Why does the Lord say Israel cannot stand before its enemies after the defeat at Hai?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Israel has broken his covenant by taking, stealing, lying about and hiding forbidden goods. The Lord says the camp is defiled and he will no longer be with them until the guilty person is destroyed. The chapter follows the finding of Achan, his confession, the recovery of the goods and his punishment; then the Lord’s wrath turns away.

Chapter breakdown

Israel’s children break the command by taking for themselves what is under the ban. Achan, son of Charmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zare, of Juda’s tribe, takes something forbidden, and the Lord is angry with Israel. Josue sends men from Jericho to view Hai, beside Bethaven on Bethel’s east side. They view it and report that only two or three thousand men need go to destroy it, since its enemies are very few; they ask why all the people should be troubled in vain. Three thousand fighting men go up and immediately turn their backs. Hai’s men defeat them, killing thirty-six and pursuing them from the gate as far as Sabarim, killing them on the descent. The people’s hearts are struck with fear and melt like water.

Josue tears his garments and lies flat before the Lord’s ark until evening, with all Israel’s elders; they put dust on their heads. Josue asks why the Lord brought them over the Jordan to deliver them to the Amorrhite and destroy them, and wishes they had stayed beyond the Jordan. He asks what he can say when Israel turns its back on its enemies. He fears that the Chanaanites and all the land’s inhabitants will hear, gather, surround them and cut their name off the earth. He asks what the Lord will do for his great name. These are Josue’s questions and forecast. The Lord tells him to rise and asks why he lies flat.

The Lord says Israel has sinned and broken his covenant: they have taken forbidden goods, stolen, lied and hidden them among their belongings. Defiled by the ban, Israel cannot stand before its enemies and will flee. He will no longer be with them until they destroy the person guilty of this wickedness. Josue must rise, sanctify the people and tell them to be sanctified for tomorrow. The curse is in their midst; they cannot stand before their enemies until the defiled person is destroyed from among them. In the morning they must come by tribes. The tribe found by lot must come by kindreds, the kindred by houses, and the house by individual men. Whoever is found guilty must be burned with fire, with all his substance, because he has broken the Lord’s covenant and done wickedness in Israel.

Josue rises in the morning and brings Israel by tribes. Juda is found, then Zare’s family, then Zabdi’s house. Bringing the house man by man, he finds Achan, son of Charmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zare, of Juda’s tribe. Josue calls him “My son,” tells him to give glory to the Lord God of Israel and confess, and asks him to tell what he has done without hiding it. Achan admits sinning against the Lord God of Israel. He says he saw among the spoils a very fine scarlet garment, two hundred sicles of silver and a golden rule weighing fifty sicles. He coveted them, took them and hid them in the ground in the middle of his tent; he covered the silver with the earth he dug up.

Josue sends ministers, who run to Achan’s tent and find all the hidden goods in the same place, together with the silver. They take them out, bring them to Josue and all Israel’s children, and throw them down before the Lord. Josue and all Israel take Achan—called the son of Zare here—with the silver, garment and golden rule, his sons and daughters, oxen, asses, sheep, tent and all his goods, to the valley of Achor. Challoner’s separate note says the sons were probably aware of their father’s crime or accomplices in it. The note offers probability, not a recorded finding that each child took part.

Josue says that because Achan has troubled them, the Lord will trouble him this day. All Israel stones him, and all his things are consumed with fire. They gather a great heap of stones upon him, remaining until this present day. The Lord’s wrath turns away from them, and the place is called the Valley of Achor until this day. Challoner’s separate note explains that Achor means trouble.

The story inside

The chapter first names Achan’s taking of forbidden goods and the Lord’s anger against Israel. The scouts’ recommendation leads to three thousand men going to Hai, where thirty-six die and the people fear. Josue’s lament asks about the defeat and forecasts surrounding enemies. The Lord answers with Israel’s specific offenses and the condition for his presence, then orders preparation and a lot proceeding from tribe to individual. The next morning’s findings identify Achan; his confession names the objects, amounts and hiding place. Running ministers recover what he described and bring it before Josue, Israel and the Lord. Achan, his household and goods are taken to Achor, where the account records his stoning and the burning of his things. The closing result is the Lord’s wrath turning away. Challoner’s probable account of the sons’ involvement and his explanation of Achor remain separately attributed.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The Lord names the cause of Israel’s inability to stand: covenant breaking through taking, stealing, lying and hiding the banned goods. His answer also names the required removal and the condition for his presence; it does not merely offer Josue encouragement.
2
The finding is followed by both confession and recovery. The lot narrows through Juda, Zare and Zabdi to Achan; Achan names the garment, two hundred silver sicles and fifty-sicle golden rule, and the ministers find the goods where he says.
3
The household note retains uncertainty. Scripture names the sons and daughters among those taken to Achor; Challoner says the sons were probably aware or accomplices. That probability must stay distinct from the account’s stated punishment and result.

Test your recall

What offenses does the Lord name as the cause of Israel’s fleeing, and what condition does he give for being with them again?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 22939–22965
Josue Chapter 7 For the sins of Achan, the Israelites are defeated at Hai. The offender is found out; and stoned to death, and God’s wrath is turned from them. 7:1. But the children of Israel transgressed the commandment, and took to their own use of that which was accursed. For Achan, the son of Charmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zare, of the tribe of Juda, took something of the anathema: and the Lord was angry against the children of Israel. 7:2. And when Josue sent men from Jericho against Hai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east side of the town of Bethel, he said to them: Go up, and view the country: and they fulfilled his command, and viewed Hai. 7:3. And returning, they said to him: Let not all the people go up, but let two or three thousand men go, and destroy the city: why should all the people be troubled in vain, against enemies that are very few? 7:4. There went up therefore three thousand fighting men: who immediately turned their backs, 7:5. And were defeated by the men of the city of Hai, and there fell of them six and thirty men: and the enemies pursued them from the gate as far as Sabarim, and they slew them as they fled by the descent: and the heart of the people was struck with fear, and melted like water.
Lines 22967–22984
7:6. But Josue rent his garments, and fell flat on the ground, before the ark of the Lord, until the evening, both he and all the ancients of Israel: and they put dust upon their heads. 7:7. And Josue said: Alas, O Lord God, why wouldst thou bring this people over the river Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorrhite, and to destroy us? would God we had stayed beyond the Jordan, as we began. 7:8. My Lord God, what shall I say, seeing Israel turning their backs to their enemies? 7:9. The Chanaanites, and all the inhabitants of the land, will hear of it, and being gathered together will surround us, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do to thy great name? 7:10. And the Lord said to Josue: Arise, why liest thou flat on the ground?
Lines 22986–23007
7:11. Israel hath sinned, and transgressed my covenant: and they have taken of the anathema, and have stolen and lied, and have hid it among their goods. 7:12. Neither can Israel stand before his enemies, but he shall flee from them: because he is defiled with the anathema. I will be no more with you, till you destroy him that is guilty of this wickedness. 7:13. Arise, sanctify the people, and say to them: Be ye sanctified against tomorrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel: The curse is in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thy enemies, till he be destroyed out of thee, that is defiled with this wickedness. 7:14. And you shall come in the morning, every one by your tribes: and what tribe soever the lot shall find, it shall come by its kindreds, and the kindred by its houses and the house by the men. 7:15. And whosoever he be that shall be found guilty of this fact, he shall be burnt with fire, with all his substance, because he hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and hath done wickedness in Israel.
Lines 23009–23028
7:16. Josue, therefore, when he rose in the morning, made Israel to come by their tribes, and the tribe of Juda was found. 7:17. Which being brought by in families, it was found to be the family of Zare. Bringing that also by the houses, he found it to be Zabdi: 7:18. And bringing his house man by man, he found Achan, the son of Charmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zare, of the tribe of Juda. 7:19. And Josue said to Achan: My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel, and confess, and tell me what thou hast done, hide it not. 7:20. And Achan answered Josue, and said to him: Indeed I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done. 7:21. For I saw among the spoils a scarlet garment, exceeding good, and two hundred sicles of silver, and a golden rule of fifty sicles: and I coveted them, and I took them away, and hid them in the ground in the midst of my tent, and the silver I covered with the earth that I dug up.
Lines 23030–23042
7:22. Josue therefore sent ministers: who running to his tent, found all hid in the same place, together with the silver. 7:23. And taking them away out of the tent, they brought them to Josue, and to all the children of Israel, and threw them down before the Lord. 7:24. Then Josue, and all Israel with him, took Achan, the son of Zare, and the silver, and the garment, and the golden rule, his sons also, and his daughters, his oxen, and asses, and sheep, the tent also, and all the goods: and brought them to the valley of Achor: His sons, etc.... Probably conscious to, or accomplices of, the crime of their father.
Lines 23044–23055
7:25. Where Josue said: Because thou hast troubled us, the Lord trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him: and all things that were his, were consumed with fire. 7:26. And they gathered together upon him a great heap of stones, which remaineth until this present day And the wrath of the Lord was turned away from them. And the name of that place was called the Valley of Achor, until this day. Achor.... That is, trouble.