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Joshua 7:11
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9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround us, and acut off our name from the earth. Then bwhat will You do for Your great name?”  

The Sin of Achan

10 So the Lord said to Joshua: “Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face?
11 Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. aFor they have even taken some of the1 accursed things, and have both stolen and bdeceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff.  
12 aTherefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because bthey have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you.  
13 Get up, asanctify the people, and say, b‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says the Lord God of Israel: “There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you.”  
14 In the morning therefore you shall be brought according to your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which athe Lord takes shall come according to families; and the family which the Lord takes shall come by households; and the household which the Lord takes shall come man by man.  
15 aThen it shall be that he who is taken with the accursed thing shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has btransgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he chas done a disgraceful thing in Israel.’ ”  
16 So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken.
17 He brought the clan 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.
Commentaries:
Forerunner Commentary
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What Does Joshua 7:11 Mean?



Joshua 7:1-21

Joshua 6 and 7 contain the tragic story of Achan's sin. Achan, one man, sinned by stealing a garment, 200 shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold during the heat of battle after having been instructed that all the booty from Jericho was devoted to God (Joshua 6:17-19; 7:1, 20-21). He had no accomplices, and no one saw him do it. Nonetheless, Israel's army became paralyzed with fear when they attacked the little city of Ai (verses 4-5). Joshua faltered and became confused (verses 6-9). Thirty-six men died—wives were widowed and children lost fathers. In the end, Achan's entire family was destroyed, even though they were innocent of his sin.

The whole nation was affected! When God analyzed Achan's sin, He saw it as a national sin (verses 10-12). The sin of one part was the sin of the whole. When one failed, they all failed. We need to pay more attention to this approach because it is part of the "one body" analogy. We should also notice that God was personally involved. It was after all, His nation, His church, and its conduct is of intense concern to Him. This story also contains a clear illustration of sin's leavening effect. Until a correction was made, it did not just lie there and die. Its effect increased.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Little Things Count!


 
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