Following the unforgettable victory at Jericho in Joshua 6, where the walls fell by divine power after the people simply marched and shouted in obedience, chapter 7 records a sharp and painful reversal. Israel suffered a humiliating defeat before the much smaller city of Ai. The contrast is stark. One chapter highlights the faith that produced triumph over a seemingly impossible enemy. The next reveals the cost of disobedience and hidden sin. A primary lie the enemy uses is that no one will ever know. The message from this passage answers that lie directly. You were wrong.
The Reason for Defeat (Joshua 7:1)
The chapter opens with a concise statement of the problem. “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” (Joshua 7:1 KJV). The word trespass is strong. It speaks of a serious, treacherous, and grievous sin. God had commanded that nothing from the spoil of Jericho was to be taken. It belonged to the Lord as an offering, like the firstfruits of income that are not optional. Many times the Lord allowed Israel to take spoil to support the army, but not here. This was non-negotiable. Achan kept what belonged to God, and the anger of the Lord was kindled.
Possible contributing factors included self-confidence after the effortless Jericho victory or a lack of seeking fresh direction from God for the next battle. The spies reported that Ai was small and that only two or three thousand men would be needed. Yet the Bible states the clear reason for the defeat was this sin. Believers desire a life of victory and blessing, yet often experience struggle, distance from God, and unanswered prayer. Unconfessed sin is what separates. God is holy, and He has made clear that the reason for defeat in the Christian life is unconfessed sin. Victory is in Christ, and the only barrier is that which has not been dealt with before Him.
The Roots of Sin (Joshua 7:21)
When Achan later confessed, he described how it began. “When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it” (Joshua 7:21 KJV). The situation started with a look. What is first seen can be controlled by refusing a second glance. An improper heart then reclassifies what God has called an offering as mere spoils of war. Rationalizations often follow. Perhaps others were doing the same. No one would miss a few items. It was not really hurting anyone because the former owners were dead. Others had sinned and were later used by God. Life had been hard, and something was deserved.
None of these have scriptural support. The root appears to have been dissatisfaction and ingratitude. God had already delivered Israel from Egypt, provided in the wilderness, performed miracles at the Red Sea and Jordan, and given the Jericho victory. Yet a spirit of “I deserve more” or “God has not been fair” can take root. From the look came coveting. Wanting what God has not given, even when He has given much, is a dangerous path. Achan was not destitute. He had oxen, asses, sheep, and means. He stole from a covetous heart, not from need. Had he waited for God’s timing at Ai, where spoil was permitted, he could have received what God intended. God’s will includes not only what and with whom, but when.
The pattern of seeing, coveting, and taking appears throughout Scripture, from Eve in the garden to David on the palace roof. “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed” (James 1:14 KJV).
The Result of the Sin (Joshua 7:2-9)
Joshua sent men to view Ai. They returned and advised that not all the people needed to go up, for the city was small. About three thousand men went, but they fled before the men of Ai. “And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water” (Joshua 7:5 KJV). Joshua rent his clothes, fell before the ark until evening with the elders, and put dust on their heads. He cried out, questioning why God had brought them over Jordan only to deliver them into the hands of the Amorites, and expressing concern for the Lord’s great name among the Canaanites.
The defeat was not primarily the result of poor leadership, self-confidence, or insufficient prayer. It was the result of sin. Never underestimate the cost of one person’s hidden sin on the body. The church is a body. Infection in one part affects the whole. David’s numbering of the troops, against counsel, led to the death of seventy thousand. Jonah’s disobedience nearly sank a ship of heathen. The immorality in Corinth acted as leaven that affected the entire church until it was removed. When believers go into service with unconfessed sin, they face defeat. The hearts of the people melted. Joshua, unaware at first of the specific cause, was discouraged and concerned for God’s name. Carelessness about hidden sin shows a lack of interest in the Lord’s name being lifted high. Individual attitudes and behaviours affect the whole body for good or for ill. Gathering at the Lord’s table provides a regular opportunity for examination and reset.
The Revelation of the Sin (Joshua 7:10-15)
The Lord answered Joshua’s distress. “And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you” (Joshua 7:10-12 KJV).
Achan had buried the garment, silver, and gold under his tent. He thought no one would know. Through the process of the tribe, family, and household being identified, he was singled out. No one in history has ever gotten away with sin, and no one ever will. “Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 23:24 KJV). “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13 KJV). “But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23 KJV). God knows, and the individual knows. The weight of that knowledge does not disappear.
To illustrate how even long-hidden actions can surface unexpectedly, Pastor Wall shared a childhood incident from grade seven in Costa Mesa, California. He and a friend took cigarettes from an unlocked car of a church member, smoked them in an alley behind the youth building, and spent considerable effort trying to remove the smell before returning home. Years later, while pastoring in Fostoria, Michigan, he used the account as a sermon illustration, only to find that his mother was sitting in the fourth row. The story, though minor in its earthly consequences, shows that what is thought to remain unknown may not stay that way.
The Regret for His Sin (Joshua 7:19-26)
Joshua called on Achan to give glory to God by telling the truth. Achan finally admitted everything. Joshua and all Israel then took Achan, the silver, the garment, the gold, his sons and daughters, his oxen, asses, sheep, tent, and all that he had to the valley of Achor. They were stoned and burned. A great heap of stones was raised over them as a lasting monument. Earlier stones at the Jordan reminded the people of God’s faithfulness and power. This heap of stones stood as a monument to the cost of trying to hide sin from God.
The judgment was severe because sin is serious. Just as a doctor does not treat cancer or gangrene with mild remedies, God deals radically with sin. While Old Testament law protected the truly innocent from punishment for the sins of others, the involvement of the family implies they participated in the cover-up. Thirty-six soldiers died because of one man’s act. Achan paid the price, and the entire nation felt the impact. Yet God remains a God of grace and mercy who is faithful and just to forgive sin and cleanse from all unrighteousness when it is confessed and forsaken.
The next time the father of lies suggests that no one will ever know, call him what he is and refuse the lie. Secret sin must not be tolerated, minimised, or buried. It must be confessed and forsaken. Personal, thorough examination of the heart is essential, lest individual carelessness hinder or remove the blessing of God from the church and from personal life. The goal is that believers would become more like Jesus through honest dealing with whatever the Spirit of God reveals.
