Remove the Sin, Restore the Power — Joshua 7–8 (Session 10)

In this verse-by-verse study of Joshua 7:13–8:35, Reasoning Through the Bible continues the account of Achan’s hidden sin and Israel’s defeat at Ai. After Israel lost power because sin was hidden in the camp, God commands Joshua to deal with the sin publicly and remove what had been placed under the ban. This session shows that sin is never merely private, because it can affect families, churches, ministries, and the people around us.

The study follows the process by which Achan is exposed, his confession that he saw, coveted, and took the forbidden things, and the serious judgment that followed. The episode also explains the pattern of sin seen throughout Scripture: seeing, desiring, taking, and hiding. Achan’s failure becomes a warning that hidden sin must be brought into the light before God’s people can move forward in His power.

Joshua 8 then shows what happens after the sin is removed. Israel returns to Ai, God restores victory, and Joshua leads the people back to worship and the Word of God. The chapter closes with an altar of uncut stones, sacrifice, and the public reading of the law before all Israel. The message is clear: after sin is dealt with, God’s people must return to worship, obedience, and Scripture.

Topics in this episode include:

• Joshua 7 and 8 study
• Achan’s sin exposed
• public confrontation of sin
• sin affects others
• Israel’s victory at Ai
• restored spiritual power
• the altar of uncut stones
• worship after victory
• reading the law of Moses
• returning to God’s Word

Reasoning Through the Bible is a verse-by-verse Bible teaching ministry committed to careful exposition, biblical context, and faithful application.

Questions in this session:  

• When there is sin in our midst, do we deal with it publicly or privately? 
• What is the process for how to deal with sin in the congregation? 
• Is it OK to build large impressive religious buildings? 
• What does Joshua do to remind Israel of God’s commands?  

Transcript

Introduction to Joshua Chapter 7

Speaker 1 0:17

Welcome to Reasoning Through the Bible podcast . We've been working our way through the book of Joshua in our verse-by-verse study . Today we're in the middle of Joshua , chapter 7 . We've been looking at Israel as they go through the promised land . They've defeated Jericho and now they've run into a problem with little Ai . Big Jericho with its walled city was no problem , and now the men of Israel said , well , little AI shouldn't be a problem , just send a few people over there . And when they did , they were thoroughly defeated .

Speaker 1 0:50

Now we've found out why , in the first half of chapter 7 , is that God told them there's sin in your midst and you need to get rid of this sin . Last time we talked about how a little sin can hide away in our lives and grow and what it can do is end up taking away God's power . Here's a question for you , steve . In Joshua , chapter 7 , this man , achan , was one man and he committed this one sin , but it affected the whole nation . Can our sin just affect us , or does our sin affect people around us ? Is there such a thing as a victimless crime , where I can go do my sin and it only affects me ?

The Public Confrontation of Sin

Speaker 2 1:29

No , and that's the sad thing . One of the sad things about sin is that it's not just the person themselves . It also has a cascading effect to other people , and many times it's people that are in your own family and your own loved ones as well .

Speaker 1 1:47

Let's go ahead and read a passage here in Joshua , chapter 7 . I'm going to start in verse 13 . It says rise up , consecrate the people and say consecrate yourselves for tomorrow . For this the Lord , the God of Israel , has said there are things under the ban in your midst , o Israel . You cannot stand before your enemies until you have removed the things under the ban from your midst In the morning . Then you shall come near by your tribes , and it shall be that the tribe which the Lord takes by lot shall come near by families , and the family which the Lord takes shall come near by households , and the household which the Lord takes shall come near by households , and the household which the Lord takes shall come near man by man . It shall be that the one who is taken with the things under the ban shall be burned with fire , he and all that belongs to him , because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord and because he has committed a disgraceful thing in Israel .

Speaker 1 2:42

So Joshua arose early in the morning and brought Israel near by tribes , and the tribe of Judah was taken . He brought the family of Judah near and he took the family of Zarahites , and he brought the family of the Zarahites near man by man and Zabdi was taken and he brought the household near man by man and Achan , son of Carmi , son of Zabdi , son of Zerah , from the tribe of Judah , was taken . And Joshua said to Achan , my son , I implore you , give glory to the Lord , the God of Israel , and give praise to him , and tell me now what you have done . Do not hide it from me . So Achan answered Joshua and said so , joshua sent messengers and they ran to the tent and behold , it was concealed in his tent with the silver underneath it .

Speaker 1 3:49

They took them from inside the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the sons of Israel and they poured them out before the Lord . And Joshua and all Israel before him took Achan , the son of Zerah , the silver , the mantle , the bar of gold , his sons , his daughters , his oxen , his donkeys , his sheep , his tent and all that belonged to him , and they brought them up to the valley of Achor . Joshua said why have you troubled us ? The Lord will trouble you this day . And all Israel stoned them with stones and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones , and they raised over him a great heap of stones that stands to this day , so in verse 13, . What is the first thing that God does ?

Speaker 2 4:39

He tells them , as he does in many other places , that the people need to be consecrated .

Speaker 1 4:44

This process that we just read in this passage was a very public thing . They publicly singled Achan out , they publicly confronted him , they publicly shamed him and they publicly executed him . Think of where else in the Bible do we see that sin is dealt with publicly ? I think of Paul in Galatians . What happened in Galatians with Paul and Peter ? Remember ? Peter had a question that he had been compromising on Paul . What does he say ? Confronted him before them all . What does Jesus say in Matthew 18 to do if we discover a brother that's sinning ?

Speaker 2 5:21

First we're to try and reason with them . But if there is no reasoning with them , then you're to go public . You're to take it to the elders and others as well .

Speaker 1 5:30

Right . There's a three-step process and the third step is to take it before the church . We deal with it . Another place I think of Paul names some sinners publicly 1 and 2 Timothy . He mentions them by name . There was Hymenaeus . Philetus and Alexander were mentioned in 1 and 2 Timothy as specific people to avoid . So in the Bible there are places where it tells us to deal with sin publicly . Yes , matthew 18 , we deal with it privately first , but if it isn't rooted out and it isn't eliminated , we deal with it publicly . In other places Paul named people to be put out of the church . Sometimes , I submit there's a place for a public dealing of sin . So , steve , what's your opinion on ? I mean , there's some judgment call here and wise counsel should take that under consideration . But when should we deal with things publicly and when should we wait and deal with them privately ?

Speaker 2 6:30

I think it's every individual , case by case that needs to be done and take that into consideration . I think that we need to seek the Lord and His wisdom . I think , definitely when you go to somebody and talk to them privately , I think a main point of it would be what is the sin and what's the ramification of the sin , what's the effect the sin is having ? In this particular case , this was affecting the whole nation of Israel . They're there to conquer the land .

Speaker 2 7:00

This little bitty small sin that this one person had done , this little bitty small sin that this one person had done , it was inhibiting the whole nation from taking and conquering the land , as you brought up in our previous podcast . It's a little bitty sin to us , but it's having a big , big effect and a ramification . So when you come back to how we're to treat it today , what is that effect that , that sin that you're dealing with that brother with , is it something that's affecting just him or is it something that's affecting the whole assembly of the church ? Is it something that's affecting the whole country ? So the ramification of the sin , I think , also dictates the publicity or publicizing of that sin the publicity or publicizing of that sin , and I would agree .

Speaker 1 7:49

I think there's a place for church leaders to use wisdom , but I just submit that , such as here , there is a place to deal with sin quickly . There's a time where you have to deal with it publicly . I don't think that's done nearly enough in our churches today . Look down at verse 21 , and we have this response from this man , achan . Notice what he describes . He says I saw , I coveted and I took . I saw , I coveted and I took . I think of a similar situation with Eve , where what did she say with the fruit ? I saw it and I ate it . I saw that it was good to eat and I ate .

Speaker 1 8:25

How do we often fall into sin ? Same pattern we tend to see something , we covet them , we desire them and then we

Pattern of Sin: Seeing, Coveting, Taking

Speaker 1 8:35

act on the sin . That's really where we are with that today . Oftentimes we have to not see them or prevent ourselves . I think it was Job said he made a covenant with his eyes not to look at things . And then , in verse 26 , it says the heap of stones where they killed this man is there to this day and , as we pointed out , whoever wrote Joshua was very familiar with the land . Well , that takes us into chapter 8 . Very familiar with the land . Well , that takes us into chapter 8 .

Speaker 1 9:08

And in chapter 8 , we find out what happens when they respond back to the people of Ai . In chapter 8 , israel has removed the sin and God repeats at the beginning of chapter 8 , to go up to Ai , because I've given it into your hand , to Ai , because I've given it into your hand . God blesses us when we remove sin from our midst . There's a chapter here where he describes what's happening in this battle when he returns to Ai . And in verse 3 , joshua takes all the fighting men at night when they could hide in secret

Victory at Ai After Sin Removed

Speaker 1 9:48

no-transcript where the people of Ai could see them just like he did previously .

Speaker 1 9:53

Verse 14 , the soldiers of Ai run out to fight Israel . Joshua and his army pretend to run away so that the army of Ai would chase them . They've just caused the people of Ai to run away from their city . And at the end of verse 17 , they left the city open . They thought they were winning the battle because they had won it before , but really they were leaving themselves open . So one question I have is is it possible to be overconfident in the world ? We've done this before and it succeeded , so it must be going to work again . So is it a problem sometimes when we get to be overconfident ? Book of Proverbs , chapter 16 , says pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall . What's going to happen here in this chapter the people of Ai when they get overconfident and chase Joshua down away from their city ?

Speaker 2 10:50

The same thing happens to them that previously had happened to the warriors of Israel , and that they run into a trap and they're conquered and utterly destroyed .

Speaker 1 11:00

And in verse 19 , the men who are hiding rush in and burn the city . And in verse 20 , the army of Ai sees their city on fire and lose heart , and at that point Joshua and his army turn and attack the army of Ai . And in verse 22 , israel attacks Ai from two sides and defeats them . So that's a military strategy that's probably been used many times by military leaders over the centuries in different armies . And in verse 28 , it says the ruins of Ai were still in a heap at the time the book of Joshua was written . The ruins had not been cleared away or rebuilt , and so again , as we pointed out previously , the book of Joshua was written within the lifetimes of the people who've fought in these battles . And then , verse 29 , joshua hangs the king and buries his body under a heap of stones . Chapter 8 , just to summarize Chapter 8 , just to summarize what happens when we actually pull the sin out of our lives . God returns His power and we're able to defeat the flesh .

Speaker 2 12:01

Yeah , and that's the thing that you mentioned . It's not God that moves , we are the ones that move . When we move away , to repent actually means to make a 180-degree turn and turn back to God and go back to God to have a change of the mind . And so when we return to God , god is still there , he's still faithful . Again , he's not the one that's moved , we are the one that's moved .

Speaker 1 12:28

So , steve , can you read in Joshua , chapter eight , start at verse 30 and read down through 35?

The Altar of Uncut Stones

Speaker 1 12:34

.

Speaker 2 12:34

At that time , joshua built an altar to the Lord , the God of Israel , on Mount Ebal , just as Moses , the servant of the Lord , had commanded the people of Israel , as it is written in the book of the law of Moses , an altar of uncut stones upon which no man has wielded an iron tool , and they offered on it , burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings .

Speaker 2 12:58

And there , in the presence of the people of Israel , he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses which he had written . And all Israel , sojourner as well as native born , with their elders and officers and their judges , stood on opposite sides of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord , half of them in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal , just as Moses , the servant of the Lord , had commanded at the first to bless the people of Israel . And afterward he read all the words of the Lord , the beginning and the curse , the blessings and the curse , according to all that is written in the book of the law . There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read for the assembly of Israel and the women and the little ones and the sojourners who lived among them .

Speaker 1 13:54

Joshua 8 , verses 30 and 31, . God has them build this altar . What's an altar ? What's it for ? Why did they build it here ?

Speaker 2 14:01

So an altar can be built out of many things . In this particular case , it was to be built out of something uncut uncut stones , things that hadn't been fashioned or touched by any human being . It was to be something that was natural , but it's a place where God is worshiped . In this case , it was a place where burnt offerings were given and sacrificed to the Lord , a place that was to be holy , set apart for God , consecrated for God , a place that depicted an area to worship God Yahweh .

Speaker 1 14:35

Let's talk about these uncut stones . When I first read this years ago it kind of scratched my head . Why would God care ? But if you think about it , what's going to happen if people start carving them and trying to make it ? Well , I just want to make it look nice .

Speaker 2 14:51

I just want to take it and show my craftsmanship as part of my dedication to the Lord and I want to make it look nice . I just want to take it and show my craftsmanship as part of my dedication to the Lord and I want to make it look pretty . And , before you know it , they start putting their mind into it and the fashioning of what they have in their mind in relation to what they might think is going to please God .

Speaker 1 15:10

And we don't have to guess what direction that goes , because look at the cathedrals that have been built over the centuries and I'll admit there's some really great cathedrals that have been built . But as soon as you start trying to make this look nice , then all of a sudden you go down a path of putting so many resources into the religious objects of your worship that you take the focus away from God . Is there a problem with having a really nice place to worship ?

Speaker 2 15:41

No , there's not . But then it can also cause divisions , because one person that thinks that something looks really nice , another person might say , no , that's not appropriate . So there can also cause division within the assembly as well .

Speaker 1 15:55

That's never happened to any of our churches has it Steve or on ? Building programs or how to spend the church money on the building . Any of that ever ?

Speaker 2 16:05

happened in our day . The color of the carpet divides the church , or the type of pews , whether you have pews or whether you have seats , those type of things . Yeah , all of a sudden you lose the focus that you're building is supposed to be dedicated to God , and now you have these little squabbles and divisions that are taking place over things that don't really matter .

Speaker 1 16:26

So here God removes all of that and he just says uncut stones , Don't worry about making the altar beautiful . Who are you supposed to focus on during your worship ?

Speaker 2 16:38

God .

Speaker 1 16:39

You're supposed to focus on God , you're supposed to focus on the blood sacrifice in this case , and that is the focus of our worship and not all the elaborate buildings and things . Not anything necessarily wrong with an elaborate building necessarily . Not anything necessarily wrong with an elaborate building , necessarily . But when that gets to be the focus and the attention of keeping an object , a building , brick and mortar , instead of the God that inspired it all , then that's the problem . So , in verse 32 , what did Joshua write on these stones ?

Speaker 2 17:08

A copy of the law , the Ten Commandments .

Speaker 1 17:12

I was just thinking . It says the law of Moses and then later he reads it . I would take it that on the stones what he probably wrote was the Ten Commandments . He could have written the entire Leviticus and Deuteronomy , I mean he could have . So it's taken a while . It's technically possible , but I think it's probably more likely . What he wrote on there was the Ten Commandments . However , he does read . What does he do in verse 34 ?

Speaker 2 17:40

He reads both the blessings and the curses that are there in the law .

Speaker 1 17:44

They build this altar . God says uncut stones . We're not going to try to make an elaborate object here . It's just plain , so that focus can be on me . Elaborate object here , it's just plain , so that focus can be on me . And then why this emphasis on the Word of God ? Why would that be important ?

Speaker 2 18:00

here Because that's a foundation , and it's a foundation of our faith today . It's something that is there , it's an anchor , it's things that you can go back to . The law is with them at all times . It's something that they can refer to , so it's a stable item in their faith and their belief in God . It's something that they can reference . It gives them direction for their life . It's part of the things that set them apart and make them a holy nation , a nation set apart from all the other nations that are all around . It's something that their God , yahweh , has given to them , different from the other nations around . So by adhering to that , it keeps them as a nation , separated and holy unto God .

Speaker 1 18:50

Plus what had just happened at Ai . Somebody had disobeyed . They knew God's command . They disobeyed anyway . They had just come from this defeat and God having to deal with it . As soon as that victory happens at Ai , what does Joshua do ? Builds an altar , focuses back on God's word , stands before

The Importance of God's Word

Speaker 1 19:12

the people and reads the God's word and I take it that he probably read the entirety of Moses' commands . That's the emphasis was because of the sin and the defeat they had just had and the overcoming it and having to cut out this sin , he started a Bible study program for the whole congregation . One person had disobeyed God's command and it cost them . With this sacrifice , joshua wanted to give God praise and remind the people to obey God . That was the purpose of this .

Speaker 1 19:46

How long do you think it would take him to stand and read everything Moses ever wrote ? And the next question is going to be how often have in our churches have somebody just read God's Word ? For that long Would our congregations settle for ? We're going to stand and read the New Testament today and you're going to stand while I read this . How long would that last ? But I submit that hearing the Word of God is a valuable thing . Maybe we should get back to these things . In verse 35 , it says there's not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before the assembly . He starts a Bible study program . All of Leviticus , deuteronomy . It would have taken a while . Look at the end of verse 35 . Even the visitors and travelers listened to the word of God . That's the important thing here is that we really need to rehear these things , to make it part of our life and remind ourselves , even though we know it , it's good to hear the Word of God again . That's why we focus so much on Bible study in this program . Any last things ?

Speaker 2 20:52

Steve , before we wrap up , it's the Bible . God's Word is what you take home with you from church . If you're there , yes , you hear God's word in the preaching . That's there . You hear God's word in the small group that you might have and go a little bit deeper into it , but it's the word in the form of the Bible that you take home with you and it's not something that you're just supposed to pick up on your way out the door as you're going to church and then , as you come in the door , you set it down over in an area that it sits there , never to be opened until next Sunday , where you pick it up as you're going out the door to church again .

Speaker 2 21:31

It's something that you need to read during the week . It's God's word , it's direction for your life . It's something that God wants us to know . It was enough important to God that he commanded them to read it to all the people . It's the same thing that we have today . We need to take this at our time at home and read and study God's Word throughout the week . God's Word isn't just something for one day of the week .

Speaker 1 22:01

And lest anyone think we're kind of looking down on anybody , we emphasize these things because we've been guilty of them ourselves . Yeah , absolutely , I mean all of us have .

Speaker 2 22:10

Yeah .

Speaker 1 22:10

And so is a few minutes on Sunday morning sufficient for really learning the Word of God .

Speaker 2 22:16

No , and what we mentioned before is the spiritual journey is actually building a relationship with God , building a relationship with Jesus Christ , and it's hard to build a relationship just one day a week .

Speaker 1 22:28

And that's why here on Reasoning Through the Bible , we do these careful studies is hopefully our listeners can pick up on some of these nuances that just aren't taught in church . So to our audience , if you'll stick with us and stay with us , over time we'll be going through the Word of God chapter by chapter , verse by verse , and sometimes it goes a little faster and some a little slower . But if you'll stay with us then hopefully all of us will learn some things about the Word of God . And check us out on our website ReasoningThroughhebiblecom . There's a resources page . There you can learn a little bit more about the ministry . Stick with us next time when we get to Joshua , chapter 9 .