Get up and consecrate the people, saying, 'Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Among you, O Israel, there are things devoted to destruction. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them. Get upThis command from God to Joshua is a call to action. The Hebrew root word here is "קוּם" (qum), which means to arise or stand up. It signifies a shift from a state of mourning or inactivity to one of readiness and obedience. In the context of Joshua 7, this is a divine imperative for Joshua to address the sin in the camp of Israel. It reminds us that spiritual leadership requires decisiveness and courage to confront wrongdoing. consecrate the people
The Hebrew word for "consecrate" is "קָדַשׁ" (qadash), meaning to set apart or make holy. This phrase indicates a need for purification and sanctification among the Israelites. Historically, consecration involved rituals and sacrifices to cleanse the people from sin. It underscores the importance of holiness and purity in the community of God's people, reflecting the call for Christians to live set apart lives in accordance with God's standards. and say
This phrase highlights the role of communication in leadership. Joshua is instructed to speak to the people, emphasizing the importance of conveying God's message clearly and authoritatively. It reflects the biblical principle that faith comes by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17), and leaders are responsible for delivering God's instructions to His people. Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow
This directive is a call for immediate action in preparation for what God will do. The phrase "for tomorrow" suggests anticipation and readiness for a divine encounter or intervention. It serves as a reminder that God's timing is perfect, and His people must be prepared to respond to His plans. It also points to the need for personal and communal readiness to receive God's blessings and guidance. for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says
This phrase establishes the authority of the message. It is not Joshua's own words but a direct command from "the LORD, the God of Israel." This emphasizes the covenant relationship between God and Israel, where God is the sovereign ruler and Israel is His chosen people. It reminds believers of the importance of recognizing God's authority and submitting to His will. There are devoted things among you, O Israel
The term "devoted things" refers to items that were supposed to be set apart for God, often through destruction or dedication. The Hebrew word is "חֵרֶם" (cherem), meaning something banned or devoted. This phrase indicates that Israel has violated God's command by keeping these items, leading to their defeat at Ai. It serves as a warning against disobedience and the consequences of failing to honor God's instructions. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them
This statement highlights the principle that sin hinders spiritual victory. The inability to "stand against your enemies" is a direct result of the presence of sin within the camp. It underscores the necessity of repentance and removal of sin to restore God's favor and power. For Christians, it is a reminder that unconfessed sin can impede our spiritual progress and effectiveness in fulfilling God's purposes. Persons / Places / Events 1. JoshuaThe leader of Israel after Moses, tasked with leading the Israelites into the Promised Land. He is responsible for addressing the sin in the camp. 2. IsraelitesThe people of God, who are called to consecrate themselves and remove the devoted things from among them to regain God's favor. 3. AchanThough not mentioned directly in this verse, he is the individual responsible for taking the devoted things, which leads to Israel's defeat at Ai. 4. AiThe city where the Israelites faced defeat due to the sin in their camp, highlighting the need for holiness and obedience. 5. Devoted ThingsItems that were supposed to be destroyed or dedicated to God, but were instead taken by Achan, causing God's anger to burn against Israel. Teaching Points The Importance of HolinessGod calls His people to be holy and set apart. Just as Israel needed to consecrate themselves, Christians are called to live lives of holiness, removing anything that hinders their relationship with God. The Consequences of SinSin has communal consequences. Achan's sin affected the entire nation of Israel, reminding us that our actions can impact others in the body of Christ. Obedience to GodObedience is crucial in our walk with God. The Israelites' inability to stand against their enemies was directly linked to their disobedience. We must strive to obey God's commands fully. Self-ExaminationJust as the Israelites were called to examine themselves and remove the devoted things, we are called to examine our lives and remove anything that separates us from God. God's FaithfulnessDespite Israel's failure, God provides a way for restoration. This demonstrates His faithfulness and mercy, encouraging us to seek His forgiveness and guidance. Bible Study Questions 1. What does it mean to consecrate ourselves today, and how can we apply this in our daily lives? 2. How does the account of Achan and the devoted things challenge us to consider the hidden sins in our own lives? 3. In what ways can our personal sins affect our community or church, and how can we address this? 4. How does the call to remove the devoted things relate to the New Testament teaching of laying aside every weight and sin? 5. Reflect on a time when you experienced the consequences of disobedience. How did you seek restoration, and what did you learn from the experience? Connections to Other Scriptures Leviticus 20:7-8This passage emphasizes the importance of consecration and obedience to God's commands, similar to the call for Israel to consecrate themselves in Joshua 7:13. 1 Samuel 15:22-23The account of Saul's disobedience and the importance of obedience over sacrifice connects to the need for Israel to remove the devoted things and obey God fully. Hebrews 12:1Encourages believers to lay aside every weight and sin, paralleling the need for Israel to remove the devoted things to stand against their enemies. People Achan, Amorites, Canaanites, Carmi, Israelites, Joshua, Zabdi, Zarhites, Zerah, Zerahites, ZimriPlaces Ai, Beth-aven, Bethel, Jericho, Jordan River, Shebarim, Shinar, Valley of AchorTopics Consecrate, Devoted, Enemies, Midst, O, Preparation, Remove, Sanctify, Says, Stand, Tomorrow, YourselvesDictionary of Bible Themes Joshua 7:13 8218 consecration
8270 holiness, set apart Joshua 7:1-16 6024 sin, effects of Joshua 7:1-26 6173 guilt, and God
8479 self-examination, examples Joshua 7:10-13 8223 dedication Joshua 7:11-15 5836 disgrace Joshua 7:11-26 8716 dishonesty, examples Library Achan's Sin, Israel's Defeat
'But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel. 2. And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-ei, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai. 3. And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureWhether one Can, Without a Mortal Sin, Deny the Truth which Would Lead to One's Condemnation?
Objection 1: It would seem one can, without a mortal sin, deny the truth which would lead to one's condemnation. For Chrysostom says (Hom. xxxi super Ep. ad Heb.): "I do not say that you should lay bare your guilt publicly, nor accuse yourself before others." Now if the accused were to confess the truth in court, he would lay bare his guilt and be his own accuser. Therefore he is not bound to tell the truth: and so he does not sin mortally if he tell a lie in court. Objection 2: Further, just as …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica Contention Over the Man Born Blind.
(Jerusalem.) ^D John IX. 1-41. [Some look upon the events in this and the next section as occurring at the Feast of Tabernacles in October, others think they occurred at the Feast of Dedication in December, deriving their point of time from John x. 22.] ^d 1 And as he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. [The man probably sought to waken compassion by repeatedly stating this fact to passers-by.] 2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel The Eighth Commandment
Thou shalt not steal.' Exod 20: 15. AS the holiness of God sets him against uncleanness, in the command Thou shalt not commit adultery;' so the justice of God sets him against rapine and robbery, in the command, Thou shalt not steal.' The thing forbidden in this commandment, is meddling with another man's property. The civil lawyers define furtum, stealth or theft to be the laying hands unjustly on that which is another's;' the invading another's right. I. The causes of theft. [1] The internal causes …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments Confession of Sin --A Sermon with Seven Texts
The Hardened Sinner. PHARAOH--"I have sinned."--Exodus 9:27. I. The first case I shall bring before you is that of the HARDENED SINNER, who, when under terror, says, "I have sinned." And you will find the text in the book of Exodus, the 9th chap. and 27th verse: "And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked." But why this confession from the lips of the haughty tyrant? He was not often wont to …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 3: 1857 Restraining Prayer: is it Sin?
"Thou restrainest prayer before God."--JOB xv. 4. "What profit should we have, if we pray unto Him?"--JOB xxi. 15. "God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you."--1 SAM. xii. 23. "Neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you."--JOSH. vii. 12. Any deep quickening of the spiritual life of the Church will always be accompanied by a deeper sense of sin. This will not begin with theology; that can only give expression to what God works …
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession The Practice of Piety in Glorifying God in the Time of Sickness, and when Thou Art Called to Die in the Lord.
As soon as thou perceivest thyself to be visited with any sickness, meditate with thyself: 1. That "misery cometh not forth of the dust; neither doth affliction spring out of the earth." Sickness comes not by hap or chance (as the Philistines supposed that their mice and emrods came, 1 Sam. vi. 9), but from man's wickedness, which, as sparkles, breaketh out. "Man suffereth," saith Jeremiah, "for his sins." "Fools," saith David, "by reason of their transgressions, and because of their iniquities, …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety Exposition of the Moral Law.
1. The Law was committed to writing, in order that it might teach more fully and perfectly that knowledge, both of God and of ourselves, which the law of nature teaches meagrely and obscurely. Proof of this, from an enumeration of the principal parts of the Moral Law; and also from the dictate of natural law, written on the hearts of all, and, in a manner, effaced by sin. 2. Certain general maxims. 1. From the knowledge of God, furnished by the Law, we learn that God is our Father and Ruler. Righteousness …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion Of a Private Fast.
That we may rightly perform a private fast, four things are to be observed:--First, The author; Secondly, The time and occasion; Thirdly, The manner; Fourthly, The ends of private fasting. 1. Of the Author. The first that ordained fasting was God himself in paradise; and it was the first law that God made, in commanding Adam to abstain from eating the forbidden fruit. God would not pronounce nor write his law without fasting (Lev. xxiii), and in his law commands all his people to fast. So does our …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety The Knowledge of God
'The Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.' I Sam 2:2. Glorious things are spoken of God; he transcends our thoughts, and the praises of angels. God's glory lies chiefly in his attributes, which are the several beams by which the divine nature shines forth. Among other of his orient excellencies, this is not the least, The Lord is a God of knowledge; or as the Hebrew word is, A God of knowledges.' Through the bright mirror of his own essence, he has a full idea and cognisance …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Beth-El. Beth-Aven.
Josephus thus describes the land of Benjamin; "The Benjamites' portion of land was from the river Jordan to the sea, in length: in breadth, it was bounded by Jerusalem and Beth-el." Let these last words be marked, "The breadth of the land of Benjamin was bounded by Jerusalem and Beth-el." May we not justly conclude, from these words, that Jerusalem and Beth-el were opposite, as it were, in a right line? But if you look upon the maps, there are some that separate these by a very large tract of land, …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica The Covenant of Works
Q-12: I proceed to the next question, WHAT SPECIAL ACT OF PROVIDENCE DID GOD EXERCISE TOWARDS MAN IN THE ESTATE WHEREIN HE WAS CREATED? A: When God had created man, he entered into a covenant of life with him upon condition of perfect obedience, forbidding him to eat of the tree of knowledge upon pain of death. For this, consult with Gen 2:16, 17: And the Lord commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity The Holiness of God
The next attribute is God's holiness. Exod 15:51. Glorious in holiness.' Holiness is the most sparkling jewel of his crown; it is the name by which God is known. Psa 111:1. Holy and reverend is his name.' He is the holy One.' Job 6:60. Seraphims cry, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory.' Isa 6:6. His power makes him mighty, his holiness makes him glorious. God's holiness consists in his perfect love of righteousness, and abhorrence of evil. Of purer eyes than …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Second Great Group of Parables.
(Probably in Peræa.) Subdivision F. Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. ^C Luke XVI. 19-31. [The parable we are about to study is a direct advance upon the thoughts in the previous section. We may say generally that if the parable of the unjust steward teaches how riches are to be used, this parable sets forth the terrible consequences of a failure to so use them. Each point of the previous discourse is covered in detail, as will be shown by the references in the discussion of the parable.] …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Joshua
The book of Joshua is the natural complement of the Pentateuch. Moses is dead, but the people are on the verge of the promised land, and the story of early Israel would be incomplete, did it not record the conquest of that land and her establishment upon it. The divine purpose moves restlessly on, until it is accomplished; so "after the death of Moses, Jehovah spake to Joshua," i. 1. The book falls naturally into three divisions: (a) the conquest of Canaan (i.-xii.), (b) the settlement of the …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Joshua 7:13 NIVJoshua 7:13 NLTJoshua 7:13 ESVJoshua 7:13 NASBJoshua 7:13 KJV
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