But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri,the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel.

2 Now 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 region.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.

3 When they returned to Joshua, they said, “Not all the army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there.” 4 So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, 5 who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water.

6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! 8 Pardon your servant, Lord. What can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? 9 The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?”

10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. 12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction. (NIV)

‘There are hours in our life when we are called from the exercises of devotion, good and God-honouring though they may be, to deal with the sin of our people, or to cut out some source of failure and defeat.’ F.B.Meyer

As we read today’s passage we do well to keep in view Joshua 6:18/19. The instructions given through Joshua had been crystal clear.

A number of lessons stand out when you read the whole of Joshua 7. (I have printed just the first thirteen verses above). These include:

  • The danger of spiritual complacency and presumption; of resting on our laurels: assuming that because we were ‘successful’ previously we always will be. In our hubris thinking just ‘walk it’;
  • The need to know God’s strategy, and obey Him;
  • The collective impact of sin. A person may sin privately, but we do not sin alone. Achan sinned. Nevertheless God declared, ”Israel has sinned” (11, see also 1 Corinthians 5, which is in some ways this chapter’s New Testament ‘twin’);
  • No-one can hide from God. Truth will out, sooner or later.

Yes, this chapter is a goldmine of shining nuggets of spiritual truth. But here is the one I most want to underline today: There is a time to be on our faces in prayer; but there is also a time to be on our feet taking decisive action. When God shows you that you need to do something urgently, go and do it. You can still be prayerful as you go, but don’t drag your feet.

Nowhere do we see the destructive power of sin more graphically than in the Cross. May we hear afresh today the Holy Spirit’s urgent call to ”Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature:..” (Col.3:5). Declare war on sin. Destroy that which will destroy you. Pray about it by all means. But also, remove your sword and slay it! If we take the Sermon on the Mount seriously, we will be committed to living in radical repentance (Mt.5:29,30)

‘Ai (see Genesis 12:8 ; Genesis 13:3 ) lay two miles north of Jericho, and was a comparatively small place; but without God the smallest opposition is too great for us. Joshua seemed more concerned for the disgrace brought on the divine name than for the disaster to his men. Let us always look at our failures from God’s side! We must not lie too long in the dust of despair, but arise to detect and put away the hidden cause of our defeat, Hosea 5:15 ; Hosea 6:1-2.’ F.B.Meyer