Joshua 7:2, commentary and pictures

Joshua sent men from Jericho to scout Ai, a small town among ravines beside Beth-aven east of Bethel a few miles west of the Jordan, as the next advance after the fall of Jericho from the base at Gilgal. The scouts reported few inhabitants and an easy victory to be won with only a small force, and the attack was planned in self-confidence without seeking God's counsel. That confidence ended in defeat because hidden sin was in the camp, for Achan had coveted and taken of the accursed spoil of Jericho commanded to be destroyed or consecrated to the Lord, and so God's presence was withdrawn until the camp was cleansed. One man's concealed covetousness brought God's displeasure and loss of blessing upon the whole nation, showing that sin cherished in one heart or household can hinder and harm all. The failure must therefore be met not by bearing it but by searching out, exposing, and putting away the sin through repentance and faithful discipline, that blessing may return.

Setting and Scouting Mission

Joshua sent men from Jericho to go up and view Ai, which lay beside Beth-aven on the east side of Bethel, a small town set among ravines a few miles west of the Jordan valley. The scouting took place after the fall of Jericho and belonged to Israel's advance out from Gilgal, the first encampment in the promised land that served as the base from which Jericho was overthrown and Ai was attacked. The viewing of Ai thus stands within the account of Achan's sin bringing trouble on the camp, showing that hidden sin in the community can hinder its success and must not be concealed but cleansed.

The Ai campaign was the next step after Jericho in the conquest of Canaan, which began when Christ as Captain of the host of the Lord met Joshua and assured him that Jericho with its king and mighty men of valor was given into his hand and instructed him how to take the city. The spies who viewed the country reported that Ai had few inhabitants and could be taken with only a small force, and Israel in active warfare expected an easy victory. After the victory at Jericho, Joshua planned the attack on his own strength without seeking God's counsel, the people trusting their own strength, though success depended on divine help.

Israel's defeat in that first battle came because sin was present among the people through Achan's hidden theft, which Israel did not know about, and God withheld His help until the camp was cleansed. After Achan was punished and God's anger against Israel was turned away, Joshua again assembled the warriors and advanced against Ai. Then the heavenly armies fought for Israel, and their enemies fled.

Hidden Sin Caused Defeat

Israel's defeat at Ai came because the accursed thing was in the camp. Achan's hidden theft of forbidden spoil brought God's displeasure upon Israel, His presence was withdrawn from their armies, and He would not help them in battle while the sin remained concealed. His sin rested upon the entire congregation, so when they went out to Ai they were beaten by their enemies, and blessing could not rest upon the people until the robbery and dissembling were cleansed from them. Sin in one person's household or heart can in this way hinder blessing and harm the work of others, and the need is to identify and remove the sin rather than merely carry the burden of failure.

Before Jericho fell the charge had been given that the city and all in it were accursed to the Lord and appointed to destruction. Israel was to keep themselves from the accursed thing lest they make themselves accursed and make the camp of Israel a curse and trouble it, and all the silver and gold and vessels of brass and iron were consecrated to the Lord for the treasury of His house. Yet Achan coveted the accursed thing of Jericho and took part of the spoil the Lord had commanded to be utterly consumed, including the wedge of gold and the Babylonish garment, even ready to steal the gold and silver plainly specified for God. It was robbery and dissembling in the camp, though he thought it a very small matter, but it was a serious sin against the Lord that kindled His anger against Israel.

The history shows the seriousness of taking the Lord's goods for personal use, of hiding wrongdoing under a show of innocence, and of discrediting correction. That covetousness, theft, and concealment of goods dedicated to God brought judgment and cost thirty-six lives in the defeat at Ai. Though by His mighty power God had done a great and glorious work for Israel, hidden sin barred His way so that He could not do what He would for them, for God will not serve with sin.

Achan felt no distress or remorse over what he had done. He did not reason from cause to effect to ask whether his stealing the golden wedge and Babylonish garment had brought the Lord's displeasure and the defeat upon the people. He had no thought of making the wrong right by confession of sin and humiliation of soul.

Nature of Achan's Sin

The history connected with the sending of men to view Ai shows the terrible results of covetousness, selfishness, avarice and deception, for greed can grow gradually until it becomes a ruling habit. It grows imperceptibly, so that its possessor is unaware of it, while it deadens the sense of right and the moral sense. When that deadening has taken place, the person becomes an easy prey when temptation comes, and the curse that followed brought defeat upon Israel until the search exposed the hidden sin. The same secret coveting that brought defeat on Israel brought certain destruction on Achan himself and all he possessed, showing that among Sabbath-keepers covetousness, selfishness, love of money and love of the world destroys the spirit of sacrifice and takes the sacrifice from God's altar. Unless it is rooted out, destruction will be as sure as Achan's, for those who call God's lent means their own and hoard it up will perish with the world when God's prospering hand is removed and all is snatched away in a moment, when human loftiness is brought down and pride humbled and kings and nobles, rich and poor alike bow under withering plagues. The Israel of God must therefore renew strength and covenant with God by sacrificing for God and denying self for truth, ceasing to love the world and its gain and increase.

Secretly taking what belongs to God is treated as a serious offense that brings divine judgment. Concealed covetousness in the encounter with Ai brought defeat and destruction, illustrating that hidden sin can bring ruin. God sees and searches out concealed wrongdoing, and the account of Achan stands as proof that what is hidden will be exposed and will bring ruin unless put away.

Achan's case warns that temptation must never be underestimated. A person who feels secure may be in the greatest danger of stumbling and falling. Temptation cannot be resisted in one's own strength, and a fall may come precisely when confidence is highest.

The spirit that took possession of Achan is still working, living and unpurged and unrepented, in men in important positions, with no restoration made and no falling on the Rock and being broken. Unless leading men let the Word of the Lord into the mind there is no hope for institutions. Deceptions enveloped in mist and fog, growing blacker than velvet, will cause them to stumble without knowing at what they stumble, because men who ought to know God and Jesus Christ do not know them and do not pray with humble, broken hearts to be saved lest they perish.

One Sin Affects All

The sending of men to view Ai belongs to the story in which defeat followed because the accursed thing was among the people, and God withheld success against enemies while hidden sin remained concealed. One person's concealed theft brought weakness and loss of blessing on the whole community, with guilt charged to the whole camp so that the entire nation stood under rebuke. Sin in one person's household or heart can hinder blessing, harm the work of others, and cause all to suffer, and judgment fell on the wrongdoer and his family while all Israel suffered with them. The campaign that began with expectation of easy victory was troubled because one man's hidden sin brought divine displeasure on the whole camp, and the lesson is that concealed wrongdoing can hinder a community's work and bring serious consequences even to death.

Achan's dishonesty in taking what was forbidden brought danger to Israel in active warfare and expected victory, for his taking of the golden wedge and Babylonian garment led God to withhold help in the first battle. His hidden theft brought guilt upon all Israel, with his sin charged to the whole camp to show that concealed wrongdoing affects the community. His concealed sin brought God's anger not only on himself but on all Israel, and so hidden wrongdoing affecting the wider community must be exposed and put away.

Defects of character in any church member or in the minister are charged to the church if the church makes light of them, for the whole nation stood under God's rebuke on account of Achan's sin. To place a man in darkness over the church as minister is for the church to assume his defects and make them its own, so that the whole church stands under rebuke. Accepting such labors dishonors God and lowers the standard of righteousness to the ruin of the man and the detriment of the church, and God will not be with His people unless the accursed is destroyed from among them. Knowing the evil yet hiding the eyes from it and walking contrary to the divine will makes the case more grievous.

Achans in the camp weigh down God's people like clogs because of corrupt hearts among them, and bring God's frown upon the whole church. Their presence causes God's work to progress but little, discourages His servants, keeps truth from taking effect, and keeps souls from being added to the church. Such persons are deceived and deceiving, marked by wanting to be foremost when neither God nor brethren placed them there, and by selfishness and exaltation and love of self and other sins. God gives them opportunity to reform and enlightens them as to their sins and visits and labors with them, but when they will not heed warnings and admonitions and will not repent He in mercy rids the church of them and gives many up to their own ways to be filled with their own doings. Those who do wickedly and refuse to repent must not be retained on the church books but must be separated and disfellowshipped, for to retain them holds the saints accountable for evil deeds and insults the God of heaven.

The sending of men from Jericho to inspect Ai belongs to the account showing that Israel had failed to be vigilant in discovering sin among them. Achan's selfishness, avarice, and deception brought a curse upon Israel, and the search that followed exposed his hidden sin to show that God sees and searches out concealed wrongdoing. The account teaches the need for vigilance in addressing sin, but also warns against acting on suspicion without first learning the facts.

Cleansing and Church Discipline

Israel's defeat shows that the answer is not to keep carrying the burden of failure but to identify the wrong, search it out, expose it, and remove it from among the people. Concealed transgression must be searched out and put away, because one man's dishonesty in taking what was forbidden brought danger to all and led God to withhold His help in battle. Discipline must be maintained, sin must be called by its right name and put away, and every soul must cleanse himself from all filthiness of flesh and perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord.

Sin in the camp must be dealt with promptly because it contaminates others, and truth and purity can be protected only by requiring the sinner to put away sin or be separated from the church so the community is cleansed. Those who do wickedly and refuse to repent after being visited and labored with must not be retained on the church books but must be separated from fellowship and disfellowshipped. To retain them holds the saints accountable for their evil deeds, protects no one, and insults the God of heaven.

God's dealing over hidden sin shows the responsibility resting on those who stand in high positions of trust, for He is the same God in the gospel that He was in ancient Israel. Those who know the truth and understand His requirements and hear His Word daily become as responsible as open transgressors if they grow careless, pass by sin in their midst, let things drift, and confirm the impression that sin is not exceedingly offensive to God. They must closely guard righteousness and judgment, give youth whose characters are being molded for this life and the life to come the right impression of what constitutes sin and uncleanness and defilement and rottenness of character, and must not hold peace when God is dishonored by deception and falsehood and moral corruption. If leaders do their duty, God by His Holy Spirit will point out the wrongdoers to demonstrate that He will not tolerate sin, and leaders must work diligently to separate the Achans from the camp. Those entrusted with responsibility may need discretion and must act promptly to uncover and correct sin that threatens the people, and others should not obstruct them merely by questioning or faultfinding.

The way must be cleared by repentance and entire surrender, as John prepared the way for Christ, with God's people keeping the commandments, hating the sin but loving the sinner with compassion, so that God can work and heavenly intelligences can make the surrendered agent a living channel of light. The defiling evil keeps God from blessing the church until it is purged by repentance and change of course, for though He had done a great and glorious work by His mighty power, hidden sin barred His way so that He could not do what He would.

Warnings for God's People

Achan's secret coveting brought defeat on Israel and certain destruction on himself and all he possessed, warning Sabbath-keepers that covetousness, selfishness, love of money and love of the world destroys the spirit of sacrifice and takes the sacrifice from God's altar. That evil grows imperceptibly so that those who have it are not aware of it, and unless it is rooted out their destruction will be as sure as Achan's. The Israel of God must renew strength and covenant with God by sacrificing for God and denying self for truth, ceasing to love the world and its gain and increase and to call God's lent means their own and hoard it up as stewards. Otherwise they will perish with the world when God's prospering hand is removed and all is snatched away in a moment and the loftiness of man is brought down and pride humbled, when kings and nobles, rich and poor alike bow under the withering plagues of God.

Achan's selfishness and covetousness in becoming wise above what is written and appropriating for his own use means belonging to God's treasury is repeated by workers in schools, institutions, and churches who measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves among themselves. They think they should be greatly favored, become dissatisfied over wages, sell themselves to the highest bidder, practice double-dealing, and selfishly take all they think they should have. God looks upon this robbing of the treasury exactly as He looked upon Achan, is not with such a man, and surrounds him with an atmosphere of unbelief. He sees every case and will pass judgment on it, and counts such men unable to give the right mold to the work or to supply the necessities of laborers in hard fields.

The history of hidden theft exposed at Ai shows that taking means belonging to God's cause and holding back means meant for the Southern field is robbery in every sense of the word and hated by God. It is done through selfishness at every point and lack of principle and perverted ideas, abusing the Spirit of God and blinding spiritual discernment so there is no real sense of justice and mercy and equity and truth. It produces insincerity and excuses and unwilling half-hearted work instead of restitution, and clean work and full restitution of both principal and interest are required before God's censure is removed. A wrong course pursued by one person toward his brother turns the light of God away from His people until the wrong is searched out and the cause of the oppressed is vindicated. God requires His people to be tender in feeling and discrimination, with enlarged hearts and broad and deep feelings, not narrow, selfish and penurious, showing noble sympathy, largeness of soul and disinterested benevolence, and then the church can triumph in God. So long as selfishness is allowed to dry up kindly sympathy and tender, thoughtful love and interest for brethren, every virtue is corroded, and Isaiah's fast must be studied with close self-examination to discern whether the principles God requires are present in order to receive the rich blessings promised.

Achan's case serves as a warning against dishonest practices. His sin was a defiling evil that keeps God from blessing the church until it is purged by repentance and change of course. Backbiting is worse than the sin of Achan because its influence is not confined to those who cherish envy and hatred, talebearing, accusing and condemning, blackening character, inspiring hearts with maliciousness, and carrying false reports. It becomes a root of bitterness whereby many are defiled, corrupting minds and spirits and causing those who listen to slander to lose the Spirit of God. The spirit that took possession of Achan is still working, living and unpurged and unrepented, in men in important positions, with no restoration made and no falling on the Rock and being broken. Unless leading men let the Word of the Lord into the mind there is no hope for institutions, and deceptions enveloped in mist and fog, growing blacker than velvet, will cause them to stumble without knowing at what they stumble, because men who ought to know God and Jesus Christ do not know them and do not pray with humble, broken hearts to be saved lest they perish.