STUDIES IN THE BOOK OF JOSHUA NO 11- JOSHUA CHAPTER 7

Joshua chapter 7
Defeat in the land of victory.

If one were to read the book of Joshua up to chapter six they would surely rejoice in the Lord’s goodness to his people.

They had moved from the wilderness side of the Jordan right up to the banks of the river Jordan, two spies had crossed over and went into Jericho there they met with Rahab a lady whom the Lord had wonderfully saved.

The spies returned with an encouraging report.

At a time when the banks of the Jordan were at their highest according to,

Joshua 3:15 And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,)
The children of Israel crossed over, what a miracle, God made a way were there was no way.

They had observed the rite of circumcision they then kept the Passover Joshua was blessed by a visit from heaven a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ.

Now Jericho lay before them with God’s help the city walls tumbled down and Israel was victorious. What faith these men and woman of God had.

Hebrews 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.

Doesn’t it do your heart good to read what God can do with his people when they are surrendered to him?

Would to God we had more victories to shout about in these days.

Yes reading the book of Joshua, thus far, would do your heart good but as someone has said, "Truth is stranger than fiction."

Read the end of chapter six.

Joshua 6:27 So the Lord was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country.

What comes next?

Joshua 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.

One word lets us know that something is not right, the first hiccup, the first but in this wonderful book, what could possibly go wrong?

They were in the Promised Land. They were out of the wilderness. They had known victory and blessing. What could be the matter?

Deut. 11:11But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven:

The Promised Land is a land of hills and valleys.

Oh dear saint of God there can be no mountains lest there be valleys,

and if you seek to go and possess your possessions, be more than conquerors, you can be sure of mountain top experiences, hallelujah, but there will be times when you find yourself in the valley of disappointment.

What a disappointment - chapter seven is the only record of military defeat we find here in the book of Joshua.
Let us look at some of the reasons for this defeat.

I wonder could we entitle this message "Avoiding defeat in the land of victory"

Praise God we are on victory ground this morning but why, oh why, do we seem to suffer so much defeat? Why are we not seeing more souls saved, more saints growing in the Lord? Why do we not find God’s people interested in spiritual things?

Pride

Let us see the pride here among the Lord’s people after the victory in Jericho, Joshua wasted no time in getting back into battle.

Joshua 7:2 And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, 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.

Joshua was leaving nothing to chance he would have the city assessed.

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; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.

After the wonderful victory over Jericho these spies made an error they reckoned that the victory in Jericho was their doing. So as they looked at Ai, they worked out that this city was easy pickings or small buns as some would say.

This city is small, we only need a few of our men to take it, let’s not bother everyone.

They assumed the credit for the victory at Jericho, and were full of pride and self-confidence, no wonder God didn’t bless them.

We could take note that very often it is the little things that Satan uses to cause defeat in our lives. Mighty Jericho had fallen, little Ai was a source of tears, defeat and sorrow.

Song 2:15Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.

We are considering reasons for defeat in the land of victory.

Pride.

Participation

Look back at chapter six

Joshua 6:5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.
"All the people"

Look at Chapter Eight

Joshua 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:
"All the people"

It was the Lord’s will on this occasion that all the men of war would be involved as in Jericho.

What did the spies suggest?

They reckoned they didn’t need everyone they could manage with just a few. Isn’t this the problem today, not that we think we can manage with just a few, but there is only the few who will really commit themselves to the work of the Lord.

If we want victory instead of defeat there needs to be participation from you.

We are considering reasons for defeat in the land of victory.

Pride, Participation and

Prayer

Prayer must not be neglected.

Joshua 7:4-5 So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai. [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.

Defeat was the order of the day, thirty-six men died as a result of this failed attempt to capture Ai.

What did Joshua do?
Joshua 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.

Joshua didn’t accept defeat as the norm he gets down to seek God’s face in prayer.

From verse seven on we find Joshua praying but you don’t find him praying from v1-v7.

1 Thes. 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

Luke 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

Alan Redpath says- "Pray in victory then you will not have to plead because of defeat"

Neglect prayer and we will know nothing but defeat.

See what Joshua is going through.

Joshua 7:7-8 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! [8] O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!

Consider verse nine.

Joshua 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?

At the end of verse nine Joshua gets to the crux of the matter.

"And what wilt thou do unto thy great name?"

And here again we find a reason for defeat, Christ is not given the

Preeminence.

If we could keep before us the fact that it is His great name. Not a denomination or any church but His great name that is important.

We are considering reasons for defeat in the land of victory

Pride, Participation, Prayer, Preeminence and

Purity

Joshua 7:10 And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?

Its time to get up and sort this out the Lord told Joshua.

Now we know that Achan had sinned but look at verse eleven.

Joshua 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.

Notice God said, "Israel had sinned."

We can all lay the blame for defeat on many things.

Difficulties of the area

Sovereignty of God

The times in which we live.

Let’s call a spade a spade the problem was sin.

Dear saint of God your sin stains us all just like Achan’s sin affected all of God’s people. Sin among God’s people in serious.

Yes in this dispensation we are all part of the body of Christ.
1 Cor. 12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

1 Cor. 12:26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

Dear child of God recognise the seriousness of sin not just for you, but the whole assembly and the Lord’s work.

Joshua 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.

Could we overlook so often the reason for defeat in the land of victory? Sin among God’s people. Your sin and mine affects others.

Jonah’s sin nearly sunk a boat.

Abraham’s sin nearly lost him his wife.

David’s sin causes 70000 men to die.
Eccles. 9:18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.

This was Israel’s only military defeat in Joshua’s day. What caused this defeat?

Did you know that Alex the great conquered the world and at 35-he died he could not conquer himself.

The city of troy held out for ten years against the Greeks. When the Greeks went away they left a wooden horse. The Trojans took it into their city and were defeated.

From within came defeat.

Consider the letters to the seven churches in Asia.

Not once were they warned about the enemy without.

Rev. 2:14-15 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. [15] So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.

The greatest danger came from within.

Sin in the camp will bring defeat.

As you read down this chapter you discover that eventually the culprit is identified.

Joshua 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.

The Lord reveals Achan as the man who had committed this sin.

Jericho was the first city and all of the spoils were to be given to the Lord.

Joshua 6:18-19 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. [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.

This was clear and unambiguous but what did Achan do?

Joshua 7:20-21 And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: [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.

Here we find the typical path to sin.

I saw, I coveted, I took them and I hid them.

Numbers 32:23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out.

Achan’s sin could be classified in many ways. Yet there is one thing he did, that we dare not miss, he robbed God.

Achan robbed God, he probably, in his mind made little of it, the garment would be destroyed, and the gold and silver are little compared with the rest.

I wonder how often we have robbed God?
Malachi 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
Robbing God could bring defeat.

Deut. 24:16 The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

I inserted this verse here to show that Achan’s family must have been behind him in his sin, which is why God punished his family with him.

Joshua 7:24-26 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. [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. [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.

We see that Achan and his family ended up in a heap of stones.

Consider some of the heaps of stones we find in this book.

We find a heap of stones in the riverbed reminding us of Christ’s death.

We find a heap of stones on the banks at Gilgal reminding us of Christ’s resurrection.

We find a heap of stones at Jericho as the walls tumbled down reminding us of the victory that is ours.

Thus we have what Christ did for us, we have Christ living in us and working through us pictured in these heaps of stones. In spite of this we find Achan’s life as a heap of stones. Sin will destroy your life, how sad when we consider what Christ has done.

We have looked at reasons for defeat in the land of victory. We noticed

Pride, Participation, Prayer, Preeminence, Purity and

Let us consider the –

Potential.

Joshua 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.

Achan and Achor mean trouble. And what trouble was caused, perhaps as you read this message you are troubled, perhaps you have known defeat in your life as a Christian. I want to end on a note of hope.

We read of the valley of Achor or trouble again.

Hosea 2:15 And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope:

Achor in this verse became hope, and praise God there is hope for you now, as we have considered the reasons for defeat perhaps the Lord has spoken to you.

Pride. Will you realise that except the Lord build a house they labour in vain that build it?

Participation. Will you play your part in the Lord’s work?

Prayer. Will you no longer neglect prayer?

Preeminence. Will you remember that the most important thing is His great name.

Purity. Will you confess your sin and seek that fresh cleansing from the Lord?

There is hope, may the Lord bless you through this message.

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