G. The
Israelites defeated at Ai (chapter 7).
1. The
reasons they were defeated:
a.
They were not watchful—they won the battle of ,
hence, they were not vigilant while invading Ai (Gen 14:19, 20).
b.
They disobeyed the word of God by taking the
accursed things (Josh 6:18, 19; Deut 23:9-14; Isa
59:1, 2).
c.
They did not call upon God (7:2). They fought by
sight and have yet to come before God.
d.
They relied on themselves and not on God (7:2),
not acknowledging that the battle is the Lord’s (1 Sam 17:47).
e.
They were arrogant and despised their enemy
(7:3, 8:25). They thought they would win the battle by having an army of a few
thousand people.
2.
Weakness in the midst of failure.
a.
They blamed God for not abiding with them (7:8, 9).
(a)
They should have examined the cause of their failure
(Eccl 7:13, 14).
(b)
They should not have murmured and blamed others
(1 Cor 10:9, 10).
b.
The mercy of God:
(a)
God pointed out the reasons they were defeated (7:11,
12).
(b)
God showed them ways to deal with the problem (7:13-15).
(c)
Found the source of sin (7:16-18; cf. Prov 16:33; 1 Sam 10:20, 14:41).
3.
The sin of Achan (7:20-26).
c.
He had taken the accursed things.
(a)
He saw the fine garments, gold, and silver
(7:21; cf. Gen 3:6; Mt 4:8, 6:22, 23, 5:27-29; Job 31:1).
(b)
He coveted those things and took them (Eccl 5:10,
4:6; Jas 1:15; Eph 5:5).
(c)
He hid those things: the act of sin (Prov 4:23; Phil 4:7).
d.
The ending of Achan (7:24-26):
(a)
The things were taken away and burnt (7:25; Prov 15:27; Jer 17:11).
(b)
He was stoned to death (7:25).
(c)
He brought trouble to his family (7:24; Deut
24:16; Num 26:11).
(d)
The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil
(1 Tim 6:9, 10; Heb 13:5)
