Bob Russell
January 08, 2025
The end of Chapter 6 tells the story of how Rahab and her family were shown favor by God because she demonstrated faith, as she hid the spies from danger. In Chapter 7, we learn how the disobedience of one man, Achan, led to the death of his family, and the death of 36 men from the army fighting against Ai.
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Isaiah 55:8–9 (NLT) My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says the
LORD. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens
are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts
higher than your thoughts.
Joshua 6:20 When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the
trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone
charged straight in, and they took the city.
Joshua 6:22-23 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the
prostitute’s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance
with your oath to her.” 23 So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab,
her father and mother, her brothers and sisters and all who belonged to her.
They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of
Israel.
Hebrews 11:30–31 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around
them for seven days. 31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not
killed with those who were disobedient.
Hebrews 11:6 (NLT) And it is impossible to please God without faith.
Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he
rewards those who sincerely seek him.
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God is
pleased when we put our faith and trust in Him.
Joshua 6:24-26 Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the
silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the
LORD’s house. 25 But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who
belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to
Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day. 26 At that time Joshua
pronounced this solemn oath: “Cursed before the LORD is the one who undertakes
to rebuild this city, Jericho: “At the cost of his firstborn son he will lay
its foundations; at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates.”
1 Kings 16:34 In Ahab’s time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations
at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of
his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the LORD spoken by
Joshua son of Nun.
Joshua 6:27 So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.
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Matthew
Henry: “Nothing can more raise a
man’s reputation, than to have the evidence of God’s presence with him.”
Joshua 7:1-12 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 (eye), 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 (eye).
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.
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Sin
blocks God from working in our lives.
Isaiah 59:2 (NKJV) But your iniquities have separated you from your
God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.
Joshua 7:13-21 “Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in
preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says:
There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your
enemies until you remove them. 14 “ ‘In the morning, present yourselves tribe by
tribe. The tribe the LORD chooses shall come forward clan by clan; the clan the
LORD chooses shall come forward family by family; and the family the LORD
chooses shall come forward man by man. 15 Whoever is caught with the devoted things shall be
destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to him. He has violated the
covenant of the LORD and has done an outrageous thing in Israel!’ 16 Early the next morning
Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was chosen. 17 The clans of Judah came
forward, and the Zerahites were chosen. He had the clan of the Zerahites come
forward by families, and Zimri was chosen. 18 Joshua had his family come forward man by
man, and Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe
of Judah, was chosen. 19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of
Israel, and honor him. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.” 20
Achan replied, “It
is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I have
done: 21 When
I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, 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.”
Hebrews 4:13 (NKJV) And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but
all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
1 Timothy 6:9–10 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many
foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
10 For the love of
money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have
wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
James 1:14–15 (NKJV) But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his
own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it
is full-grown, brings forth death.
Joshua 7:22-26 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was,
hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. 23 They took the things from
the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out
before the LORD. 24 Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the
silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and
sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. 25 Joshua said, “Why have you
brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today.” Then all
Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them.
26 Over Achan they
heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the LORD
turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley
of Achor ever since.
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