
Jos 8:15 And Joshua and all Israel acted as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.
Jos 8:16 And all the people in Ai were called together to run after them. And they ran after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city. 
Jos 8:17 And there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel, who did not go after Israel. And they left the city open, and ran after Israel. 
Jos 8:18 And Jehovah said to Joshua, Stretch out the spear in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear in his hand toward the city. 
Jos 8:19 And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand. And they entered into the city, and took it, and hurried and set the city on fire. 
Jos 8:20 And the men of Ai looked behind them and saw. And, behold, the smoke of the city went up into the sky, and they had no power to flee this way or that way. And the people who fled to the wilderness turned back against the pursuers. 
Jos 8:21 And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city went up, then they turned again and killed the men of Ai.
Jos 8:22  And the others came out of the city against them. So they were in the middle of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side. And they struck them so that they let none of them remain or escape. 
Jos 8:23 And they took the king of Ai, and brought him alive to Joshua. 
Jos 8:24 And it happened, when Israel had made an end of killing all those who lived in Ai, in the field and in the wilderness where they chased them, and when they had all fallen on the edge of the sword until they were gone, all the Israelites returned to Ai and struck it with the edge of the sword. 
Jos 8:25 And all who fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, all the men of Ai. 
Jos 8:26 For Joshua did not draw his hand back, with which he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the people of Ai. 
Jos 8:27 Only, Israel took the cattle and the spoil of that city for a prize for themselves, according to the Word of Jehovah which He commanded Joshua. 
Jos 8:28 And Joshua burned Ai, and made it a heap forever, a ruin to this day. 
Jos 8:29 And he hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening. And as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his body down from the tree and throw it down at the entrance to the gate of the city, and raise on it a great heap of stones, to this day.

Joshua Renews the Covenant

Jos 8:30 Then Joshua built an altar to Jehovah, the God of Israel in Mount Ebal, 
Jos 8:31 as Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded the sons of Israel, as it is written in the book of the Law of Moses, an altar of whole stones over which no man has lifted any iron. And they offered on it burnt offerings to Jehovah, and sacrificed peace offerings.
Jos 8:32 And he wrote there on the stones a copy of the Law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the sons of Israel.
Jos 8:33 And all Israel, and their elders and officers, and their judges, stood on this side of the ark, and on that side, before the priests the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, the stranger as well as the homeborn among them, half of them over against Mount Gerizim, and half of them over against Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of Jehovah had commanded before that they should bless all the people of Israel.
Jos 8:34 And afterward he read all the words of the Law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the Law. 
Jos 8:35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua did not read before all the congregation of Israel, with the women and the little ones, and the strangers that walked among them. 

The Study:

Jos 8:1 And Jehovah said to Joshua, Do not fear, nor be dismayed. Take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land.

Particularly for a babe in Christ, it is easy to be dismayed, and even for a long-time Christian, the trials can appear severe. Yet, the Lord will only permit Satan’s hand to try us in accordance with one’s God-given faith. When we first experience the fiery trials, our turmoil can be extreme and sometimes boils up additional filth embedded in the earth of our ‘tent’.

Isa 57:20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea, which cannot rest, and its waters cast up mire and dirt. (Eph 4:14-16 “… tossed to and fro carried about by every wind of doctrine…”; Psa 107:23-31 “… They who go down to the sea in ships, who do business in great waters…”)

However, the Lord’s people learn by experience to immutably trust Christ’s strength to afford an expectedly joyous end to their trials. In our spiritual infancy, the Lord gives us the triumph over our imagined most feared king, and we see that he is but Ai (H5857) – ‘a heap of ruins’ who never had any strength against us from the beginning. 

Eph 6:10 Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 
Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 
Eph 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the world’s rulers, of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Jos 8:2 And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its cattle you shall take for a prize for yourselves. Lay an ambush for the city behind it. 

No doubt Israel felt exasperated that they were permitted to keep the spoil and cattle this time, which seemed a cruel mockery to the now-dead Achan and his family had he just waited a few days.

Our lesson is to listen closely to what our Lord says, heed all His commands, and note the subtle spiritual differences. If He says something is “accursed”, then believe it. The “goodly Babylonish garment” is innocuous, as is unclean meat. Yet spiritually, it still represents our “accursed” self-righteous clothing. To wear it would give the appearance of evil and possibly offend our brother (1Th 5:24).

If we heed the trumpet blown within our city, that observation is the ambush we lay against our internal old man within.

Jos 8:3 So Joshua and all the people of war arose to go up against Ai. And Joshua chose out thirty thousand men, mighty warriors, and sent them away by night. 
Jos 8:4 And he commanded them, saying, Behold, you will be an ambush against the city, behind the city. You shall not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready. 

Typically we know that the multiple of three by ten (or 100 or 1,000) is the Lord teaching Israel physically, and us spiritually, that routing our land of the enemy is a process for the long-standing completion of becoming one in our Lord.

As the saying goes, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer”. In kind, the ambushing of our enemies and not going very far from the evil city warns us to pay attention to the machinations of our spiritual enemies. These enemies of a deceitful heart in the darkness of our low spiritual points can conversely ambush us if we are not supported by the symbolic thirty-thousand multitude counselors in the Body of Christ (Jer 17:9; Gen 6:5; Mar 7:21-22). 

Jos 8:5 And I, and all the people with me, shall go toward the city. And it shall be, when they come out against us, as at the first, we will flee before them,
Jos 8:6 (for they will come out after us) until we have drawn them out of the city. For they will say, They flee before us, even as at the first. And we will flee before them. 
Jos 8:7 Then you shall rise up from the ambush, and seize on the city; for Jehovah your God will deliver it into your hand. 

Even though scripture says that Jehovah said such and such to Joshua, in all likelihood Joshua, as did many men and women of old, audibly heard the Lord. Today, our Lord speaks to us through His word and our thoughts, teachers, and brethren, echoing discernments. He is teaching Israel and us to first search our temple within, kill the accursed thing, and then go to war with the whole armour of Christ.

The battle is the Lord’s, even though in the flesh, under the Law, men were required to brutally kill the enemy. Spiritually we know that the Lord says vengeance is His; turn the other cheek, and that method today is our ambush; meanwhile, we look weak and silly before our enemies as we seem to run away.

1Co 1:27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co 1:28 and God has chosen the base things of the world, and things which are despised, and things which are not, in order to bring to nothing things that are; 
1Co 1:29 so that no flesh should glory in His presence.
1Co 1:30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who of God is made to us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption; 
1Co 1:31 so that, according as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

Joshua is a type of Christ staying in our midst as we look to Christ for direction and to win our battles. Our enemies will pursue us, but we wait for the Lord’s fiery intervention in the long night and defeat our enemies at dawn.

Deu 32:35 Vengeance and retribution belong to Me. Their foot shall slide in time, for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come on them make haste. 
Deu 32:36 For Jehovah will bring His people justice; and He shall have compassion on His servants, for He sees that their power is gone, and only the imprisoned and abandoned remain.
Deu 32:37 And He shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted?
Deu 32:38 Who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up and help you; let it be your hiding place. 
Deu 32:39 See now that I, I am He, and there is no god with me. I kill, and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is no deliverer out of My hand.
Deu 32:40 For I lift up My hand to Heaven and say, I live forever! 
Deu 32:41 If I sharpen My glittering sword, and if My hand takes hold in judgment, I will give vengeance to My enemies and will reward those that hate Me. 
Deu 32:42 I will make My arrows drunk with blood, and My sword shall devour flesh, with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the hairy scalp of the enemy. 
Deu 32:43 Rejoice, O, nations, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His servants, and will render vengeance to His foes and will be merciful to His land, to His people. 
Deu 32:44 And Moses came [being said by Moses before his death at the border of the Promised Land] and spoke all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he and Joshua the son of Nun.

Rom 12:17 Repay no one evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
Rom 12:18 If it is possible, as far as is in you, being in peace with all men.
Rom 12:19 not avenging yourselves, beloved, but giving place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
Rom 12:20 Therefore if your enemy hungers, feed him. If he thirsts, give him drink. For in so doing you shall heap coals of fire on his head.
Rom 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Jos 8:8 And it shall be, when you have taken the city, you shall set the city on fire, according to the command of Jehovah you shall do. See, I have commanded you.
Jos 8:9 And Joshua sent them out. And they went to lie in ambush, and stayed between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai. But Joshua stayed that night among the people.
Jos 8:10 And Joshua rose up early in the morning and called up the people. And they went up, he and the elders of Israel, in the sight of the people of Ai.
Jos 8:11 And all the people of war with him went up and drew near. And they came before the city, and pitched on the north side of Ai. And a valley was between them and Ai.
Jos 8:12 And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city. 
Jos 8:13 And when they had set the people, all the army that was on the north of the city, and its rear ambush on the west of the city, Joshua went that night into the middle of the valley. 
Jos 8:14 And it happened, when the king of Ai saw, they hurried and rose up early. And the men of the city went out to do battle against Israel, he and all his people, at the time appointed, before the plain. But he did not know that there were some lying in ambush against him behind the city.

The mighty warriors of Ai took the bait and launched a full-scale attack on Israel to the west, not knowing that massive judgment comes from the north. To Ai’s troop’s shock and horror, while out on the plain pursuing a pitiful fleeing band of Israelites, the ‘light’ of realisation from the east dashed all hope of returning to the safety of the city’s walls; they were surrounded!

Psalms 75 seems to contradict that judgment comes from the north, and the light of Christ comes from the east. King David, who wrote Psalms, was an unwitting prophet of spiritual understanding, as was Solomon in the Song of Solomon. Both men unconsciously forecast that the physical represents the spiritual, and in the case of Psalms 75, Christ is the judge regardless of the perfect compass allegory.

Psa 75:1 To the Chief Musician. Do not destroy. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song. To You, O God, we have given thanks, to You we have given thanks; for Your name is near, Your wonderful works declared.
Psa 75:2 When I take the appointed time, I will judge uprightly. 
Psa 75:3 The earth and all its people are melting away; I hold up its pillars. Selah. 
Psa 75:4 I said to the proud, Do not boast; and to the wicked, Do not lift up the horn; 
Psa 75:5 do not lift up your horn on high; nor speak with a stiff neck. 
Psa 75:6 For lifting up comes neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. 
Psa 75:7 But God is the judge; He puts down one and sets up another. 
Psa 75:8 For in the hand of Jehovah there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is fully mixed; and He pours out from it; but the dregs of it, all the wicked of the earth shall drain its dregs and drink. 
Psa 75:9 But I will declare forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
Psa 75:10 Also I will cut off all the horns of the wicked; but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.

Conversely, when surrounded by our enemies and in dire straits, our trust in the Lord is precisely the same as when we, as Israel, were the aggressor against our enemies. In the same environment today as Christ’s Christs, we become the scorn of our Babylonian peers.

Of course, writing the Psalms as Solomon penned the Song of Solomon, David unwittingly prophesied spiritually. David below accurately speaks of Christ on the cross, and we fill up the same spiritual afflictions behind Christ’s flesh spiritually.

Psa 22:11 Be not far from Me; for trouble is near, for there is none to help. 
Psa 22:12 Many bulls have circled around Me; strong bulls Of Bashan have surrounded Me. 
Psa 22:13 They opened wide their mouths on Me, like a ripping and a roaring lion. 
Psa 22:14 I am poured out like water, and all My bones are spread apart; My heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of My bowels. 
Psa 22:15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; 
Psa 22:16 and You have brought Me into the dust of death. For dogs have circled around Me; the band of spoilers have hemmed Me in, piercers of My hands and My feet. 
Psa 22:17 I can count all My bones; they look and stare at Me. 
Psa 22:18 They divide My garments among them and cast lots for My clothing.
Psa 22:19 But You, O Jehovah, be not far from Me; O My strength, hurry to help Me!
Psa 22:20 Deliver My soul from the sword, My only one from the dog’s hand.
Psa 22:21 Save Me from the lion’s mouth; from the wild oxen’s horns. You have answered Me. 

Heb 12:1 Therefore since we also are surrounded with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 
Heb 12:2 looking to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right of the throne of God.

Jos 8:15 And Joshua and all Israel acted as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.
Jos 8:16 And all the people in Ai were called together to run after them. And they ran after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city. 
Jos 8:17 And there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel, who did not go after Israel. And they left the city open, and ran after Israel. 

Joshua and his armies in the above verses are a near-perfect replication of our daily fight against our spiritual enemies. Little do our Babylonian peers know that an ambush against our sins is set not by us but by Christ as we wait for His delivery while suffering derision. The leering world would like Christ’s Christs, with their coats of many colours, to fall in their sin and be like them. In the negative, the “silly women”:

Psa 35:19 Let not those who are my lying enemies rejoice over me, those who hate me without cause wink with the eye.
Psa 35:20 For they do not speak peace; but they think deceitful things against the quiet ones of the earth. 
Psa 35:21 And they widen their mouths against me; they say, Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen. 
Psa 35:22 You have seen, O Jehovah; do not keep silence; O Jehovah, do not be far from me. 
Psa 35:23 Stir up Yourself and awaken to my judgment, to my cause, my God and my Lord. 
Psa 35:24 Judge me, O Jehovah my God, according to Your righteousness; and do not let them rejoice over me. 

2Pe 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 
2Pe 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 

Pro 14:9 Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour.

Mat 20:18 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, 
Mat 20:19 And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.

Hos 7:11 Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria [an “ambush”].
Hos 7:12 When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard.

Pro 7:6 For at the window of my house I looked through my casement, 
Pro 7:7 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, 
Pro 7:8 Passing through the street near her [a known harlot, or simply an overly sensual friend] corner; and he went the way to her house [it’s the semi-consciousness of an “ambush”].

Of course, you may read the entire account in Proverbs 7 about that young man, who is you and I, not alert enough to the “ambush” Satan has set by the Lord’s hands to see if we will obey His commands.

Not a man left in the heathen city of Ai who didn’t go out to fight Israel is synonymous with Christ and His Christs being scorned and attacked from all sides in Babylon, yet we know that nothing will prevail against God’s spirit. 

Psa 17:8  Keep me as the pupil, the daughter of the eye; hide me under the shadow of Your wings, 
Psa 17:9  from the face of the wicked who strip me. Those against my soul, My foes, encircle me. 
Psa 17:10 They are enclosed in their own fat; with their mouth they speak proudly, 
Psa 17:11 they have now hemmed in our steps, they have set their eyes to bow me to the earth, 
Psa 17:12 their likeness is like a lion that longs to tear, and like a young lion lurking in secret places. 
Psa 17:13 Arise, O Jehovah, disappoint him, bow him down; deliver my soul from the wicked by Your sword, 
Psa 17:14 from men by Your hand, O Jehovah, from men of the world whose portion is in this life, and whose belly You fill with Your treasure. They are satisfied with sons, and will leave their riches to their babes. 
Psa 17:15 As for me, I will behold Your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with Your image. 

Jas 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 
Jas 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 

Jos 8:18 And Jehovah said to Joshua, Stretch out the spear in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear in his hand toward the city. 

The term “stretch out”, a person’s hand, spear, or rod, is a distinct action repeated in scripture that denotes complete trust and faith in the Lord that He will do what He says based on the steadfast trust He has given us without assured evidence of the outcome.

Fledgling Israel’s entire experiences were for their growing faith in their Lord that He would follow through with His blessings if they did all He commanded.

Exo 3:20 And I will stretch out My hand and smite Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in the midst of it. And after that he will let you go.

Exo 8:16 And Jehovah said to Moses, Say to Aaron: Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land, so that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt. 

Being saved by hope is only achieved by the fearful experience of repeatedly being surrounded by our enemies, knowing that we do not have the “accursed thing” hidden in our hearts. We need to categorically know we have a clean conscience before the battle. It’s like leaving the house an hour ago and wondering if you turned the iron off. With that certainty, we confidently and patiently wait for the command of the Lord’s raised spear to charge at our enemy for an assured outcome.

Jos 8:19 And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand. And they entered into the city, and took it, and hurried and set the city on fire. 

Once again, our Lord is our ambush and our spear.

1Sa 17:47 And all this multitude shall know that Jehovah does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is Jehovah’s, and He will give you [our enemies] into our hands.

Jos 8:20 And the men of Ai looked behind them and saw. And, behold, the smoke of the city went up into the sky, and they had no power to flee this way or that way. And the people who fled to the wilderness turned back against the pursuers. 

Just as Lot’s wife turned to see the smoke of the cities of the plain go up, she was turned into a pillar of salt and “had no power to flee this way or that way” (Gen 19:26). However, we strain forward into the battle knowing that our Lord goes before us as we forget our forgiven past failings. 

Php 3:13 My brothers, I do not count myself to have taken possession [of eternal life], but one thing I do, forgetting the things behind and reaching forward to the things before [as if through hope I have already attained the resurrection to life],
Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 

Jos 8:21 And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city went up, then they turned again and killed the men of Ai.
Jos 8:22  And the others came out of the city against them. So they were in the middle of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side. And they struck them so that they let none of them remain or escape.
Jos 8:23 And they took the king of Ai, and brought him alive to Joshua. 

Many years later, no doubt King Saul read the chronicles of Joshua’s audacious battle against Ai and, in all likelihood, carelessly employed the same battle rules with the Amalekites by keeping the valuable spoils, including King Agag. Joshua’s and Saul’s accounts of engaging the enemy are for our learning. Consistently throughout scripture, we are charged to precisely follow Christ’s word. If we are slothful in that service, we can expect an ambush.

1Jn 2:3 And by this we know that we have known Him, if we keep His commandments. 
1Jn 2:4 He who says, I have known Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
1Jn 2:5 But whoever keeps His Word, truly in this one the love of God is perfected. By this we know that we are in Him. 
1Jn 2:6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk even as He walked. 

Jos 8:24 And it happened, when Israel had made an end of killing all those who lived in Ai, in the field and in the wilderness where they chased them, and when they had all fallen on the edge of the sword until they were gone, all the Israelites returned to Ai and struck it with the edge of the sword. 
Jos 8:25 And all who fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, all the men of Ai. 

Just as twelve thousand (number of foundation in darkness and light) enemies of Israel died, in a dual witness, it represents the entire world committed to death at the end of the one-thousand year rule of the rod of iron.

1Co 15:50 And I say this, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption.

1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all will be made alive. 
1Co 15:23 But each in his own order: Christ the first-fruit, and afterward they who are Christ’s at His coming; 

Jos 8:26 For Joshua did not draw his hand back, with which he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the people of Ai. 
Jos 8:27 Only, Israel took the cattle and the spoil of that city for a prize for themselves, according to the Word of Jehovah which He commanded Joshua. 
Jos 8:28 And Joshua burned Ai, and made it a heap forever, a ruin to this day. 
Jos 8:29 And he hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening. And as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his body down from the tree, throw it down at the entrance to the city gate, and raise on it a great heap of stones, to this day.

The king of Ai is us nailed to our cross as we daily fill up what is behind of Christ’s afflictions. We die and are buried under the great heap of stones that are our brothers and sisters in Christ heaped on Him, the foundational stone.

Deu 21:22 And if a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and if he is put to death and you hang him on a tree, 
Deu 21:23 his body shall not remain all night on the tree. But you shall surely bury him that day (for he that is hanged is accursed of God), so that your land may not be defiled, which Jehovah your God gives you for an inheritance.

The Elect of God is the first to spiritually die under Christ, our altar.

Rev 6:9 And when He had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held. 
Rev 6:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, Until when, Master, holy and true, do You not judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? 
Rev 6:11 And white robes were given to each one of them. And it was said to them that they should rest yet for a little time, until both their fellow servants and their brothers (those about to be killed as they were ) should have their number made complete

The king of Ai and the world are not cursed by staying hung on the tree overnight as a metaphor for being raised immortal in order of the resurrection to judgment for their dawning of righteousness. That process is depicted in “The Valley of Dry Bones” (Ezekiel 37). 

Joshua Renews the Covenant

Jos 8:30 Then Joshua built an altar to Jehovah, the God of Israel in Mount Ebal [Phon ‘ay-bawl’ meaning a stone or bare mountain], 
Jos 8:31 as Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded the sons of Israel, as it is written in the book of the Law of Moses, an altar of whole stones over which no man has lifted any iron. And they offered on it burnt offerings to Jehovah, and sacrificed peace offerings.

We are Christ’s workmanship of “whole [lively] stones”. The world has created, by their spiritual craftsmanship with iron tools, another Jesus for themselves in their own likeness; unwittingly the man of perdition.

Jos 8:32 And he wrote there on the stones a copy of the Law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the sons of Israel.

This is the third copy of the ‘Stone Tablets’ for a witness and completion of judgment against Israel.

Jos 8:33 And all Israel, and their elders and officers, and their judges, stood on this side of the ark, and on that side, before the priests the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, the stranger as well as the homeborn among them, half of them over against Mount Gerizim [H1630 – origin H1629 – to cut off; destroyed], and half of them over against Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of Jehovah had commanded before that they should bless all the people of Israel. 
Jos 8:34 And afterward he read all the words of the Law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the Law. 

The division of Israel against the two mountains symbolises the coming division of Israel into two women, one from Mt Sinai and the other from the heavenly Jerusalem above. One is destroyed, the other (Christ) is a great (bare) stone mountain. The strangers in Israel’s midst represent the unclean of the world outside of the Camp who would come to represent everybody being acceptable to Christ and salvation as revealed to Peter (“get up and eat” [Acts 10:9-48]).

Jos 8:35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua did not read before all the congregation of Israel, with the women and the little ones, and the strangers that walked among them.

The stark account of Achan’s sin is immensely positive because he represents Christ’s Christs (plural). They have learned to keep all the commandments of their Lord as they weep between the porch and the altar in dying daily, thus renewing the covenant spiritually and thus saving their brothers. 

Joe 2:12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 
Joe 2:13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 
Joe 2:14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God? 
Joe 2:15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: 
Joe 2:16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. 
Joe 2:17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? 

Rom 8:22 And we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. 
Rom 8:23 And not only so, but ourselves also, who have the firstfruit of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, awaiting adoption, the redemption of our body. 
Rom 8:24 For we are saved by hope. But hope that is seen is not hope; for what anyone sees, why does he also hope for it? 
Rom 8:25 But if we hope for that which we do not see, then we wait for it with patience.

The Book of Joshua – Part 8b: Freewill Ruthlessly Stoned in its Infancy and Raised as a Memorial “to this Day” – Joshua 7:10-26 (Eph 1:11)

[Study Aired April 15, 2023]

We finished Part 8a of Joshua 7 glorifying the Lord for His seemingly appalling works in the sons of men for our sakes.

The Sin of Achan

Jos 7:10 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? 
Jos 7:11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.
Jos 7:12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.
Jos 7:13 Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.
Jos 7:14 In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the LORD taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the LORD shall take shall come by households; and the household which the LORD shall take shall come man by man. 
Jos 7:15 And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.
Jos 7:16 So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken: 
Jos 7:17 And he brought the family 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:
Jos 7:18 And 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. 
Jos 7:19 And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.
Jos 7:20 And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: 
Jos 7:21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it. 
Jos 7:22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. 
Jos 7:23 And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD.
Jos 7:24 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. 
Jos 7:25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. 
Jos 7:26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.

———

Jos 7:10 And Jehovah said to Joshua, Get up! Why do you lie on your face this way?

Joshua, like Jonah and Job and us, subconsciously thought, as we think, that endless prayers and beating God up will solve the problem when the simplicity of diligently searching our hearts for that hidden idol is mostly what is required.

Jer 29:11 For I know the purposes which I am purposing for you, says Jehovah; purposes of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 
Jer 29:12 Then you shall call on Me, and you shall go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 
Jer 29:13 And you shall seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Our response can be that we already do that, so, what are we missing?

Psa 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 
Psa 139:24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 

Achan knew he had a wicked thought that resulted in his hiding the accursed things in the earth of his tent; he knew that it was wrong to hide the treasure, but for our sakes, he wasn’t given to heed the trumpet blast within.

Jer 29:14 And I will be found by you, says Jehovah; and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places where I have driven you, says Jehovah. And I will bring you again into the place from where I caused you to be exiled.

Jer 3:13 Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have sinned against Jehovah your God and have scattered your ways to the strangers under every green tree, and you have scattered your ways to the strangers under every green tree, and you have not obeyed My voice, says Jehovah.

Jos 7:11 Israel has sinned, and they have also broken My covenant which I commanded them, and have even taken of the cursed things, and have also stolen and pretended falsely. And they have even put it among their own stuff. 

If we know the scriptures as much as we claim, our conscience will be pricked by God’s still, small voice behind us, paradoxically thunderous in our ears as it must have been for Joshua when God said, “… Get up! Why do you lie on your face this way? Israel has sinned…”

Jos 7:12 And the sons of Israel could not stand before their enemies. They will turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become cursed. I will not be with you again, unless you destroy the one who is cursed from among you. 

Likewise, we cannot stand before our enemies within when we hold onto, and worse hide, the accursed thing that is any sin or heresy contrary to the Lord’s word. Of course, Adam and Eve’s sin and hiding were purposely designed as a memorial for us while we wait in these bodies of decaying flesh. They, as did Joshua, heard the Lord walking in the earthy garden which they are and enquired why they were hiding (Genesis 3). Yet, precisely like Achan, we all hid the accursed thing in our flesh, the Temple of God.

In Ezekiel’s time, the Lord likewise caused him to see in his mind the images of accursed things etched in the walls of our Temple within. It is worthwhile reading all of Ezekiel 8 for a graphic portrayal of our Babylonish Christian heritage from which we have been dragged and, sometimes, revisited as pet sins hidden in the ground of our earthly tent.

Eze 8:9 And he said to me. Go in and see the evil abominations that they do here. 
Eze 8:10 And I went in and saw. And behold, every kind of creeping thing, and hateful beast, and all the idols of the house of Israel, were carved on the wall all around. (Exo 20:4; Lev 11:10-12, Lev 11:29-31, Lev 11:42-44; Deu 4:18, Deu 14:3, Deu 14:7-8; Isa 57:6-10; Jer 2:26-27, Jer 3:9, Jer 16:18; Rom 1:23)

Jos 7:13 Up! Sanctify the people and say, Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow. For thus says Jehovah, the God of Israel, A cursed thing is in the midst of you, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the cursed thing from among you. 

The implications of having any sin, particularly the passive sin carved into the wall of our heart, massively inhibit our peaceful going forward in life.

How do we sanctify (H6942) ourselves? Sanctify – H6942 – to consecrate, dedicate, be holy, be separate. The first act of acceptable sanctification is to search our hearts for the accursed thing, and Jer 3:13 – “… only acknowledge your iniquity…” to repent, to come out of the world and continue in His word with a good conscience.

Joh 8:31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who believed on Him, If you continue in My Word, you are My disciples indeed. (Eph 5:26)
Joh 8:32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Joh 17:16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 
Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through Your truth. Your Word is truth.

We are sanctified by drinking the Lord’s cup, being baptised with his fiery word, and eating his body to destroy the man of perdition daily.

Mat 20:23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

Col 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

Verse 14 (below) is a refinement by degrees of searching one’s heart symbolised by breaking down the chunks, as did Joshua from the tribe, families, and household to identify the man of sin; then, the hidden thing shall be revealed in the temporary dwelling of our flesh.

Mat 23:25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of extortion and excess. [a goodly Babylonish cloak, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold]
Mat 23:26 Blind Pharisee! First cleanse the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of them may be clean also.

Jos 7:14 And in the morning, you shall be brought according to your tribes. And it shall be, the tribe which Jehovah takes shall come, according to its families. And the family which Jehovah shall take shall come by households. And the household which Jehovah shall take shall come man by man. 
Jos 7:15 And it shall be, he who is taken with the cursed thing shall be burned with fire, he and all he has, because he has broken the covenant of Jehovah, and because he has done wickedness in Israel.

The world’s nations have always been violent (Gen 6:11-12), and judgment for Israel was equally violent. 

For our learning, that process of Joshua discovering the accursed thing within and pronouncing judgment by stoning is appallingly violent as it was for most sins under Mt Sinai’s rule. We, too, would be wise to judge ourselves with equal violence to be rightly sanctified. Yet, because of the Lord’s tender mercies and patience, we are more likely to have the same old sin linger for maybe years; however, there assuredly is a day of reckoning.

Ecc 8:11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. 
Ecc 8:12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days be made longer, yet surely I know that it shall be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. 
Ecc 8:13 But it shall not be well with the wicked, nor shall he make his days longer like a shadow; because he does not fear before God.

Jos 7:16 And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes. And the tribe of Judah was taken. 
Jos 7:17 And he brought the families of Judah. And he took the family of the Zerahites. And he took the family of the Zerahites man by man. And Zabdi was taken. 
Jos 7:18 And 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. 
Jos 7:19 And Joshua said to Achan, My son, I pray you, give glory to Jehovah, the God of Israel, and make confession to Him. And tell me now what you have done. Do not hide it from me.

The dreadful impact of humiliation for being found out must have hit Achan’s heart like a sledgehammer, especially when challenged by Joshua’s kind expression requesting Achan’s acknowledgement of his sin. In contrast, when we are angrily accused of sin, our flesh is more likely to escalate the heat of the moment with every facet of our body language towering over our prosecutor in the hope of intimidation. 

God is not the least bit intimidated by a filthy idol sitting in the Temple He is creating. It is much less spiritually and emotionally torturous to quickly admit the sin.

Psa 37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on Jehovah, they shall inherit the earth. [The Bride of Christ inherits Him] 
Psa 37:10 It is but a little while, and the wicked shall not be; yea, you shall search his place, and he shall not be. 
Psa 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the overflowing of peace. 
Psa 37:12 The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes on him with his teeth.
Psa 37:13 Jehovah laughs at him; for He sees that his day is coming.

The Lord doesn’t egg Satan on, delighting in seeing us squirm like some voodoo Sharman poking skewers in a doll representing us. We claim to know the Lord’s mind. In that case, we know consistently from scripture that He is merciful and intensely denounces mocking another’s nakedness, as Ham attempted to rally derision with his brothers for their father, Noah’s nudity (Gen 9:18-29).

Ananias and Sapphira must have briefly felt the sledgehammer of exposure for their deceit to have fallen dead instantly (Act 5:1-11). Again, it is much less humiliating to swiftly “acknowledge your iniquity”. Sadly, that is not our nature as it wasn’t always King David’s for his more than twelve months of deception through hiding from his mortifying sins surrounding Bathsheba.

Jos 7:20 And Achan answered Joshua and said, Indeed I have sinned against Jehovah, the God of Israel, and this I have done.

Forgiving spiritually wasn’t to come until Christ and righteously forgiving figuratively seventy times seven ~ or, depending upon the circumstances, extensive forgiveness as seen in the parable of the unforgiving servant (Mat 18:21-35).

We are back to the foundational theme of lust in Joshua 7.

Jos 7:21 When I saw among the spoil a goodly robe of Shinar, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, I coveted them and took them. And behold, they are hidden in the earth in the middle of my tent, and the silver under it.
Jos 7:22 And Joshua sent messengers, and they ran into the tent. And behold, it was hidden in his tent, and the silver under it.

I shake my head at myself; me, sometimes a willful sinner, becoming less and less ignorant of my sins and more frequently slothfully lustful in my eyes and my flesh and alarmed at the insidious nature of pride. I am grateful for the messengers of the Lord in the Body of Christ who are ready to run daily to my tent to graciously release my conscience from prison. 

1Ti 1:18 This charge I commit to you, my son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before about you, in order that you might war a good warfare by them, 
1Ti 1:19 holding faith and a good conscience, which some have put away and made shipwreck as to faith.

Before he died, Moses forewarned Israel what to expect upon crossing the Jordan in Numbers 32; to be armed by diligently keeping all the commandments of the Lord. If we are slothful in not searching our hearts for the “accursed thing”, the Lord says,

Num 32:23 But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against Jehovah. And be sure your sin will find you out.

Jos 7:23 And they took them out of the middle of the tent, and brought them to Joshua, and to all the sons of Israel. And they laid them out before Jehovah. 

Notice the terminology was not simply ‘they took them out of the tent’, but “out of the middle of the tent”. Immediately we know the spiritual intent of the wording since we are that temporary dwelling, the tent. A proud heart is beneath the fortified ‘twin towers’ of his city wall, protecting his impenetrable heart. These lusts were central to the man Achan whom we represent.

Rom 2:3 And, O man, the one judging those who do such things, and practice them, do you think this, that you shall escape the judgment of God? 
Rom 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, and the forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? 
Rom 2:5 But according to your hardness and your impenitent heart, do you treasure up wrath for yourself in a day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 
Rom 2:6 who will render to each according to his works; 
Rom 2:7 indeed to those who with patience in good work are seeking for glory, and honor, and incorruptibility, everlasting life.

Achan’s poor wretched family possibly had no knowledge of his acquisitions of silver, gold and a ‘goodly Babylonian cloak’, though they could have noticed fresh earth around some of the floor tapestries. The point is that Achan knew he was doing wrong since he hid his wealth within his very ‘temple’. Since he was head of his family, his wife and children were undoubtedly spiritually contaminated by his slothfulness against the word of God. Hence, a little leaven contaminates the entire family.

Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 
Jer 17:10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. 

From Adam to this very day until the First Resurrection, ill-fated humanity such as Achan and his family, present a devastatingly humbling example for the Bride of Christ since their miserable experiences shockingly are for us. 

Verses for exercising our faith:

1Co 3:21 Therefore let no one glory in men. For all things are yours, 
1Co 3:22 whether it is Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours,
1Co 3:23 and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. 

1Ti 1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who strengthened me, because He counted me [my name and yours] faithful, putting me into the ministry— 
1Ti 1:13 the one who before was a blasphemer and a persecutor and insolent. But I obtained mercy, because being ignorant, I did it in unbelief. [and sometimes wilfully]
1Ti 1:14 And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. 
1Ti 1:15 Faithful is the Word and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, [most eminently…] of whom I am chief.
1Ti 1:16 But for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering, as a pattern to those being about to believe on Him to life everlasting.
1Ti 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Because of the Law of Moses, our brother Achan and his family died a harrowing, visually brutal death by stoning at the hands of his brethren.

Deu 17:6 At the mouth of two witnesses or three witnesses shall he that is worthy of death be put to death. At the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.

As we are expected to do within ourselves, by diligent inspection of the tribes, households and families by Joshua, God (two witnesses) identified Achan, who represents you and me as the chiefest sinner. God made the impact of the spectacle indelibly etched in Israel’s hearts equally for our learning by destroying the spiritual examples of Achan’s (possibly very young) “sons, daughters and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had”. The ‘death pattern’ for destroying sin was repeated throughout the entire Old Covenant, particularly the inauguration of the nation of Israel in the Promised Land.

Achan, as later Saul did, and too often as we have done, took the Lord’s word lightly. We hear the still, small voice behind us in our minds having repeatedly dismissed the warning trumpet blast of the approaching enemy. While childishly thinking, ‘it’s only once; and a little thing’, we blithely commit ourselves to spiritual stoning, having not killed even the children in our land.

The most outstanding example in the flesh is Saul’s God-given disobedience in 1 Samuel 15 where King Saul thought it a light thing to keep the best of Amalek’s war’s spoils when definitely told by God to destroy everything. King Saul shockingly represents us if we continue in disobedience and have our spiritually inherited kingship given to a righteous Christ, represented by David.

Jos 7:24 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had. And they brought them to the valley of Achor. 

No doubt the valley was named Achor in the ignominious honour of Achan since both names mean H5911 – trouble; disturbance.

Jos 7:25 And Joshua said, Why have you troubled us? Jehovah shall trouble you this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. 

Notice that Achan’s silver and gold were destroyed and not put into the treasury for the Temple. If our feet, representing a righteous walk, are clean, the entire body is clean. No matter how ‘good’ we think our righteousness is, it remains contaminated, while the “accursed thing” in us merely gives the appearance of evil.

While in Babylon, we were heavily burdened and ‘troubled’ with uncertainty for our resurrection to life for our sins while we paradoxically wore our ‘goodly Babylonish cloaks’ with pride. In contrast, the Body of Christ has and is learning to be cheerfully burned with fire each day as we are overwhelmed with gratitude for our Lord’s “light yoke”, His word that spiritually stones us before we and our entire household within are burned by His word.

Mat 11:28 Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 
Mat 11:29 Take My yoke on you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest to your souls.
Mat 11:30 My yoke is easy, and My burden is light. 

Gal 5:16 I say, then, Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. 
Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. And these are contrary to one another; lest whatever you may will, these things you do. 
Gal 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

Jos 7:26 And they raised over him [you and me] a great heap of stones to this day. And Jehovah turned from the greatness of His anger. Therefore, the name of that valley is called, The Valley of Achor [trouble] to this day.

We are buried in Christ under a great heap of stones in death and are being raised untroubled in Him to this day.

Col 2:12 buried with Him in baptism [of His fiery word – Jer 23:29], in whom also you were raised through the faith of the working of God, raising Him from the dead. [Jer 5:14; Luk 24:32; Joh 6:63; Act 2:3, Act 2:37; 2Co 2:16, 2Co 10:4-5; Heb 4:12; Rev 11:5]
Col 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 
Col 2:14 blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross. 
Col 2:15 Having stripped rulers and authorities, [the Law in the flesh from Sinai] He made a show of them publicly, triumphing over them in it.

So, too, will Achan and his family be made to acknowledge and eventually with cheer receive the glorious purpose they served for the Body of Christ and humanity when they receive their fire in the Resurrection to Judgment for an outstanding end.

Rev 21:4 And God will wipe away all tears from their eyes [the Elect of God, first, then Achan’s]. And there will be no more death, nor mourning, nor crying out, nor will there be any more pain; for the first things passed away. 

[Study Aired 8, April 2023]

In the previous Study, Part 7, the Priests carrying the Ark, together with the company of armed men and a representation of the Camp, encompassed Jericho once daily for six days. Their daily procession ended with them remarkably compassing the city on the seventh day seven times. 

We must remember that ‘young’ Israel is specifically being set up as a carnal model for the Elect of God to learn His plan of redemption for the First Resurrection. The Bride of Christ learns through the burden of Israel’s physical applications, emphasising for us the incredible brightness of Christ by their comparatively mild spiritual demands.

Mat 11:28 Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29 Take My yoke on you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest to your souls.
Mat 11:30 For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.

Moses instituted the seventh day Sabbath, as written on the stone tablets, before Israel entered the Promised Land. For six days, the Israelites worked by marching around Jericho as the Lord commanded, carrying the Ark and blowing the seven ram’s horns. Enthusiastic Israel purposefully, as best as flesh could, attempted to keep all the Lord’s commands as He instructed. Typically for the flesh, the “accursed thing” was soon found endemic within.

Exo 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 
Exo 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 
Exo 20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Exo 20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 
Exo 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

God has allotted mankind six thousand years to toil by the sweat of his brow, as noted by Israel marching around Jericho six times. In that time, we are embroiled in the ways of Babylon, getting married, doing business, and having children, always holding the Lord’s name in vain.

At Christ’s death on the sixth day, a major part of His work in the flesh for mankind was done. The Apostles and other faithful who worked with Christ while He was alive had begun overlapping their spiritual learning from what Law-encrusted Israel demonstrated in the flesh. The seventh day is the Lord’s Sabbath, on which He arose (sometime towards its end), introducing the future first resurrection when He demonstrates His power through His Elect ruling with His rod of iron in the one-thousand year reign.

The fall of Jericho for the Christs today corresponds with us having gradually been given power over our enemies within for a symbolic six thousand years culminating in the Sabbath that spiritually is Christ and Him coming in the first resurrection for our literal seventh-day rest in him.

God’s perfect love is demonstrated by Him creating man out of the dust of the ground in the form of decaying flesh. A colossal part of that love is His choosing His Elect to come out of the world, called Egypt, Assyria, Mt. Sinai (Old Jerusalem) and Babylon, to suffer trials and become as He is. Their embodiment as the Elect is hidden in the Priests of Israel carrying the Ark that represents Christ.

The tumultuous applause by all of Israel for Joshua’s powerful headship is typical of us when we have a series of wins over the flesh; we feel good about ourselves even if we praise the Lord for His work within. Classically, we immediately return to the ways of the flesh, as does Israel, and for our benefit, gloriously portrayed by Achan.

Jos 7:1 But the sons of Israel committed a sin in the cursed thing. For Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the thing which was cursed. And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against the sons of Israel. 
Jos 7:2 And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Bethel. And he spoke to them, saying, Go up and look over the country. And the men went up and spied out Ai. 
Jos 7:3 And they returned to Joshua and said to him, Let not all the people go up. But let about two or three thousand men go up and strike Ai. Do not make all the people labor there, for they are few. 
Jos 7:4 And about three thousand men of the people went up there. And they fled before the men of Ai. 
Jos 7:5 And the men of Ai struck about thirty-six men of them, for they chased them from before the gate to Shebarim, and struck them in the road going down. Therefore the hearts of the people melted and became as water. 
Jos 7:6 And Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of Jehovah until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust on their heads. 
Jos 7:7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, why have You at all brought this people over Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? And, oh that we had been content and lived on the other side Jordan! 
Jos 7:8 O, Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns their backs before their enemies? 
Jos 7:9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear, and shall surround us, and shall cut off our name from the earth. And what will You do for Your great name? 

———-

Jos 7:1 But the sons of Israel committed a sin in the cursed thing. For Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the thing which was cursed. And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against the sons of Israel.

We learned in Part 7 that an “accursed thing” is something the Lord has specifically detailed as unclean and fit for utter destruction, regardless of how trifling we might think the cursed thing.

The man Achan and his sin is the prime theme of Joshua 7. It is beneficial for us to spiritually understand his sin to better understand some of the events leading up to his scandal in verse 21 to juxtapose the preceding verses.

Jos 7:21 When I [Achan] saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

We must remember that the hapless soul, Achan, and his sins were written in his book for the Elect’s sake before the foundation of the Earth. His mother and father undoubtedly loved the exasperating little guy they named Achan, whose name means H5912 – ‘troubler’; a heap of ruins; to bend, twist, to be perverted, iniquity’, and probably tried hard to raise him to fear the Lord. He is us, on many occasions, spiritually taking an “accursed thing” and thinking it insignificant.

The Lord specifically told Israel in Joshua 6:18, before taking Jericho, to utterly destroy everything in the city, including men, women and children; to not keep any spoil whatsoever, and in Joshua 6:19 to only take for Israel’s treasury the silver, gold and vessels of brass and iron as not deemed “accursed”. Israel, full of bravado at having effortlessly defeated Jericho, thought the Ammonite city of Ai (ah-‘ee – ‘heap of ruins’) would likewise be a pushover. 

The Body of Christ is well-versed in the spiritual meaning of a “goodly Babylonish garment”. The city of Babylon was located in Shinar, of the Chaldeans, on the banks of the Euphrates River, where many years later, the northern tribes of Israel were taken captive to eventually spread throughout the world. Life in Babylon was an eye-opener and vast contrast to keeping the Lord’s commandments and was designed to titillate every sensory delight for its richness. Babylon’s opulence preceded Israel’s imagination of what their Lord could provide in their Promised Land of milk and honey; a “goodly Babylonish garment” was a strikingly rich sample.

Surely it is a “trifling” thing to save such a splendid garment from destruction? Achan’s ‘troubles’ are our troubles when the three foundations of sin are breached, primarily the first two leading to the third, the capstone of all three.

1Jn 2:15 Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him, 
1Jn 2:16 because all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17 And the world passes away, and the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever.

As were hundreds of thousands of people in Israel’s time, even millions of people in our time, they were appointed by God as examples of us, for us. Achan was one such “ensample”.

1Co 10:6 And these things were our examples, that we should not be lusters after evil, as they also lusted.
1Co 10:7 Nor should we be idolaters [worshiper of false gods], even as some of them, as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” [… and upon the Lord destroying Jericho, the Israelites unconsciously felt that her destruction was a result of their eminence of power given them by the Lord ~ they felt indestructible by their pride of life and got up to celebrate ‘their power’]
1Co 10:8 Nor let us commit fornication, as some of them fornicated, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. 
1Co 10:9 Nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted Him and were destroyed by serpents. 
1Co 10:10 Nor murmur as some of them also murmured and were destroyed by the destroyer. 
1Co 10:11 And all these things happened to them as examples; and it is written for our warning on whom the ends of the world have come [a warning to the Elect of God].
1Co 10:12 So let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 
1Co 10:13 No temptation has taken you but what is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but with the temptation also will make a way to escape, so that you may be able to bear it. 
1Co 10:14 Therefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

Rom 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our [The Elect of God’s] learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

1Pe 1:11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 
1Pe 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels [Elect of God today] desire to look into.

There is nothing wrong with wearing splendid clothing; it is the ruling desire for the item when it is beyond our financial means, social standing, or some other God-deemed non-necessity. Who knows where Achan thought he could sport such grandeur in Israel’s Camp without all eyes agog. 

So Achan hid the beautiful garment in the earth beneath his tent, a metaphor for suppressing our lust for the pride of life in the filth of dust we are when instead, we are to learn to wear our Lord’s clean white linen representing His righteousness.

Eze 33:13 When I shall say to the righteous that he shall surely live; if he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he has committed, he shall die for it. 
Eze 33:14 Again, when I say to the wicked, You shall surely die; if he turns from his sin and does justice and right; 
Eze 33:15 if the wicked gives back the pledge, gives again what he had robbed, walks in the statutes of life without committing iniquity, then he shall surely live; he shall not die.

Rev 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Rev 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 

Eph 5:5 For you know this, that no fornicator, or unclean person, or covetous one (who is an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and the unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars [accursed things], will have their part in the Lake burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. 

In Jos 7:1, Achan’s lineage had him squarely related to none other than Esau (Zerah – H2226), the one hated before he was born. Once again, Achan, Esau and we do not have a say in how the Lord designs the ‘pot’ that we are (Jeremiah 18). 

Rom 9:12 it was said to her, “The elder shall serve the younger.”
Rom 9:13 As it is written, “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.” 

Gen 25:23 And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder [Esau] shall serve the younger [Jacob before they were born].

Achan’s sad account continues; … [he also took] “two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.” 

The two hundred shekels of silver are a witness against Achan’s lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes is consolidated by his pride in hiding the entire treasure trove in his flesh beneath the temporary dwelling he represents by his tent (or tabernacle). The number 10 is the same metaphor for 100, or 1,000 and relates to the completeness of the flesh, the power of corruptible dying flesh, and the completeness or fullness of a thing multiplied by the witness of 2 ~ just as the Ten Commandments being smashed the first time resulted in a second set that condemns sinful flesh for the ultimate path to purity and redemption in Christ by his word represented as silver.

Both silver and gold are the Lord’s, and we steal them anytime we speak above what is written, thus claiming our righteousness (Hag 2:8-10; Eze 16:17).

We shall step back to see how Achan’s narrative pans out.

Jos 7:2 And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai [a heap of ruins], which is beside Beth-aven [a reasonably significant location where Ephriam worshipped; much the same as Bethel], on the east side of Bethel. And he spoke to them, saying, Go up and look over the country. And the men went up and spied out Ai.

Just as the Elect of God are rightfully and secretly spying out their inheritance, which is Christ by his direct guidance, Israel preceded us physically as a type of us by them spying on Jericho and Ai, part of their inheritance of the Promised Land. Of course, Babylonian Christians place no value on what the Lord is doing within His Body and laugh in derision at the absurdity. We feel a wry joy when our enemies speak evil of us, as their contempt more likely affirms the righteous path we are given to tread.

Luk 6:24 But woe to you who are rich! [rich in imagined spiritual discernment] For you have received your consolation. 
Luk 6:25 Woe to you who are full! For you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now! For you shall mourn and weep. 
Luk 6:26 Woe to you when all men shall speak well of you! For so their fathers did to the false prophets. 

Jos 7:3 And they returned to Joshua and said to him, Let not all the people go up. But let about two or three thousand men go up and strike Ai. Do not make all the people labor there, for they are few. 

Israel is pretty confident about what the Lord has done for them by the accounts of their dead fathers all the way from Egypt, and now the miraculous crossing of the Jordan, the dramatic destruction of Jericho, and boldly now, the expectation, “Wow, what will the Lord do for us with this pushover pagan town?”  They were correct with their faith but for one God-given, incredibly accursed performance by one of their members, Achan.

For righteous Israel or Christs, the Lord is all we need in taking Ai with only a representation of two or three thousand men of the nation to glorify the Lord. For our learning, David fighting Goliath is one example, and the classic of Gideon’s more than thirty-two thousand fighting men stripped down to three hundred men is synonymous with Israel’s now three thousand men, two other examples.

Israel was confident that no soul belonging to the Lord would be slain, let alone frightened ~ and so can we. We look behind us to all these “ensamples” and parallel our forebearers’ wickedness similarly with ours for our learning, filling up what is behind of the afflictions of Christ.

Psa 91:5 You shall not fear the terror by night; nor because of the arrow that flies by day; 
Psa 91:6 nor for the plague that walks in darkness, of the destruction laying waste at noonday. 
Psa 91:7 A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; it shall not come near you.
Psa 91:8 Only with your eyes you shall look and see the reward of the wicked.
Psa 91:9 Because You, O Jehovah, are My refuge; if You have made the Most High Your dwelling-place, 

Jos 7:4 And about three thousand [Israelite] men of the people went up there. And they fled before the men of Ai.

The lesson here is that we are to love the Lord our God with all of our hearts while searching our hearts daily with a good conscience, knowing that we haven’t submitted to a “trifling” innocuous sin.

Israel’s fate is unwittingly sealed before they march on Ai, particularly by the number 3, representing the progression of judgment and 2 for witness. The small town (“few”) chased Israel’s unspecified count of two to three thousand valiant armed men away. The difference of one thousand men is one-third of the whole. Such was Israel’s utter faith in the Lord’s power going before them since it didn’t matter to them if two, maybe three thousand, nonchalantly give or take a thousand (‘who cares’) went up to fight.

Knowing the end of the fight from the beginning, we see the Lord’s mercy in permitting only “about thirty-six” men sacrificed for Achan’s sin. The Lord was just as “froward” to Israel as they were to him.

Psa 18:20 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

That is precisely what the Lord did to Israel and to us anytime we think the “accursed thing” is of no consequence. Thirty-six men died, and two to three thousand courageous men were humiliated because lust ruled in one man’s heart only.

Psa 18:21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God. 
Psa 18:22 For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me. 
Psa 18:23 I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.

In those preceding verses lies our conscience that stands or falls before God.

Psa 18:24 Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight. 

… and that is exactly how He treated the mighty army of Israel before the pip-squeak town of Ai; He judged Israel according to their righteousness.

Psa 18:25 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;
Psa 18:26 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward. 
Psa 18:27 For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks. 

It humiliates the elect of God anytime his arrogance is called out. To boot, every member of the Body has been in that place of shame and hedges the debased one in love. We learn to cheerfully accept humiliation in gladness since one more impurity is hopefully being burnt out of our conscience.

Jos 7:5 And the men of Ai struck about thirty-six men of them, for they chased them from before the gate to Shebarim [H7671 – the breaches; breaking, fracture, scattered], and struck them in the road going down. Therefore the hearts of the people melted and became as water.
Jos 7:6 And Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of Jehovah until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust on their heads.
Jos 7:7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, why have You at all brought this people over Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? And, oh that we had been content and lived on the other side Jordan!
Jos 7:8 O, Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns their backs before their enemies? 
Jos 7:9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear, and shall surround us, and shall cut off our name from the earth. And what will You do for Your great name? 

The intense humiliation of Joshua and his ‘dauntless’ army was a classic example of our proud flesh being a two-fold child of hell (Mat 23:15) determined to live and preach the word of God in unwitting self-righteousness. When we become puffed up, thinking that we have arrived with the fullness of the Lord’s understanding and get struck down like Saul (who became Paul) on the road to Damascus, our hearts melt and become like water. In our spiritual infancy, we weep and wail in humiliation as we pray ceaselessly while staunchly claiming our righteousness in utter bewilderment for the Lord’s apparent departure. The near-parallel of our blindness is graphically portrayed by Job in chapter 27.

We try to shame the Lord for the supposed goodness of His heart when all the while, the problem lies squarely in our hearts. While in our spiritual immaturity, and as many have done, we may contemplate as Joshua and Israel did, ‘spitting the dummy’ [as a toddler spitting out the pacifier] by severely questioning the Lord’s intent. Of course, we know that the Achan within pricks our conscience because it is the Lord Himself who, through Satan, gives us the sore trial as He did Job.

Mat 20:15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I want with my own? Is your eye evil because I am good? 
Mat 20:16 So the last shall be first, and the first last, for many are called, but few are chosen. 

As we learn to be grateful in the fire, the painful lessons become more easily dealt with by the Lord exercising our faith. With AI technology (8-dimensional Artificial Intelligence, not the city Ai) booming, no doubt the enemies of the Christ and His Christs will use lying AI videos to greatly embellish our public sins to condemn us, depicting far more despicable acts than the reality (Rev 22:15). As the outward Great Whore ramps up her persecution of the Saints with the abusive use of AI, we, suffering humiliation by our sins among our brothers’ and sisters’ gentle goodness, is far preferable and an immensely valuable lesson for us learning to cope with the future garnished sins. 

Joh 15:18 If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.

2Sa 24:14 And David said to Gad, I am in great distress. Let us fall now into the hand of Jehovah, for His mercies are great. And do not let me fall into the hand of man. 

Luk 21:10 And He said to them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 
Luk 21:11 And great earthquakes shall be in different places, and famines and plagues. And there shall be terrors and great signs from Heaven. 
Luk 21:12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake.
Luk 21:13 And it shall return to you for a testimony. 
Luk 21:14 Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand what you shall answer. 
Luk 21:15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

Earlier, I described the upcoming sin of Achan as “glorious”. The Elect of God’s discretion under Christ in the resurrection to judgment will be given the glorious task of no doubt fewer stripes for Achan and his family since the physical judgment was harrowing for the viewers, participants and particularly Achan and his family. Achan will see, as we do today, that all things are for your sake so that the superabounding grace might be made to abound through the thanksgiving of the greater number, to the glory of God (2Co 4:15). 

Achan and his family will bow before the Lord and His Christs upon being refined in the fiery judgment and, like the entirety of humanity, give God the glory for His wondrous works in every soul’s excruciating birth of the spiritual man.

Lord willing, next week, we shall study in detail how Achan’s sin relates to the relatively light pain of our ‘first fruits’ birthing.

“He that believeth shall not make haste”

Part 2

January 26, 2020

While the walls of Jericho was a great victory for Israel and was delivered by the hands of the Lord, the next defeat at Ai is a great reminder to us that the Lord is not forgetful in His promises.

In our previous study, we saw that the people were warned not to take of the accursed thing which in turn makes the camp of Israel a curse.

Though chapter 7 does not have hand mentioned anywhere in it, it is a continuation of the previous chapter 6 in telling of the result of Israel disobeying the Lord.

It is right after being told that the Lord would give the city of Jericho to Israel that they are warned against the thing they would inevitably do in the city.

Jos 6:16  And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.
Jos 6:17  And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.
Jos 6:18  And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.
Jos 6:19  But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.
Jos 7:1  But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.

Chapter 7 starts off with the children of Israel disobeying the Lord. If you’re like me, and I know you are because we are apart of the same body of Christ, then you may see the it was Achan, not the whole of Israel that took of the accursed thing. Yet, the anger of the Lord is kindled against the children of Israel.

What then can we take away from this lesson?

Well, the word “Achan” means trouble or troubler.

H5912

‛âkân

aw-kawn’

From an unused root meaning to trouble; troublesome; Akan, an Israelite: – Achan. Compare H5917.

Total KJV occurrences: 6 

H5912

‛âkân

BDB Definition:

Achan = “troubler”

1) a Judaite who violated God’s specific ban on taking any loot from the captured city of Jericho and was stoned to death along with his family for this violation

Part of Speech: noun proper masculine

A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from an unused root meaning to trouble

So, trouble has committed a great sin against the Lord and the anger of the Lord is kindled against Israel, but why the whole of Israel?

The answer of course lies in other parts of scripture which helps us learn about the mind of the Lord.

Our first set of clues can be found in Deuteronomy 21.

Deu 21:1  If one be found slain in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him:
Deu 21:2  Then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain:
Deu 21:3  And it shall be, that the city which is next unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take an heifer, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke;
Deu 21:4  And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer’s neck there in the valley:
Deu 21:5  And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them the LORD thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of the LORD; and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried:
Deu 21:6  And all the elders of that city, that are next unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley:
Deu 21:7  And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.
Deu 21:8  Be merciful, O LORD, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel’s charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them.
Deu 21:9  So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD.

It may not pop out to you right away how this is connected, but this story in Deuteronomy 21 shows tells us that there is a murder that happens that no one saw. However, what is seen is the RESULT of the sin, the dead person found slain in the field.

When this sin is found out, it is to be dealt with appropriately. In this case the elders are called together and a heifer is to be slain as a sacrifice to the Lord to say that the hands of Israel are washed of the innocent blood of the slain person in the field.

Though the killer is not known, the result of the sin is known. So, in this case if the elders and the people do not take action to show everyone that is slaying and murder is NOT acceptable in society, then they are guilty of the murder themselves.

Let’s look at another example of this in the New Testament.

1Co 5:1  It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.
1Co 5:2  And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
1Co 5:3  For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
1Co 5:4  In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Co 5:5  To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
1Co 5:6  Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
1Co 5:7  Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
1Co 5:8  Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

The body of Christ is the same as the children of Israel were in the Old Testament. The groups of people were seen as one unit.

Therefore, Paul is admonishing the Corinthians that they are leavened. He is telling them that they are NOT with Christ because a little leaven leavens the whole lump, and Christ is unleavened bread. Christ is Truth and Truth is not leavened.

So, connecting this concept to the children of Israel and the city of Jericho, Achan indeed had committed a great sin against the Lord, and the children of Israel must do something about it.

However, the children of Israel did not yet know that something had happened to kindle the anger of the Lord, but then comes verse 2 .

Jos 7:2  And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east side of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.
Jos 7:3  And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.
Jos 7:4  So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.
Jos 7:5  And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.
Jos 7:6  And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.

Notice, by the estimation of the men sent by Jericho to view the country of Ai, the people of Ai were “but few”. This gave them confidence that only 3000 men needed to be sent.

It was by divine inspiration that the Lord caused these men to tell Joshua to “make not all the people to labour” because the Lord knew there was going to be a defeat on the part of Israel.

There were only 36 men slain, and you can easily see that 3 x 10 + 6 = 36. This is the process of the flesh in all of mankind.

We get puffed up because our flesh gets confident in itself. Yet, there is unknown sin dwelling in our members just as Achan was dwelling in the camp of Israel.

We certainly should be confident in the Lord, but we never want to misplace that confidence by placing it in the flesh. That is a losing battle every time.

The men sent by Joshua certainly were confident, and why wouldn’t they be? “They” had just defeated Jericho. However, it wasn’t they that did it, but it was ALL of the LORD!

The first verse in Joshua 7 tells us that a “covert coverup” was committed in Israel, except it doesn’t say that in English.

Jos 7:1  But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.

Jos 7:1  But the childrenH1121 of IsraelH3478 committedH4603 a trespassH4604 in the accursed thing:H2764 for Achan,H5912 the sonH1121 of Carmi,H3756 the sonH1121 of Zabdi,H2067 the sonH1121 of Zerah,H2226 of the tribeH4294 of Judah,H3063 tookH3947 ofH4480 the accursed thing:H2764 and the angerH639 of the LORDH3068 was kindledH2734 against the childrenH1121 of Israel.H3478

H4603

mâ‛al

maw-al’

A primitive root; properly to cover up; used only figuratively to act covertly, that is, treacherously: – transgress, (commit, do a) tresspass (-ing).

Total KJV occurrences: 36

After having these men lose to Ai, Joshua knew something was up.

Jos 7:7  And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!
Jos 7:8  O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!
Jos 7:9  For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?

In Joshua’s defense, he is doing what he knows he should be doing, and in doing so he did not sin against the Lord.

He is going to the Lord to inquire about this defeat that makes it appear that Israel is weak and by extension the Lord is weak in the eyes of the enemies of the Lord.

The Lord calls Joshua out and calls him to ACTION.

Jos 7:10  And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?
Jos 7:11  Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.
Jos 7:12  Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.
Jos 7:13  Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.
Jos 7:14  In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the LORD taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the LORD shall take shall come by households; and the household which the LORD shall take shall come man by man.
Jos 7:15  And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.

Do you think the Lord is serious about the accursed thing being in the camp of Israel? I believe these verses shows emphatically that the Lord is deathly serious.

The Lord tells Joshua that Israel has sinned, but we in our carnal understanding see that only Achan sinned.

From the perspective of the Lord, we are one with Him and He is one with us. When we sin against Him, He purges from His body that part which is DISEASED.

This is how He expects the church of the Living God to be as well. When there is sin made know to the body, it must be made known and dealt with.

Obviously, there is judgment which must take place in order to confirm the disease, the sin, just like bringing examples of leprosy to the priests to show that there was a growth “in the house”.

Lev 13:3  And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh: and when the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague in sight be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean.

Lev 13:51  And he shall look on the plague on the seventh day: if the plague be spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in a skin, or in any work that is made of skin; the plague is a fretting leprosy; it is unclean.
Lev 13:52  He shall therefore burn that garment, whether warp or woof, in woollen or in linen, or any thing of skin, wherein the plague is: for it is a fretting leprosy; it shall be burnt in the fire.

Lev 14:54  This is the law for all manner of plague of leprosy, and scall,
Lev 14:55  And for the leprosy of a garment, and of a house,
Lev 14:56  And for a rising, and for a scab, and for a bright spot:
Lev 14:57  To teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean: this is the law of leprosy.

The Lord tells us to be serious when it comes to the accursed thing, sin, leaven, unclean things and leprosy because in type and shadow they all represent the same thing. This things must all be put to the fire whether physically or spiritually.

The ultimate lesson from this story in Joshua is one that many a church has failed to do. We, as the body of Christ, must purge from ourselves, the sin that is judged sin, when the time comes to do so.

Once judgement has taken place, action is required. Here is how Joshua acts this out for us in example.

Jos 7:16  So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken:
Jos 7:17  And he brought the family 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:
Jos 7:18  And 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.
Jos 7:19  And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.
Jos 7:20  And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:
Jos 7:21  When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.
Jos 7:22  So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.
Jos 7:23  And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD.
Jos 7:24  And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.
Jos 7:25  And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.
Jos 7:26  And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.

It may seem harsh from our earthly perspective that the Lord had Israel deal with Achan and his whole family in the way that we just read, but the Lord wants us to know how serious He is about His judgment of sin and the accursed thing.

As the title of this study goes, the Lord would not have believers be hasty, but when a sin is revealed it must be put to the fire immediately so that the entire church of the living God remains whole with the Lord.

Isa 28:16  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

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