282. DEFEAT AT AI
"They have even taken of the accursed thing"
The Israelites had established a firm bridgehead in the land with the victory over Jericho. It is not difficult to imagine the atmosphere among the people of Israel at that time. Overjoyed at the miraculous turn of events when Yahweh triumphed over the fortified city of Jericho, they would be enthusiastic at the prospect of further similar victories. But they were now to suffer their first stunning reverse. And out of that experience they were to learn that Yahweh required more from them than faith and courage. As desirable as those qualities are, they must be blended with one other all-important element: that of obedience.
The aim of this lesson is to show that God's laws must be completely obeyed.
Joshua 7 & 8
AI BARS THE WAY.
The defeat of the Canaanites throughout the Land of Promise was to be accomplished by brilliant tactical assaults, carefully planned and executed, coupled of course with help from God. Joshua purposed to subdue the land in three major campaigns. Firstly, the Israelites would strike through the centre of the land, thus establishing a firm wedge which the Canaanites would find extreme difficulty to dislodge. Then with the land cut in two so that the Canaanites could not move their forces north and south, they would attack the south, mopping up all organized resistance in that area. Finally, they would meet the strong forces in the northern part of the land.
With the defeat of Jericho, Joshua's army moved against Ai, a royal city of the Canaanites, situated about 20 kilometers from Jericho, west and slightly to the north. Ai was a city of great antiquity (Gen. 12:8).
DRAMATIC REVERSAL (Josh. 7:1-5).
But all was not well in Israel. They had "committed a trespass" which had been covered up and which, of necessity, had to be brought to the light of day. Israel was to learn that all sin must be treated in this way (cp. Ps. 32:1-5).
One in Israel had partaken of "the accursed thing", against which they had been warned before the fall of Jericho (6:18). The word signifies "something devoted"; it must be remembered that everything in Jericho was "devoted" to destruction, as a sort of offering of the firstfruits of the land. The only exceptions were to be "the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron" which were to be devoted unto the treasury of Yahweh (6:19)- This had been a clear-cut instruction and every man in Israel was expected to be obedient to it. But one man had failed to honour the word of God, thus "the anger of Yahweh was kindled" (7:1).
Joshua sent scouts out to reconnoiter the vicinity of Ai. Their report was most enthusiastic: "Spare the whole people such a toil; the enemy are not many" (v. 3 Jerusalem Bible).
But Israel's confidence was short lived. Upon attacking the city, Joshua's reduced army "fled before the men of Ai" (v. 4). "The hearts of the people melted and became as water" € thus, in a dramatic overturn of fortunes, the Israelites found themselves in the same state as the Canaanites had previously been (2:11).
JOSHUA SEEKS GUIDANCE (Josh. 7:6-15).
Joshua was both grief-stricken and non-plussed. Deeply humiliated and distressed, he sought to discover the reason for the disaster (vv. 7-9).
God answered the plea of His faithful servant: "Israel hath sinned" (v.11). The nation was found guilty on four counts:
They had broken a solemn vow;
They had stolen that which was not theirs;
They had acted deceitfully;
They had taken possession of that which belonged exclusively to God.
Thus Israel had become "devoted" to destruction; a threat already partially carried out, in that 36 men had died in the attack upon Ai; but further calamity would surely follow, "except" they "destroy the accursed" from among them (v. 12). They were thus reminded that "a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump" (1 Cor. 5:6; Gal. 5:9).
Under these circumstances, Joshua was required to act, and act quickly, that the nation might repudiate the evil. "Up, sanctify the people", was God's immediate demand. "Sanctify" means "to make or pronounce clean". Israel were to learn that outward ritual is useless without inner cleansing.
The tribes were to be called upon to assemble and take part in a most solemn ceremony. They were to gather according to their tribes, and then Yahweh would begin to mark the tribe, then the family clan, then the household, wherein the "accursed" one was to be found. Then it would be a case of "he that is taken. . ." (v.15). What a sobering effect the ritual of this ceremony would have upon all Israel. They would ap preciate the awfulness of sin and the individual responsibility of each person.
The guilty one was to be "burnt with fire" € it was as though the fate of Jericho clung to him (cp. 6:24 with Deut. 4:24; Heb. 12:29; Lev. 10:2).
This was a form of judgement which was exercised only in cases of extreme sin (Lev. 20:14; 21:9).
THE GUILTY ONE REVEALED (Josh. 7:16-21).
The tribe of Judah was taken, then the family clan of the Zarhites, then the household of Zabdi. And finally, inexorably, the lot fell upon Achan, whose name appropriately means "trouble". What a hush would have fallen upon all the tribes. Silently, fearfully, expectantly, they had watched the unfolding of events. And finally the truth was revealed: Achan's guilt was known. This was a miraculous exhibition of the all-seeing eyes of an omnipotent and omnipresent God who misses nothing. No sinner can hide his sin from the Mighty God of Israel (Prov. 15:3; Jer. 32:19).
The hapless and now dispirited Achan was brought before Joshua. Under Joshua's instruction, he confessed. He had fallen victim to the lust of the eye: "I saw. . . I coveted. . ., and took. . ." (cp. the stages of Eve's sin in Gen. 3:6 and James 1:14-15). He had kept for himself, from the ruins of Jericho, a goodly Babylonish garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold. And his crime was compounded by the fact that the last two items should have been delivered into the treasury.
Remember, he had hidden the "devoted" objects in the earth, in his tent. This tells us that Achan was well aware of what he was doing. This was a calculated sin, and he well knew it. And so did his family. Therefore they were found guilty and punished with Achan.
THE VERDICT AGAINST SIN (Josh. 7:22-26).
Thus the dreadful verdict was passed and the judgement inflicted. Achan and all his family, together with all their possessions, were taken out to the valley of Achor. The judgement administered was to be a national repudiation of sin. They stoned them with stones until they died and then burnt them with fire. "Yahweh shall trouble thee", were the words which accompanied the carrying out of the sentence, showing that God is the One who will destroy sin.
Significantly, the valley was named Achor (a similar word to Achan), thus providing reminder to the effect that Yahweh will continue to "trouble" sin until it is finally destroyed. But in the Kingdom Age this valley will become known as Pethach Tiqvah ("door of hope"), thus teaching the mortals who pass that way on their journey up to the Temple, that Yahweh will fight against and destroy sin € and that if they surrender themselves to His will, He will open to them a "door of hope" whereby they might eventually attain to divine nature (Hos. 2:15; Isa. 65:10).
RETURN TO AI (Josh. 8:1-14).
Now that His word had been upheld, God promised victory to Israel (vv. 1-2).
Joshua again marched on Ai. Employing skilled tactics, he despatched his army to manouvre into position during the darkness of night. He divided his forces, setting portion of the army in ambush, while openly displaying the rest to the view of the men of Ai. To this part of his army he said: "We will flee before them, for they will come out after us" (w. 5-6). Joshua understood human nature. He knew that the men of Ai would be filled with confidence after their earlier victory over the Israelites and would be ready to administer another defeat by coming out of their city.
True to form, the men of Ai observed the army of Israel and were quite prepared to fight. They "rose up early" to make their preparation and, at a time appointed by the king of Ai, they went out to battle not knowing of the ambush behind the city (v. 14).
VICTORY THROUGH FAITH AND OBEDIENCE (Josh. 8:15-29).
As the confident Canaanites poured out from their stronghold, the men of Israel "made as if they were beaten" (v. 15). They "fled", leading the men of Ai away from the city € and the faster the retreat of Israel, the greater became the confidence of their enemies. So certain did victory appear that every able-bodied person left in the city was called upon to join in the pursuit, to ensure absolute victory. But in doing so, "they left the city open". Joshua gave a signal to the men lying in ambush. They "arose quickly", entered the city and took it (v. 19).
The men of Ai, in their headlong pursuit of the retreating army of Israel, faltered, sensing that all was not well. They turned, and a chilling, unbelievable sight met their gaze € their city was on fire. Panic gripped them. Suddenly, at the decisive moment of the battle, they had no power (v. 20). The supposedly retreating army of Joshua turned and fell upon the bewildered men of Ai. This crucial moment also provided a further signal for the Israeli troops within the burning city, for they now rushed to the battle. The nonplussed army of Ai was caught between the two divisions of Joshua's army. The result was now inevitable. "They let none of them remain or escape" (v. 22), thus fulfilling the requirement of the Law (Deut. 7:1-2).
With the completion of the victory, the King of Ai was slain and hanged on a tree (v. 29). Ai means "ruin" and this King is a type of 'King Sin', who desires to reign over us (Rom. 6:12). But in our warfare of faith, he must be slain and brought to "ruin" rather than be let "ruin" us. The fact that the King of Ai was "hanged on a tree" makes the incident a clear symbol of crucifying the flesh, the means by which sin is overcome and finally destroyed, through the mercy of God (Gal. 5:24).
LESSONS FOR US:
- Achan's sin was the coveting of material things € clothes, silver and gold € probably thinking that these could give him security in life. Jesus' command was rather to "seek first the kingdom of God" (Matt. 6:19-21, 31-34).
- Achan hid his sin from his brethren, but he could not hide it from God. The fact that God knows our very thoughts as well as our actions should influence the way we think and act (Heb. 4:13).
- Sin may seem pleasant to the flesh for a time, but it inevitably brings "trouble" (Achan) and will lead to our destruction, as Achan found when he was taken out to the valley of Achor ("trouble") and stoned.
- The call to go against Ai and its king (a type of 'King Sin') was expressed in the words, "Fear not, neither be thou dismayed. . . arise, go up" (Josh. 8:1). These words encourage us to constantly renew the warfare against sin with the help that God has given us.
REFERENCE LIBRARY:
"The Story of the Bible" (H. P. Mansfield) € Vol. 2, No. 9, 10
"The Visible Hand of God" (R. Roberts) € Chapter 21
"The Ways of Providence" (R. Roberts) € Chapter 12
"Joshua" (J. Ullman) € Chapters 7-8
PARAGRAPH QUESTIONS:
- What is meant by the expression "the accursed thing" at Jericho and why were the Israelites forbidden to partake of it?
- What was the sin of Achan? Include in your answer the three steps in his sin and compare these with the sin of Eve.
- In the Kingdom Age, mortals will approach the Temple through the valley of Achor. What will they learn from that experience?
- The King of Ai was slain and hanged on a tree. Explain the symbolic significance of this.
ESSAY QUESTIONS:
- Describe how Achan troubled Israel and how his sin was revealed. What lessons do we learn from this?
- Why did God withdraw His help from Israel in their first attempt to conquer Ai, and what should we learn from their failure?
- Outline how the city of Ai was eventually taken and its king destroyed. Refer in your answer to the lessons we can take from this incident.