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The Book of Joshua – Part 8b: Freewill Ruthlessly Stoned in its Infancy and Raised as a Memorial “to this Day” – Joshua 7:10-26 (Eph 1:11)

[Study Aired April 15, 2023]

We finished Part 8a of Joshua 7 glorifying the Lord for His seemingly appalling works in the sons of men for our sakes.

The Sin of Achan

Jos 7:10 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? 
Jos 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.
Jos 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.
Jos 7:13 Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.
Jos 7:14 In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the LORD taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the LORD shall take shall come by households; and the household which the LORD shall take shall come man by man. 
Jos 7:15 And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.
Jos 7:16 So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken: 
Jos 7:17 And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken:
Jos 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. 
Jos 7:19 And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.
Jos 7:20 And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: 
Jos 7:21 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. 
Jos 7:22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. 
Jos 7:23 And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD.
Jos 7:24 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. 
Jos 7:25 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. 
Jos 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.

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Jos 7:10 And Jehovah said to Joshua, Get up! Why do you lie on your face this way?

Joshua, like Jonah and Job and us, subconsciously thought, as we think, that endless prayers and beating God up will solve the problem when the simplicity of diligently searching our hearts for that hidden idol is mostly what is required.

Jer 29:11 For I know the purposes which I am purposing for you, says Jehovah; purposes of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 
Jer 29:12 Then you shall call on Me, and you shall go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 
Jer 29:13 And you shall seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Our response can be that we already do that, so, what are we missing?

Psa 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 
Psa 139:24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 

Achan knew he had a wicked thought that resulted in his hiding the accursed things in the earth of his tent; he knew that it was wrong to hide the treasure, but for our sakes, he wasn’t given to heed the trumpet blast within.

Jer 29:14 And I will be found by you, says Jehovah; and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places where I have driven you, says Jehovah. And I will bring you again into the place from where I caused you to be exiled.

Jer 3:13 Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have sinned against Jehovah your God and have scattered your ways to the strangers under every green tree, and you have scattered your ways to the strangers under every green tree, and you have not obeyed My voice, says Jehovah.

Jos 7:11 Israel has sinned, and they have also broken My covenant which I commanded them, and have even taken of the cursed things, and have also stolen and pretended falsely. And they have even put it among their own stuff. 

If we know the scriptures as much as we claim, our conscience will be pricked by God’s still, small voice behind us, paradoxically thunderous in our ears as it must have been for Joshua when God said, “… Get up! Why do you lie on your face this way? Israel has sinned…”

Jos 7:12 And the sons of Israel could not stand before their enemies. They will turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become cursed. I will not be with you again, unless you destroy the one who is cursed from among you. 

Likewise, we cannot stand before our enemies within when we hold onto, and worse hide, the accursed thing that is any sin or heresy contrary to the Lord’s word. Of course, Adam and Eve’s sin and hiding were purposely designed as a memorial for us while we wait in these bodies of decaying flesh. They, as did Joshua, heard the Lord walking in the earthy garden which they are and enquired why they were hiding (Genesis 3). Yet, precisely like Achan, we all hid the accursed thing in our flesh, the Temple of God.

In Ezekiel’s time, the Lord likewise caused him to see in his mind the images of accursed things etched in the walls of our Temple within. It is worthwhile reading all of Ezekiel 8 for a graphic portrayal of our Babylonish Christian heritage from which we have been dragged and, sometimes, revisited as pet sins hidden in the ground of our earthly tent.

Eze 8:9 And he said to me. Go in and see the evil abominations that they do here. 
Eze 8:10 And I went in and saw. And behold, every kind of creeping thing, and hateful beast, and all the idols of the house of Israel, were carved on the wall all around. (Exo 20:4; Lev 11:10-12, Lev 11:29-31, Lev 11:42-44; Deu 4:18, Deu 14:3, Deu 14:7-8; Isa 57:6-10; Jer 2:26-27, Jer 3:9, Jer 16:18; Rom 1:23)

Jos 7:13 Up! Sanctify the people and say, Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow. For thus says Jehovah, the God of Israel, A cursed thing is in the midst of you, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the cursed thing from among you. 

The implications of having any sin, particularly the passive sin carved into the wall of our heart, massively inhibit our peaceful going forward in life.

How do we sanctify (H6942) ourselves? Sanctify – H6942 – to consecrate, dedicate, be holy, be separate. The first act of acceptable sanctification is to search our hearts for the accursed thing, and Jer 3:13 – “… only acknowledge your iniquity…” to repent, to come out of the world and continue in His word with a good conscience.

Joh 8:31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who believed on Him, If you continue in My Word, you are My disciples indeed. (Eph 5:26)
Joh 8:32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Joh 17:16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 
Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through Your truth. Your Word is truth.

We are sanctified by drinking the Lord’s cup, being baptised with his fiery word, and eating his body to destroy the man of perdition daily.

Mat 20:23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

Col 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

Verse 14 (below) is a refinement by degrees of searching one’s heart symbolised by breaking down the chunks, as did Joshua from the tribe, families, and household to identify the man of sin; then, the hidden thing shall be revealed in the temporary dwelling of our flesh.

Mat 23:25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of extortion and excess. [a goodly Babylonish cloak, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold]
Mat 23:26 Blind Pharisee! First cleanse the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of them may be clean also.

Jos 7:14 And in the morning, you shall be brought according to your tribes. And it shall be, the tribe which Jehovah takes shall come, according to its families. And the family which Jehovah shall take shall come by households. And the household which Jehovah shall take shall come man by man. 
Jos 7:15 And it shall be, he who is taken with the cursed thing shall be burned with fire, he and all he has, because he has broken the covenant of Jehovah, and because he has done wickedness in Israel.

The world’s nations have always been violent (Gen 6:11-12), and judgment for Israel was equally violent. 

For our learning, that process of Joshua discovering the accursed thing within and pronouncing judgment by stoning is appallingly violent as it was for most sins under Mt Sinai’s rule. We, too, would be wise to judge ourselves with equal violence to be rightly sanctified. Yet, because of the Lord’s tender mercies and patience, we are more likely to have the same old sin linger for maybe years; however, there assuredly is a day of reckoning.

Ecc 8:11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. 
Ecc 8:12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days be made longer, yet surely I know that it shall be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. 
Ecc 8:13 But it shall not be well with the wicked, nor shall he make his days longer like a shadow; because he does not fear before God.

Jos 7:16 And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes. And the tribe of Judah was taken. 
Jos 7:17 And he brought the families of Judah. And he took the family of the Zerahites. And he took the family of the Zerahites man by man. And Zabdi was taken. 
Jos 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. 
Jos 7:19 And Joshua said to Achan, My son, I pray you, give glory to Jehovah, the God of Israel, and make confession to Him. And tell me now what you have done. Do not hide it from me.

The dreadful impact of humiliation for being found out must have hit Achan’s heart like a sledgehammer, especially when challenged by Joshua’s kind expression requesting Achan’s acknowledgement of his sin. In contrast, when we are angrily accused of sin, our flesh is more likely to escalate the heat of the moment with every facet of our body language towering over our prosecutor in the hope of intimidation. 

God is not the least bit intimidated by a filthy idol sitting in the Temple He is creating. It is much less spiritually and emotionally torturous to quickly admit the sin.

Psa 37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on Jehovah, they shall inherit the earth. [The Bride of Christ inherits Him] 
Psa 37:10 It is but a little while, and the wicked shall not be; yea, you shall search his place, and he shall not be. 
Psa 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the overflowing of peace. 
Psa 37:12 The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes on him with his teeth.
Psa 37:13 Jehovah laughs at him; for He sees that his day is coming.

The Lord doesn’t egg Satan on, delighting in seeing us squirm like some voodoo Sharman poking skewers in a doll representing us. We claim to know the Lord’s mind. In that case, we know consistently from scripture that He is merciful and intensely denounces mocking another’s nakedness, as Ham attempted to rally derision with his brothers for their father, Noah’s nudity (Gen 9:18-29).

Ananias and Sapphira must have briefly felt the sledgehammer of exposure for their deceit to have fallen dead instantly (Act 5:1-11). Again, it is much less humiliating to swiftly “acknowledge your iniquity”. Sadly, that is not our nature as it wasn’t always King David’s for his more than twelve months of deception through hiding from his mortifying sins surrounding Bathsheba.

Jos 7:20 And Achan answered Joshua and said, Indeed I have sinned against Jehovah, the God of Israel, and this I have done.

Forgiving spiritually wasn’t to come until Christ and righteously forgiving figuratively seventy times seven ~ or, depending upon the circumstances, extensive forgiveness as seen in the parable of the unforgiving servant (Mat 18:21-35).

We are back to the foundational theme of lust in Joshua 7.

Jos 7:21 When I saw among the spoil a goodly robe of Shinar, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, I coveted them and took them. And behold, they are hidden in the earth in the middle of my tent, and the silver under it.
Jos 7:22 And Joshua sent messengers, and they ran into the tent. And behold, it was hidden in his tent, and the silver under it.

I shake my head at myself; me, sometimes a willful sinner, becoming less and less ignorant of my sins and more frequently slothfully lustful in my eyes and my flesh and alarmed at the insidious nature of pride. I am grateful for the messengers of the Lord in the Body of Christ who are ready to run daily to my tent to graciously release my conscience from prison. 

1Ti 1:18 This charge I commit to you, my son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before about you, in order that you might war a good warfare by them, 
1Ti 1:19 holding faith and a good conscience, which some have put away and made shipwreck as to faith.

Before he died, Moses forewarned Israel what to expect upon crossing the Jordan in Numbers 32; to be armed by diligently keeping all the commandments of the Lord. If we are slothful in not searching our hearts for the “accursed thing”, the Lord says,

Num 32:23 But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against Jehovah. And be sure your sin will find you out.

Jos 7:23 And they took them out of the middle of the tent, and brought them to Joshua, and to all the sons of Israel. And they laid them out before Jehovah. 

Notice the terminology was not simply ‘they took them out of the tent’, but “out of the middle of the tent”. Immediately we know the spiritual intent of the wording since we are that temporary dwelling, the tent. A proud heart is beneath the fortified ‘twin towers’ of his city wall, protecting his impenetrable heart. These lusts were central to the man Achan whom we represent.

Rom 2:3 And, O man, the one judging those who do such things, and practice them, do you think this, that you shall escape the judgment of God? 
Rom 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, and the forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? 
Rom 2:5 But according to your hardness and your impenitent heart, do you treasure up wrath for yourself in a day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 
Rom 2:6 who will render to each according to his works; 
Rom 2:7 indeed to those who with patience in good work are seeking for glory, and honor, and incorruptibility, everlasting life.

Achan’s poor wretched family possibly had no knowledge of his acquisitions of silver, gold and a ‘goodly Babylonian cloak’, though they could have noticed fresh earth around some of the floor tapestries. The point is that Achan knew he was doing wrong since he hid his wealth within his very ‘temple’. Since he was head of his family, his wife and children were undoubtedly spiritually contaminated by his slothfulness against the word of God. Hence, a little leaven contaminates the entire family.

Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 
Jer 17:10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. 

From Adam to this very day until the First Resurrection, ill-fated humanity such as Achan and his family, present a devastatingly humbling example for the Bride of Christ since their miserable experiences shockingly are for us. 

Verses for exercising our faith:

1Co 3:21 Therefore let no one glory in men. For all things are yours, 
1Co 3:22 whether it is Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours,
1Co 3:23 and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. 

1Ti 1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who strengthened me, because He counted me [my name and yours] faithful, putting me into the ministry— 
1Ti 1:13 the one who before was a blasphemer and a persecutor and insolent. But I obtained mercy, because being ignorant, I did it in unbelief. [and sometimes wilfully]
1Ti 1:14 And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. 
1Ti 1:15 Faithful is the Word and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, [most eminently…] of whom I am chief.
1Ti 1:16 But for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering, as a pattern to those being about to believe on Him to life everlasting.
1Ti 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Because of the Law of Moses, our brother Achan and his family died a harrowing, visually brutal death by stoning at the hands of his brethren.

Deu 17:6 At the mouth of two witnesses or three witnesses shall he that is worthy of death be put to death. At the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.

As we are expected to do within ourselves, by diligent inspection of the tribes, households and families by Joshua, God (two witnesses) identified Achan, who represents you and me as the chiefest sinner. God made the impact of the spectacle indelibly etched in Israel’s hearts equally for our learning by destroying the spiritual examples of Achan’s (possibly very young) “sons, daughters and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had”. The ‘death pattern’ for destroying sin was repeated throughout the entire Old Covenant, particularly the inauguration of the nation of Israel in the Promised Land.

Achan, as later Saul did, and too often as we have done, took the Lord’s word lightly. We hear the still, small voice behind us in our minds having repeatedly dismissed the warning trumpet blast of the approaching enemy. While childishly thinking, ‘it’s only once; and a little thing’, we blithely commit ourselves to spiritual stoning, having not killed even the children in our land.

The most outstanding example in the flesh is Saul’s God-given disobedience in 1 Samuel 15 where King Saul thought it a light thing to keep the best of Amalek’s war’s spoils when definitely told by God to destroy everything. King Saul shockingly represents us if we continue in disobedience and have our spiritually inherited kingship given to a righteous Christ, represented by David.

Jos 7:24 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 to the valley of Achor. 

No doubt the valley was named Achor in the ignominious honour of Achan since both names mean H5911 – trouble; disturbance.

Jos 7:25 And Joshua said, Why have you troubled us? Jehovah shall trouble you this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. 

Notice that Achan’s silver and gold were destroyed and not put into the treasury for the Temple. If our feet, representing a righteous walk, are clean, the entire body is clean. No matter how ‘good’ we think our righteousness is, it remains contaminated, while the “accursed thing” in us merely gives the appearance of evil.

While in Babylon, we were heavily burdened and ‘troubled’ with uncertainty for our resurrection to life for our sins while we paradoxically wore our ‘goodly Babylonish cloaks’ with pride. In contrast, the Body of Christ has and is learning to be cheerfully burned with fire each day as we are overwhelmed with gratitude for our Lord’s “light yoke”, His word that spiritually stones us before we and our entire household within are burned by His word.

Mat 11:28 Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 
Mat 11:29 Take My yoke on you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest to your souls.
Mat 11:30 My yoke is easy, and My burden is light. 

Gal 5:16 I say, then, Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. 
Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. And these are contrary to one another; lest whatever you may will, these things you do. 
Gal 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

Jos 7:26 And they raised over him [you and me] a great heap of stones to this day. And Jehovah turned from the greatness of His anger. Therefore, the name of that valley is called, The Valley of Achor [trouble] to this day.

We are buried in Christ under a great heap of stones in death and are being raised untroubled in Him to this day.

Col 2:12 buried with Him in baptism [of His fiery word – Jer 23:29], in whom also you were raised through the faith of the working of God, raising Him from the dead. [Jer 5:14; Luk 24:32; Joh 6:63; Act 2:3, Act 2:37; 2Co 2:16, 2Co 10:4-5; Heb 4:12; Rev 11:5]
Col 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 
Col 2:14 blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross. 
Col 2:15 Having stripped rulers and authorities, [the Law in the flesh from Sinai] He made a show of them publicly, triumphing over them in it.

So, too, will Achan and his family be made to acknowledge and eventually with cheer receive the glorious purpose they served for the Body of Christ and humanity when they receive their fire in the Resurrection to Judgment for an outstanding end.

Rev 21:4 And God will wipe away all tears from their eyes [the Elect of God, first, then Achan’s]. And there will be no more death, nor mourning, nor crying out, nor will there be any more pain; for the first things passed away.