20140203 Monday, February 3 2014
Joshua 07: What Did Achan Do?

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

"Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel"

The LORD (Who was and is Jesus Christ - see Genesis 1: In The Beginning Was The Word and The Kingdom Of The LORD God) delivered the city of Jericho to the Israelites (see Joshua 6: The Fall Of Jericho). It was to be, not merely a capture, but for the Canaanites who needed a final fair warning, a total destruction - except for, as also a fair chance of salvation, those who had freely chosen to accept and follow the LORD's Way (see Joshua 2: Rahab Of Jericho).

"6:16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city. 6:17 And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. 6:18 And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it." (Joshua 6:16-18 KJV)

Some of the Israelites did not heed the LORD's command (see also Deuteronomy 20: Articles Of War).

"7:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel." (Joshua 7:1 KJV)

The Israelites proceeded from Jericho to Ai, a city to the northwest, "on the east side of Bethel" - a city well-known to Jacob / Israel centuries before (see Genesis 35: The Return To Bethel). It could and should have been another decisive victory for the Israelites, as they assumed it would be i.e. "Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few." They nevertheless were quickly repulsed by a much smaller force.

"7:2 And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east side of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.

7:3 And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few. 7:4 So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai. 7:5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water." (Joshua 7:2-5 KJV)

It was a shock to the Israelites - even to Joshua (see Joshua 1: Joshua's Commission). The LORD then declared to them why they were defeated: "They have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing."

"7:6 And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads. 7:7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! 7:8 O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies! 7:9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?

7:10 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? 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. 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.

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. 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. 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." (Joshua 7:6-15 KJV)

The LORD left it to Joshua to find the transgressors. Following a process of investigative elimination, the guilty man eventually confessed to the crime. Achan, by taking to himself what was accursed, had made himself accursed. His destruction happened as the things that he coveted should have been destroyed, according to the LORD's Command.

"7:16 So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken: 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: 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.

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.

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: 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.

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. 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.

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. 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. 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." (Joshua 7:16-26 KJV)

Fact Finder: What does "accursed" mean in the Bible?
See The Accursed In History and Prophecy; see also The Traitor In History And Prophecy