Week 2

3/9/2025

Spring 2025

 

  • Central Passage: Joshua 7-8, Achan's sin, the conquest of Ai, and covenant renewal

  • Click here to see the Middle School Sunday school handout for Joshua.

  • Check out the Middle School Sunday School Resources page for other books of the Bible resources. Note: the Joshua handout will be available soon.

 

Joshua 7

Joshua 7 immediately takes a turn from the hopeful tone of the previous six chapters. The Hebrew uses the word “unfaithful” twice in the first clause, a common way to emphasize something. Israel was doubly unfaithful. This chapter reveals a temporary reversal from blessing to curse. We also may wrestle with the severity of this chapter, so read carefully and prayerfully when reading about God’s just dealings with sinners. Accordingly, there are several things to note.

Devoted Things

These items devoted to the LORD are called herem in Hebrew. Joshua uses both herem and its verbal root haram twenty-seven times throughout the book, more than any other Old Testament book. Specifically, Joshua 6:17-18 reports that Jericho was herem to God, warning the Israelites not to take any of the herem for themselves.[1] The general meaning of the word means to devote something entirely to God. In the context of Joshua's conquest, it refers to devoting something entirely to God for judgment/destruction. The herem status is irrevocable. Associating with what has been devoted to God for destruction would also render one as herem. Just as the Canaanites were herem, when Achan coveted the devoted things for himself, he joined the herem of the Canaanites. Contrast this with Rahab, who became an Israelite and avoided herem for her and her household. 

Israel’s treatment of herem was customarily to burn them. They burned each city that was herem to God (Jericho in Joshua 6, Ai in Joshua 8, and Hazor in Joshua 11), just as God commanded Israel to burn the devoted items and Achan (7:15). Achan had become herem himself. A careful reader will notice Deuteronomy’s repeated phrase, “So you shall purge the evil from your midst” (Deut 13:5; 17:7, 12; 19:13, 19; 21:9, 21; 22:21-22, 24; 24:7). Purge is a Hebrew word (ba’ar) Though Moses used a different verb than the verb for “burn” in Josh 7:15 (saraph[2]), the Deuteronomy commands to purge indicate that evil should be entirely consumed from their midst. In Joshua, burning with fire is the mechanism that Israel used to purge evil. Thus, burning Achan purged the evil from their midst.

Achan's Sin and Israel's Defeat

Achan's sin caused God's anger to burn against all of Israel, not just one man. Additionally, it seems as though his family also played a part in his sin (7:24; cf. Deut 24:16; Ezek 18:19-20). This may seem unfair to us, but God does not hold double standards of justice. Individual sins led to God's judgment on all the Canaanites just as individual sins led to God's judgment on all of Israel. All of Israel was guilty of coveting for themselves items devoted to Yahweh for destruction.[3] In this case, Achan coveted what belongs to God for destruction. His sin led him to hide the items (7:21), but through His prophet, God exposed them (cf. Luke 12:2-3, 15-21; 1 Cor 3:13; 4:5).

As a result, Ai defeated Israel. Until verse ten, God is absent from the story, signifying that Israel is now herem. God was absent from Joshua’s sending of the spies and their favorable report. They missed the reason for being strong and courageous: God goes before them. And they missed the outworking of being strong and courageous: covenant faithfulness (Josh 1:7).[4] As a result, God reverses the narrative so far. Instead of the smaller Israelite army defeating larger cities by God’s power, the smaller city of Ai defeated the mightier armies of Israel by God’s power. For another reversal, instead of the Canaanites’ hearts melting in despair at Yahweh’s people, Israel’s hearts melted in despair at their defeat (7:5). Though God had promised to give them victory in conquest (1:2-9), Joshua mourned and cried out to God. After nine verses of silence from God, He finally spoke to Joshua.

Purging Evil

            In verse ten, God corrected Joshua: this is not a time for lamenting injustice[5] but for destroying the herem in their midst and reconsecrating themselves for the conquest’s continuance (cf. Josh 3:5). Joshua’s words to Achan in Joshua 7:19 to “give glory to the LORD God of Israel and give praise” seem strange, given that they would soon stone and burn him. However, Achan’s confession was how God would be glorified and praised in their midst (8:30-35). Similarly, when the Pharisees in John 9:24 interrogated the blind man whom Jesus healed, they intended for the man to “confess” that Jesus was a sinner. So, they began with, “Give glory to God.” They (and Joshua) framed confession as something that glorifies God, though the Pharisees were dreadfully mistaken in their assumption that the man had been lying about Jesus.

            Though Achan confessed, he, his household, and possessions were still herem for God. Thus, they stoned him with stones[6] and burned him with fire. Afterward, they made a great stone heap (7:26). At this point, Israel now had two stone memorials: one to commemorate the wonder of the Jordan River crossing (4:3-7[7]) and one to commemorate this sobering picture of God’s holy judgment. Achan received the same monument that the king of Ai would receive (8:29). The tragic irony to Achan’s sin and destruction is that God allowed Israel to receive the spoil of Ai (8:2). There is a sobering lesson in this that obedience to God never stands in the way of blessing and flourishing. God loves to shower His people with blessing and gracious provision according to His timing, not ours. Patience is indeed a godly virtue as true worshippers faithfully obey with the proper expectation that God will provide. This is how we rest in His goodness.

With the evil purged from their midst, Israel was no longer herem, and the conquest could resume. But first, there is one final thing to note.

The Valley of Achor

            Achor means trouble or disturbance, so the Valley of Achor would remain a commemoration of judgment and defeat. Though the Old Testament infrequently mentions this valley, two prophets picked up on it. First, Hosea 2:15 uses the Valley of Achor to anticipate a future great reversal of Israel’s condemnation. Only God can turn trouble and despair into hope and returning to God. Isaiah also mentions the Valley of Achor. Isaiah 65 anticipates God welcoming Gentiles to Himself (65:1), condemning his faithless people (65:2-7), and preserving a remnant of Israel (65:8-9). There is a great reversal in this passage: God would turn from rebellious Israel to people who were “not called by [His] name.” And the Valley of Achor/trouble will become a place for herds to lie down. God’s future kingdom/land[8] will be for both the remnant of Israel and Gentiles. Though Ai only temporarily received God’s “favor” over His wayward people, it is still an interesting parallel that Isaiah used to show God’s favor removed from rebellious Israel (except for the preserved remnant) and given to Gentiles.

Joshua 8

Now that Achan and the herem had been purged from Israel, God resumed His conquest against the Canaanites at Ai. They were to destroy the city like they did Jericho, except that they could take spoil for themselves. Just as the herem of Joshua 6-7 was burned, so too would Ai be burned.

But first, God provided another reversal—this time, it would be at the expense of the people of Ai. Israel, under God’s instruction, appeared to flee in defeat from the city again. But this time, all of these proud, hard-hearted Canaanites left the city in pursuit. This pursuit would greatly cost them this time as they were ambushed and their city burned before them. One final inhabitant remained: the king of Ai.

One can feel the dramatic suspense as they brought the king before Joshua (8:23). Several verses pass as the reader questions: will Joshua spare the king, causing Israel to become herem again? Will he enter into covenant with him? But finally, Joshua hanged the king on a tree until evening[9] (8:29). Since God had told Joshua to treat Ai as they did Jericho, it is not unreasonable to conclude that they followed the same process with the king of Jericho. Hanging a king was an ancient wartime practice of the humiliating, clear defeat of an enemy. The king's hanging body testified to their defeat. This was also a punishment above and beyond the quick death that Israel gave to the citizens. The king received the harshest punishment as the leader in their wickedness. God secured their victory, and Israel responded by reconsecrating themselves.

Consecration

The consecration at the end of the chapter took place between Mount Gerazim and Mount Ebal, likely in Shechem, which rested in between.[10] These mountains are significant. Moses told them to set up their first stone monument on Mount Ebal after they crossed the Jordan (Deut 27:4). Joshua then built an altar there. Moses had also told them to stand on Mount Gerizim when they crossed the Jordan to read the blessings and curses of the covenant (Deut 27:11ff). Deuteronomy 11:29 contains a similar command, signifying that Mount Ebal was for the curses and Mount Gerazim was for the blessings. Joshua wrote a copy of the covenant (Deuteronomy), acting, once again, in a kingly manner.[11] He read the entire covenant before all of Israel, both native-born and assimilated.[12]

Joshua gave two offerings afterward. He offered the whole burnt offering before God as an atoning sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins (Lev 1:4). But the second sacrifice was a peace offering. Also known as a fellowship or thanksgiving offering (Lev 7), this was a voluntary offering that signals a complete tonal shift back to the book’s hopeful optimism. The community ate the thanksgiving offering together, using it as a time of proclamation concerning God’s acts of deliverance. Prayers were answered (Specifically Joshua’s from 7:6-9), so a celebration of thanksgiving completed their joy. Unlike Israel, we have a perpetual offering of atonement in Jesus’ death and resurrection. But, like Israel, we should also cultivate joyful hearts by setting aside communal times of celebration to tell one another how God answers prayers and conforms us to the image of His son (Romans 8:28-29). The rhythms of proclaiming Jesus’ atonement and proclaiming thanksgiving completes our Christian joy and prepares us for our spiritual conquest. Thanksgiving ought to be a core, life-giving rhythm as we depart to do ministry in a fallen world.

 

[1] For Moses' teaching concerning herem/haram, see Deut 7, esp v. 26; 13:12-18; 20:16-18.

 

[2] This is the verbal root for the word “Seraphim,” which translates to “burning one.” The same word describes the fiery serpents in Num 21:6, translating more woodenly to “serpents of burning.”

 

[3] The sin of coveting opens the door to a multitude of sins. When one covets what belongs to another, he craves, desires, and worships in his heart. Rather than loving the Lord with all his heart, soul, and mind, coveting leads him away from God to worship idols.

 

[4] See last week’s handout for more about the command to be strong and courageous.

 

[5] Lamentations as seen in Psalms are psalms of disorientation in which God allows His grieving people to cry out to Him for deliverance. The disorientation occurs because the lamenting psalmist is righteous according to the covenant, but God seems inactive. He knows that God is a great deliverer, but his present experience seems misaligned with what he professes to be true about God. There are numerous psalms of lament, but Psalms 3 and 6 are great examples of this. However, lamentation was not the reality of Joshua 7. Joshua mistakenly lamented, but God told him that his inactivity was due to sin, unlike a psalm of lament.

 

[6] Some commentators believe that they stoned Achan because he sinned on the Sabbath, warranting this additional punishment. The text is silent on this, however.

 

[7] See last week’s handout for comments on Joshua 3-5.

 

[8] The future promises of “land” for a restored people of God are found in the New Testament’s teaching about the future kingdom of God. The new heavens and the new earth are the future restored land of Israel that the prophets anticipated.

 

[9] This is in keeping with Deuteronomy 21:22-23.

 

[10] Shechem was a fairly important land. They seemed to have consistently friendly dealings with Israel. Abraham and Jacob also built altars there (Gen 12:6-7; 33:18-20).

 

[11] See last week’s study in Joshua 1.

 

[12] The ESV translates the Hebrew word gar as “sojourner.” However, the CSB seems to translate this better with “resident alien.” The NIV uses the most general translation: “foreigners.” The context seems to indicate that these are not just passersby who happen to be in Israel’s company for a short time. These are non-natives who worship Yahweh and have thus become part of the covenant community, like Rahab. Rahab was not a fluke; God always allowed non-natives converts to join the covenant community through worship (cf. Deut 5:14; 10:18-19; 14:21, 29; 16:11, 14; 24:14, 17, 19-21; 26:11-13, 19; 28:43; 29:10-11; 31:11-13).

Sources

Howard, David M. Joshua: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture. The New American Commentary. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 1998.

McConville, J. Gordon and Stephen N. Williams. Joshua. The Two Horizons Old Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2010.