The NXR Podcast - SUNDAY SERMON - Your Sin Is Destroying Those You Love ｜ Joshua 7_1-9

00:00:00.000 It's good to be here with you all this morning.

00:00:01.880 For those of you who don't know me,

00:00:03.460 my name is Connor and I serve as a lay elder,

00:00:06.060 as Pastor Joel said, here at the church.

00:00:08.360 It's always a pleasure to get to preach

00:00:10.120 from God's word on the Lord's day

00:00:11.760 and to worship alongside you all.

00:00:14.760 I last preached near the end of our study

00:00:16.920 through the book of Hebrews.

00:00:18.500 And so now I'm excited to get to preach

00:00:20.100 through the book of Joshua for the first time.

00:00:23.140 God's word does not return void

00:00:24.640 and it's been encouraging to behold all

00:00:26.940 that he has taught us as we focused our attention

00:00:29.080 on the book of Joshua over these last few weeks and months. So without further ado, we'll jump

00:00:34.880 right in. If you have your Bibles with you or a copy of the notes in front of you, please direct

00:00:39.380 your attention now to the text at hand. This week's text is Joshua chapter 7, verses 1 through 9.

00:00:47.080 And as is our tradition here at Covenant Bible Church, would you stand with me as I read the

00:00:51.260 text? When I conclude reading it, I will say, this is the word of the Lord. And as a congregation,

00:00:57.020 I will ask that we all respond by saying, thanks be to God.

00:01:00.800 And so this is once more Joshua chapter 7, verses 1 through 9.

00:01:05.580 The Bible says this,

00:01:07.760 But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things.

00:01:11.860 For Achan, the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, 0.91

00:01:17.420 took some of the devoted things, 0.72

00:01:19.520 and the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel.

00:01:22.600 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-Avon, east of Bethel, and said to them,

00:01:29.940 go up and spy out the land. And the men went up and spied out Ai. And they returned to Joshua and

00:01:36.020 said to him, do not have all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and

00:01:41.600 attack Ai. Do not make the whole people toil up there, for they are few. So about three thousand

00:01:48.060 men went up there from the people and they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai killed

00:01:53.520 about 36 of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the

00:01:59.280 descent. And the heart of the people, the hearts of the people melted and became as water. Then

00:02:04.960 Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the

00:02:09.860 evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads. And Joshua said, Alas, 0.89

00:02:16.220 O Lord God, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of 1.00

00:02:21.760 the Amorites, to destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan. 1.00

00:02:27.820 O Lord, what can I say when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies? For the Canaanites 0.99

00:02:33.340 and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and will surround us, and cut off our name 1.00

00:02:38.660 from the earth. And what will you do for your great name? This is the word of the Lord. Thanks

00:02:44.200 be to God. You may be seated and join me now as I pray. Father, we thank you for yet another Lord's

00:02:52.480 Day. We praise you and bless you and honor you for you are praiseworthy, Lord. And we thank you

00:02:59.020 for the opportunity to worship you this morning in spirit and in truth. We pray that your word

00:03:04.320 would bless your people this morning, help us to see yet another glimpse of your glory, O God,

00:03:09.300 and let us bring you praise and glory and honor this morning through the listening

00:03:13.880 and through our worship. We pray these things in Jesus's name. Amen.

00:03:19.000 So as we continue in our study through the book of Joshua, we are introduced to Israel's first 0.91

00:03:24.700 defeat since entering into the promised land. This takes place here in Joshua chapter seven 0.81

00:03:30.340 and will be the focus of today's sermon. If you've worshiped with us over the last few weeks,

00:03:36.060 you may remember that the nation of Israel, under Joshua's leadership, had been given a number of

00:03:41.400 sure promises from the Lord, namely that they would be heirs of the land of Canaan. They would

00:03:47.360 have to reclaim the land of their inheritance by force and be faithful to be obedient to God in the

00:03:53.100 process. But as they did so and remained strong and courageous, they would be witnesses to God's

00:03:59.040 magnificent power to work on their behalf and bring himself glory. And up until this point,

00:04:06.180 Joshua and Israel had met with great success. In the preceding chapters, we read that Israel,

00:04:12.060 through Joshua, had been directly commissioned by the Lord for this task, that's Joshua chapter 1,

00:04:18.620 had found favor with Rahab and gained valuable intel regarding Jericho, chapter 2, crossed over

00:04:25.620 the Jordan safely as the waters were held back, chapters 3 and 4, and were consecrated through

00:04:31.640 the reinstitution of circumcision, chapter 5. Just prior to battle with Jericho, Joshua was

00:04:38.840 visited by the commander of the Lord's army, a theophany of Christ himself, who promised that

00:04:44.880 the Lord and his hosts would be with Israel in strength and bring about a miraculous victory

00:04:50.120 on their behalf. Over the preceding weeks, we focused our time in Joshua chapter 6,

00:04:56.040 in which we, along with all Christians throughout all history, marveled at how Jericho's walls came

00:05:01.900 crumbling down through marching and the sound of trumpets. Israel merely watched as God fulfilled

00:05:08.800 his promise given to his people in Joshua 6 too. See, I have given Jericho into your hand with its 0.83

00:05:15.860 king and mighty men of valor. As a result, the fear of Israel spread throughout the nations.

00:05:22.840 And Joshua 6 ends with the statement, so the Lord was with Joshua and his fame was in all the land,

00:05:29.200 Joshua 6, 27. Fear and fame. The Lord's enemies were marked by fear and dread, while his people

00:05:36.720 were marked by fame and faithful obedience. That is until Joshua chapter 7. In this chapter,

00:05:43.920 Israel pumps the brakes hard. As I mentioned previously, Joshua 7 marks the first instance

00:05:50.060 in which the nation of Israel was disobedient to the Lord since entering the promised land.

00:05:55.460 As a result, the people were defeated at Ai, which is the subject of the text at hand,

00:06:00.340 and much of the latter half of chapter 7, which we will focus on in the coming weeks.

00:06:05.880 In verse 1, we learn from the outset what act of disobedience occurred to elicit God's holy

00:06:11.620 displeasure. But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things. For Achan, the son

00:06:18.780 of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things, and the 0.72

00:06:26.040 anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel. This verse adds new information for us

00:06:32.540 as God's people and our understanding of the great victory that took place at Jericho. The walls had

00:06:38.380 come crumbling down, Jericho's inhabitants had been destroyed, and Israel's fame had spread 0.75

00:06:43.980 throughout all the land. This is clear from the conclusion of the prior chapter. But we learn that 0.88

00:06:49.780 despite all of this great success, the people of Israel had still broken faith in regard to the

00:06:56.100 devoted things. The great victory was marred by disobedience, by sin in regard to God's commands. 0.74

00:07:02.700 And for this reason, the Lord's anger burned against the people of Israel. And first of all,

00:07:08.180 this verse is not offered as a reinterpretation of all that occurred in the prior chapter,

00:07:13.320 make no mistake, Israel's conquest of Jericho was righteous and good. It was commanded by God

00:07:19.880 and brought about by his means. The victory was part of God's providential plan to put an end

00:07:26.160 to evildoers and exalt his name and his people. It was a further fulfillment of the promise given

00:07:32.920 to Israel, that the living God would be among them, and that he would without fail drive from 0.99

00:07:39.080 before them the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the

00:07:46.120 Amorites, and the Jebusites, Joshua 3.10. The Lord had promised to do this, therefore it was a sure

00:07:53.700 and guaranteed reality. For this reason, God is to be praised among his people, especially any time

00:08:00.360 we see visible evidence of the fulfillment of his promises, and the conquest of Jericho is a

00:08:05.960 shining example of this. Yet in spite of this reality, we learn from Joshua 7 verse 1 that

00:08:13.640 Israel's victory was not without sin. Specifically, it was one man, Achan the son of Carmi, who was

00:08:20.680 guilty of taking some of the devoted things. This was in direct opposition to Joshua's orders found

00:08:26.680 in chapter 6. But you keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have

00:08:33.420 devoted them, you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction

00:08:39.660 and bring trouble upon it. But all silver and gold and every vessel of bronze and iron are holy to the

00:08:46.820 Lord. They shall go into the treasury of the Lord. Joshua 6 verses 18 and 19. Achan had surely heard

00:08:55.860 these instructions and was among those who shouted in agreement in Joshua 6.20. But despite this,

00:09:01.800 we learn that he took from the spoils of Jericho a cloak that was to be devoted to destruction

00:09:06.840 and precious metals which were to be devoted to the Lord's treasury. This was not apparent to us

00:09:12.820 in chapter 6, but was revealed in chapter 7, likely for the same reason that it was not

00:09:18.160 immediately apparent to Israel. Achan's sin was secret and became plain only after Israel was

00:09:25.060 defeated at the hands of AI, a settlement they should have on paper easily defeated. This is 0.98

00:09:32.400 reminiscent of the sports team that wins an upset victory over a much better and heavily favored

00:09:37.440 team, only to lose to the cupcake or much worse team in the following week. Such defeats reveal

00:09:43.760 more questions than answers and force us back to the drawing board. In these moments, we have to

00:09:49.760 evaluate what went wrong and shore up previously hidden points of weakness. Many times these

00:09:56.460 moments reveal even deeper problems, oftentimes a lack of discipline or presumption upon God's

00:10:02.400 grace. In the case of Israel's defeat at the hands of Ai, the Lord used it to reveal Achan's sin 0.96

00:10:09.220 and his great displeasure with it. This account stands out as a reminder for the people of Israel 0.99

00:10:15.800 to take great care to obey the Lord and all that he commands. Because of this sin, Achan and his 1.00

00:10:22.640 family were put to death, and Israel too suffered under the hand of God's judgment until the sin 0.98

00:10:28.640 was accounted for. This instance is later held up as a warning for Israel to be obedient to the Lord

00:10:35.240 in their pursuit of the promised land. Only do not rebel against the Lord or make us as rebels

00:10:41.900 by building for yourselves an altar

00:10:44.340 other than the altar of the Lord our God. 0.96

00:10:47.060 Did not Achan, the son of Zerah,

00:10:48.900 break faith in the matter of the devoted things 0.51

00:10:51.160 and wrath fell upon all the congregation of Israel?

00:10:54.980 And he did not perish alone for his iniquity.

00:10:58.220 Joshua 22, verses 19 and 20.

00:11:02.100 Indeed, it was not enough for Israel

00:11:04.120 to bear the name of the Lord

00:11:05.700 and not be obedient to his commands.

00:11:09.100 Similarly, it is not enough for us

00:11:11.200 to bear the name of Christ and not be obedient to all that he commands. If we are to follow Christ

00:11:16.900 and be considered his disciples, we must have faith in him and trust in his finished work on

00:11:23.060 our behalf, but so too we must be careful to observe all that he has said and seek to obey

00:11:29.320 him. This is one great lesson that is put before us here in the text today. But this point aside,

00:11:36.320 when we consider the full scope of what is laid out here in Joshua 7, verses 1 through 9,

00:11:42.080 I endeavor to make three primary points this morning, and I lay them before you for your

00:11:46.320 careful consideration. The first is the corporate nature of sin, namely that our sin does not just

00:11:53.200 happen in a vacuum, but has an effect on every aspect of our life, including those that we are

00:11:59.380 in relationship with. The second is repentance begins from the top down, namely that as sin

00:12:05.760 brings reproach on corporate entities such as marriages, families, churches, nations, etc.

00:12:13.460 Those who hold the hierarchical positions of authority must be the first to lead in repentance

00:12:19.500 and take the necessary steps to turn back to the Lord. And the last point that I seek to make is

00:12:25.560 the surety of God's promises. Despite unfavorable circumstances or approach for sin, this should not

00:12:32.900 cause us as God's people to doubt his promises. In fact, in our turning back to the Lord,

00:12:38.740 this should cause us to abound in hope, knowing that he uses such instances to refine us

00:12:44.320 as gold through fire and make us more fit to bring him honor and proper worship. That the

00:12:50.980 tested genuineness of your faith may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the

00:12:57.240 revelation of Jesus Christ, 1 Peter 1 verse 7. Such promises should cause us not to waver in our

00:13:04.400 pursuit of Christ or in doing good to our families, in our business, and to our neighbor.

00:13:11.740 So as we move forward now, let's consider the first point in the text today, namely the corporate

00:13:16.820 nature of sin. I believe as we do so, it will be helpful for us to look again at verses 1 through

00:13:22.600 five. So I place them once more before you for your consideration. But the people of Israel broke

00:13:29.040 faith in regard to the devoted things. For Achan, the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah of

00:13:35.440 the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the Lord burned against

00:13:40.540 the people of Israel. Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-Avon, east of Bethel,

00:13:47.920 and said to them, go up and spy out the land. And the men went up and spied out Ai. And they

00:13:54.440 returned to Joshua and said to him, do not have all the people go up, but let about two or 3,000

00:14:00.700 men go up and attack Ai. Do not make the whole people toil up there for they are few. So about

00:14:07.720 3,000 men went up there from the people and they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai

00:14:14.140 killed about 36 of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck

00:14:20.180 them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water. The resultant shame

00:14:27.880 and reproach that came upon Israel was the result of one man's sin. This is obvious from these 0.98

00:14:34.040 verses. We first read that Israel sinned and broke faith with God as a result of Achan's sin, 1.00

00:14:40.520 who took some of the devoted things when he was instructed to do otherwise. 0.94

00:14:45.920 Though he was commanded to devote some of Jericho's spoil to destruction

00:14:49.280 and some of it to the Lord's treasury, 0.75

00:14:52.160 Achan disobeyed and took some of that spoil for himself.

00:14:56.680 Here, Achan is guilty of breaking at least two commandments found in the moral law. 0.69

00:15:02.040 First, that he coveted what was not rightfully his, 0.94

00:15:05.060 and second, that having coveted what was to be given for the Lord's purposes

00:15:08.940 and possession, he then stole a cloak and precious metal from the Lord and hid them in the earth

00:15:16.300 inside his tent. Achan's actions bear witness to the fact that he knew it was wrong for him to take 0.62

00:15:22.720 from the devoted things, and that by hiding them, he might keep them without anyone knowing what he

00:15:28.160 had done. But as Paul wrote to Timothy, the sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them

00:15:35.040 to judgment, but the sins of others appear later, 1 Timothy 5, 24. For all we know, Achan acted alone 0.73

00:15:43.440 in his covetousness, theft, and deception, and though for a time his sin was hidden, being that 0.93

00:15:50.360 he literally buried the stolen possessions in the dirt under his tent, his sins certainly appeared

00:15:56.200 later. The revealing of his sin did not have effects on Achan only, but on his family, on Israel's

00:16:03.560 leaders and on the nation as a whole. If there was any doubt about this point, we see Achan's 0.93

00:16:09.380 actions imputed to the nation as a whole from the outset. Achan was the one guilty of committing 0.94

00:16:15.800 the sinful action, but verse 1 informs us that it was the people of Israel who broke faith in regard 0.69

00:16:22.020 to the devoted things. And from this section of the text, we will see the ways in which Achan's

00:16:27.860 sins had corporate effects. First of all, one of the initial descriptions that we read about Achan 0.90

00:16:34.120 was that he was the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah. Israel was

00:16:41.660 uniquely divided into tribes, 12 of them to be exact, and amongst these tribal divisions,

00:16:47.760 the people were further divided into clans and families and households. This made for a unique

00:16:54.220 chain of command and a way of identifying individuals and responsibilities within the

00:16:59.580 members of the nation. As you will see next week, Joshua engages in the process of setting aside

00:17:05.680 these tribes, clans, families, and so forth in order that Achan might be identified as the 0.98

00:17:12.200 perpetrator. In this instance, this method of organization was employed so that the evildoer 0.92

00:17:17.380 might be discovered. On the other hand, though, Achan's fathers and tribe are mentioned in order

00:17:23.240 that we might see the ways in which Achan's actions reflect shamefully on his ancestors. 0.54

00:17:29.320 According to Proverbs 17, verse 25, a foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her who 0.92

00:17:36.640 bore him. This is the first way in which we see the corporate nature of sin displayed. Achan coveted

00:17:42.860 and stole and did so secretly, but these actions brought reproach not only on himself, but on his

00:17:49.200 fathers who are mentioned here and identified with the lawbreaker. Our actions, you see,

00:17:55.700 whether sinful or righteous can reflect on our fathers in the same way. Many of you may be

00:18:01.440 familiar with the genealogies found in the scriptures. Some of the most notable examples

00:18:06.220 of these are found in the book of Genesis and in places like Matthew chapter 1 and Luke chapter 3.

00:18:13.060 In these genealogies, some of the names listed do stand out to us, especially as their lives,

00:18:18.620 their courage, or their faith are brought to our remembrance. This is true in many cases,

00:18:24.420 but even more so, many of the names listed in these famous genealogies are names of people

00:18:29.680 whom we are not familiar with. They have no account given to them in scripture other than

00:18:34.600 their name being included in the genealogy. By way of being included, though, we recognize that God

00:18:40.900 worked in their seemingly ordinary lives to bring about great good. For example, in Matthew chapter

00:18:47.020 one, many of us may never know this side of eternity who Akim or Eliad are, but through the

00:18:54.080 scripture we learn that these men were eventual fathers to Joseph, the husband of Mary of whom

00:18:59.120 Jesus was born. The lives of such men are not known in detail, but by virtue of the life, death,

00:19:05.980 and resurrection of Jesus Christ, they are held up here as models of faithfulness.

00:19:10.940 similarly many of us may never know in detail the lives of Carmi, Zabdi, or Zerah but by virtue

00:19:19.840 of Achan's actions and the reproach he brought upon the people of Israel the only context we 0.62

00:19:25.980 have in regards to these men and their lives is their son's sin it is an unfortunate reality

00:19:32.120 but in some sense these men will be remembered by many by reproach by shame and by grief it is in

00:19:39.460 this sense in which the proverb could not ring more true. And so, as we linger on this point

00:19:44.760 for just a little while longer, I believe this is an important application for us to consider.

00:19:50.160 Because we are made in the image of God, each one of our lives is precious and of great significance.

00:19:57.060 With this in mind, in the annals of eternity, many of us will be considered to have lived

00:20:01.660 ordinary lives, not insignificant, but ordinary lives. Like many of these men and women who are

00:20:08.380 recorded in scripture, we might not be remembered for working great miracles, standing before kings,

00:20:14.080 or conquering enemy lands, but simply for being a father or a mother. This is why I stress the

00:20:20.720 word ordinary here, because the work of fathers and mothers is highly significant. But in some

00:20:26.880 sense it is ordinary, because many are called to it, and the legacy that many leave behind in the

00:20:32.940 world, for many, is the lives of their children, for better or for worse. And so as I speak to you

00:20:39.820 now, O church, I say, not every one of you is a parent or a grandparent, though many of you are,

00:20:46.080 but every one of you is a son or a daughter of someone. Some of you came from godly Christian

00:20:51.520 homes, while still others came from wicked, broken homes. Praise God, some of you here are 1.00

00:20:57.380 marked by being redeemed from a pattern of familial sin and are the first Christians in

00:21:02.120 your families. In many ways, this is the story of my parents. I'm incredibly grateful that God

00:21:07.600 saved them, not only because he saved them from what would have been a guaranteed path of

00:21:12.460 destruction, but because in doing so, he changed the pattern and path of not only their lives,

00:21:17.680 but of mine and of my children as well. And by God's grace, I will continue in their train.

00:21:24.700 And so the charge that comes to us is to remember that what we do today will have profound effects

00:21:29.740 on both the prior and future generations.

00:21:33.700 Let us strive to live by faith

00:21:35.580 and walk in obedience today,

00:21:38.060 knowing that how we live

00:21:39.460 and what we impart to our posterity

00:21:41.940 will one, reflect honorably or dishonorably

00:21:45.600 on the lives of our fathers and predecessors,

00:21:48.260 and two, result in future generations

00:21:51.000 that fear and praise the Lord. 1.00

00:21:53.760 Let us tremble lest we become like Achan, 1.00

00:21:56.660 and by sowing unrighteousness, 0.99

00:21:58.220 bring our father's gray hairs down to Sheol. Let us look to Christ and remember that even when 0.60

00:22:04.440 we sin in this life and repent, our crucified and risen Savior forgives us and bids us back

00:22:11.260 into a life of faith and obedience. And lastly, let us heed Achan's warning in this matter.

00:22:18.280 The next instance in which we see the corporate effects of Achan's sins is a little more obvious 0.55

00:22:23.140 from the text today. If we look back again, I'm going to read these verses starting in verse two. 0.96

00:22:30.080 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-Avon, east of Bethel, and said to them,

00:22:37.000 go up and spy out the land. And the men went up and spied out Ai, and they returned to Joshua

00:22:43.340 and said to him, do not have all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and

00:22:49.200 attack Ai. Do not make the whole people toil up there, for they are few. So about three thousand

00:22:55.940 men went up there from the people, and they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai killed

00:23:01.540 about thirty-six of their men, and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck

00:23:07.440 them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water. This portion of the

00:23:14.920 text has to do with Israel's defeat at Ai. As we said before, Israel had just experienced the joy 0.88

00:23:21.200 and awe of Jericho's conquest and witnessed God's power on their behalf in chapter 6.

00:23:27.620 Now in chapter 7, they found themselves face-to-face with the next roadblock, Ai. In response, Joshua

00:23:34.900 engages very much in the same process as he did with Jericho. He sends out spies to do reconnaissance

00:23:41.260 and prepare a report on their next foe. Upon their return, the spies bring a favorable report.

00:23:48.560 AI is not a formidable foe, and victory is almost sure. In fact, the spies announce that the people

00:23:55.080 are few and suggest that the ranks be reduced in order to not waste additional resources.

00:24:02.660 The spies suggest that only about 2,000 or 3,000 men should go up to AI. AI's ranks were few,

00:24:09.240 and so less troops were needed for the battle.

00:24:12.160 And after all, the Lord was with them.

00:24:14.540 Surely they would only have to march to the city

00:24:16.460 and victory would be all but assured. 0.83

00:24:20.320 But here Israel was wrong. 0.99

00:24:22.680 First of all, there's nothing to suggest

00:24:24.280 that the spies were haughty

00:24:25.600 or that they brought a dishonest report

00:24:27.560 to Joshua about Ai.

00:24:29.880 In chapter eight, we learn that Ai

00:24:31.460 had a population of 12,000,

00:24:33.740 including women and children.

00:24:35.660 And so it would not be unreasonable to think

00:24:37.540 that a force of 3,000 soldiers could conquer it. Also, the spies were likely exercising faith

00:24:43.540 in God, recognizing that the victory at Jericho was a result of God's power. And so surely Israel

00:24:50.100 could defeat a less formidable foe with the Lord on their side. But Joshua and Israel were unaware

00:24:56.520 that the Lord was not with them in the initial pursuit of Ai. Because of Achan's sin, the Lord's 1.00

00:25:02.800 anger burned against the people of Israel. As a result, the army of 3,000 was put to flight 0.99

00:25:09.360 and 36 were killed. In this case, God's displeasure with Israel was more evident,

00:25:15.640 not in the defeat itself, but in the manner of the defeat. Israel did not suffer many casualties,

00:25:23.060 but was punched in the mouth by a lesser enemy. And not only this, Israel fled from them in

00:25:28.680 embarrassment. The text says that the hearts of the people melted and became as water.

00:25:35.140 The fact that Israel was marked by fear and embarrassment was a clear indication of God's

00:25:40.480 judgment. The people had just experienced an awesome display of God's power at Jericho,

00:25:45.640 only to tremble and melt in fear a short time later at the hand of a lesser foe. 0.99

00:25:52.460 These events were a result of Achan's sin, which reflected on the nation of Israel as a whole. 0.75

00:25:58.680 On the spectrum of sins, many would not consider covetousness or theft to be that serious in 0.92

00:26:04.060 comparison to others. For example, one could ask modern cities like San Francisco or Portland

00:26:10.380 their opinions on the matter, where theft among many sins have essentially made a once beautiful

00:26:16.160 city a lawless place. Consider the effect, though, that Achan's sins had. His actions caused the 0.93

00:26:23.160 death of 36 men brought shame and embarrassment on the nation and resulted in the outpouring of

00:26:29.920 God's anger and judgment. Now, this doesn't mean that covetousness or theft will always cause this

00:26:36.740 kind of result, praise God. But the point is clear, that sin brings about judgment or reproach

00:26:43.040 while obedience brings blessing. This is true in the lives of individuals, but this will always

00:26:49.420 have downstream effects. Consider what the Proverbs say in regard to nations. Righteousness

00:26:55.460 exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. Proverbs 14, 34. In the same way that

00:27:04.180 Achan's sins brought about reproach for the people of Israel, individual sin will have corporate 0.83

00:27:09.900 effects. When a person sins, this affects not only that person, but that person's family, 0.82

00:27:15.900 that person's community, and that person's nation, for example. We have to remember this when we are

00:27:22.060 tempted to sin. First of all, we must remember that the ways in which we sin will not only destroy us,

00:27:27.720 but will hurt our spouses, damage our children, alienate our friends, and bring reproach on our

00:27:34.140 homes. This carries significant weight. Therefore, we must remember this day to day. Your patterns

00:27:40.520 of sin now will have tremendous negative effects on those around you. For example, men who secretly

00:27:47.180 lust in their hearts tread along the path of death, bringing their wife and children along

00:27:53.600 with them. The quarrelsome and nitpicking wife drives her husband and likely her children to 0.90

00:27:58.940 the corner of the housetop. We have to consider these profound negative effects even when we 0.89

00:28:04.300 consider sins that we may be more merciful towards, such as jealousy, gossip, discontentment,

00:28:11.040 and slothfulness, to name a few. What downstream effects might these sins be having on those we

00:28:17.900 love and on the precious gifts that God has given us? I pray that this thought makes you shudder

00:28:23.660 like it does me. On a larger scale, I repeat Proverbs 14, 34. Righteousness exalts a nation,

00:28:31.560 but sin is a reproach to any people. The acts of individuals will reflect on the community

00:28:38.120 and the nation in which that person lives. We cannot incentivize abortion and all manner of 0.88

00:28:44.740 sexual perversion and expect to be a nation that receives blessing from the Lord. We must turn back 0.95

00:28:50.600 to the Lord in humble repentance. When we are faithful to preach the truth to one another

00:28:55.740 and be honest about our sin, God grants us grace to repent and receive his forgiveness

00:29:01.980 in Christ. This is one of the many promises that God gives us in his son, Jesus.

00:29:08.320 But where does repentance begin at the macro level when we consider the effects of sin

00:29:12.960 on these corporate entities? Where does repentance begin when sin is present in a home,

00:29:18.300 in a business, or in a nation? This is the subject of the next point, which we will consider

00:29:23.900 now. As we move to this next point, which is entitled, Repentance Begins from the Top Down,

00:29:30.540 let us consider once more verses 6 through 9 in our text today.

00:29:36.000 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord

00:29:41.400 until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads. And Joshua said, 0.92

00:29:49.000 Alas, O Lord God, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands 1.00

00:29:55.000 of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan. 1.00

00:30:01.220 O Lord, what can I say when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies? For the Canaanites 0.99

00:30:07.000 and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and will surround us and cut off our name 0.99

00:30:12.780 from the earth, and what will you do for your great name? In response to the defeat, Joshua and

00:30:20.800 the elders of Israel present themselves in a posture of repentance before the ark, the symbol

00:30:26.560 and place where God's presence was. Having received the news of the crippling defeat at the hands of

00:30:33.000 Ai, Joshua's first response was to gather the leaders and meet here so that they might seek

00:30:39.000 the Lord. We can assume that he likely reviewed the events of the battle to see that if there

00:30:44.660 had been any information or variable that was previously overlooked, but upon doing so, he would

00:30:50.540 have noticed that likely, like the victory over Jericho, this defeat had come from the hand of the

00:30:56.500 Lord. Israel clearly overmatched Ai and should have easily handled it in battle. Therefore, the

00:31:03.040 embarrassing defeat was clearly purposed by God for some sovereign reason. Joshua, as a good leader,

00:31:09.440 comes with the officers before the Lord to seek his guidance in the matter. The text says that

00:31:15.000 Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth, and he and the elders put dust on their heads

00:31:20.560 before the ark until evening. This was in a spirit of mourning, grieving the defeat and recognizing

00:31:27.640 that it was likely due to the presence of some hidden sin. He remembered his warning to the

00:31:33.040 people found in chapter 6, that if anyone were to take from the devoted things, they would make the

00:31:38.520 camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. At this point, Joshua recognizes

00:31:45.740 Israel's helplessness before the Lord. He pleads with the Lord for ultimately his mercy. He recognizes

00:31:53.140 that Israel's unfaithfulness to the Lord was certainly grounds for judgment, lamenting the

00:31:58.860 fact that the nation even crossed over the Jordan. He says, Alas, O Lord God, why have you brought

00:32:05.260 this people over the Jordan at all to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? 1.00

00:32:11.460 Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan. O Lord, what can I say when Israel 0.99

00:32:17.160 has turned their backs before their enemies. This verse is evidence for us that Joshua understood, 0.92

00:32:23.940 though not completely, that Israel's defeat was due to the presence of sin. We can be sure of 0.98

00:32:29.760 this in some sense, because he not only remarks that Israel had turned their backs on their enemies,

00:32:35.160 but had turned their backs on the Lord. This was the primary reason for the defeat. And being

00:32:40.760 Israel's leader, he recognizes that this is something he was ultimately responsible for. 0.81

00:32:45.740 He prays, alas, O Lord God, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all to give us 0.93

00:32:51.760 into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond 1.00

00:32:58.320 the Jordan. As any good leader does, Joshua looks first at himself and his leadership,

00:33:04.660 recognizing his ultimate responsibility for the poor outcome and showing against Ai.

00:33:09.740 He reckons that the defeat will bring additional challenges, knowing that the nations of the

00:33:14.840 land will be enticed to attack Israel, incorrectly presuming that Israel had been defeated due to

00:33:21.240 God's abandonment or impotence. He regards this as the most important aspect of all, ending his

00:33:28.200 prayer by focusing on God's glory in it all. He asks, and what will you do for your great name

00:33:34.640 in Joshua 7 verse 9? He asks that God's name might not be profaned by their actions and that

00:33:41.400 he might be shown to be truly glorious after all. Moreover, Joshua not only takes responsibility for

00:33:48.720 Israel's actions, but also intercedes on their behalf. He prays for his people, asking that God

00:33:55.260 might be merciful towards them to remember his promises and covenant. This moment is reminiscent

00:34:01.520 of Moses's intercessions for the people of Israel found in Numbers chapter 14. After being found

00:34:07.720 guilty of murmuring and grumbling against the Lord, Moses pleads through intercession for the

00:34:13.160 people, asking God that he might forgive Israel's sins in order that the nations might not presume

00:34:19.160 God helpless to bring his people safely into Canaan. If you have your Bibles with you or the

00:34:24.700 copy of the notes, direct your attention to Numbers chapter 14. I'm going to turn there as well.

00:34:30.260 So Numbers chapter 14, starting in verse 13.

00:34:37.720 This text says,

00:35:07.720 nations who have heard your fame will say, it is because the Lord was not able to bring this people

00:35:12.900 into the land that he swore to give to them, that he has killed them in the wilderness.

00:35:18.260 And now please let the power of the Lord be great, as you have promised, saying the Lord is slow to

00:35:23.840 anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no

00:35:30.180 means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the

00:35:35.980 fourth generation. Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your

00:35:41.580 steadfast love, just as you have forgiven this people from Egypt until now. As we see, Moses's 0.95

00:35:49.520 prayer here in intercession on Israel's behalf in Numbers chapter 14 is incredibly similar to

00:35:55.940 the confession that we see in Joshua chapter 7. As we direct our attention back to Joshua chapter 7,

00:36:02.180 Joshua accepts responsibility for the sin,

00:36:05.000 but also prays on behalf of the people

00:36:07.640 out of a concern for God's name and glory.

00:36:11.920 He pleads for them that they might be preserved

00:36:14.600 and that God might do so for their good

00:36:17.500 and for the glory of his name.

00:36:19.420 And so that the nations of the land might not suppose

00:36:22.520 that God was unable to fulfill his promises.

00:36:26.100 Like Moses, he pleads that God would be merciful

00:36:28.420 and gracious with them,

00:36:30.140 trusting that despite the egregiousness of their sin, God would not make void on his promises to

00:36:36.400 them. This essentially ends the text for us this week as we will pick up on God's response to

00:36:42.740 Joshua's intercession beginning in verse 10 next week. But as we seek to apply Joshua's intercessions

00:36:48.700 here from verses 6 through 9, we can draw out a few relevant applications. As I stated in the

00:36:54.940 first point, any individual sin will have corporate downstream effects. Therefore, when these sins are

00:37:02.320 revealed and come to light, it is the responsibility of the individual party first to repent and take

00:37:08.280 responsibility for the sin. But furthermore, when this sin is revealed or propagated in a corporate

00:37:14.560 entity, it is imperative for the leaders or covenantal heads to lead in repentance. In today's

00:37:22.180 text, we understand clearly that it was Achan who sinned, and Achan's actions caused downstream 0.89

00:37:27.780 effects on the nation of Israel, namely bringing about God's wrath and judgment. In order to right 0.92

00:37:34.980 the ship, it was necessary for Achan to repent individually for his own actions, but it was also 0.74

00:37:40.360 necessary for Joshua to lead in repentance, though he did not commit the sinful act, but he was the

00:37:46.840 one who bore responsibility for the condition of the nation and was to facilitate turning Israel's

00:37:52.560 hearts back to the Lord. This is true in many instances in which we live and find ourselves

00:37:58.400 today. When sin is present in a marriage or a family, it may have been any one of the husband,

00:38:05.440 wife, or children who is guilty of committing a particularly sinful action. But the onus falls on

00:38:11.920 the husband as the leader of the home to facilitate and lead the family in repentance.

00:38:17.360 He may not be guilty of committing the sinful act, but he is responsible for the condition

00:38:22.300 of the home, including those whom he has been charged to both physically and spiritually

00:38:27.540 provide for and protect.

00:38:30.000 On a lesser scale, an individual athlete may fail to follow through on his assignment,

00:38:34.760 but it is the coach who is responsible for his athlete's preparedness and discipline.

00:38:39.260 If a wide receiver drops a wide open pass in the end zone, the mistake was his.

00:38:44.800 But the coach, in this example, ultimately must be held accountable for the team's loss.

00:38:50.100 Going further, this is true in churches and in our governmental authorities.

00:38:54.860 How powerful could it be if our nation's leaders stepped up and said something along the lines of,

00:38:59.340 we just can't do this anymore.

00:39:01.320 We are languishing under the hand of God's judgment for our many sins.

00:39:05.600 We have too long permitted or celebrated what God hates

00:39:08.780 and punished what God has said is good.

00:39:12.160 The only way out of this is to turn back to the Lord.

00:39:15.520 We repent.

00:39:16.820 How might our land and people be blessed

00:39:19.060 if we had civil leaders like that?

00:39:21.480 How might the church flourish under leaders

00:39:23.580 who repent for their lack of courage

00:39:25.300 and scriptural convictions?

00:39:26.760 Many examples we saw over the last few years.

00:39:29.320 These are questions that could be answered

00:39:31.200 by the text before us today.

00:39:33.740 We see that Israel was blessed because Joshua, as a type of Christ, interceded for the people

00:39:39.260 as he led them in corporate repentance. For those of you here today who are fathers,

00:39:46.040 one of the ways that you can wield your office powerfully and honorably is through being patient

00:39:51.800 and consistent in your home. Create and foster a home that is warm, cheerful, honest, and courageous.

00:39:59.640 When any problems present themselves in the home, be quick to take responsibility for it.

00:40:05.800 Don't make excuses, place blame elsewhere, or lose your temper.

00:40:10.420 It is, of course, right and good to call others in the home to repentance when guilty of wrongdoing.

00:40:16.080 But set the direction and course of your home and family by leading through accountability and initiating repentance from the top down.

00:40:25.180 In his book, Reforming Marriage, Douglas Wilson writes,

00:40:28.040 he, the husband, must be a rock in his home,

00:40:31.100 a small pebble that somehow, by the grace of God,

00:40:34.280 pictures the rock that is Christ.

00:40:38.360 And so as we close with our third and final point

00:40:40.620 for consideration, we now look to the surety

00:40:43.260 of God's promises.

00:40:45.260 This has been somewhat of a consistent theme

00:40:47.420 throughout the book of Joshua,

00:40:49.140 and it is a thrust that has continued in today's text,

00:40:52.020 even though the events surrounding it are much different than before.

00:40:56.800 Up until this point in the book, Israel had experienced much success and encouragement

00:41:02.660 from the Lord that he was in fact giving them the land of Canaan. It seemed that all they would have

00:41:08.560 to do would be slowly march into the land and watch their enemies fall by the wayside. And for

00:41:14.840 most of the book, this was the case. That is until these events we have focused on here in chapter

00:41:20.100 seven. The defeat at Ai was one of the first trials that Israel faced since entering the land

00:41:26.680 and certainly posed a challenge to their understanding of God's faithfulness to them

00:41:31.120 and to his covenant. Would the Lord grant Israel land after all? Had he brought the people this

00:41:38.060 far to give them into the hands of the Amorites? Why did the road to conquering the land have to 1.00

00:41:43.600 be so painful? This is essentially the heart of the question that Joshua asks the Lord in verse

00:41:49.700 7. And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all

00:41:56.720 to give us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? This question, why, has been a question 1.00

00:42:03.960 asked by many faithful followers of the Lord over the course of history. Many have asked this

00:42:10.760 question when struggling to grasp or understand the secret purposes of God. And still others ask

00:42:17.320 this question, fully aware of God's purposes and promises, when the burden of pain and suffering

00:42:23.260 makes it difficult to see the fulfillment of those promises. Joshua's question represent

00:42:28.660 the latter of the two. Joshua remembered the promise given to his fathers, to Abraham,

00:42:35.000 to Isaac, to Jacob. He remembered the promise given to Moses in Deuteronomy.

00:42:40.300 Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours. Your territory shall be from the 0.97

00:42:46.040 wilderness to the Lebanon and from the river, the river Euphrates to the Western Sea. No one shall 0.99

00:42:53.120 be able to stand against you. The Lord, your God will lay the fear of you and the dread of you on

00:42:58.780 all the land that you shall tread as he promised you. Deuteronomy 11 verses 24 and 25. Joshua also

00:43:07.260 also remembered the promise that was given to him back in chapter three, how the Lord promised to

00:43:12.100 drive out all the nations of the land from before Israel without fail. He and the people clung to

00:43:19.300 these promises and had witnessed great success throughout the journey. And surely he knew that

00:43:25.260 the Lord had not brought Israel this far to give them into the hands of the Amorites. 0.92

00:43:30.340 But he still grappled with the pain and humiliation of defeat and the realization that Israel was 0.94

00:43:36.520 still in need of purification. He implored the Lord to deal mercifully with the people

00:43:42.300 and to remember his promises, which he had given for years and generations.

00:43:48.420 This is an appropriate place for us to end because we recognize in large part that these

00:43:52.940 events happened for the Lord to sanctify and purify his people. They were a people whom God's

00:43:59.660 promises had been given and faith and obedience were expected. When disobedience and sin are

00:44:06.280 embraced, the Lord as a loving father brings discipline that is meant to bring correction. 0.91

00:44:12.820 As we will see next week, Achan and his family will die as a result of his sin,

00:44:17.540 and the rest of the congregation stands in fear. These purposes are clear, and we remember this 0.82

00:44:24.020 because we have the benefit of seeing the fulfillment of God's promises in the rest of

00:44:28.500 the scripture. Despite the crippling defeat, we see God's promise to give the land of Canaan to

00:44:34.420 Israel ultimately fulfilled. Israel for a time had great success in the land and became the place

00:44:41.260 where our Lord was born, lived, died, and rose from the dead in power. Israel would have a difficult

00:44:48.340 time seeing the fulfillment of these promises after experiencing defeat at the hands of Ai.

00:44:54.500 They would need to see them with the eyes of faith and through the help of leaders like Joshua,

00:44:59.520 who would remind them of the Lord and his purposes.

00:45:03.720 As we consider these points,

00:45:05.480 we have to remember that God's promises are sure.

00:45:08.520 When our circumstances in life become tough,

00:45:11.380 when our troubles seem to multiply,

00:45:13.880 or when we find ourselves under the hand

00:45:16.020 of God's fatherly displeasure,

00:45:18.120 we have to resolve to cling to God's promises

00:45:20.960 and remember that they will, in fact,

00:45:23.600 find their fulfillment.

00:45:25.580 Like Israel in Joshua's day,

00:45:27.620 this is the blueprint we find for conquering the land, and it provides the fuel for a hopeful

00:45:32.620 eschatology. Christ rules and reigns now and promises that the church will one day reign

00:45:39.000 with him. The Great Commission will be successful, and one by one, Christ's enemies will be placed 0.63

00:45:44.980 under his feet. These promises will find their fulfillment, and this provides the basis for

00:45:50.580 hopeful, obedient Christian living today. When we experience times of sorrow or agonizing defeat,

00:45:58.180 we must reassure ourselves with these promises. And remember that no matter how bad it looks,

00:46:04.220 we keep our eyes fixed on Christ and entrust ourselves to a faithful creator while doing good.

00:46:11.460 What are some ways in which we can do this? One way that has stood out to me over the years was

00:46:16.660 a scriptural meditation that was found from a great book that I know some of you may have read.

00:46:21.720 This book is The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, which was written by a Puritan,

00:46:26.220 Jeremiah Burroughs is his name. In the book, Burroughs challenges Christian readers to a life

00:46:31.820 of contentment and warns them against the dangers of grumbling and complaining, especially amidst

00:46:37.960 bitter circumstances. One of the promises that he points to in scripture is found in Proverbs 15,

00:46:44.480 verse 6, in the house of the righteous there is much treasure. In pointing to the scripture,

00:46:50.980 he reminds Christians to cling to it, to believe in it, trust in it, remembering that even when

00:46:56.760 they have a meal of measly crumbs or only a poor wooden stool to sit on, their house is truly

00:47:03.180 furnished with much treasure. Such promises are not meant to lead us to naivety. The pauper should

00:47:10.320 recognize the poor condition of his home and strive to work even harder to supply a better

00:47:15.800 meal than crumbs for his family. But at the end of a long day of difficult labor, he must not allow

00:47:23.000 his circumstances to interpret the trajectory of his life. He ought to remember that even the little

00:47:28.980 he has has been given to him by God and is in fact much treasure. Remembering God's promises

00:47:35.680 at these points are what cause us to grow in contentment and gratefulness to God, Burroughs

00:47:41.520 says. Prices at the grocery store may have caused you recently to tighten your already strict budget

00:47:46.800 or work overtime, but we cannot forget that even the little we have is a gift from God to be

00:47:53.740 heartily enjoyed. Such is the spirit that should pervade the times we live in. We should diligently

00:47:59.920 seek to understand the times and learn from the lessons God may be providentially teaching us.

00:48:05.680 But even bumps in the road and sharp detours cannot detract us from the surety of God's

00:48:10.720 promises.

00:48:11.820 His church and kingdom will be victorious. 0.98

00:48:15.460 When it seems that the powers of evil and darkness are prevailing, or when we look foolish

00:48:20.600 when we sin and have to repent, we must refresh ourselves with such promises as these.

00:48:26.960 The meek shall inherit the earth. 0.99

00:48:29.920 I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 0.99

00:48:34.960 In my Father's house are many rooms.

00:48:37.260 If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

00:48:42.320 May you see your children's children,

00:48:44.280 and the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

00:48:50.800 As we close for today, I want to stir you up with the words of one last biblical promise

00:48:55.280 found in 1 Thessalonians 5, verses 9 through 11.

00:48:58.720 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

00:49:06.260 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep, we might live with him. Therefore,

00:49:12.860 encourage one another and build one another up just as you are doing. Let's pray.

00:49:20.360 Father, we thank you for your word, which shines to us and even warns us as today's text does,

00:49:26.700 Lord. We tremble in fear when we consider Achan and consider his fate. We pray, Lord, that you

00:49:33.020 would keep us from such sin, from being presumptuous, from hiding sin. We ask that you would

00:49:38.480 help us to be quick to repent, as we did, as we're reminded in Psalm 32 today, being reminded that

00:49:44.280 when we kept secret our sin, our bones wasted away. But then when we confess our sins, we find

00:49:50.620 we find redemption. We find mercy. We find deep joy being in your presence, Lord. And so we have

00:49:57.480 great confidence today, Lord, knowing that we stand in Jesus Christ. And so it's him that we

00:50:01.700 praise, him that we worship today, Lord. We pray that you would have been honored today through

00:50:06.300 the preaching of your word. And we pray that we would continue in worship to you now, Lord,

00:50:10.920 on this Lord's day. Be glorified and be with the hearts of your people. We pray these things in

00:50:16.200 Jesus's name. Amen.

The NXR Podcast - July 09, 2023

SUNDAY SERMON - Your Sin Is Destroying Those You Love ｜ Joshua 7_1-9

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