From Victory to Defeat - Joshua 7:1-9

Good morning, as always it's Good to be with my church family on a Sunday morning

I want to apologize and advance my voice is a little off this morning. I'm on the I Sound a lot worse than I feel though.

I can promise you that If you just bear with the voice being a little bit off I think we'll have a lot to learn this morning from the passage of Scripture that's before us

We're gonna be in a new chapter in the book of Joshua this morning. We're gonna be Joshua chapter 7 verses 1 through 9

And the type of this message is from victory to defeat I'll give you a minute to turn to that after you recall in our previous study in Joshua chapter 6 the nation of Israel had secured their first victory in their conquest at Jericho However, this was not just a chapter in military history, but rather it was a testament of God's absolute sovereignty

So while it would be easy to focus on the battle of Jericho itself as maybe a story of military

Strategy or perhaps a story of courage or maybe just a case of Israel's obedience

I'm here to tell you that it was actually God who would ultimately secure this victory Thus the victory that we find in Joshua chapter 6 is also a theological moment

To the truth and the salvation and the victory that belongs to the Lord alone

In his sermon entitled the invisible hand RC scroll He made the following point related to the origin of such victories where he said this

He said we do not win the battle by our own might and power But by the spirit of the

Lord of hosts the victory is not achieved by human strategy, but by divine sovereignty

Now keep in mind here Israel was not inherently superior to Canaan I mean when you look at it, they were fresh out of the wilderness after 40 years of wandering under God's judgment

We also find that Rahab the harlot. She was a Canaanite herself, but she would be justified by faith alone

So we're not dealing with just some interesting stories here But rather we find that it's a fat foreshadow of things to come in Christ Let us not forget that God did not choose

Israel because they were mighty and he certainly did not spare Rahab because she was morally Upright but rather he sent and set his covenant love on them by God sovereign grace instead even the scarlet cord that we see in Joshua chapter 2 verse 18 would impart its

Significance as a symbol of Christ's blood and salvation So there's really much at play here and all these things really lay the groundwork for the passage that is before us this morning

So let's take a look at Joshua chapter 7 verses 1 through 9 But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things

For Achan the son of Carmi the son of Zabdi the son of Zerah of the tribe of Judah Took of the accursed things so the anger of the

Lord burned against the children of Israel Now Joshua Sent men from Jericho to Ai which is beside Beth Avon on the east side of Bethel He spoke to them saying go up and spy out the country

So the men went up and spied out Ai and they returned to Joshua and said to him do not let all the people go up Let about two to three thousand men go up and attack

Ai I do not weary all the people they are for the people of Ai But are few

So about three thousand men went up there from the people

But they fled before the men of Ai and the men of Ai struck them about thirty six men

For they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck down on the descent

Therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water Then Joshua He tore his clothes and he fell to the earth on his face

Before the ark of the Lord until evening and he and the elders of Israel and they put dust on their heads and Joshua said alas

Lord God Why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all to deliver us into the hand of the

Amorites to destroy us? Oh That you have been content and dwelt on the other side of the

Jordan Oh Lord what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies for the

Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will Hear it and surround us and cut us off cut off our name from the earth

Then what will you do for your great name? You know a defeat is a bitter pill for anyone to swallow

Especially when it comes on the heels of an amazing victory and when it involves human loss

It shatters one's confidence It shatters one's sense of purpose and the ensuing despair, of course would become a time of reflection repentance and having to start anew

So as we examine the passage before us, we will address the following three points in our message this morning

The first point that I would like to point out is that of a hidden sin This is going to be seen in the very first verse of Joshua chapter 7

This will bring us to the second point and our message this morning where we find an unexpected defeat

This is going to be seen in Joshua chapter 7 verses 2 through 5 And then we will wrap up our message this morning with a third and a final point

Where we find a desperate lament This will be found in the last three verses

Joshua chapter 7 verses 6 through 9 Now Joshua chapter 7 here

We find a very sobering passage of Scripture where God's holiness demands that his people deal decisively with sin another thing that's also readily seen in this passage is that Even one man's hidden rebellion can bring a covenant curse upon an entirety of a nation

So now this brings us to the very first point in our message this morning where we find a hidden sin and the opening verse of Joshua chapter 7

We find Joshua and the nation of Israel in a dire set of circumstances that were really for their part

They were completely unaware of and while they were not looking for trouble trouble had indeed found them which was due to this unknown trespass

In Joshua chapter 7 verse 1 We find a sobering verse that would be a prelude of bad things to come

Think about this Israel had marched around Jericho seven times and the walls fell flat by God's sovereign grace alone

Rahab the harlot had been saved by faith The people were shouting the Lord has given us this land and in the very first verse of Joshua chapter 7

We find that God's justice would drop on them like a hammer Where it's written but the children of Israel committed a trespass

Regarding the accursed things for Achan took the of the accursed things So the anger of the

Lord burned against all of the children of Israel So all this began with a hidden sin that no one except maybe

Achan's family had known about For Achan had taken a beautiful cloak of Shinar which also in conjunction with 200 shekels of silver

He also took a bar of gold that weighed 50 shekels The Hebrew word for accursed things in this passage

Or what other translations translate out as devoted things? It comes from the

Hebrew noun, which is hey rim which is used in this passage to describe those things which were to be destroyed or in the case of Silver and gold and the vessels of brass and iron those things were to be set aside for sacred uses

So Akin's hidden sin here. It really violated two aspects here of what

God's Expectations were for the people of Israel first He was taking something that had been marked for destruction, which we see with the garment that he had hidden under his tent

Secondly, we find that Akin stole from God by taking something that was to be turned over to God's Treasury It was to be used for sacred purposes

And yet he thought that no one knew he thought that no one knew this I Mean the cloak was buried under the tent the gold and silver were hidden beneath the dirt

He thought that he pretty much had gotten away with it And yet what was an unknown trespass to man was always known by God In fact the

Prophet Jeremiah He describes this really quite well when he's quoting God is saying this in Jeremiah chapter 16 verse 17

The Lord says he says for my eyes are on all their ways They are not hidden from my face nor is there iniquity hidden from my eyes

Always remember my brothers and sisters Sin always tries to hide It always tries to avoid accountability it is opposed to the sweet forgiveness that comes from confession and repentance and It will always always seek to deceive one into believing that no one will know

But God knows Now another important thing that we also see in this verse here is where sin can inflict collateral damage

Again in Joshua chapter 7 verse 1 we find this interesting reference here that when

Akin Individually sinned look here. It says we see that the anger of the Lord burned against all the people of Israel And just as we see where one man's covetousness became a whole nation's catastrophe

We also find here from the Reform Baptist doctrine of covenant solidarity

We see that the church family is federally united to one another under the covenant leadership of Christ So every decision that we make it matters

Every sin holds within it the potential of great consequences towards others as well

In fact in the book of Hebrews we read the following warning. This is found in Hebrews chapter 3 verses 12 and 13

The writer says beware brethren lest there be in any of you of Any of you in an evil heart of unbelief and departing from the living

God But exhort one another daily while it is called today lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of your sin

So sin is a breach of covenant faithfulness and as such we really need to understand that the relationship between God and his people here is covenantal not just a mere contract socially speaking

When you consider the doctrine of sola fide, which is faith alone We find that it to be a covenantal loyalty and trust not a mere intellectual assent

In fact in his first letter to the Corinthian Church the Apostle Paul He spoke of this issue of covenantal solidarity where he said this in 1st

Corinthians chapter 12 verse 26 He said if one member suffers all members suffer with it or if one member is honored all members rejoice within in Chapter 9 of his work entitled in dwelling sin and believers

John Owen He put it quite succinctly where he wrote that sin and a believer is not only evil in and of itself

But it is evil in its consequences It brings dishonor upon the name of God.

It brings reproach upon the gospel and scandal upon the church So every

Christian here in our midst we are part of the visible church and Likewise, we need to individually consider very carefully impact that comes when one member sins and the whole body of Christ suffers

This was certainly the case where they could sin It was a hidden sin, which really brought to faith defeat to an entire nation

We see this in the very first verse of this chapter We find this to be the case with David's private adultery and murder which caused the enemies of God to blaspheme

This is seen in in 2nd Samuel chapter 12 verse 14 And it continues to be a cautionary tale for all of us in the

New Testament Church as well So let us be mindful of our actions and our choices and our beliefs and let us understand that they do matter they affect not just us and As such we need to commit ourselves to personal obedience and our pursuit to holiness

Not just because it benefits us individually But an individual it benefits our individual families and it brings blessing to our church family as a whole

Now with all that said there's much to apply here That is as Christians.

We should of course carefully consider the ramifications of our sin because it can invite temporal judgments that affect the innocent

Whether we like it or not, our lives are interconnected and no one is an island unto themselves

Throughout Scripture we see many instances of God judging entire families churches and nations

Because of one person's sin now follow me here in Romans chapter 5 verse 12

We find that Adam's one sin did what it brought death to all and Joshua chapter 7 verse 5

Which is the passage of Scripture that we're in this morning We find that Achan's sin caused 36 men to die and Israel to flee before its enemies

In 2nd Samuel chapter 24 verse 15 We find that David's census which he did in opposition of God's request

Brought a plague that killed 70 ,000 people in the nation of Israel and in the next chapter 5 verse 11

We find the sin of Ananias and Sapphira It brought fear to an entire church body as reformed

Baptists We affirm God's sovereign right to impart the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation

Especially when it comes to those cases where people hate God we see this in Exodus chapter 20 verse 5

And likewise, we also affirm God's sovereign right to show mercy to the thousands of people who love him

Always remember that an individual sin can have an impact on your church family as a whole

You know I often wondered what would have happened if Achan's family Who probably knew about this hidden sin had told

Joshua before he even sent troops out to Ai If there's 36 men could have been spared and you know, we will never know the answer to that question and This is why baptism and communion are so important for our church family to support and to practice

Why it's because the practices in and of themselves become the means by which the conviction is used by the

Holy Spirit in our lives This course conviction brings us to this Business this critical point in each of our lives where we find ourselves towards repentance and inclined for salvation

More importantly it also reminds us that we have a mediator in Jesus Christ You know another thing that we need to be cognizant of is sin denies the soul sufficiency of Christ's righteousness you know, one of the central points in reformed theology is that Justification is by faith alone and that it was because of Christ's obedience alone that satisfies what

God's justice requires In his work entitled the institutes of Christian religion

John Calvin said as it related to our sin and God's righteousness He made this statement

He says when we sin we do not rest in Christ alone For in every transgression we depart from the righteousness of God and thus from him who is its source

You know as we consider all these things it does raise a very ominous question

And that is what are we to do when we fall in to sin? Well to put it plainly

Sin is a a covenant unfaithfulness Which really essentially says that Christ is not enough

However, the covenant of grace on the other hand says that Christ will always be enough to restore the unfaithful

We need to remember this and we need to also remember that our actions and our choices and our beliefs matter as well

For the lives that we lead are interconnected with those around us and it's not just about us, but it is about others as well

Now this brings us to another important point in our message this morning where we find an unexpected defeat

You know life is full of unforeseen events and unexpected consequences I think if each one of us in this room thought about our lives and reflected backwards

We could probably find numerous examples where that's the case and the defeat the defeat at AI Of course was really no exception for the nation of Israel as well

And of course when we look at the conditions here that led to this outcome We find that there was an overconfidence and such overconfidence is sins open door

Again in Joshua chapter 7 verses 2 through 5 We find that Joshua sends men once again to spy out the tiny village of AI and to bring out bring back a report to him and In this report it was bristling with overconfidence.

They had forgotten that God's participation would be needed They basically said that AI could be a conquered

Because it was just a mere inconvenience. It certainly wouldn't be as challenging as Jericho had been

So the part of the spies they would be Really overconfident in the report that they would bring back to Joshua They would of course suggest a battle plan that really kept

God completely out of the planning process And of course, they literally said look let's only send two to three thousand people.

That's all it's gonna really take So by the time the tiny village of AI had come into their purview they were drunk on their own success

They were dismissive of God's deliverance and of course they were blind to sin 36 men would ultimately die in The book of Joshua records that the heart of the people melted and became as water

In fact the Hebrew language Used in this passage says that the men of AI struck down and they chased

Israel and they struck them down on the descent a lot of casualties were Taken by the

Israelites as they were fleeing the scene So what we have here is a situation where the nation of Israel would go from victory to defeat

From hope to sheer terror in a matter of just about 24 hours

And why was that? The reason was because God was not with them

God's covenant had been turned on its head Where we see in Joshua chapter 1 verse 5 where God would say

I will be with you To what we see later in Joshua chapter 7 verse 12 where God would now be saying this is

I will not be with you anymore Unless you destroy the accursed things

So what we have here is the reformed doctrine of divine concurrence

Turned literally upside down where God would ordinarily bless the means that when sin is harbored in the camp

He withdraws his blessing and the means begin to fail Let us not forget the same

God who leveled Jericho now dishes out a Humiliating and a completely avoidable defeat for Israel my brothers and sisters

Humility is an important virtue in the life of a Christian and pride was the original sin

Recorded in Genesis where we find in Lucifer's fall Now another important observation that we find in these verses is that God deals with sin in his way and in his time

We see examples of this throughout scripture where sometimes God's response to sin is swift and immediate

And other times God's forbearance exceeds even our own tolerance and understanding of what mercy is

One thing is readily seen in Joshua chapter 7 verses 2 through 5 And that is the sin at Jericho and the subsequent defeat at AI Serves as an important lesson and how

God deals with sin You know when you consider the fall of Jericho We find a real example of this in the city of destruction that's seen in bunions pilgrims progress

Read touched on that last week if you recall and of course in that Pilgrims progress he chronicled the judgment of a heathen people and subsequently we find in Israel's defeated

AI We find the severity of God's justice being visited on the nation of Israel as well

And with that said I think there's three particular thoughts that kind of emerge from this thought

First of all, I think that we need to consider that divine justice it can be patient But it can also be swift and sure

At the time Jericho was one of the world's oldest cities In fact archaeological evidence indicates a level of occupation that really predated even

Abraham hundreds of years before We know that the sins of the Canaanites were not yet full in Abraham's day in Genesis chapter 15 verse 16

God was at the stage was saying not yet when it came to judgment But now upon Israel's arrival in the promised land the consequences would be brought to bear

The city had been given years and years and years Numerous opportunities to repent which they summarily rejected and finally the day of judgment would come

However in contrast here Israel's defeated AI shows that the consequences were meted out very close proximity to the offense committed by Aitken And with that we find that God deals with sin in his own way and in his own time

Secondly we find that God is sovereign in divine judgment is irresistible

You know, the nation of Israel was riding on a wave of confidence after their victory at Jericho They had witnessed a city with seemingly impenetrable walls literally flattened by God's divine judgment

They had a front -row seat to God's sovereign judgment. They knew what God was capable of And for the people at Jericho there was absolutely nothing that they could do

God's judgment was set in stone and it would come more than just when the walls fell to the ground

Everyone but Rahab would be exterminated in that conquest However, likewise in a consent once committed it would set a series of events into motion that would go beyond Israel's Ability to contain another thing that we also need to understand

Is that the vine justice is not capricious? But the Old Testament the historical accounts record the extent of the wickedness of the people of Canaan Jericho ultimately got what it deserved

However, when we look at Israel's defeated AI we find that God's justice is without discrimination

Discrimination God's standard of justice applies to those who believe and those who do not

Always remember that all souls belong to the Lord and the soul that sins will die

Ezekiel chapter 18 verse 4 chronicles that quite clearly So in the end we find that Israel's victory over Jericho and their subsequent defeat at AI It is a lesson in how

God deals with sin Now there's much to learn here and of course much to apply as well, you know as Christians We should never presume on God's long -suffering, but always repent without delay

You know One of the reasons why we practice communion so frequently is we want our congregation to always be spiritually

Self -aware of our frailty and our need for Christ's atonement Sin Sin is a destructive thing and whether it is hidden or whether it is in plain sight

God knows all his justice is very real and he deals with the affairs of man in accordance with his divine purpose

Sometimes his judgment is greatly delayed by his long -suffering and forbearance

But other times we find it to be swift and sure That It's Christians.

Let us not lose heart For those of us heard Christ had been given a destiny of eternal life in Christ And the penalty of our sin has been paid for by Christ's sacrifice on the cross

His first letter to Timothy the Apostle Paul Spoke to this eternal truth where he said this in first Timothy chapter 2 verses 5 and 6

He said for there is one God and one mediator between God and man the man

Christ Jesus who gave himself as a Ransom for all to be testified in due time

So let us pursue holiness Let us pursue holiness that is driven by our gratitude and our love for him

Let us glorify our Lord in the steps that we take in the worship that we proclaim

And never forget the price that was paid on our behalf by Christ's atoning work This is our blessing

And our eternal destiny depends on that Now this brings us to one last point if I may

Where we find ourselves dealing with a desperate lament And the final verses of our passage now we find

Joshua's story really becoming one of desperate prayers and desperate laments And in Joshua's lament we find a similar pattern that we see frequently in Psalms Where we find an address to God that is direct and personal we see this in Joshua chapter 7

We find a complaint that is honest and descriptive of one's pain. Once again, we see this in Joshua chapter 7

We find a petition for help justice in God's presence. Once again, we see this in Joshua chapter 7 and We find a hope that is predicated on God's past faithfulness

But all these things would start with a prayer of lament in Joshua chapter 7 verses 6 through 9 we

Close our passage with a very profound lamentation on the part of Joshua We really he did not understand the reason for the defeat at least initially

He had been faithful in telling the nation of Israel of God's expectations in the aftermath of Jericho's fall

Joshua would tear his clothes in grief. He would fall on his face until evening

He would put dust on his head and in our closing verses. We find the full liturgy of a covenant lament

His prayer was painful and honest and it was theologically profound where he said alas

O Lord God Why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all to give us into the hand of the

Amorites? What will you do for your great name? You see

Joshua doesn't understand the magnitude of the problem He's really trying to reconcile

God's past faithfulness with the dire nature of the current events before him and yet He remains unaware that the problem really resides with Israel's unfaithfulness

But even in his confusion Joshua appeals to God's glory this my brothers and sisters is a covenant prayer and it is a covenant lament and Just as we see in Joshua's example

We too do not plead on our own merit, but rather we plead on God's sovereign reputation instead

And what we find in the ensuing verses of Joshua chapter 7 Is that the Lord would answer

Joshua's prayer and lament with a sharp response Michael will be covering this in detail next week

We find where God would ultimately answer Joshua saying get up. Why have you fallen on your faith?

Israel has sinned and as we bring the truth of this story to the doorstep of our own

Christian experience We find that our lament acknowledges the brokenness of the world in which we live

You know, we grieve our personal sin We oftentimes grieve the sin of others

And we understand the curse that highlights the need of a regenerative heart inclined towards repentance and salvation

Let us never forget That prayer is not a substitute for repentance But rather we find that even dust cast on one's head is of no meaning either if sin is within the tent

However, we also found with Joshua's lament Was the need for a renewed destiny

I mean he was having to kind of back up the tape and to revisit some of the events that took place and Try to find out.

Hey, look, we need a renewed destiny here. Something has gone wrong Again in Joshua chapter 7 verses 6 through 9

We find Joshua's lament. It also highlights the need for this renewed destiny It serves really as a vital biblical practice that compels one to deepen their communion with God While upholding the doctrines of grace and human depravity

We see this throughout the scripture once again, I Mean when you look at it over a third of the

Psalms are laments which are exemplified by figures such as David and Job And this is also specifically seen in Joshua chapter 7 verses 8 and 9 where Joshua says

Oh Lord What shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies? For the

Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it and surround us and cut off our name from the earth

Then what will you do for your great name? You know

Joshua readily recognized the need for a renewed destiny However in his prayer and in his lament, he was unsure how to get there

He understood the need but he did not have the wherewithal to find his way back So he brought his questions before God and he sought answers

In his book entitled dark clouds deep mercy discovering the grace of lament

Mark Bogop Explained how the need to renew one's destiny is found by asking questions of God where he said this

He said complaint is not the same as grumbling for grumbling rejects God's goodness while lament clings to it

There's a difference there This my dearly beloved

Is how one finds their way back to a renewed destiny and with that we also find a very important application as well

You know when we think of the act of lamenting we find it to be a gospel driven Discipline it drives us to our knees oftentimes marked by a response of pain

While still being reverent it exhibits, you know despair while still being hopeful

It drives us to the cross where Christ's lament secures our eternal

Consolation which the Apostle Paul clearly talked about in 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 verses 3 through 7

The Apostle Paul speaks this truth He said blessed be to the

God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of mercies and God of all comfort who comforts us in our

Tribulation that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves

Are comforted by God For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us.

So our consolation also abounds through Christ Now if we are afflicted it is for your consolation and salvation

Which is effective for enduring the same sufferings, which we also suffer

Or if we are comforted it is for your consolation and salvation and Our hope for you is steadfast

Because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings So also will you partake of the consolation?

So in times when we are so afflicted where we're lamenting We're trying to figure out what went wrong

And I think everyone in this congregation has probably been at a point in their life where that's been the case

Let us not forget that God will always ordain suffering for his glory and for our good

Let us not forget That a lament comes from the cry of a hurting heart as it struggles with the certainty of God's goodness all within the reality of a fallen world

And as painful as it is it renews our destiny of glorifying the Lord as it should

We also find that a lament allows us to do so without accusing

God of evil all the while Trusting in his sovereign decree Like we see when

Habakkuk's complaint really literally turned to praise in Habakkuk chapter 3 So I'm here to tell you that lament as painful as it could be is actually a blessing

It allows the believer to pour out their honest grief their confusion Maybe even their protests before a sovereign

Lord for he himself Advises to do this we see this in Psalm chapter 62 verse 8

It suppresses our tend to tendencies towards self -reliance by acknowledging that our that our total dependence needs to be on God in his unmerited favor

It fosters humility and it prevents despair from turning into sinful response

Therefore lament It can renew our destiny as the Holy Spirit refines our faith turning sorrow

Into trust in Christ's sufficient atonement and God's providential care

For it is in these things that God is glorified and his glory is magnified even in those who are so afflicted

And yet we can find solace Not in the prevailing circumstances mind you but rather in the unchanging promises of the gospel so when we find ourselves in circumstances as Joshua found himself in Where the pain is very real where the way forward is confusing and very uncertain

There's always a way forward That begins when we start asking some serious questions of God Let us lament and let us always pray in a biblical manner and let our lament always be grace -filled for the path of renewing our destiny it comes from processing grief and Hardship while still holding fast to God's sovereignty

Let's pray Our Heavenly Father Lord, I come before you

We're deeply moved by the passage of Scripture that we had before us The Lord each one of us will be

Dealing with setbacks during the course of our lives. Each one of us will struggle with the sin that besets us

Each one of us is on that path of sanctification as we strive to become more and more closer to the image of Christ Lord I just ask that when we do run into those times where Maybe sin besets us that we will quickly resolve in this repentance or when we find situations where Sin affects the whole body of Christ that we will come together in comfort and restoration

Or thank you so much for Christ for his toning work

Or it's in these things that our eternal destiny is sealed Lord, let us always remember that Sin can affect other parties as well

Lord, let us always remember that we are not an island unto ourselves that Lord each one of us

We're we touch the lives of those around us. And so Lord, let us walk circumspectly

So Lord I ask that is Lord we go our separate ways that we will bring your truth with us

Or that it will be applied to our lives or that it will change our hearts