Joshua 6 - 10

Two Mistakes

Today's reading contains a record of the only two mistakes in leadership committed by Joshua.

After destroying Jericho, the Israelites move to attack the city of Ai. Unknown to Jacob, a soldier named Achan had stolen for himself a Babylonian garment, some gold, and some silver from Jericho. This had been explicitly forbidden by Joshua. Achan, out of greed and selfishness, takes these items and hides them under his tent.  When the army attacks Ai, they are chased and thirty-six Israeli soldiers are killed.  

Joshua immediately knows something is wrong. The Lord had promised him victory in every battle. Instead of ferreting out the sin in the camp, Jacob falls on his face before the Lord and starts complaining bitterly, questioning why the Lord allowed the Amorites to kill them. Verses 10 and 11 of chapter 7 contains one of the sharpest rebukes in the Bible. "But the Lord said to Joshua, "Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this? Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me." The Lord was not happy with Joshua's attitude and display. He had promised to be with them, so Joshua should have found the sin in the camp instead of whining to God about Him not being with them. Joshua holds a solemn assembly the next morning and finds the guilty party and destroys Achan, his family, and all his possessions.

After attacking and destroying Ai, Joshua and his commanders are duped by the Gibeonites. These people hear of the great victories of Joshua and are fearful for their life. They purposely deceive the Israelis into thinking they are from a far-away land and have Joshua sign a covenant with them. The Gibeonites swear to be their servants if the Israelites swear to not destroy them.

This ruse should have raised all types of concerns, but according to chapter 9, verse 14, "So the Israelites examined their [Gibeonites] food, but they did not consult the Lord." This was the second critical lapse in leadership by Joshua; it was also his last mistake. Because the Law concerning oaths provided dire consequences for breaking the oath, Joshua and Israel were bound to the covenant with the Gibeonites and spared their lives and their cities.

These two mistakes did not define Joshua's life nor did they limit his ability to continue to effectively lead Israel. Joshua was a leader in the truest sense of the word.  In spite of his mistakes, he still took God at his Word and possessed the land promised to Israel. His ability to obey and trust the Lord was rewarded by tremendous miracle in chapter 10. Joshua needed another 12 hours of daylight to complete the battle against the armies of the south, so the Lord allowed the sun to remain high in the sky until Israel defeated her enemies. 

We as believers can trust that the Lord will arrange the circumstances of our lives - no matter how impossible - so that we can defeat Satan in his attempt to control our lives. The Lord will provide all the time we need to completely rid our lives of evil influences.

May God bless you and bless the reading of His Word.