There is a reason the battle of Jericho is preached and taught so much.
First, A small child in Sunday school and can hear it and understand it.
Secondly, Joshua 6 and 7 teaches us some very important things about obeying God.
Thirdly, But another important thing about these two chapters is that NO ONE CAN SIN ALONE!!!
This was a tremendous victory for Israel. Everything was going well for them until one day their was a…
I. SIN PROBLEM
Sin has messed up:
• Careers
• Marriages
• Families
• Churches
• Nations
The nation of Israel was enjoying victory after victory and once sin entered they suffered a shameful defeat.
But when it comes to sin here is something we can see chapters 6 and 7 of Joshua, that is, the sins we commit certainly affect us individually, but they also affect others in our life. NO MAN SINS ALONE!!!
For example:
• The drunkard his/her sin not only affects him it affect his whole family and community. Also, thousands are killed by drunk drivers.
• The dope addict his/her sin not only affect him it affects his family and community. Again, thousands are killed by dope addicts.
• The thief his sin not only affects him it affects his neighborhood.
But something we all need to realize about sin, that is when we sin…WE NEVER SIN ALONE!!!
Illus: Look carefully in the mirror.
• Do you resemble a parent or a grandparent or even a great grandparent?
• Do you have the same color eyes, hair and skin or face shape?
Why do you look the way you do?
You look that way because your ancestors passed on their physical characteristics to you.
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger and his wife was in a restaurant and they could not help but to notice this young waitress that had this beautiful radiant smile on her face and Dr. Belger asked her, “Young lady, where did you get that beautiful smile?” She smiled even bigger as she said, “From my moma.”
We all have had things past down from our parents.
In the same way, as head of the human race, Adam passed on his spiritual characteristics to every human being. That is, Adam passed his sinful nature and his desire to sin to every one of us.
No one had to teach us how to sin, the moment we were born we began to scream and holler to have it our way.
The Bible says in Romans 5:12 Therefore, as through one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death through sin; and so death passed unto all men, for that all sinned.
When Adam sinned, we were all in the loins of Adam and when he sinned he passed down to all of us this sin nature.
• That is, WHEN ADAM SINNED HE DID NOT SIN ALONE!
• Also, this story of Achan when he sinned he did not sin alone it affected the whole nation of Israel.
THINK ABOUT THIS WITH ME…
• In Joshua chapter 6 we read about Joshua at the battle of Jericho. WHAT A VICTORY!
• Then we come to Joshua chapter 7 after Achan sin, what a shameful defeat!
These two chapters have a connection. That is:
• If Joshua 6 is the thrill of victory,
• Then Joshua 7 is the agony of defeat!
Look at Joshua 6:27 we read these words, So Jehovah was with Joshua; and his fame was in all the land.
After a verse like that in chapter 6, you’d expect chapter 7 to begin by saying, “So Joshua and his people rolled on from victory to victory.”
And why not? Jericho was the chief Canaanite city. And they had a tremendous victory in Jericho. TREMENDOUS!!!
The thinking is, If Jericho could fall to Joshua, what city could stand against him?
If the Jews were overconfident, one could hardly blame them. Victory after Vicory!!!
WHAT MADE THEM SO CONFIDENT?
Their great success!!!
• Up until chapter 6, victory, victory, victory!
• Then we come to chapter 7, a shameful defeat.
They became so confident at this great victory in Jericho when they had to do battle with this little nation called AI they thought this would be a easy battle to win.
Before the battle Joshua sent spies to spy the land out.
Look at Joshua 7:2 Joshua 7:2 And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-el, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and spy out the land. And the men went up and spied out Ai.
When the text says “Go up,” that was literally true.
• Jericho was down near the Jordan River, not far from the Dead Sea.
• Ai was up in the mountains to the north and west of Jericho.
When they returned to Joshua after spying out the land of Ai, they said in Joshua 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; make not all the people to toil thither; for they are but few.
After this great victory in Jericho, his advisors said we can easily beat Ai. “…Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai…” BIG MISTAKE!!!
Illus: In other words they were saying “General Joshua, let’s send the Junior Varsity team to go up there because they didn’t get much of a workout at Jericho. The second team can take care of Ai easy.”
From a military standpoint, this made sense. Ai was a tiny outpost compared to the mighty Jericho.
Joshua took their advice but they got their rear ends kicked by Ai!
Illus: That would be like the number one team in college football today, like the “Clemson Tigers” playing some high school football team and the high school team shamefully defeat the Clemson tigers and chase them out of the stadium.
Look at Joshua 7:4-5 So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men; and they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them at the descent; and the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.
WHY DID THEY SUFFER SUCH A SHAMEFUL DEFEAT
Joshua 7:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the devoted thing; for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the devoted thing: and the anger of Jehovah was kindled against the children of Israel.
They were specifically told not to confiscate the possessions of Ai but this fellow Achan did just that.
WHY DID HE DO IT?
Did you know that Achan was a wealthy man, I will show you that from the scriptures later on.
We often hear about rich celebrites from Hollywood stealing things, such as, why do they do such things:
• Lindsay Lohan stole a $2,500 necklace in 2011.
• Britney Spears stole a wig in 2007
• Farrah Fawcett stole some clothes in 1971
• Lynn Anderson stole a Harry Potter DVD 2005
I could list dozens of rich and famous people who was caught stealing something.
WHY DO RICH PEOPLE STEAL?
Because they think no one is looking, so why not!
Illus: It is like when you paint a wall and you put up a sign that says, “WEP PAINT…DO NOT TOUCH!!! But you look around and no one is looking so you touch it.
Illus: Achan did it for the same reason. But when Achan saw some Babylonish garments, gold bars he thought, no one is looking and I can do it and get away with it.
God had specifically told them not to take any of these possessions.
Achan saw no one was looking, but he forgot,
we can sin and NO MAN WILL SEE US SINNING, BUT WE CAN NEVER SIN WITHOUT GOD SEEING US!!!
But another thing we must remember, anytime we sin we must remember…NONE OF US SIN ALONE!
The sin that Achan committed:
• Caused the whole nation of Israel to be shamefully defeated.
• Cost 36 men their lives.
How could this have happened that they suffered this shameful defeat?
Listen church, God is trying to tell us something and we need to take heed. That is, if we want the blessings of God on our lives and on our church, WE CAN NOT HAVE SIN IN THE CAMP!
They were shamefully defeated and God revealed the reason for the sin was due to sin in the camp.
Now let me preach to you about sin in the camp, and I can do this because you know
I love you as a congregation.
And I would not ever do anything to hurt anyone intentional.
But this church, as good as it is, it is like churches all over this nation.
HOW IS THAT?
1) We have people today in our churches that tell lies and tell dirty jokes all week and they come into the house of God wanting God to bless them and this church. IT DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY WITH GOD!
2) We have people today in our churches that gossip about people all week and then they come into house of God wanting God to bless them and this church. IT DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY WITH GOD!
3) We have people in our churches that cheat their employer for not working when they are being paid to work and then they come into the house of God wanting God to bless them and this church. IT DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY WITH GOD!
4) We have people in our churches that steal the tithes that belong to God then they come into house of God wanting God to bless them and this church. IT DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY WITH GOD!
5) We have people in our churches get on Facebook that claim to be Christians but you never would know that by what they post on Facebook then they come into the house of God wanting God to bless them and this church. IT DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY WITH GOD!
6) We have people in our churches that do not attend the services one-fifth of the time because they feel they have more important things to do and they want to God to bless them. IT DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY WITH GOD!
7) We have people in our churches who shack up with opposite sex and they come to church wanting God to bless them. IT DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY WITH GOD!
God gives us this example in Joshua 6 and Joshua 7 TO SHOW US IT DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY!!!
When there is sin in the camp the blessings of God will not be there.
When there is sin in the camp it affects the whole church.
When Israel had sin in the camp they suffered a shameful defeat!!!
And also today many individuals and many churches are suffering a shameful defeat because they are not dealing with the SIN IN THE CAMP!!!
Let look at how they handled this situation! We have looked at THE SIN…now let us look at…
II. THE SOLUTION
When word of this shocking defeat reached Joshua, this is how he responded.
Look at Joshua 7:6 And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of Jehovah until the evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust upon their heads.
At this time when Joshua got the news of this shameful defeat he did not know what the problem was. All he knew was something had gone badly wrong.
They have been having victory after victory and now they have suffered this shameful defeat from a small place like Ai.
God had promised to be with them and he had been with them victory after victory. Wherever they went they had great victories.
Joshua knows nothing about Achan taking the loot for himself. That will eventually be exposed by the Lord.
The key to this story is the instruction Joshua gave to the soldiers before the attack on Jericho.
Joshua 6:18 But as for you, only keep yourselves from the devoted thing, lest when ye have devoted it, ye take of the devoted thing; so would ye make the camp of Israel accursed, and trouble it.
God told them what He required, but they just did not take God serious!
And God is telling the church today the same thing but I am afraid the church also is not taking God serious!
The rules Joshua laid out in chapter 6 were clear. The spies were not to touch the loot of Jericho.
The Lord told Joshua to bring the nation before him by tribes.
• Then he said, “It’s Judah!” Then the tribe of Judah came forward by clans.
• The Lord said, “It’s the Zerahites!” Then the clan of the Zerahites came forward.
• The Lord said, “It’s Zimri!” Then the family of Zimri came forward, and the Lord said, “It’s Achan!”
Be sure your sin will find you out. No one but God saw him and now he is recognizing He has not gotten away with a thing.
Illus: We hear sometime folks talking about:
• The perfect crime. Because if evil man can escape the punishment of man, NONE WILL EVER ESCAPE THE WRATH OF GOD. But evil man will have to stand before God almighty who was there every time they committeed a sin.
• There is no such thing as a secret sin. There is no such thing as hidden sin.
Illus: Trying to hide sin from God is like running from your shadow you can never get away.
Achan sinned because he is like all sinful men, he thought he could do it and get away with it.
But now he has found out he has not gotten away with a thing…NOT A THING!
God’s Word in Luke 8:17 For nothing is hid, that shall not be made manifest; nor anything secret, that shall not be known and come to light.
God had already decreed the punishment Joshua 7:15 And it shall be, that he that is taken with the devoted thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath; because he hath transgressed the covenant of Jehovah, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.
So this sin has led into a capital punishment case.
Numbers 32:23 “Be sure your sin will find you out”.
When Achan stood before Joshua, the great commander gave him this advice.
Look at Joshua 7:19 And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to Jehovah, the God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.
We have to give Achan this much credit. He told the truth and admitted what he had done.
You might say he didn’t have a choice because of the way this went down, but we always have a choice. Some people lie because they can’t bear to tell the truth.
Achan confessed his sin and made no excuses.
Look at Joshua 7:20-22 And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Of a truth I have sinned against Jehovah, the God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: when I saw among the spoil a goodly Babylonish mantle, 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. So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.
Achan did not hide his sin, he confessed his sins.
This raises a fascinating question. Could Achan be in heaven?
We do not know and cannot know, but Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his transgressions shall not prosper: But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy.
It is possible that although Achan suffered the just punishment for his sin, God could still have forgiven him.
But God’s forgiveness does not eliminate the consequences.
Joshua 7:24-26 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the mantle, 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 up unto the valley of Achor. And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? Jehovah shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire, and stoned them with stones. And they raised over him a great heap of stones, unto this day; and Jehovah turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.
Because of this one sin, what a price he paid for himself and his family for his sin.
No one sin alone, he not only him and his family paid a price, so did:
• Israel as a nation
• 36 men lost their lives.
When will we ever learn NO ONE SIN ALONE!!!
Conclusion:
If you wonder where the gospel is in this story, just look at what happened. God’s anger burned against Israel until Achan paid for his sin.
Hold on to one key thought: Sin must be dealt with and paid for. If God ignored sin, he would no longer be holy God.
Why did God put this passage of scripture in the Bible?
Because He wants it to be a lesson to us if we want the blessings of God on our lives individually and as a church we can not go against the Word of God
We have looked at Israel:
I. THEIR SINS
II. THE SOLUTION
