Backpacking Through Joshua Chapter 7

We've made it to Chapter 7 after a bit of a break. And, boy, what a chapter to dive back in to!

I grew up with a knowledge of most Bible stories. I knew the story of Rahab and the story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho (is the song in your head yet? You're welcome. :) ) But, honestly, it was much later in my adult life before I read through Joshua.

Seeing the weaving together of this book has been fascinating so far—and has taught me much. In Chapter 1, God called Joshua and God strengthened Joshua. In Chapter 2, God protected. In Chapter 3, God demonstrated His power, His majesty, and His leadership through Joshua. Chapter 4, God shows His design for teaching the next generation, His permanence, and His unchanging nature. And, I love that in this chapter God provides the means for this through the stones that were gathered from the middle of the Jordan River!

We see God establish His people and provide them with a connection of sorts to previous generations in Chapter 5. In Chapter 6, God provides victory and very clear instruction regarding the spoils of this victory and keeps His promise to Rahab. God is a covenant keeping God.

Each chapter has show some part of God. Each has taught something unique about Him.

Chapter 7 is no different though perhaps we don't like learning about this part quite so much!

I started out, reading and re-reading this, thinking that it was really about Joshua, the battle, and his reaction to it. Then, it kind of hit me. This is about Achan's sin and God's reaction to it.

Y'all, I have to admit to seeing myself in Achan. We are told that Achan coveted the things he took. I wonder if he also thought that surely God didn't mean He wanted all of the spoils devoted to Him or that God wouldn't miss just a little. (And, what a word—devoted. Set apart to God as an offering for destruction.)

I don't know. All I do know is that Achan didn't obey. He brought God's anger upon all of Israel. And he and his family were stoned and burned. Seems rather harsh.

Where was God's mercy? Where was the grace?

I think it was there. We see God's hand of grace and mercy on the rest of the Israelites. There is even a sense of grace and mercy in Achan admitting to his sin. God grants strength, I think, to admit to sin. Admitting isn't generally something that's easy for humans!

God's grace is even shown in the fact that He demonstrates that He is a holy and just God. Sin will be, has to be punished. As with the law given in Exodus, we see that we not only are we not capable of keeping God's commands but even the punishment is more horrific than we can imagine. We need God to save us, both from our inability to keep the law and from a punishment greater than we can imagine. This all points to Christ. He took the punishment far greater than the one Achen received. A punishment intended for us.

Once the sin was punished, we are told that “the Lord turned from His burning anger”. The place was named the Valley of Achor (trouble) and the stones were “heaped” over Achan. I don't get the impression that this set of stones were neatly placed as the ones in Chapter 4 were. These place would not be a place of happy memories but it would be a place with many lessons to be passed on to future generations.

The God that is leading Israel, the God that had delivered and provided for Israel, the God that won the battles for them—that God is a holy, just God who does, even must, punish sin.

God's grace shines brightly through this. We see that He knows how totally incapable man is of achieving His holiness, of keeping His law, of escaping His punishment. The grace, the beauty, is that God took that punishment on Himself in Christ's death on the cross.