They took the things from inside the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites, and spread them out before the LORD. And they took them from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites, and spread them out before the LORDAnd they took themThis phrase refers to the items that were taken from Achan's tent. The Hebrew root for "took" is לָקַח (laqach), which often implies a deliberate action of seizing or capturing. In the context of Joshua 7, this action is significant as it represents the Israelites' obedience to God's command to remove the accursed things from among them. It is a reminder of the seriousness of sin and the need for communal purity and obedience to God's laws. from the tent
The tent symbolizes Achan's personal space and, metaphorically, his heart where sin was hidden. In ancient Israel, the tent was a place of dwelling and privacy. The act of taking the items from the tent signifies the exposure of hidden sin. It serves as a powerful reminder that nothing is hidden from God, and all things will be brought to light. This aligns with the biblical principle that God desires truth in the inward parts (Psalm 51:6). brought them to Joshua
Joshua, as the leader of Israel, represents God's appointed authority. Bringing the items to Joshua signifies bringing the matter before God's chosen leader, who acts as a mediator between God and the people. This act underscores the importance of accountability and the role of godly leadership in addressing sin within the community. It also highlights the need for transparency and submission to God's appointed order. and all the Israelites
The involvement of all the Israelites emphasizes the communal nature of sin and its consequences. In the Hebrew context, the community was seen as a collective entity, and the sin of one affected all. This phrase serves as a reminder of the interconnectedness of God's people and the importance of communal holiness. It also reflects the biblical principle that the body of Christ is one, and each member's actions impact the whole (1 Corinthians 12:26). and spread them out
The act of spreading out the items before the LORD is a symbolic gesture of confession and transparency. The Hebrew word for "spread" is פָּרַשׂ (paras), which can mean to scatter or display. This action represents the acknowledgment of sin and the willingness to lay everything bare before God. It is an act of repentance and submission, recognizing God's sovereignty and justice. before the LORD
This phrase signifies the ultimate accountability to God. In the Hebrew tradition, being "before the LORD" implies being in His presence, where nothing is hidden, and all is judged according to His righteousness. It serves as a solemn reminder that God is the ultimate judge, and all actions are ultimately accountable to Him. This phrase calls believers to live with an awareness of God's omnipresence and the reality of His holiness. Persons / Places / Events 1. JoshuaThe leader of Israel after Moses, tasked with leading the Israelites into the Promised Land. He is a central figure in this account, overseeing the process of dealing with Achan's sin. 2. AchanAn Israelite who disobeyed God's command by taking forbidden items from Jericho, leading to Israel's defeat at Ai. His actions are the focus of this chapter. 3. The IsraelitesThe people of God, who are affected by Achan's sin and are involved in the process of uncovering and addressing it. 4. The TentAchan's tent, where the stolen items were hidden. It represents the concealment of sin and the need for exposure and confession. 5. The LORDThe covenant God of Israel, before whom the stolen items are spread out, signifying the need for divine justice and holiness. Teaching Points The Seriousness of SinSin, even when hidden, affects the entire community. Achan's sin led to Israel's defeat, showing that personal sin can have corporate consequences. The Necessity of ConfessionBringing hidden sins to light is crucial. Just as the stolen items were spread out before the LORD, we must confess our sins openly to God. God's Holiness and JusticeGod demands holiness from His people. The exposure of Achan's sin underscores the importance of living in obedience to God's commands. Community AccountabilityThe involvement of all Israel in addressing Achan's sin highlights the role of community in maintaining holiness and accountability. The Path to RestorationWhile sin has consequences, confession and repentance are the first steps toward restoration and renewed fellowship with God. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Achan's sin illustrate the impact of individual actions on the broader community of believers? 2. In what ways can we ensure that hidden sins are confessed and dealt with in our own lives and communities? 3. How does the account of Achan compare to the account of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5, and what lessons can we learn from both? 4. What does this passage teach us about the nature of God's holiness and justice, and how should that influence our daily walk with Him? 5. How can we foster a culture of accountability and confession within our church or small group to prevent the concealment of sin? Connections to Other Scriptures Leviticus 26Discusses the blessings of obedience and the consequences of disobedience, which parallels the situation in Joshua 7 where Israel faces consequences due to Achan's sin. Proverbs 28:13Highlights the importance of confessing and forsaking sin to receive mercy, which is relevant to Achan's situation. Acts 5:1-11The account of Ananias and Sapphira, which similarly deals with the theme of hidden sin and its consequences within the community of believers. People Achan, Amorites, Canaanites, Carmi, Israelites, Joshua, Zabdi, Zarhites, Zerah, Zerahites, ZimriPlaces Ai, Beth-aven, Bethel, Jericho, Jordan River, Shebarim, Shinar, Valley of AchorTopics Bring, Inside, Israelites, Joshua, Laid, Middle, Midst, Pour, Poured, Sons, Spread, TentDictionary of Bible Themes Joshua 7:1-26 6173 guilt, and God
8479 self-examination, examples Joshua 7:11-26 8716 dishonesty, examples Joshua 7:20-24 8780 materialism, and sin Joshua 7:21-23 5578 tents 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 7:23 NIVJoshua 7:23 NLTJoshua 7:23 ESVJoshua 7:23 NASBJoshua 7:23 KJV
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