The Way
Achan's Sin and the City of Ai
When one hidden thing brings down a whole camp
Story
The men who had gone to look over Ai, a small town east of Bethel, came back and said, There is no need to wear out the whole people. Two or three thousand men will be enough. So about three thousand went up. But they were driven back from the city gate and fled down the slope, and thirty-six of them fell. The people's hearts melted like water. Joshua tore his clothes, and with the elders, dust thrown on their heads, he lay face down before the ark until evening.
The Lord said, Get up. Israel has sinned. They have stolen what was devoted to me and hidden it among their own belongings. The next morning the lot narrowed from tribe to clan, from clan to household, then man by man, until at last it fell on Achan of the tribe of Judah. Achan hung his head and confessed. I saw a fine robe from Shinar, silver and a bar of gold, and I wanted them, and I took them. They are buried in the ground inside my tent.
Achan and everything that was his were taken to the Valley of Achor and stoned, and a great heap of stones was raised over them. After that the Lord said to Joshua, Do not be afraid. I have handed Ai over to you. Joshua drew the enemy out by pretending to flee before the city, and soldiers lying in ambush behind it rushed into the empty town and set it on fire. Ai became a heap of ruins, and so it remains to this day, the text says.
Walk this scene on the map →God's Words
Get up. Why are you lying on your face like this? Israel has sinned. They have broken the covenant I commanded, stolen what was devoted to me and hidden it among their own belongings.
Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take the whole army and go up to Ai. I have handed over to you the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land.
It is true. I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. I saw those things, I wanted them and I took them. They are buried in the ground inside my tent.
The sayings are fresh renderings of the original meaning in today's language. Text: Josh 7:1–8:29
Background
Ai means heap of ruins. It has traditionally been identified with et Tell, but that site turned out to be uninhabited in the Late Bronze Age, so some suggest other candidates such as Khirbet el Maqatir. The location is still debated.
Pause and Reflect
Is there a wrong I am hiding, thinking no one will ever know?