valley of cutting off

Posted on August 25, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

Joshua - 1

valley of cutting off

Joshua 7:22-26 (JDV)

Joshua 7:22 So Joshua sent messengers who ran to the tent, and there was the cloak, concealed in his tent, with the silver underneath.
Joshua 7:23 They took the things from inside the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites, and spread them out in Yahveh’s presence.
Joshua 7:24 Then Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the cloak, and the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his ox, donkey, and sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and brought them up to the Valley of Achor.
Joshua 7:25 Joshua said, “Why have you cut us off? Today Yahveh will cut you off!” So all Israel stoned them to death. They burned their bodies, threw stones on them,
Joshua 7:26 and raised over him a large pile of rocks that remains still today. Then Yahveh turned from his burning anger. Therefore that place is called the Valley of Achor still today.

valley of cutting off

Traditionally, this passage was interpreted and translated as if Achan was being accused of causing trouble, but (as my translation shows) the verb used means to cut someone off by making them taboo. By his sin, Achan has cut the people off from their relationship with God, and destroying him and everything he had (including his family) restored the relationmship.

I have been looking at this entire story as a depiction of the reality of future judgment. Hell will be a place where all whose sin have cut them off from God will be cut off from life itself. This cleansing of the universe is part of what makes an eternity in fellowship with God possible.

For the Israelites, that pile of stones in the valley of cutting off showed the severity of sin, and the need to eliminate it in their community.

We will either be cut off from our sins, or be cut from God by our sins.

Posted in destruction in hell, sin | Tagged | 1 Comment

the shame of selfishness

Posted on August 24, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

Joshua - 1

the shame of selfishness

Joshua 7:16-21 (JDV)

Joshua 7:16 Joshua got up early the next morning. He had Israel come forward tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was selected.
Joshua 7:17 He had the clans of Judah come forward, and the Zerahite clan was selected. He had the Zerahite clan come forward by heads of families, and Zabdi was selected.
Joshua 7:18 He then had Zabdi’s family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was selected.
Joshua 7:19 So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to Yahveh, the God of Israel, and make a confession to him. I urge you, tell me what you have done. Don’t hide anything from me.”
Joshua 7:20 Achan replied to Joshua, “It is true. I have sinned against Yahveh, the God of Israel. This is what I did:
Joshua 7:21 When I saw among the spoils a beautiful cloak from Babylon, five pounds of silver, and a bar of gold weighing a pound and a quarter, I craved them and took them. You can see for yourself. They are concealed in the ground inside my tent, with the silver under the cloak.”

the shame of selfishness

The damage had been done. People had lost their lives in battle through no fault of their own, because Achan had disobeyed orders and took things for himself that belonged to God. Oh, when I think of all the times I have done that, I bow my head in shame. I know God has forgiven me for my greed and lack of concern. I stand forgiven for all my sins of the past. But it humbles me to think of the seriousness of showing disrespect for God. Achan put himself before God. He had hidden the evidence of his shame, but it was not hidden from God.

Lord, change our selfish hearts.

Posted in greed, tithing, worship | Tagged | 1 Comment

loser lottery

Posted on August 23, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

Joshua - 1

loser lottery

Joshua 7:14-15 (JDV)

Joshua 7:14 In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe Yahveh selects is to come forward clan by clan. The clan Yahveh selects is to come forward family by family. The family Yahveh selects is to come forward man by man.
Joshua 7:15 The one who is caught with the things set apart must be burned, along with everything he has, because he has violated Yahveh’s covenant and committed an outrage in Israel.”

loser lottery

I don’t recommend lotteries, because they have a lot of losers, and only one big winner. That is not a good investment strategy. This lottery, however, is different. It was God who would be picking the offender, and it was for the purposes of narrowing the field so that the entire nation did not have to suffer for the sins of Achan.

Hell will be like that. Everyone who goes there will be sent by God, who only punishes those who deserve it.

The bad news is, we are all Achans. Thanks to God’s grace, and Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we can avoid destruction. But the day of grace is ending — the day of judgment and permanent destruction is coming. Flee to God in repentance, now. Tomorrow may be lottery day.

Lord, give us the wisdom to accept your grace. We do not want what we deserve.

Posted in destruction in hell, grace, repentance | Tagged | 1 Comment

disabled warfare

Posted on August 22, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

Joshua - 1

disabled warfare

Joshua 7:12-13 (JDV)

Joshua 7:12 This is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies. They will turn their backs and run from their enemies, because they have been set apart for destruction. I will no longer be with you unless you remove from among you what is set apart.
Joshua 7:13 “Go and consecrate the people. Tell them to consecrate themselves for tomorrow, for this is what Yahveh, the God of Israel, says: There are things that are set apart among you, Israel. You will not be able to stand against your enemies until you remove what is set apart.

disabled warfare

The city of Jericho had been set apart for destruction, and the indestructible things in it — the treasures — had been set apart for the tabernacle. Jericho had been intended as a visual aid for the day of coming destruction in Gehenna. But Achan spoiled the picture by stealing some of the consecrated items for himself. The Israelites had to be purged of the consecrated items, and the offending violator of the command.

God intends his people to conquer their enemies. But violating the command by coveting earthly treasures for ourselves will make us unfit for battle — in the spiritual realm.

Lord, purge us of the stuff that disables our warfare.

Posted in enemies, greed, sin, spiritual warfare | Tagged | 1 Comment

standing up against sin

Posted on August 21, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

Joshua - 1

standing up against sin

Joshua 7:10-11 (JDV)

Joshua 7:10 Yahveh then said to Joshua, “Stand up! Why have you fallen facedown?
Joshua 7:11 Israel has failed. They have violated my covenant that I appointed for them. They have taken some of what was set apart. They have stolen, deceived, and put those things with their own belongings.

standing up against sin

God told Joshua to stand up because it was time to be a leader, not a complainer. It was time to obey God, not use him as an excuse. A failure has happened. But adding failure to failure is not the right solution to the problem.

My friends, we have to stop the cycle of failure leading to depression, leading to more failure. It is time to stand up and lead God’s people back to him.

Lord, wake us up to our sin cycle, and show us how to stand up and fight back.

Posted in leadership, sin | Tagged | 1 Comment

first reaction

Posted on August 20, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

Joshua - 1

first reaction

Joshua 7:6-9 (JDV)

Joshua 7:6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of Yahveh until evening, as did the elders of Israel; they all put dust on their heads.
Joshua 7:7 “Oh, Lord God,” Joshua said, “why did you ever bring these people across the Jordan to hand us over to the Amorites for our destruction? If only we had been content to remain on the other side of the Jordan!
Joshua 7:8 What can I say, Lord, now that Israel has turned its back and run from its enemies?
Joshua 7:9 When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will surround us and wipe out our name from the land. Then what will you do about your great name?”

first reaction

Joshua should have known better. His first reaction to the incident at Ai is to blame God.

Truth is, that is our first reaction when bad things happen to us all too often. Instead of stepping back and looking at a hard situation rationally, we look for someone to blame. If we were to go back over the history — as Joshua should have — we would see that God has warned us about all that might happen should we choose the wrong side.

Lord, you are great and good. Forgive us our failures, especially the tendency to blame you for our problems.

Posted in blasphemy, sin | Tagged | 1 Comment

each link is important

Posted on August 19, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

Joshua - 1

each link is important

Joshua 7:4-5 (JDV)

Joshua 7:4 So about three thousand men went up there, but they fled from the men of Ai.
Joshua 7:5 The men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of them and chased them from outside the city gate to the quarries, striking them down on the descent. As a result, the people lost heart.

each link is important

Observers of the battle of Ai might have imagined all kinds of reasons for this unexpected defeat. But there was no way that these men could have defeated the men of Ai, because the failure did not come from them. God allowed the Israelites to be defeated because one man had betrayed him. A three thousand man army is only as strong as its weakest link.

Lord, build commitment and dedication to you into each one of us.

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the only number that matters

Posted on August 18, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

Joshua - 1

the only number that matters

Joshua 7:1-3 (JDV)

Joshua 7:1 The Israelites, however, were unfaithful regarding the things set apart for destruction. Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of what was set apart, and Yahveh’s anger burned against the Israelites.
Joshua 7:2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and scout the land.” So the men went up and scouted Ai.
Joshua 7:3 After returning to Joshua they reported to him, “Don’t send all the people, but send about two thousand or three thousand men to attack Ai. Since the people of Ai are so few, don’t wear out all our people there.”

the only number that matters

The scouts were not thinking straight. They somehow got the idea that it was their large numbers which defeated Jericho. But it was God who had empowered them to defeat Jericho. But now God would not release that power, because one man among them had proven unfaithful. It would not matter how many people were dispatched to defeat Ai. Even all the people would not be enough.

When it comes to faithfulness, the only number that matters is one.

Lord, without your help, it does not matter how large our numbers are. Give us the wisdom to be faithful, one at a time.

Posted in faithfulness | Tagged | 1 Comment

leaving the rubble alone

Posted on August 17, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

Joshua - 1

leaving the rubble alone

Joshua 6:26 -27 (JDV)

Joshua 6:26 At that time Joshua imposed this curse: The man who undertakes the rebuilding of this city, Jericho, is cursed before Yahveh. He will lay its foundation at the cost of his firstborn; he will finish its gates at the cost of his youngest.
Joshua 6:27 And Yahveh was with Joshua, and news about him spread throughout the land.

leaving the rubble alone

The reason it was so important that Jericho not be rebuilt is that it was symbolic of the whole system of sin and corruption that stands between humanity and God. The kingdom will overthrow that system permanently.

Lord, give us the wisdom to leave the rubble alone and let your victory prevail over our past.

Posted in repentance | 1 Comment

spared

Posted on August 16, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

Joshua - 1

spared

Joshua 6:20-25 (JDV)

Joshua 6:20 So the troops yelled, and the trumpets sounded. When they heard the blast of the trumpet, the troops gave a great yell, and the wall collapsed. The troops advanced into the city, each man straight ahead, and they captured the city.
Joshua 6:21 They completely destroyed everything in the city with the sword – every man and woman, both young and old, and every ox, sheep, and donkey.
Joshua 6:22 Joshua said to the two men who had scouted the land, “Go to the prostitute’s house and bring the woman out of there, and everyone who is with her, just like you swore to her.”
Joshua 6:23 So the young men who had scouted went in and brought out Rahab and her father, mother, brothers, and everyone who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.
Joshua 6:24 They burned the city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of Yahveh’s house.
Joshua 6:25 However, Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, and everyone who belonged to her, because she hid the messengers Joshua had sent to spy on Jericho, and she still lives in Israel today.

spared

The story is a true story, but it is also a symbol of another reality. Rahab is a symbol of how to be spared from the coming destruction. The Bible tells us that the wicked will be permanently destroyed in hell, just like the citizens of Jericho were destroyed by the invading Israelites under Joshua. But Rahab and those in her household were spared. How were they spared? They made the crucial decision to switch allegiances and trust God rather than their own gods. They sought the protection and provision of God’s people, which was an act of rebellion against their own city. They trusted in the protection of the divine covenant, as symbolized by the scarlet cord.

Unbelievers today have the same option. They can be spared the coming wrath and its consequence of permanent destruction, but not without making the same choice that Rahab did.

Lord, draw more Rahabs to yourself.

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