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Achan Sins - The Book of Joshua · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: And Achan answered Joshua and said, Indeed, I have sinned
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  Speaker 1: against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus
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  Speaker 1: have I done. Joshua 7.20 Dear Lord, Meditating on Joshua
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  Speaker 1: 7 and 8, I will be sure not to take
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  Speaker 1: any mindsets and idols that are contrary to the ways
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  Speaker 1: of the Lord. I come against the mindset of Achan
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  Speaker 1: that would have me take possession of what is not mine.
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  Speaker 1: I will be patient and wait for you to bring
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  Speaker 1: my perfect blessing to me. Like Joshua, if there is
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  Speaker 1: anything in my life that would stop me from winning
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  Speaker 1: the battles, I pray that you will help me identify
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  Speaker 1: them and then remove them from my life. When I
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  Speaker 1: experience moments of setbacks, I will realign myself and reassess
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  Speaker 1: my heart to make sure that I am living in
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  Speaker 1: complete obedience to you, Lord. when my victories seem far
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  Speaker 1: in between, I will stop and go back to my
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  Speaker 1: last place of disobedience so that I can make it
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  Speaker 1: right and move forward in my promise. Through your word,
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  Speaker 1: I have all the promises and strategies needed to win
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  Speaker 1: every battle. You are with me, Lord, and for that,
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  Speaker 1: I'm forever grateful. Be strong and courageous. With you, God,
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  Speaker 1: I've got this. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for
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  Speaker 1: praying with me today. Continue listening for an incredible Bible
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  Speaker 3: Achan sins. In our last story, we learned of God's
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  Speaker 3: enormous power. With the marching and shouts of Israel, the
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  Speaker 3: walls of Jericho crumbled and the Hebrew army stormed the city.
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  Speaker 3: Now we learn about Israel's self-confidence being shattered by lost
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  Speaker 3: and idolatry. Achan sins and hides it from Joshua, and
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  Speaker 3: the sins of Israel cause stumbling across the land. Inspired
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  Speaker 3: by the book of Joshua.
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  Speaker 4: We're so glad you joined us on the Bible in
• 2:45
  Speaker 4: a Year podcast today. The Bible in a Year podcast
• 2:48
  Speaker 4: is an outreach of PowerPoint Ministries and can only come
• 2:52
  Speaker 4: to you each week through the support of listeners just
• 2:54
  Speaker 4: like you. Your support today is so important that we
• 2:58
  Speaker 4: want to thank you for your gift by giving you
• 3:00
  Speaker 4: a copy of my book called The Jesus Book. It
• 3:03
  Speaker 4: is a powerful guide that shows how every book of
• 3:06
  Speaker 4: the Bible points to Jesus and how his living word,
• 3:09
  Speaker 4: the truth of God's word, will transform your life. So
• 3:13
  Speaker 4: to get a copy of The Jesus Book, simply go
• 3:16
  Speaker 4: to jackgram.org slash Jesus. That's jackgram.org slash Jesus. And thank
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  Speaker 4: you for your support. In our previous episode, we heard
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  Speaker 4: how God delivered the city of Jericho to the Israelites
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  Speaker 4: in a surprising and miraculous way. With the blowing of
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  Speaker 4: trumpets and the shouting of his people, God caused the
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  Speaker 4: walls of Jericho to collapse into rubble. The Israelites had
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  Speaker 4: stormed the exposed city with God's order to destroy everything
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  Speaker 4: but the gold, silver, bronze, and iron, which were to
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  Speaker 4: be taken for the Lord's treasury. They were warned not
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  Speaker 4: to keep plunder for themselves, lest they bring trouble on
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  Speaker 4: the whole camp. Today we learn of one man named
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  Speaker 4: Achan whose greed got the best of him and how
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  Speaker 4: his secret sin, an act of disobedience and deceit, brings
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  Speaker 4: heartache to all around him. Joshua and his army will
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  Speaker 4: be left perplexed as they lose in battle, but the
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  Speaker 4: truth will come out and the people will learn that
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  Speaker 4: God is not to be defied. Let's listen now to
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  Speaker 4: today's reading.
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  Speaker 3: The faithful arm of God carried Israel to victory. The
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  Speaker 3: Israelite army laughed and cheered in the streets of Jericho.
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  Speaker 3: The day was drawing to a close, and the men
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  Speaker 3: were gathering the spoils of war, taking anything valuable to
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  Speaker 3: be stored for the rest of Israel. Joshua instructed specifically
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  Speaker 3: that any idols that caused their hearts to stumble should
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  Speaker 3: be ignored. For God had given them victory, and to
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  Speaker 3: take idols as spoils of war would be spitting in
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  Speaker 3: the face of the Lord. Achan from the tribe of
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  Speaker 3: Judah was rummaging around in the wreckage, searching for anything
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  Speaker 3: valuable or interesting. At the corner of his eye, he
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  Speaker 3: spotted something. An altar to some of the Jericho gods
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  Speaker 3: stood there perfectly intact. The altar was gold, and on it,
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  Speaker 3: several Canaanite idols were spread across its base. They glimmered
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  Speaker 3: and reflected back in Achan's eyes. Achan smiled as he
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  Speaker 3: looked around him to see if anyone was watching. Then
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  Speaker 3: he took the idols and stuffed them in his bag.
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  Speaker 3: Unbeknownst to Achan, the anger of God was awakened against
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  Speaker 3: him that moment. Achan did not know that his idolatry
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  Speaker 3: would send Israel into heartache. Joshua sent spies to the
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  Speaker 3: neighboring land of Ai. The spies came back with a
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  Speaker 3: good report, saying that they only needed two to three
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  Speaker 3: thousand men in order to take the land, for the
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  Speaker 3: army was small there and the city was vulnerable. So
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  Speaker 3: Joshua and his men marched forward towards Ai. Achan was
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  Speaker 3: among them, still hiding his idols. Joshua and the army
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  Speaker 3: of Israel drew their swords. Their marching turned into running,
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  Speaker 3: and they shouted as they stormed the city of Ai.
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  Speaker 3: I met them with great strength. The battle raged, and
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  Speaker 3: the people of Israel began to fall one by one.
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  Speaker 3: Swords tore apart the flesh of thirty-six Israelite men, and
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  Speaker 3: it became apparent to Joshua that they would not win
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  Speaker 3: this battle.' Retreat!' Joshua yelled, and the army of Israel
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  Speaker 3: fled to the mountains. Dirty, bloodied, and bruised, the men
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  Speaker 3: sat there astonished. After such a glorious victory in Jericho,
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  Speaker 3: how could they have lost? Their hearts melted, and their
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  Speaker 3: optimism disappeared like vapor. Joshua fell before God at the ark.
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  Speaker 3: He lay there until evening. Joshua tightened his jaw. His
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  Speaker 3: face was on the ground, and dust was on his head.
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  Speaker 3: His eyes were sealed shut, and he was holding back tears.
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  Speaker 3: Why did you bring us over the Jordan at all?
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  Speaker 3: Joshua asked. WOULD YOU BRING US OUT HERE JUST TO
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  Speaker 3: HAVE US SLAUGHTERED? WE HAVE FLED FROM OUR ENEMIES. WORD
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  Speaker 3: WILL SPREAD OF OUR COWARDICE AND THEY WILL BE EMBOLDENED
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  Speaker 3: TO COME OUT AND SLAUGHTER US. JOSHUA FINALLY BEGAN TO CRY.
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  Speaker 3: HIS HEART WAS BROKEN OVER SUCH A TRAGIC LOSS. ALTHOUGH
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  Speaker 3: 36 MEN WAS NOT A LARGE MILITARY BLOW, IT MEANT
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  Speaker 3: EVERYTHING TO ISRAEL. THE LORD HAD NO PATIENCE OR COMPASSION
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  Speaker 3: LISTENING TO JOSHUA'S WORDS. Get up, he yelled. Why do
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  Speaker 3: you fall on your face? The people have broken their
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  Speaker 3: promise to me. They have stolen idols. If I am
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  Speaker 3: not their God, then why would I grant them victory?
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  Speaker 3: God spoke with firmness, and Joshua listened with anger. Joshua
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  Speaker 3: rose early and brought every tribe of Israel before him.
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  Speaker 3: He paced in front of them, staring. He pointed to
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  Speaker 3: the tribe of Judah, and brought them forward. Then all
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  Speaker 3: those in the tribe of Judah were brought before Joshua.
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  Speaker 3: One by one they brought their case before Joshua and left.
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  Speaker 3: Then Achan came forward. What have you done? Joshua asked.
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  Speaker 3: Immediately Achan crumbled. He confessed to taking idols from Jericho
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  Speaker 3: and storing them underneath his tent. So Joshua sent his
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  Speaker 3: men to ransack the tent. They brought all the gold
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  Speaker 3: and silver Achan had taken and showcased it in front
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  Speaker 3: of all the people. They grabbed Achan, his family, and
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  Speaker 3: all the idols he had taken and dragged them to
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  Speaker 3: the Valley of Achor. Why have you done this? Joshua asked. Afterwards,
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  Speaker 3: he said nothing. They bound Achan in the middle of
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  Speaker 3: the valley. Each member of the tribe picked up stones.
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  Speaker 3: One by one, they hurled stones at Achan. Blood and
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  Speaker 3: screams scattered across the fields. Achan writhed before them, bound
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  Speaker 3: and unable to free himself. Stone after stone struck Achan
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  Speaker 3: until he breathed his last. Joshua then took Achan along
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  Speaker 3: with his idols and burned them. Everyone looked as Achan
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  Speaker 3: melted with his idols. He shared their fate, destined to
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  Speaker 3: become nothing. The anger of God disappeared with the ashes
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  Speaker 3: of Achan and his idols. God turned to Joshua and said,
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  Speaker 3: Do not be afraid to go against I once again.
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  Speaker 3: I have given them into your hand. Joshua felt the
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  Speaker 3: confidence of the Lord return to him. This time Joshua
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  Speaker 3: gathered thirty thousand of his finest men to take I
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  Speaker 3: with force. The battle would not be easy, and it
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  Speaker 3: would require tact and patience. So Joshua and all the
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  Speaker 3: fighting men rose up to go towards Ai. Joshua laid
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  Speaker 3: out his plan before them and said, Twenty-five thousand of
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  Speaker 3: you shall lie in waiting on the outskirts of the city.
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  Speaker 3: Ai and five thousand of my men will storm the
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  Speaker 3: city and clash with Ai. When they come out to battle,
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  Speaker 3: we will flee as we did before. When they come
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  Speaker 3: after us, you will ambush the city and set it ablaze.
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  Speaker 3: They schemed all night, strategizing and bickering. The next morning,
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  Speaker 3: they were ready. Joshua and 5,000 of his men met
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  Speaker 3: Ai and his army for battle. The two forces clashed.
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  Speaker 3: The Israelite army feigned weakness and tucked tail and ran
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  Speaker 3: from Ai. Filled with confidence, Ai pursued Israel to finish
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  Speaker 3: them once and for all. The 5,000 men fled to
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  Speaker 3: the hills, luring Ai further and further from their city. Then,
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  Speaker 3: like mighty waves crashing upon the rocks, 25,000 of Israel's
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  Speaker 3: warriors clashed against the city of Ai. The land stood
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  Speaker 3: no chance, and they set it ablaze for all the
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  Speaker 3: world to see. The men of Ai looked back to
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  Speaker 3: see their city rising up in smoke and flames. As
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  Speaker 3: they looked back, the 5,000 men of Israel leapt like
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  Speaker 3: a lion against its prey. The jaws of Israel's army
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  Speaker 3: locked on to the neck of Ai. They tore them
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  Speaker 3: apart limb from limb, sparing no soldier. None were able
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  Speaker 3: to escape, and the king of Ai was taken captive
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  Speaker 3: and brought to Joshua. Miles away in Ai, more men
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  Speaker 3: arose from the city to come against the army of Israel.
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  Speaker 3: Israel was surrounded by soldiers from the right and from
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  Speaker 3: the left. Swords flew and shields burst. The flames in
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  Speaker 3: the city grew larger and larger and ash filled the air.
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  Speaker 3: Israel fought among the flames, dousing the fire with the
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  Speaker 3: blood of their enemies. All fell at the edge of
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  Speaker 3: their sword. A total of 12,000 bodies burned with the
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  Speaker 3: city of Ai. Only the livestock was spared as plunder.
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  Speaker 3: The rest was left as a heap of ruins and
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  Speaker 3: a monument to God's greatness. Joshua hung the king of Ai,
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  Speaker 3: and he remained there for the rest of the day.
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  Speaker 3: As the sun was setting across the land, Joshua threw
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  Speaker 3: the king's body among the ashes of his city. The
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  Speaker 3: air smelled of blood, metal, and ash. Joshua raised his
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  Speaker 3: javelin and screamed a war cry of victory. All 30,000
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  Speaker 3: men joined in their shouts. The roaring of Israel shook
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  Speaker 3: the ground. Another victory. The promised land was closer. They
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  Speaker 3: built an altar to God and renewed their covenant with Him.
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  Speaker 3: With God as their mighty warrior king, no nation would
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  Speaker 3: ever stand against them and prevail. Standing among the ash,
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  Speaker 3: a shout of victory bellowed across the land for all
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  Speaker 3: to hear.
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  Speaker 4: Today's reading opens in the aftermath of the Battle of Jericho.
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  Speaker 4: The people were rejoicing over the victory that God had
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  Speaker 4: given them in their first challenge in the promised land.
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  Speaker 4: God knew they would be quick to turn away as
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  Speaker 4: they had done many times before, so he had commanded
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  Speaker 4: them to keep no spoils for themselves. It was a test.
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  Speaker 4: The shrines and the idols in Jericho would be a
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  Speaker 4: stumbling block, so they must be completely destroyed. But one
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  Speaker 4: man named Achan was captivated by the spoils and took
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  Speaker 4: some for himself. He knew it was wrong because he
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  Speaker 4: carefully hid what he had taken in his tent. Nobody knew.
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  Speaker 4: At least he thought. God, of course, knew. And this
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  Speaker 4: act of disrespect and defiance of God, his disobedience, angered
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  Speaker 4: the Lord greatly. This was secret sin, sin in the camp,
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  Speaker 4: and it had to be dealt with. So when Joshua
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  Speaker 4: and his army went into battle against the neighboring city
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  Speaker 4: of Ai, His men met a formidable foe and an
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  Speaker 4: ignominious defeat as 36 Israelite men were cut down and
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  Speaker 4: this forced Joshua to call a retreat. They returned to
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  Speaker 4: camp defeated, not knowing what had happened. What was God doing,
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  Speaker 4: Joshua wondered. Downcast and dispirited, Joshua fell before the ark
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  Speaker 4: and cried out to God asking him, Why has this happened?
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  Speaker 4: Won't this make you and us look bad before the nations?
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  Speaker 4: But God was having none of this. He called for
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  Speaker 4: Joshua to get up. And then he laid out the
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  Speaker 4: accusation that no doubt stunned Joshua. And we read about
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  Speaker 4: it here in Joshua 7, verses 11 through 12. Israel
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  Speaker 4: has sinned. They have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them.
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  Speaker 4: They have taken some of the devoted things they have
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  Speaker 4: stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. Therefore,
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  Speaker 4: the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They
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  Speaker 4: turn their backs before their enemies because they have become
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  Speaker 4: devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more
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  Speaker 4: unless you destroy the devoted things that are among you.
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  Speaker 4: This secret sin, this single act of disobedience, would not stand.
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  Speaker 4: God is teaching every one of us a lesson, that
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  Speaker 4: we must confess our sins and not hide them away,
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  Speaker 4: that a divided heart cannot walk with God and God
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  Speaker 4: cannot use us with sin in our lives. God instructed
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  Speaker 4: Joshua as to how they would find the culprit. And
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  Speaker 4: just as he said, the guilty party was discovered. Achan
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  Speaker 4: came forward and confessed his sin, surely to the anger
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  Speaker 4: and shock of everyone around them. Achan and the things
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  Speaker 4: that he had taken were quickly destroyed, and judgment came
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  Speaker 4: upon Achan and his family. He sent Joshua once more
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  Speaker 4: to battle at Ai, and this time the victory was commanding.
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  Speaker 4: Not a soul was left standing, only the livestock. God's
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  Speaker 4: blessing and protection was once again upon his people, just
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  Speaker 4: as he had promised. Hope is restored, and the neighboring
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  Speaker 4: cities feared the God of Israel and his army. The
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  Speaker 4: next time, we're going to learn about a new approach
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  Speaker 4: to war that one of those neighbors employs. Dear God,
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  Speaker 4: we pray that you would search our hearts, and if
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  Speaker 4: there is any sin, if there is a secret sin,
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  Speaker 4: if there is a buried sin in our lives, that
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  Speaker 4: we would confess it and find forgiveness, that we would
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  Speaker 4: learn to obey you always and never try to cover
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  Speaker 4: up our disobedience to you. Thank you for always showing
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  Speaker 4: us mercy when we come to you. We pray this
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  Speaker 4: in the name of your son, Jesus, who made it
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  Speaker 4: possible for us to confess our sins and to be forgiven.
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  Speaker 4: In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening
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  Speaker 4: to today's Bible in a Year podcast. And before we go,
• 17:05
  Speaker 4: I wanted to let you know that the Bible in
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