For Joshua 7, we had our youth group leader, Jason, preach and I think it is safe to say that everyone enjoyed it. He did such a good job of laying out the material in a clear way and pulling in his personal journey to make the passage more relatable. It helped this week, for me at least, that Joshua 7 was a little more fun to dissect than Joshua 6. Chapter 6 had some weighty material but was pretty cut and dry as far as the storyline went.
In Chapter 7, Joshua and the army were planning on going further into the Promised Land to claim, Ai. Ai was a small community so Joshua sent a small portion of the army (about 3000 people) to take the land. They went with the confidence from their former victory in Jericho and the knowledge that their army was bigger than Ai's. Bolstered with confidence and knowledge, they marched into Ai, fought with all they had, and ran out screaming like little children over their fear and defeat. 36 men died and the takeover was unsuccessful.
When Joshua found out, he fell to the earth in front of the ark of the Lord and cried out asking why this happened. Joshua, the elders and the army were devastated over their loss and were baffled about the cause of their defeat. Joshua questioned the purpose of their defeat and wondered why they couldn't have been content in the place from where they came (wandering around in the desert). He doubted their ability to continue on in their pursuit of the Promised Land.
The Lord told Joshua to get up and he informed Joshua that sin was present in the camp - that someone had stolen items devoted to destruction and the Lord's treasury. He said that the enemies could not be defeated until the devoted things were purged from among them. He found the man, Achan, responsible for the transgression and he confessed to hiding a beautiful cloak, 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold. Achan, his family, and all his belongings were taken to the Valley of Achor and were stoned and burned as payment for their sin.
This group of people was promised, through Joshua, an entire land and a new life in this place, given that they follow the Lord's command word for word. One man, Achan, fell into the temptation of the shininess of sin (stealing from the ruins of Jericho) and changed the path for the entire nation. All for a lesser delight of having something fancy in that moment, he compromised an entire nation and promise of probably the biggest miracle these men would ever witness. The same promise that was ripped away from their forefathers because of their leader's disobedience (Numbers 20).
By succumbing to sin in our own lives, we short change ourselves to the bigger promise of freedom. Through Christ, we can be set free from the chains that bind us (addictions, control, fear, doubt, etc). When we refuse to submit to authority, whether it is God or our church leaders, we stay in bondage of sin. Obviously, we are no longer punished by being stoned and burned to death, but by being eventually turned over to our own devices - our shiny objects or lesser delights - and we won't be given another chance. By staying in sin, we forfeit the bigger promise that awaits us.
Don't be discouraged when you fall. Be humbled and apologetic to the Lord. He loves you, will accept you with open arms, and invite your to start over. I'm praying for each person reading this to have clear eyes and open ears to the sin in your life. I'm also praying for you to have strength, courage, and to be obedient to repent and be free! God has the ability to get you out of any situation if you're willing. He is greater, bigger, stronger, and more awesome that anything you're dealing with. :)
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In Chapter 7, Joshua and the army were planning on going further into the Promised Land to claim, Ai. Ai was a small community so Joshua sent a small portion of the army (about 3000 people) to take the land. They went with the confidence from their former victory in Jericho and the knowledge that their army was bigger than Ai's. Bolstered with confidence and knowledge, they marched into Ai, fought with all they had, and ran out screaming like little children over their fear and defeat. 36 men died and the takeover was unsuccessful.
When Joshua found out, he fell to the earth in front of the ark of the Lord and cried out asking why this happened. Joshua, the elders and the army were devastated over their loss and were baffled about the cause of their defeat. Joshua questioned the purpose of their defeat and wondered why they couldn't have been content in the place from where they came (wandering around in the desert). He doubted their ability to continue on in their pursuit of the Promised Land.
The Lord told Joshua to get up and he informed Joshua that sin was present in the camp - that someone had stolen items devoted to destruction and the Lord's treasury. He said that the enemies could not be defeated until the devoted things were purged from among them. He found the man, Achan, responsible for the transgression and he confessed to hiding a beautiful cloak, 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold. Achan, his family, and all his belongings were taken to the Valley of Achor and were stoned and burned as payment for their sin.
This group of people was promised, through Joshua, an entire land and a new life in this place, given that they follow the Lord's command word for word. One man, Achan, fell into the temptation of the shininess of sin (stealing from the ruins of Jericho) and changed the path for the entire nation. All for a lesser delight of having something fancy in that moment, he compromised an entire nation and promise of probably the biggest miracle these men would ever witness. The same promise that was ripped away from their forefathers because of their leader's disobedience (Numbers 20).
By succumbing to sin in our own lives, we short change ourselves to the bigger promise of freedom. Through Christ, we can be set free from the chains that bind us (addictions, control, fear, doubt, etc). When we refuse to submit to authority, whether it is God or our church leaders, we stay in bondage of sin. Obviously, we are no longer punished by being stoned and burned to death, but by being eventually turned over to our own devices - our shiny objects or lesser delights - and we won't be given another chance. By staying in sin, we forfeit the bigger promise that awaits us.
Don't be discouraged when you fall. Be humbled and apologetic to the Lord. He loves you, will accept you with open arms, and invite your to start over. I'm praying for each person reading this to have clear eyes and open ears to the sin in your life. I'm also praying for you to have strength, courage, and to be obedient to repent and be free! God has the ability to get you out of any situation if you're willing. He is greater, bigger, stronger, and more awesome that anything you're dealing with. :)
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