Joshua 7:1-9
“Barriers To Breakthrough” • 1.6.07 • Kingsfield Church, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- God’s principles seem easy enough to follow. Having watched His instruction to the Israelite people, we have ascertained that they are ours to follow as well.
- We have one direction, one provision, one action and one law. We are to move forward with Him, being strong and courageous, committed to the Word of the Lord.
- However, the Israelites, like you and I, are prone to foul up even the most simple directives.
- For our study today, you need to know that the Israelites crossed over the Jordan River in a miraculous way, and came face to face with the first nation that they were to conquer: Jericho.
- Jericho was a mighty city, which unbeknownst to them, was situated above a tectonic fault.
- The Israelis were also unaware of this geological phenomenon. All they knew was that they were supposed to follow God’s instructions.
- God’s instructions turned out to be kind of interesting. The Israelites are looking to go to war and God tells them “Bring out the trumpets!”
- You could almost see the confusion on the faces of the Israelis as they pondered this command. “Every day, once around the city and on the 7th day, 7 times around the city and then blow trumpets? Hmm. Yeah, I guess I could see it.” “Wait, we’re going to kill them with Jazz!?”
- Sure enough, the Bible tells us in Joshua 6:20 that when they did this on the 7th day, that the wall fell down flat before them, the barrier had become the bridge into the city and it was taken.
- Before they had gone in, Joshua gave these instructions from the Lord:
• Joshua 6:18,19 : “And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are consecrated to the Lord; they shall come into the treasury of the Lord.”
- Victory is won, but what we observe afterward, disturbs and reminds us that we are ever prone to provide our own barriers to breakthrough. Let me suggest the three barriers that occur here in our text this morning.
- Sin is any direct intentioned deviation from God’s law, either in action or in attitude.
- What we are dealing with here is a blatant choice on Achan’s behalf to cross the line and it’s always that way with each one of us.
• James 1:12,13 : “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.”
- We are not told what Achan mindset was, but he explains himself in verse 20 and 21.
• Joshua 7:20,21 : “And Achan answered Joshua and said, ‘Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done: When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.”
- Achan thought that he could get away with it and that it would never be noticed so long as he swept it under the rug. He was wrong!
- Let’s note together the teaching here as it pertains to the effects of sin. First, sin does not remain isolated. It will affect families, spouses, friendships, etc.
During the siege of Jericho, Achan made an ill-fated decision to disobey a direct order from the Lord. Notice however, how this is phrased: The children of Israel commited a trespass.
- The guilt is laid at the feet of the entire nation, with whom God had a collective covenant.
- Second, sin ruins reputations and stunts the work of God.
- This sentence preceding verse 1 says that the Lord was with Joshua and his fame spread throughout all the country.
- Momentum and excitement was building, but then there was Achan, the man whose choice made the anger of the Lord burn against an entire nation.
- I think of the countless ministries that have been marred by one man’s sin, losing their membership and for many their effectiveness in their community.
- Third, sin always values things over relationship.
- What Achan saw, in his mind, were things of value, and their possession, of greater worth than the decision to honor and respect God.
- In the assessment of God, these things were accursed. The concept is not so much that the things that he took were evil or wicked, but that they had been set apart, devoted to destruction.
- Finally, sin always evokes God’s most passionate response.
- God’s anger burned against the children of Israel. God hates sin.
- Ai, compared with Jericho is like comparing Los Angeles with Blythe! It’s smaller, less fortified, less populated and less sophisticated than Jericho.
- The spies forecast an easy time, and propose that only a small force go out to battle.
- Ok, recommendation noted. But here is where I find the inconsistency. Joshua does not respond with any hesitation.
- Joshua does not hold the spies back, in fact, sanctioning on only his own counsel, an attack on Ai!
- There is no mention of Joshua bringing this before the Lord, asking His counsel or even so much as an inquiry as to the validation of this proposal.
- In fact, the next thing we see is that 3,000 men went up, 2,964 came back. They fled from before the men of Ai and their confidence was melted, literally dissolved.
- I wonder if the men came out ready for battle and just decided, “Ah, well, we’ll just do it like we did last time.” “Yeah, we’ll do a once a day around the city...” “No, no...that’ll take too long. Let’s just skip to the 7 times and blow an Am chord!” “Alright men, let’s roll out and don’t forget your trumpets!” Self-confidence was the collective error of the Israelites in this part of the pericope.
- They fail miserably because they purposed to follow their own plan, to place their confidence in what they perceived they could accomplish. What exactly had they accomplished? They only walked, yelled and blew some trumpets!
˚ “…the greatest cause of failure in Christian living is just this: imagining that the victory God has given us has imparted strength for us to win every battle, when it has done nothing of the kind. The victory you won yesterday will not bring you power today.” Alan Redpath
- God will never let this type of self-confident plan to succeed.
- At times like this, I am always reminded of God’s promise to Abraham for an heir.
- Time went by, and no heir was apparent. Abraham was frustrated and offered a solution, a substitute, his steward that was born in his house.
- God came and told him that the heir would not be the steward, but would come from his own body. “Alright, well, one problem there: I am seriously old!” Abraham was about 84 and Sarah, his wife was not that far behind at 74.
- I imagine a few deep conversations about this, both mystified as to how this might happen.
- Until one day, Sarah figures it out. She owns an Egyptian slave and since anything a slave produces rightfully belongs to the master, then it figures that a child would be no different.
- It was a culturally accepted practice.
- She proposes that Abraham take Hagar and receive a child from her. First, we don’t even see one moment of protest from Abraham, but second, there is no query into God’s heart on the matter! This would bear a son, Ishmael, but it would bear much more than that.
- Later, this fatal decision would cause division between he and Sarah, he and God, and literally create the whole Israeli/Arab conflict that we see today!
- God comes back to Abraham some 13 years later, Ishmael now a teenager.
- God reaffirms His promise to Abraham, telling him that he and Sarah will conceive a son.
- Now, here is where I have been going with this. Abraham again offers a substitute in a heart breaking moment.
• Genesis 17:18 : “And Abraham said to God, ‘Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!’”
- “Couldn’t you just bless the work of my flesh? Can’t you just bless my plan?” The answer is seen more clearly in a few chapters later.
• Genesis 22:2 : “Then He said, ‘Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’”
- “Your only son...” The only son God recognizes as the heir. The only son that God will work through, the only work that will be fruitful in His eyes toward redemption.
- Abraham trusted in his own flesh, in what was societally acceptable, presuming God would bless his effort.
- Doing that here in the story of the Israelites has been disastrous, not in the loss of men, but in the loss of confidence in God, and in the loss of reputation among the Canaanite people.
- Consider what a barrier it will be for you.
- At this time, it’s apparent that God has withdrawn His hand and there is no understanding as to why that has occurred.
- He reasons just like his people had before in the desert. “Did you bring us here to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites? Did you just bring us out here to die!?”
- Joshua is distraught and out of this place of deep pain says, in verse 7, “Oh that we had been content and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan!”
- How many of us have said this? We have proverbially crossed the Jordan, from a place of spiritual wandering to a place of spiritual partnership with the Lord and then, disappointment.
- Someone dropped the ball, hurt, misunderstood, blamed, burned, abandoned or even stole from you.
- In those moments, like Joshua, we cry, “It was better when I was a wanderer, when I had no commitments, cause then, nobody could hurt me.
- It’s always better on the other side! The good ol’ days! “Remember how it used to be?”
° “Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory.”
Franklin Pierce Adams
° “Nostalgia is like a grammar lesson: you find the present tense, but the past perfect!” Owens Lee Pomeroy
- The Israelites, while in the desert, longed for Egypt because of the food, the leeks and onions, but ever forgetful of their daily torment from the slave master’s whip!
- Joshua, momentarily does what many of us make a career out of: We give up! “I resign! I quit! I tried this ‘live completely for God’ thing and look at what happened?”
- Joshua, in this moment of despair, thinks that only one outcome is possible. He immediately turns his mind to the worst possible scenario.
- We are going to die! The news will get out and the other nations will take advantage of our weakness because we have run!
- Joshua knew that victory was not optional. It was essential to the survival of the people in the land of Canaan. And if the Israelites are cut off and destroyed, then what will happen for the name of their God!?
- Joshua is not going to remain in this mental state, but it’s often what happens to well meaning Christians at the sight of their first defeat.
- It’s a swift surrender, quick to raise the white flag and give up the fight of faith.
Conclusion
- These three barriers to breakthrough, secret sin, self-confidence and swift surrender, are plagues that God would have us gain immunity from.
- If the Bible left the story there, we would all be hopeless. Thankfully, it doesn’t.
- For even in the depth of this mess, God speaks and acts. What does He tell Joshua, indeed us, to do?
- First, He says, “Get Up!” Look at verse 10:
• Joshua 7:10 : “So the Lord said to Joshua: ‘Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face?”
- You might be down and discouraged. It happens! Get used to it. But don’t stay there!
- Second, He says, “Get Right!”
- The rest of Joshua 7 is God’s prescription for getting the problem fixed.
- It would mean investigation, confession and cleansing. It would be brutal and quick, but it would wipe out the offense against God.
- Finally, He says, “Get Going!”
• Joshua 8:1 : “Now the Lord said to Joshua: ‘Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.”
- Get back into the game! Get back to the battle!
- What happens when we get up, get right and get going? WE GET THE VICTORY!!
- God wins and we get to partner with Him and see it!
“Barriers To Breakthrough” • 1.6.07 • Kingsfield Church, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- God’s principles seem easy enough to follow. Having watched His instruction to the Israelite people, we have ascertained that they are ours to follow as well.
- We have one direction, one provision, one action and one law. We are to move forward with Him, being strong and courageous, committed to the Word of the Lord.
- However, the Israelites, like you and I, are prone to foul up even the most simple directives.
- For our study today, you need to know that the Israelites crossed over the Jordan River in a miraculous way, and came face to face with the first nation that they were to conquer: Jericho.
- Jericho was a mighty city, which unbeknownst to them, was situated above a tectonic fault.
- The Israelis were also unaware of this geological phenomenon. All they knew was that they were supposed to follow God’s instructions.
- God’s instructions turned out to be kind of interesting. The Israelites are looking to go to war and God tells them “Bring out the trumpets!”
- You could almost see the confusion on the faces of the Israelis as they pondered this command. “Every day, once around the city and on the 7th day, 7 times around the city and then blow trumpets? Hmm. Yeah, I guess I could see it.” “Wait, we’re going to kill them with Jazz!?”
- Sure enough, the Bible tells us in Joshua 6:20 that when they did this on the 7th day, that the wall fell down flat before them, the barrier had become the bridge into the city and it was taken.
- Before they had gone in, Joshua gave these instructions from the Lord:
• Joshua 6:18,19 : “And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are consecrated to the Lord; they shall come into the treasury of the Lord.”
- Victory is won, but what we observe afterward, disturbs and reminds us that we are ever prone to provide our own barriers to breakthrough. Let me suggest the three barriers that occur here in our text this morning.
I. Secret Sin (v.1)
II. Self-Confidence (v.2-5)
III. Swift Surrender (v.6-9)
TextII. Self-Confidence (v.2-5)
III. Swift Surrender (v.6-9)
I. Secret Sin (v.1)
• Joshua 7:1 : “But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things; so the anger of the Lord burned against the children of Israel.” : Secret sin lay at the foundation of what would be a rout of Israel, and it remains a great threat to the church today.- Sin is any direct intentioned deviation from God’s law, either in action or in attitude.
- What we are dealing with here is a blatant choice on Achan’s behalf to cross the line and it’s always that way with each one of us.
• James 1:12,13 : “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.”
- We are not told what Achan mindset was, but he explains himself in verse 20 and 21.
• Joshua 7:20,21 : “And Achan answered Joshua and said, ‘Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done: When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.”
- Achan thought that he could get away with it and that it would never be noticed so long as he swept it under the rug. He was wrong!
- Let’s note together the teaching here as it pertains to the effects of sin. First, sin does not remain isolated. It will affect families, spouses, friendships, etc.
During the siege of Jericho, Achan made an ill-fated decision to disobey a direct order from the Lord. Notice however, how this is phrased: The children of Israel commited a trespass.
- The guilt is laid at the feet of the entire nation, with whom God had a collective covenant.
- Second, sin ruins reputations and stunts the work of God.
- This sentence preceding verse 1 says that the Lord was with Joshua and his fame spread throughout all the country.
- Momentum and excitement was building, but then there was Achan, the man whose choice made the anger of the Lord burn against an entire nation.
- I think of the countless ministries that have been marred by one man’s sin, losing their membership and for many their effectiveness in their community.
- Third, sin always values things over relationship.
- What Achan saw, in his mind, were things of value, and their possession, of greater worth than the decision to honor and respect God.
- In the assessment of God, these things were accursed. The concept is not so much that the things that he took were evil or wicked, but that they had been set apart, devoted to destruction.
- Finally, sin always evokes God’s most passionate response.
- God’s anger burned against the children of Israel. God hates sin.
II. Self-Confidence (v.2-5)
• Joshua 7:2-5 : “Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, ‘Go up and spy out the country.’ So the men went up and spied out Ai. And they returned to Joshua and said to him, ‘Do not let all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not weary all the people there, for the people of Ai are few.’ So about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water.” : At first, one cannot see this point for the subtlety. Joshua instructs the men to go out and spy out the land. Alright, not a bad move.- Ai, compared with Jericho is like comparing Los Angeles with Blythe! It’s smaller, less fortified, less populated and less sophisticated than Jericho.
- The spies forecast an easy time, and propose that only a small force go out to battle.
- Ok, recommendation noted. But here is where I find the inconsistency. Joshua does not respond with any hesitation.
- Joshua does not hold the spies back, in fact, sanctioning on only his own counsel, an attack on Ai!
- There is no mention of Joshua bringing this before the Lord, asking His counsel or even so much as an inquiry as to the validation of this proposal.
- In fact, the next thing we see is that 3,000 men went up, 2,964 came back. They fled from before the men of Ai and their confidence was melted, literally dissolved.
- I wonder if the men came out ready for battle and just decided, “Ah, well, we’ll just do it like we did last time.” “Yeah, we’ll do a once a day around the city...” “No, no...that’ll take too long. Let’s just skip to the 7 times and blow an Am chord!” “Alright men, let’s roll out and don’t forget your trumpets!” Self-confidence was the collective error of the Israelites in this part of the pericope.
- They fail miserably because they purposed to follow their own plan, to place their confidence in what they perceived they could accomplish. What exactly had they accomplished? They only walked, yelled and blew some trumpets!
˚ “…the greatest cause of failure in Christian living is just this: imagining that the victory God has given us has imparted strength for us to win every battle, when it has done nothing of the kind. The victory you won yesterday will not bring you power today.” Alan Redpath
- God will never let this type of self-confident plan to succeed.
- At times like this, I am always reminded of God’s promise to Abraham for an heir.
- Time went by, and no heir was apparent. Abraham was frustrated and offered a solution, a substitute, his steward that was born in his house.
- God came and told him that the heir would not be the steward, but would come from his own body. “Alright, well, one problem there: I am seriously old!” Abraham was about 84 and Sarah, his wife was not that far behind at 74.
- I imagine a few deep conversations about this, both mystified as to how this might happen.
- Until one day, Sarah figures it out. She owns an Egyptian slave and since anything a slave produces rightfully belongs to the master, then it figures that a child would be no different.
- It was a culturally accepted practice.
- She proposes that Abraham take Hagar and receive a child from her. First, we don’t even see one moment of protest from Abraham, but second, there is no query into God’s heart on the matter! This would bear a son, Ishmael, but it would bear much more than that.
- Later, this fatal decision would cause division between he and Sarah, he and God, and literally create the whole Israeli/Arab conflict that we see today!
- God comes back to Abraham some 13 years later, Ishmael now a teenager.
- God reaffirms His promise to Abraham, telling him that he and Sarah will conceive a son.
- Now, here is where I have been going with this. Abraham again offers a substitute in a heart breaking moment.
• Genesis 17:18 : “And Abraham said to God, ‘Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!’”
- “Couldn’t you just bless the work of my flesh? Can’t you just bless my plan?” The answer is seen more clearly in a few chapters later.
• Genesis 22:2 : “Then He said, ‘Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’”
- “Your only son...” The only son God recognizes as the heir. The only son that God will work through, the only work that will be fruitful in His eyes toward redemption.
- Abraham trusted in his own flesh, in what was societally acceptable, presuming God would bless his effort.
- Doing that here in the story of the Israelites has been disastrous, not in the loss of men, but in the loss of confidence in God, and in the loss of reputation among the Canaanite people.
- Consider what a barrier it will be for you.
III. Swift Surrender (v.6-9)
• Joshua 7:6-9 : “Then Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads. And Joshua said, ‘Alas, Lord God, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all--to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan! O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies? For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?" : Joshua, unaware of what had gone wrong, displayed a great sense of deep mourning and rightfully so!- At this time, it’s apparent that God has withdrawn His hand and there is no understanding as to why that has occurred.
- He reasons just like his people had before in the desert. “Did you bring us here to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites? Did you just bring us out here to die!?”
- Joshua is distraught and out of this place of deep pain says, in verse 7, “Oh that we had been content and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan!”
- How many of us have said this? We have proverbially crossed the Jordan, from a place of spiritual wandering to a place of spiritual partnership with the Lord and then, disappointment.
- Someone dropped the ball, hurt, misunderstood, blamed, burned, abandoned or even stole from you.
- In those moments, like Joshua, we cry, “It was better when I was a wanderer, when I had no commitments, cause then, nobody could hurt me.
- It’s always better on the other side! The good ol’ days! “Remember how it used to be?”
° “Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory.”
Franklin Pierce Adams
° “Nostalgia is like a grammar lesson: you find the present tense, but the past perfect!” Owens Lee Pomeroy
- The Israelites, while in the desert, longed for Egypt because of the food, the leeks and onions, but ever forgetful of their daily torment from the slave master’s whip!
- Joshua, momentarily does what many of us make a career out of: We give up! “I resign! I quit! I tried this ‘live completely for God’ thing and look at what happened?”
- Joshua, in this moment of despair, thinks that only one outcome is possible. He immediately turns his mind to the worst possible scenario.
- We are going to die! The news will get out and the other nations will take advantage of our weakness because we have run!
- Joshua knew that victory was not optional. It was essential to the survival of the people in the land of Canaan. And if the Israelites are cut off and destroyed, then what will happen for the name of their God!?
- Joshua is not going to remain in this mental state, but it’s often what happens to well meaning Christians at the sight of their first defeat.
- It’s a swift surrender, quick to raise the white flag and give up the fight of faith.
Conclusion
- These three barriers to breakthrough, secret sin, self-confidence and swift surrender, are plagues that God would have us gain immunity from.
- If the Bible left the story there, we would all be hopeless. Thankfully, it doesn’t.
- For even in the depth of this mess, God speaks and acts. What does He tell Joshua, indeed us, to do?
- First, He says, “Get Up!” Look at verse 10:
• Joshua 7:10 : “So the Lord said to Joshua: ‘Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face?”
- You might be down and discouraged. It happens! Get used to it. But don’t stay there!
- Second, He says, “Get Right!”
- The rest of Joshua 7 is God’s prescription for getting the problem fixed.
- It would mean investigation, confession and cleansing. It would be brutal and quick, but it would wipe out the offense against God.
- Finally, He says, “Get Going!”
• Joshua 8:1 : “Now the Lord said to Joshua: ‘Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.”
- Get back into the game! Get back to the battle!
- What happens when we get up, get right and get going? WE GET THE VICTORY!!
- God wins and we get to partner with Him and see it!
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