“The person who is caught with things in his possession that were reserved for destruction is to be burned to ashes, he and everything he has, because he has violated the covenant of Adonai and has committed a shameful deed in Israel.”-Joshua 7:15
Verse 12 makes it clear that the only solution for Israel’s current predicament after losing the battle at AI is to destroy the stolen items devoted to God that were meant for destruction.
And then just a few verses down, we’re told whoever had helped himself to the banned war booty was now under a curse and also had to be destroyed by fire together with the items he stole.
There’s an interesting picture being painted here that I want you to catch.
The person who stole what was banned had himself come under the ban.
Or to put it another way, the person who had stolen God’s holy property had through contact with those items (remember God’s holiness is contagious) had also become holy property.
As a result, the thief and the items he misappropriated now had to be destroyed by fire.
Why was fire the only approved method of destruction?
The answer is because it matches the pattern of how a sacrifice is offered up at the Tabernacle and completely consumed by fire.
This serves two purposes.
The first purpose is because God is Spirit, the only way He can receive something physical is by having it devoted to Him as a sacrifice that is completely consumed up in flames.
The second purpose is that completely burning up holy property of course also prevents anyone else from touching or stealing it.
Onward.
So how was the criminal found out?
The answer is by lots.
The word “lot” doesn’t appear here but the Rabbis all agree that the process-of-elimination methodology being presented to us in these verses is exactly how lots work.
From verse 16, we’re told that Joshua got up early in the morning (a Biblical expression showing one has great zeal to get on with the Lord’s work) and gathered together all of the tribes of Israel.
First, one by one, the princes of the tribes came forward until the lot showed that the thief hailed from the Tribe of Judah.
Next, all the clan chiefs came forward until the clan where the thief was hiding was identified.
It turned out to be the Zarchi Clan.
Then all of the families inside the Zarchi Clan were brought forward one by one.
The lot fell on the Zavdi family.
Finally, within the Zavdi family, each head of the household came forward until the lot (being divinely controlled by Hashem) pointed out that Achan was the person who had stolen God’s Holy Property.
And that’s how the lawbreaker was found out.
No trial with judge and jury was necessary.
God Himself conducted the trial and showed all Israel who the evildoer was.
What’s the takeaway for today?
The takeaway is there’s no hiding your sins from the Lord.
What has been done in the darkness will eventually be exposed in broad daylight for all to see.
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