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

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