Joshua 7-9

1. Achan's Sin
This passage focuses on the misdeeds of Achan, who disobeyed the Lord's command in Joshua 6:17-19. In particular, he took a Babylonian robe, about five pounds of silver and about 1.25 pounds of gold from Jericho when Israel conquered it. His sin led to the Israelites' defeat by Ai when they attempted to conquer that city. The subsequent outpouring of grief by the Israelites set the stage for God's revelation of Achan's deception. Achan, his family and all of his possessions were then destroyed by Israel.

While reading this passage, I could sense the rising tension that must have pervaded the Israelite camp while God methodically searched for the person who had caused their defeat by Ai. I do wonder why Achan failed to reveal himself immediately, given that God would inevitably reveal his sin.

2. Ai Destroyed
After rectifying the misdeeds of Achan, the Lord enabled Israel to achieve a great victory over Ai. The key aspect of this victory was an ambush that Israel set behind Ai; after the ambush was set, Joshua lured the fighting men of Ai away from the city by massing the bulk of his forces in front of it and then ordering this main body to retreat. When the men of Ai pursued the retreating Israelites, the ambushing force set fire to Ai. This led to the total destruction of Ai and its troops. The king of Ai was killed and hung from a tree (or impaled).

I must admit that being impaled sounds quite horrid. Now it is possible that the king of Ai was killed before he was either hung or impaled, yet it is evident that war was brutal even in ancient times.

3. The Covenant Renewed at Mount Ebal
After Israel had achieved a great victory over Ai, Joshua built an altar to the Lord on Mount Ebal. He assembled all Israel and had half of the people stand in front of Mount Gerizim, while the other half stood in front of Mount Ebal. He then read the entire Law of the Lord to the people while they faced the ark of the covenant that was being carried by the priests.

My thought is that this was an appropriate time for Israel to renew its covenant with the Lord. They had just seen the consequences of disobeying Him (defeat by Ai after Achan's sin) and the benefits of obedience (victory over Ai).

4. The Gibeonite Deception
Israel's victories over Ai and Jericho spurred the people of Gibeon to make a peace treaty with them. The Gibeonites knew that Israel would attempt to destroy all of their neighbors, so they resorted to deceiving the Israelites into thinking that they hailed from a distant land (mainly by how they presented themselves to Israel). Somehow Israel failed to ask the Lord for guidance in this regard, and they ratified a peace treaty with the Gibeonites. Their deception was then uncovered, yet Israel honored its treaty and subjugated the Gibeonites instead of destroying them.

After renewing their covenant with the Lord, one would think that Israel would immediately ask Him for guidance when they encountered the Gibeonites. Their actions highlight man's inherent sinfulness.