SERIES G --- THE PROMISED LAND

BIBLE STUDY LESSON 07

DEFEAT AT AI

A SECRET SIN
From Joshua 7
“Hidden away somewhere in the camp of Israel there was a secret sin. Someone had disobeyed God’s command to destroy everything in Jericho except the treasures for the Lord’s house. A fellow by the name of Achan, son of Carmi, grandson of Zabdi and great-grandson of Zerah, a member of the tribe of Judah, secretly took some valuable things for himself. Because of this disobedience, the Lord was angry with Israel. Having defeated Jericho, Joshua was now ready for a new conquest. ‘Go up to Ai and spy on it,’ he told some of his men. The men obeyed and went up to Ai to spy on that city. ‘We don’t need our entire army to take that city,’ the men reported back to Joshua. ‘Two or three thousand troops could easily take Ai, for it has very few people.’ Confident that they could easily take the city, about three thousand warriors set out from the camp of Israel for Ai. But when they got into battle, the men of Israel ran away from the people of Ai. In fact, the people of Ai chased the warriors of Israel away from the city and killed thirty-six of them. More of the Israelite soldiers were killed as they descended the hill from the gate past the quarries.

Needless to say, the army of Israel was terrorized by this turn of events. In their agony, Joshua and the leaders of Israel tore their clothing and covered their heads with dust. Then they fell down before the Ark of the Lord until evening. ‘Why, Lord, why?’ Joshua cried out. ‘Why did you ever bring us over the Jordan River? Was it to put us into the hands of the Amorites so that they can kill us? If only we had been satisfied to stay on the other side of the Jordan and take what we had there! Now Lord, what can I do since my army has run away from our enemies? When the Canaanites and other people around us hear about this, they will surround us and destroy us. Then how will You honour Your great name?’ ‘Get up!’ the Lord said to Joshua. ‘Why are you flat on your face? You have sin in your camp, for someone here has disobeyed Me and has taken some spoils in battle when I said you could not do so. He has not only taken spoils, but has put them among his own belongings here in the camp. This sin is the reason why Israel cannot fight its enemies. You are running from your enemies because you have a curse on you. I will not be with you until you get rid of this sin.’ Then God told Joshua how he should take the sin away from Israel. ‘Get up off the ground! Tell the people to purify themselves for tomorrow. Tell them that I will not help them until the sin among you has been removed. In the morning, gather together according to tribes and I will show you by lot which is the guilty tribe. I will show you the guilty family within that tribe and the guilty household within that family. Then each member of that household must come forward, one at a time. ‘The guilty man must be burned with fire, along with everything that belongs to him, for he has disobeyed the covenant of the Lord and has committed sin in Israel.’ Joshua followed the Lord’s orders exactly and brought Israel before him tribe by tribe. The tribe of Judah was shown to be guilty.  The families within the tribe of Judah were brought before him and the family of Zerah was shown to be the guilty family. When the households of that family came, the house hold of Zabdi was singled out of the others. One by one, the members of that household came. At last, it was obvious that Achan was the guilty man. ‘Confess what you have done and thereby honour God,’ Joshua said to Achan. ‘Tell me what you have done. Don’t hide a thing from me.’ ‘It is true that I have sinned against the Lord,’ said Achan. ‘At Jericho, I saw a beautiful robe from Babylon as well as some silver and gold. I couldn’t resist taking them, so I hid them under my tent. You will find the silver buried below the other things.’ Joshua sent men to find out if Achan’s story was true. When they reached Achan’s tent, they found the loot under it, with the silver buried beneath the other things. The men brought these items to Joshua and laid them out on the ground before all Israel and before the Lord. Then Joshua took Achan to the Valley of Achor, with the silver, the robe, the gold, his children, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent and everything else that belonged to him. ‘Why have you caused us so much trouble?’ Joshua said to Achan. ‘Now the Lord will bring trouble to you.’ The people of Israel stoned Achan and his family until they were dead. They burned the bodies and piled up a great heap of stones which still stands at the time of this writing. When this was finished, the Lord was angry no more. Since that time, the valley has been known as the Valley of Achor, which meant, ‘the Valley of Trouble.’”

COMMENTARY

OTHER CONQUESTS FROM EGYPT: RAMSES II
After the great victory at Jericho, Joshua could not understand Israel’s defeat at the village of Ai. Finally, the cause was traced to disobedience. A man named Achan had taken forbidden silver and gold. He and his family hid it in their tent. That sin caused the death of thirty-six Israelite soldiers and led to Achan’s execution. In the battle for the land, survival required obedience. For generation after generation, the pharaohs marched their armies north into Canaan, attempting to keep the land under Egyptian control. The reign of Ramses II started out the same way. The far northern Hittite kingdom was now just as strong as Egypt and just as determined to control Canaan. When the Hittite king began to encourage the Canaanite princes to rebel against Egypt, Ramses II decided it was time to do something about the problem. He marched north; and he met no opposition. At Kadesh, two Hittite deserters told him that the army was still farther north, in Aleppo and that he had nothing to fear. But it was a trick. The army was actually hiding on the other side of the city. The Hittites fell upon the unsuspecting Egyptians and almost destroyed them. After a desperately bloody chariot battle, fresh Egyptian troops arrived. At this, the Hittites fled. Ramses II quickly returned to Egypt without trying to capture Kadesh. Both sides had suffered very great losses. During the next sixteen years, the two empires kept an uneasy balance of power. But soon both empires were faced with the same threat; the Sea People, who reached the Mediterranean from the north. To protect themselves from this mutual enemy, Ramses II and the Hittite king agreed not to fight each other. They also agreed to help each other if either one was invaded or losing a battle. This was one of the first international peace treaties. Less than fifteen years after the treaty, the two countries were on such friendly terms that soldiers from both armies mixed freely; and Ramses II was offered the Hittite king’s daughter as a gift.

TEST YOURSELF

1.) What was Achan’s sin?
            A.) Eating sacred food
            B.) Secretly taking valuables from Jericho and hiding them
            C.) Cursing God’s Name

2.) Why did Joshua only send 3000 warriors to take Ai?
            A.) It was a small city
            B.) The city was not well defended
            C.) That is what the Lord told him to do

3.) In Joshua’s prayer, his main concern was for?
            A.) His reputation as leader
            B.) Israel’s safety
            C.) God’s reputation among the nations

4.) Why was Israel defeated at Ai?
            A.) They hadn’t prayed for God for guidance before going into battle
            B.) There was sin in the camp

5.) How did God show Israel who was guilty?
            A.) The ground opened and swallowed Achan
            B.) They cast lots
            C.) A voice came from heaven

6.) Where did Achan hide the robe and valuables he had taken?
            A.) Underneath his tent
            B.) In his bed
            C.) In his horses’ saddle

7.) What was Achan’s punishment?
            A.) He was burned
            B.) Stoning
            C.) Both these are correct

8.) The valley of Achor means?
            A.) Valley of Secrets
            B.) Valley of Trouble
            C.) Valley of Pain