Joshua 7: Sin in the Camp
Theological Proposition/Focus: Sin is contrary to God and as such God will use his blessings and lack thereof the root out sin
Homiletical Proposition/Application: The follower of Christ must ruthlessly root out sin and ask God to eliminate it from their life.
Contents
- 1 Introduction:
- 1.1 Image:
- 1.2 Need: We need to ruthlessly root out sin in our lives.
- 1.3 Preview: In Joshua chapter 7 we are going to see the reality of sin and three responses to that reality.
- 1.4 Setting the Stage:
- 1.4.1 The conquest of Jericho had been a nearly literal walk in the park.
- 1.4.2 The city of AI was a small fortress that stood 2 miles from Jericho.
- 1.4.2.1 In fact, Archeology suggests that the city was essentially uninhabited at this time but rather possibly the old walls were used as an almost temporary stronghold for the surrounding population.
- 1.4.2.2 Joshua 7:3 suggests that the population of AI was in fact very small.
- 1.4.2.3 In any case what we are going to see in this passage is that the problem was not the size of AI but the spiritual state of Israel.
- 2 Body
- 2.1 Reality: Sin often catches its prey when they least expect it (1-5)
- 2.2 Response to Reality: The wrong response to the reality of sin is often self-centered (6-9).
- 2.3 Response to Reality: The proper responser to the reality of sin is an invitation to God (10-18).
- 2.4 Response to Reality: Ruthlessly eliminate sin from your life (19-26).
- 3 Conclusion:
Introduction:
Image:
Need: We need to ruthlessly root out sin in our lives.
Preview: In Joshua chapter 7 we are going to see the reality of sin and three responses to that reality.
Setting the Stage:
The conquest of Jericho had been a nearly literal walk in the park.
Jericho had been a fortress but fell to the God of Israel.
God's strategy involved almost no effort on the part of Israel.
There could be no doubt that God was on Israel's side.
The city of AI was a small fortress that stood 2 miles from Jericho.
In fact, Archeology suggests that the city was essentially uninhabited at this time but rather possibly the old walls were used as an almost temporary stronghold for the surrounding population.
One challenge is explaining the king of AI mentioned in Joshua 8. It may refer to just the ruler of that small group of people. The NIV discusses 12,000 people but it could also be 12 family clans.
Joshua 7:3 suggests that the population of AI was in fact very small.
In any case what we are going to see in this passage is that the problem was not the size of AI but the spiritual state of Israel.
Body
Reality: Sin often catches its prey when they least expect it (1-5)
After a stunning victory in Jericho, everyone was eagerly anticipating what would happen next. The next city on the march into Canaan was the city of AI and Israel was anxious to see a great victory here as well. The only problem was that sin is insidious, sin can sneak in when we least expect it and bring with it horrible devastation. In the case of Israel, sin in the camp brought about defeat and loss of life. The momentous victory of Jericho was dwarfed by the devastating defeat in AI. In order to understand this pendulum swing, we must understand how sin entered and took hold in the camp.
The first sin we see is
Achan's Sin
The text conveys the idea that in the midst of the great victory in Jericho there is a hidden problem. Something that Joshua does not know has happened. Something that is going to be devastating. A particular man, Achan, went against God's command to devote all of Jericho to the Lord through destruction. Achan, it seems had claimed some of the spoils of war for himself. What's more is that
Achan's sin became Israel's sin.
The entire nation was held accountable for the sin of one individual. This is an important principle. God expects his people to be disciplined and at times holds all his people accountable for the failure of one. A similar situation arises in
