This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

[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.

Download Discussion

Awesome Hands – part 165

“The Fall of I”

February 9, 2020

The destruction of Ai or “I” is what our study will be about today. At first glance, various stories in the bible do not always appear to be talking about anything but what is immediately apparent, but our story today is all about our struggle with the flesh and kindled anger the Lord will bring to it.

Our verses for consideration today are found in Joshua 8. There are many verses in this chapter that have the word “hand” in them, so we will cover the entire chapter in this study.

Jos 8:1  And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land:
Jos 8:2  And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.

As always, the Lord knew and knows the exact events that need take place in order for His plans to execute perfectly. For the sake of Israel, the Lord tells Joshua exactly what to do in order to win the battle that is about to take place.

For us as Christians, this is no different. However, the thing to always keep in mind is that the Lord alone is the power behind these plans being successful or not being that He creates all the details to make them come to fruition.

It is important to note that the Lord did not give the spoils of the land to Israel when they sacked Jericho. In fact, the taking of the spoils of the battle with Jericho is what leads to the arrogance of the king and people of Ai.

You’ll notice I used a little wordplay with the title of this study. Joshua 8 is titled, “The Fall of Ai” in e-Sword and in some translations.

However, this story is really about the Fall of “I”, the fall of the flesh. Interestingly enough, the Lord uses the flesh to judge itself with its own sins.

Mat 12:36  But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Mat 12:37  For by THY WORDS thou shalt be justified, and by THY WORDS thou shalt becondemned.

Luk 6:45  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

The abundance of “good treasure” or “evil treasure” is what is brought forth of the Lord. What we need to remember is that there is a stony heart that is replaced by a fleshy heart, and it is the fleshy heart only that can have good treasure. After all, it is all of the Lord.

Pro 16:1  The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.
Pro 16:2  All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.
Pro 16:3  Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

I don’t know if it was easily caught, but when we commit our WORKS unto the Lord, our THOUGHTS shall be established to accomplish that work. It is when our “good treasure” from the heart is tapped into that we then are given instructions to execute that work of the Lord.

Job 33:15  In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed;
Job 33:16  Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction,
Job 33:17  That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man.
Job 33:18  He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.

Here we find ourselves being told by the Lord, through the story of Joshua, to take the city of Ai. Let us now walk in the steps of Joshua to conquer the flesh that so easily besets us.

Jos 8:3  So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour, and sent them away by night.
Jos 8:4  And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, even behind the city: go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready:
Jos 8:5  And I, and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city: and it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them,
Jos 8:6  (For they will come out after us) till we have drawn them from the city; for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: therefore we will flee before them.
Jos 8:7  Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon the city: for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.
Jos 8:8  And it shall be, when ye have taken the city, that ye shall set the city on fire: according to the commandment of the LORD shall ye do. See, I have commanded you.

If you’ll hearken back to the previous chapter, the men that went up against Ai initially had only taken 3 thousand men, and Israel was sent running with some casualties taking place for Israel.

The soldiers and king of Ai no doubt had a lot of confidence from that victory given that the Israelites had just conquered Jericho yet Ai soldiers were able to defeat Israel.

Indeed, the flesh of “I” always seems to be so confident in the things “I” gets away with in the past. The Truth is that “I” doesn’t ever get away with anything because every single moment is recorded in the mind of God and indeed it is all taking place so that the Lord can use it for good later.

When Joseph put the cup in Benjamin’s sack, Benjamin was going to “partake of the cup” to bring about good for all of his family.

This cup was used for the catalyst of ultimately bringing good to Joseph’s family.

Gen 44:1  And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man’s money in his sack’s mouth.
Gen 44:2  And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack’s mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.
Gen 44:3  As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.
Gen 44:4  And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?
Gen 44:5  Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.
Gen 44:6  And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words.
Gen 44:7  And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing:
Gen 44:8  Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks’ mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lord’s house silver or gold? 

“Lord, Lord haven’t we done good in thy name”. (Mat 7:21-23)

Gen 44:9  With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord’s bondmen.
Gen 44:10  And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless.
Gen 44:11  Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack.
Gen 44:12  And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.

I just read all these verses to show how confident the flesh is against the Lord. When we think we are in the right, oh how confident we are to proclaim our innocence.

Yet, unbeknownst to us at the time, the Lord, the king in type in shadow as seen here in the person of Joseph, is setting us up to be REQUIRED to come before His judgment seat.

The men of Ai, that is to say the “old man of I”, is always confident in his upcoming and unforeseen defeat when it comes to battling the men of God.

Jos 8:9  Joshua therefore sent them forth: and they went to lie in ambush, and abode between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua lodged that night among the people.
Jos 8:10  And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and numbered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai.
Jos 8:11  And all the people, even the people of war that were with him, went up, and drew nigh, and came before the city, and pitched on the north side of Ai: now there was a valley 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, even all the host that was on the north of the city, and their liers in wait on the west of the city, Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley.
Jos 8:14  And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that they hasted and rose up early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at a time appointed, before the plain; but he wist not that there were liers in ambush against him behind the city.

Isn’t this how it always seems to unfold? I almost feel badly for the king of Ai. From his perspective, they are minding their own business one day and they hear about the city of Jericho being assaulted by a foreign invader that came across the Jordan river.

Then, after Jericho fell these same invaders are now coming to his city. The king’s job is to protect the people, and he has no idea that the God of Israel was angry with the children of Israel when he had his small victory against them that sent 3000 men running.

Now, this same army has come again, and Ai sees them trying their same ol’ stunts outside his city.

Where the king goes wrong is, he trusts in his past victories as if they will somehow help him when his current battle.

Doesn’t this sound familiar? The “king of I” thinks because he was able to do something successfully in the past, that will somehow equal victory now. The downfall of Ai is their pride in going up against the Lord even though they are going up against the people of God.

Jos 8:15  And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.
Jos 8:16  And all the people that were in Ai were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.
Jos 8:17  And there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel, that went not out after Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel.

It takes a whole lot of confidence to utterly fail at protecting your own city and people. The king of Ai was so overfilled with confidence that he left his city completely unprotected.

Jos 8:18  And the LORD said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thine hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the city.
Jos 8:19  And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand: and they entered into the city, and took it, and hasted and set the city on fire.
Jos 8:20  And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way: and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon 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 ascended, then they turned again, and slew the men of Ai.
Jos 8:22  And the other issued out of the city against them; so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side: and they smote them, so that they let none of them remain or escape.
Jos 8:23  And the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua.

Whenever the flesh turns back to see the clouds of smoke coming from the fire of God, it is too late for the flesh. We have various stories that tell us that this is true.

The ways of all men:

Job 34:21  For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.
Job 34:22  There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
Job 34:23  For he will not lay upon man more than right; that he should enter into judgment with God.
Job 34:24  He shall break in pieces mighty men without number, and set others in their stead.
Job 34:25  Therefore he knoweth their works, and he overturneth them in the night, so that they are destroyed.
Job 34:26  He striketh them as wicked men in the open sight of others;
Job 34:27  Because they turned back from him, and would not consider any of his ways:

Lot’s wife:

Gen 19:23  The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.
Gen 19:24  Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
Gen 19:25  And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
Gen 19:26  But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

“Drawing back”:

Heb 10:38  Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
Heb 10:39  But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

Heb 10:38  (ISV)  but my righteous one will live by faith, and if he turns back, my soul will take no pleasure in him.”

“Putting the hand to the plow”:

Luk 9:59  And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
Luk 9:60  Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
Luk 9:61  And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
Luk 9:62  And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Anytime we look back, it is a fleshy act and thought and the Lord will destroy the flesh for it.

Israel thought several times that it might be better to go back to Egypt than to be doing what they were doing at the time even as early as being brought to the red sea to cross it.

When Ai, or also know as “I”, in this study, looks back and not forward, we are doomed to be consumed in the fire of the Lord. For our flesh, this is not good, but the result is more of the new man remaining.

1Co 3:11  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1Co 3:12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved;yet so as by fire.

The “king” of the flesh, in this case “Ai”, needs to be dethroned for the work of the Lord to be established.

Jos 8:24  And it came to pass, when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness wherein they chased them, and when they were all fallen on the edge of the sword, until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned unto Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword.
Jos 8:25  And so it was, that all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai.
Jos 8:26  For Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.
Jos 8:27  Only the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel took for a prey unto themselves, according unto the word of the LORD which he commanded Joshua.
Jos 8:28  And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, even a desolation unto this day.
Jos 8:29  And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide: and as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcase down from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and raise thereon a great heap of stones, that remaineth unto this day.

One kingdom must end so that another can begin. The foundation must be destroyed of the old so that the foundation of new can proceed.

Nowhere in this study have I stated that we of ourselves do this work. In fact, it is all of the Lord and His work in and through us.

However, we do in fact DO the work. We work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, but it is the Lord working it in us to do this.

Never take confidence from the flesh because it will fail in the end to do anything but lead us to more death.

The life we are after only had one way to it, and we must continually look forward in our Faith because that is when the Lord locks it in place in our fleshy heart. That is when our thoughts become established.

Pro 16:1  The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.
Pro 16:2  All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.
Pro 16:3  Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established

“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.