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Muskegon SDA Church

Jason Sliger

The Perils of Covetousness

Please turn with me in your Bibles to Joshua the sixth chapter Joshua chapter 6 at this point Moses has passed away He has you know passed on Leadership from him to Joshua Joshua is the 1 that was appointed to take Moses's place the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness has already happened and now the children of Israel are on the borders of receiving their earthly inheritance in Canaan.

There's a lot of excitement that is taking place.

There have been miracles that have happened leading up to this climactic event in Joshua chapter 6 as The children of Israel follow orders that God has given to them to go make battle with the city of Jericho.

The Bible says this, now Jericho was straightly shut up because of the children of Israel.

None went out and none came in now Jericho was 1 of the strongest Fortresses in all of the land of Canaan There were many many men inside of that city that were used to fighting battles They were war hardened men.

It was a city of massive battlements, well-fortified to withstand besiegements for quite some time.

Jericho was also the principal seat of the god Ashtaroth, which was the goddess of the moon.

It was the most vile of all of the cities in Canaan.

And this was the first city that God had chosen for the children of Israel to make war with.

It's a curious picture that we see here in Joshua chapter 6 and verse 1.

He tells us that the city is straightly shut up, simply meaning that the gates are barred and bolted shut because of the children of Israel that are around the city preparing for war.

It's a peculiar picture because, as I mentioned, this city was used to making war.

These men inside of the city, they had gone through many battles.

And on the outside of the city, you have this small, by human reasoning, untrained group of people that are about to make war with this massive structure, this well-fortified city, and there are these well-trained men hiding out inside of the city of Jericho while God's people are marching around the city day after day.

Perhaps the fear of Jericho lie in the fact that they had heard about the miraculous miracles that the Hebrew God had performed.

In any ways, In any event, the Bible tells us this in verse 2.

And the Lord said unto Joshua, see I have given into thine hand Jericho and the king thereof and the Mighty men of valor.

For 6 days, the children of Israel simply march around the city.

Not much of a battle strategy if you ask me.

Those men inside of that city could have come out and done quick work to the children of Israel, taking care of things and sending them on their way.

As they march around that city day after day, the city, people inside the city wonder what in the world is going on, And then on the seventh day they change, you know the story.

And on that seventh time, they blow the trumpets and with a great and mighty shout, the Bible tells us that the walls of the city fell down flat.

How many of you would like to have been there?

This massive structure, this well-fortified city, all they did was shout and the reverberation From their voice unleashed a heavenly arsenal as those angels of God came down and tore the walls of Jerusalem down Everybody was destroyed that day because God's people followed their general Now I can imagine Now I can imagine that Israel was kind of flushed with this victory that they just had.

And now there just lies these other cities that aren't quite as big, that aren't quite as well fortified.

And I can imagine that there's some excitement in the camp of the children of Israel.

And even Joshua exudes a little excitement as well as he turns his eye to a city to the west, the city Ai, and decides that they are going to make war against that city.

It was a small city in comparison to Jerusalem, only about 12, 000 people inside the city.

And as they make this decision, Joshua sends up a couple of spies to check things out.

Joshua chapter 7 verses 2 and 3, the Bible says this, and Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-haven, on the east side of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, go up and view the country.

And they returned to Joshua and said unto him, let not all the people go up, but let about 2 or 3000 men go up and smite AI and make Not all the people labor thither, for they are but few.

Apparently as they survey the scene in comparison to what they had just saw with Jericho, they didn't think they needed everybody.

So their advice was about 2 or 3000 Joshua decides to send 3000 up to this make this war to battle against AI And we're told in divine commentary in the book patriarchs and prophets that the children of Israel at this point had become a little self-confident.

As you read the narrative here in the Bible, you actually find that there's no asking God what to do next after conquering Jericho.

There's no prayer saying, Lord, is Ai the next city or is there another city you want us to go to?

Is it just traditional methods of warfare or do you want us to do something similar that we did in Jericho?

Joshua just says, AI is the next city, let's go up and make war.

And so they send 3, 000 men up to make war against AI, and the results are disastrous.

Verse 4 of the Bible says this, so there went up thither of the people about 3, 000 men and they fled before the men of AI.

And the men of AI smote of them about 30 and 6 men for they chased them from before the gate even to Shibrium and Smote them in the going down where of the hearts of the people melt it and became as water.

I mean, you can't get any stark of a contrast here.

They go from this mighty victory in Jericho where they follow the general's commands, And then just moments later, days later, here they are, the small little city of Ai has put the armies of God to flight and have taken 36 casualties.

Can't get any stark of a contrast between these 2 events.

Now as a result of this defeat, the Bible tells us this in verse 6, and Joshua rent his clothes.

Can you imagine what was going through Joshua's mind?

I mean, there's so many miracles that have happened in just the first 6 chapters of Joshua.

Joshua Rent his clothes and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord unto the until the even tide He and the elders of Israel and put dust upon their heads and Joshua said at last Oh Lord God Wherefore Hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us?

Would to God we had been content and dwelt on the other side of Jordan.

Can you see him pouring out his heart to God in prayer?

Sat clothed in ashes, his clothes being rent as he and the elders come together and ask God, why has this happened?

Well, the Lord answers his prayer as he always does.

Verse 10, the Lord said unto Joshua, get thee up, wherefore liest thou upon thy face?

Now I want you to notice how many times Israel is referred to here in this Bible passage.

Yep Israel number 1 has 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." 5 times, God refers to Israel as a camp.

And because of their sin, 36 men died, and they were unsuccessful in overthrowing a small city of 12, 000 people.

Now, of course, we know the back end of this story That it wasn't the children of Israel as a whole but there was a particular individual notice what it says in verse 1 of Joshua chapter 7 but the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing, for who?

For Achan, the son of Kamri, the son of Zabni, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against who I Don't want you to miss this point because it's very impactful 1 man's sin was attributed to the entire nation.

And that 1 man's sin That was cloaked in darkness nobody else knew about it Who's hidden this tent away from the discerning eyes from others?

That 1 man's sin affected the entire camp of Israel and caused the needless death of 36 men.

I think that's worth some contemplating and praying through that we wouldn't be that 1 man.

I don't want you to miss this point because It's so impactful.

Sometimes we think that our sin only affects us, and maybe at most it might affect our family.

But from the story here, we find that there are ripple effects that happen as we sin, we send shockwaves through the world it affects us it affects our family It affects our community of faith affects our community at large and it ultimately will take the life of somebody Maybe you won't actually murder them probably not but they may not make it to the kingdom of heaven because of the indulgence of that 1 sin.

Patriarchs and Prophets, page 494 says this, God's command had been disregarded by 1 of those appointed to execute his judgments, and the nation was held accountable for the guilt of the transgressor.

1 man's sin affect upon the entire congregation.

We won't take time to go through it, but in Joshua chapter 6, we find something very interesting, verses 17 through 19.

Before they actually went up for the final circle around Jericho before it fell, God told Joshua that the city of Jericho was cursed.

It was cursed, and that if they took of the accursed thing, they would be cursed.

And that all of the silver and gold in the city of Jericho God said, bring it into the treasury, it is mine.

Okay, so it was the first fruits, if you will, as they began to conquer and gather their earthly inheritance of the promised land.

So the first city that was conquered, God said, this city is cursed, don't take any of it.

If you do, you will be cursed, and all of the silver and gold is mine, put it in the treasury.

But as Achan, who was appointed to be 1 of those many people to plunder the city of Jericho, as he went into that city, he came into that city with a sin that he had been fostering, The sin of covetousness.

And as he fostered that sin of covetousness, and as he came into that city where there was all of the silver and all of the gold and all of this stuff, That old sin grabbed a hold of his heart.

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The Perils of Covetousness

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