Josué 7

Josué 7

Boice - "We are never in greater danger than when we assume that He will always forgive us as long as we go through the outward forms of repentance." THOUGHT - Be especially sober, alert (1Pe 5:8+) and prayerful (cf Mt 26:41+) to the wiles and snares of the the world, the flesh and the devil after you have experienced a spiritual victory or a "spiritual high!" “A good Conscience is better than the largest Gain.” -- Isaac Watts Hampton Keathley - The distance between a great victory and a great defeat is only one step, and often only a short one at that. One sad truth of reality in a fallen world is that we can be riding high on the cloud of some great spiritual success and the very next moment find ourselves in a valley of spiritual failure and despair. One moment we can be like Elijah standing victoriously on Mount Carmel and the next shriveled up under a juniper tree or hiding in a cave in deep despair complaining to God: “… I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too” (1 Kings 19:10). (Joshua 7:1-26 Defeat at Ai and the Sin of Achan) The sons of Israel acted unfaithfully (maal) in regard to the things under the ban (herem) - Acted unfaithfully is more literally "prevaricated a prevarication" or "were unfaithful with unfaithfulness." NET -"disobeyed the command about the city's riches." The Hebrew word for acted unfaithfully (maal) describes a conscious act of treachery or unfaithfulness against the Lord. Although only one man was treacherous and disobeyed the clear prohibition of the ban (herem - everything living to be killed and valuable objects go to the LORD), the entire nation was held culpable for his sin! In other words the sin of one man was imputed to the entire nation! Be aware that private sin can have public consequences! THOUGHT - Achan took something that did not belong to him and we can do that with anything, from silver to sex! And the consequences may end up being "communal" or familial! Beware!