Joshua 7:22-26 Valley of Trouble

 22So Joshua sent messengers who ran to the tent, and there it all was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. 23They took the things from inside the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites, and spread them out before the LORD.

24Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the cloak, the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his oxen and donkeys and sheep, his tent, and everything else he owned, and brought them to the Valley of Achor.

25“Why have you brought this trouble upon us?” said Joshua. “Today the LORD will bring trouble upon you!” And all Israel stoned him to death. Then they stoned the others and burned their bodies. 26And they heaped over Achan a large pile of rocks that remains to this day. So the LORD turned from His burning anger. Therefore that place is called the Valley of Achorh to this day.

“And all Israel stoned him to death. Then they stoned the others and burned their bodies.” Some translations say, stoned the others, family, them. 

Why do I point this out? Because some commentators say the children may not have been stoned!

Did Achan’s children not know of all the forbidden items buried inside their tent?

Valley of Achor means Valley of Trouble.

Gal 5:24 NKJV - 24 And those [who are] Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Passions and desires are the root of sin. Achan had the passion for “beautiful cloak from Shinar, two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels” he desired and coveted them.

Lord please help us examine our passions and desires and And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

Blessings 

Joshua 7:19-21 I Have Sinned

 19So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and make a confession to Him. I urge you to tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.”

20“It is true,” Achan replied, “I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I did: 21When I saw among the spoils a beautiful cloak from Shinar,e two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

“Even when we sin and try to cover it up, we can still give glory to the LORD by openly and honestly confessing our sin. Hidden sin always has a special power over us.

Measured against the lives of thirty-six men and the welfare of the entire nation, what Achan gained was insignificant. 

Think of how Achan could have rationalized his sin: “No one will know.” “These things won’t be missed.” “Think of how I’ll be admired in this beautiful Babylonian garment.” “I’m not hurting anyone.” “I deserve this.” The excuses can go on and on, but they all fall short.” (Guzik)

1Ti 6:10 NKJV - 10 For the love of money is a root of all [kinds of] evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Achan was basically forced to confess as the tribes, clan by clan came forward and he was selected. Would it have turned out differently if….

2 Samuel 12:13 So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has mput away your sin; you shall not die.

David still had consequences for his sin.

We are forgiven when we come to the foot of the cross and openly and honestly confess our sin daily but we still have consequences for our sin.

The question is when it comes to confessing your sin, are you like Achan or David?

Stay tuned or read ahead to see what happens to Achan!

Blessings 

Joshua 7:16-18 Selected!

 16So Joshua arose early the next morning and had Israel come forward tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was selected. 17He had the clans of Judah come forward, and the clan of the Zerahites was selected. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward, and the family of Zabdi was selected. 18And he had the family of Zabdi come forward man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was selected.

These verses remind me of another selection!

Matthew 25: 32All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.

Achan will soon be judged for his sin that in turn caused thirty-six deaths in the battle of Ai because the Lord had left them.

Matthew 25: 41Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

When we stand in judgment, will we be selected like Achan (goat) and judged according to our deeds or have our sin washed away with the blood 🩸 of Jesus Christ?

Revelation 20: 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne.

And there were open books, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books. 13The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to his deeds.

14Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. 15And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

How can you be sure your name is written in the Book of Life?

Blessings 

https://www.gotquestions.org/book-of-life.html

Joshua 7:13-15 Secret Sins

 13Get up and consecrate the people, saying, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Among you, O Israel, there are things devoted to destruction. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them. 14In the morning you must present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe that the LORD selects shall come forward clan by clan, and the clan that the LORD selects shall come forward family by family, and the family that the LORD selects shall come forward man by man. 15The one who is caught with the things devoted to destruction must be burned, along with all that belongs to him, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD and committed an outrage in Israel.’ ”

“Though the identity of the sinning family was unknown to Joshua, it was known to God. Secret sin on earth is an open scandal before God. Therefore, we should live our lives with “one set of books,” with one kind of life that can be seen by anybody, anywhere.” (Guzik)

Secret Sins 

Psalm 90:8 You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence.

Psalm 19: 12Who can discern his own errors? Cleanse me from my hidden faults.

Isaiah 29: 15Woe to those who dig deep

to hide their plans from the LORD.

In darkness they do their works and say,

“Who sees us, and who will know?”

Ephesians 5: 12For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.

Dear Lord cleanse me of my hidden faults and give me one set of books. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

Blessings 

Joshua 7:10-12 Hindered by Sin

 10But the LORD said to Joshua, “Stand up! Why have you fallen on your face? 11Israel has sinned; they have transgressed My covenant that I commanded them, and they have taken some of what was devoted to destruction. Indeed, they have stolen and lied, and they have put these things with their own possessions. 12This is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies. They will turn their backs and run from their enemies, because they themselves have been set apart for destruction. I will no longer be with you unless you remove from among you whatever is devoted to destruction.

“Israel could not fight in God’s power and presence unless they walked in obedience to God. Israel was under a covenant with God that promised blessing on their obedience, and also promised curses upon their disobedience.” (Guzik)

1Jo 1:6 NKJV - 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

“Our position before God is secure in Jesus, but our fellowship with Him is hindered by our sin. This fellowship with God is our wellspring of power to live in the Spirit.” (Guzik)

I know my fellowship with God is hindered at times because of sin. Unfortunately we will have a sin nature until we leave this world. 

1 John 1:8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

BUT…..

Is your fellowship with God ever hindered?

Blessings 

Joshua 7:6-9 Reaction to Defeat!

 6Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown before the ark of the LORD until evening, as did the elders of Israel; and they all sprinkled dust on their heads.

7“O, Lord GOD,” Joshua said, “why did You ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to be destroyed? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! 8O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has turned its back and run from its enemies? 9When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?”

“To tear your clothes and to put dust on your head both displayed mourning. Joshua is not only mourning the death of thirty-six men, but more so, he and the elders of Israel mourn the loss of the blessing and guidance of God.” (Guzik)

When we stumble and fall into sin do we mourn the loss of the blessing and guidance of God?

Joshua was also concerned about Gods reputation and His great name.

Are you?

Blessings 

Joshua 7:4-5 Help of God

 4So about three thousand men went up, but they fled before the men of Ai. 5And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of them, chasing them from the gate as far as the quarries and striking them down on the slopes. So the hearts of the people melted and became like water.

“The defeat at Ai showed that what mattered was not the strength of the opponent, but the help of God. Without God’s help, all would be lost.” (Guzik)

Help of God

As I contemplate my years, I look back and recall the times I knew God helped me. One specific time was when I was hunting whitetail deer. I had been praying and thanking the Lord for His blessings with our relocation, house purchase, the beautiful nature and I asked Him a question. Lord what do you think about hunting? I recalled what he told Peter in a dream and pondered my question. Acts 11:5-7

I had just sat down on a hill in thick woods and leaned against a tree. 

I thought to myself I needed to get up and grab some pine needles to rub my clothing to help cover my scent. But then I heard a small voice, “be still”. Then it happened, I heard footsteps with leaves rustling. Just then a six point buck walked up broadside to me 25 yards away. The Lord clearly answered my question. He told me what He thought about hunting! 

That was my God deer 🦌!

With the help of God I filled my freezer!

Can you think back and recall the help of God in your life?

Or can you recall a time without Gods help, all was lost?

Blessings 

Joshua 7:2-3 Reliance

 2Meanwhile, Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the land.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.

3On returning to Joshua, they reported, “There is no need to send all the people; two or three thousand men are enough to go up and attack Ai. Since the people of Ai are so few, you need not wear out all our people there.”

“Israel’s success depended on their own state of being conquered by God; Achan’s rebellion showed that in that respect, they were not conquered by Him – and therefore open to defeat.” (Guzik)

Reliance: dependence, trust in.

Joshua and the Israelites didn’t put their reliance in the Lord, they instead put it into man’s. The Lord wasn’t with them because of the sin in the camp. But if they had put their reliance, dependence and trust in the Lord they would have first sought His direction. And if they sought His direction they would have found out there was a problem!

When we had decided to relocate and move we put our reliance, dependence, trust in the Lord. And when we were looking for a new home we had developed a two page list of homes to view. They were all a bust for one reason or another. Our realtor suggested another area, so off I went. The third home I looked at my heart sang and the Lord confirmed, this was it. I made an offer but it was rejected so I walked away from it. A week later my realtor called and said he believes my walking away convicted the owner back into reality. We completed the purchase and decided to sell our home of twenty nine years the following spring. We began sorting and packing and prepared the house. We figured it would take six months to sell but had a contract in 56 hours! The Lord said, move NOW! Turns our some friends from church purchased it and had been looking for a year but their realtor said their dream home didn’t exist. Amazing how the Lord works, isn’t it?

Do you place your reliance, dependence, trust in the Lord?

Blessings 

Joshua 7:1 Become Accursed!

 1The Israelites, however, acted unfaithfully regarding the things devoted to destruction. Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of what was set apart. So the anger of the LORD burned against the Israelites.

Jos 6:18 NKJV - 18 "And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.

“The wars fought by Israel in Canaan were not to be plundering wars of personal gain; they were an unusual, sacred instrument in God’s hand, used for judgment against a society ripe for judgment.” (Guzik)

Become Accursed

Three sons of the tribe of Judah did not abstain and took some of what was set apart, thereby making the camp of Israel a curse. 

“So the anger of the LORD burned against the Israelites.”

Beloved, when a family member sins against the Lord will that sin affect the whole family as it did to the tribe of Judah?

Stay tuned to study the consequences for the Israelites!

Blessings 

Joshua 6:26-27 At the Cost!

 26At that time Joshua invoked this solemn oath:

“Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up

and rebuilds this city, Jericho;

at the cost of his firstborn

he will lay its foundations;

at the cost of his youngest

he will set up its gates.”

27So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.

At the Cost!

1Ki 16:34 NKJV - 34 In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation with Abiram his firstborn, and with his youngest [son] Segub he set up its gates, according to the word of the LORD, which He had spoken through Joshua the son of Nun.*

“If Ahab did think that he could rebuild Jericho without being affected by this curse, he was wrong:” (Guzik)

“Archaeological excavations have uncovered evidence of a practice in ancient biblical times called ‘foundation sacrifices’ in which children were buried, maybe alive, in the foundations of buildings” (Dilday).

“at the cost of his firstborn he will lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest

he will set up its gates.”

At the Cost!

What does this tell us about a mans heart?

Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?

Who would build walls at the cost of their firstborn and last born children? Heil did!

Did Heil practice “foundation sacrifices”?

Do you understand the condition of your heart due to sin?

Blessings 

https://www.gotquestions.org/Jericho-curse.html

Unfallen wall of Jericho 

Joshua 6:22-25 Judgement and Salvation!

 22Meanwhile, Joshua told the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the house of the prostitute and bring out the woman and all who are with her, just as you promised her.” 23So the young spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel. 

24Then the Israelites burned up the city and everything in it. However, they put the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the LORD’s house. 25And Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her father’s household and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho. So she has lived among the Israelites to this day.

“In this, we see a contrast between judgment and salvation. All of Jericho heard about the God of Israel (Joshua 2:8-11), but only Rahab responded positively in faith towards God with that knowledge.”

“So she dwells in Israel to this day: This shows that Joshua was written at the time of Joshua; this was not the fanciful re-construction of an imaginative writer working centuries after the fact.” (Guzik)

Judgement and Salvation 

Revelation 20: 11Then I saw a great white throne and the One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them. 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne.

And there were open books, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books. 13The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to his deeds.

14Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. 15And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Has all your family heard about salvation through Jesus Christ?

Is your name, your spouses name, your children’s names, your grandchildren’s names written in the Book of Life?

Blessings 

Joshua 6:20-21 Spiritual Death

 20So when the rams’ horns sounded, the people shouted. When they heard the blast of the horn, the people gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed. Then all the people charged straight into the city and captured it. 21At the edge of the sword they devoted to destruction everything in the city—man and woman, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys.

“This miracle was beyond normal expectation; no other city had been conquered this way. Israel couldn’t depend on their prior experience or what had happened for others in battle. All they had was God’s promise (Joshua 6:5), but they believed that promise and acted according to that belief.” (Guzik)

Spiritual Death

“Why was Israel commanded to practice such complete destruction? Because the greatest sins of the Canaanites were spiritual: When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the LORD your God. For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the LORD your God has not appointed such for you. (Deuteronomy 18:9-14)” (Guzik)

I believe we are witnessing the spiritual death of our own country just as Jericho did. It may not be with an army but we are witnessing judgments with increasing devastation. I’ve studied the Bible and understand God is in control and He wins! The end is coming and it may not happen in my lifetime but evil is upon us. REPENT now before it’s too late! Don’t be like the people in Noah’s time and put it off.

Are you blameless before the Lord?

Blessings 

Joshua 6:17-19 Devoted to Destruction

 17Now the city and everything in it must be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all those with her in her house will live, because she hid the spies we sent. 18But keep away from the things devoted to destruction, lest you yourself be set apart for destruction. If you take any of these, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster upon it. 19For all the silver and gold and all the articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD; they must go into His treasury.”

“Joshua is careful to take care of Rahab. Her faith in the living God would find support from God’s people.” (Guzik)

“The severe judgment that is brought against Jericho, and all of Canaan didn’t come because they were in the “way” of God’s people. It came because this was a people who were in total rebellion against God and in league with the occult, as the artifacts recovered from this period demonstrate.” (Guzik)

Devoted to destruction 

What does the Lord God consider Total rebellion?

When the government turns from God?

When the schools remove God?

When the people turn to the occult?

What will artifacts say about our culture?

Dear Heavenly Father, I lift up our country to You and ask for mercy. You are in control and there’s no other god like You. Please bless and protect Your children and use today’s events to draw people to You. In Jesus name I pray. Amen 

Blessings 

Joshua 6:15-16 Shout!

 15Then on the seventh day, they got up at dawn and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. That was the only day they circled the city seven times. 16After the seventh time around, the priests blew the horns, and Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city!

“The command was given for the people to shout. After the days of silence, this comes as a recognition that God would now give them what He had promised. The LORD has given you the city!” (Guzik)

Shout

1 Thessalonians 2:19 For who is [the object of] our hope or joy or our victor’s wreath of triumphant celebration [when we stand] in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? Is it not you?

Who doesn’t shout at a triumphant celebration? Is it not you? 

Only if you put your faith and salvation in Jesus Christ! You can shout with the world or you can shout with the joy of Christ, but one thing is for certain, the people of the world will shout one last time when the pearly gates won’t open for them!

My question for you my friend is this, will it open for you and when you shout will it be because of the triumphant celebration or because of eternal anguish and separation from God?

Blessings