Wrath Leads to Defeat

“ ‘By all means abstain from the accursed things,’ ” Joshua urges his soldiers prior to the fall of Jericho. But they do not do so. Chapter 7 opens with the horrible news that Achan has kept some of the plunder from the city. But the writer of the book does not blame Achan alone; he notes that “the children of Israel committed a trespass,” and, as a result, “the anger of the LORD burned against the children of Israel.” How does one man’s sin bring the entire nation under divine wrath? “Though it was a single person that sinned, the children of Israel are said to commit the trespass because one of their body did it, and he was not as yet separated from them, nor disowned by them,” Matthew Henry writes. “By what Achan did, guilt was brought upon the whole society of which he was a member.” Why? Because God’s covenant was with Israel as a people (see v. 11); therefore, disobedience to God’s command by even one would bring the whole nation into covenant violation. Achan’s sin arouses God’s anger, a burning wrath that will be assuaged only by the most extreme measures.

Blissfully unaware of the sin that has occurred and of the wrath of God against His people, Joshua makes plans for the next step in the conquest. He sends scouts north to the small city of Ai; they report back that the inhabitants are few and that only a small contingent of Israelites can defeat it. Joshua heeds that advice and sends about three thousand soldiers. But the Israelites who venture to Ai are defeated and 36 are killed. Commentators sometimes fault the Israelites’ sudden self-confidence and Joshua’s failure to seek God’s will on his next target, and those criticisms have some merit. But we must remember that the outcome of the battle at Ai is a result of God’s wrath over Achan’s sin. Yet, even in this shockingly unexpected setback, God shows His grace and mercy. Israel could have lost many more men from among the three thousand and an untold number had all its soldiers gone to Ai, for even the entire Israelite army would not have altered the outcome of the battle—it had been determined by God to bring His people to repentance.

With the defeat, the hearts of the Israelites “melt.” Like the Canaanites as Israel approached, they become filled with fear and doubt. Even Joshua loses confidence, as we will see in our next study.