Chapter 7 Ai and the Accursed Thing

WE have just been considering the brilliant, picture of a divine victory obtained by faith over Satan. After such a conquest, we say, Israel will surely proceed from one victory to another but not so. Chapter 7 opens with the registry of a defeat. A little town, an insignificant, obstacle in comparison with Jericho, and " few people " are -enough to put to flight three thousand men of Israel, and to cause the hearts of the people to melt and become as water.
There are secrets of defeat as there are secrets, of victory, and the believer's chief danger lies in victory. After having gained it in real dependence upon God, the soul, if occupied with the results, willingly attributes something to itself, and the next defeat dates from that moment.
Notice the case of. Joshua: " Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai." (Ver. 2.) He repeats what he had done in chapter 2:1 with regard to the land and Jericho. Then it was the path of God, but now the very same act becomes a human and fleshly expedient. The spies had returned from reconnoitering Jericho saying: " Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land.' What need then to send further emissaries? It was in some measure a lack of dependence on God, a confidence in human means.
More than this, Joshua sent them " from Jericho," which is not the true point of departure; he forgets Gilgal, where they learned, what the flesh is, or perhaps he does not yet, know that it is the place to which they must return. Joshua had found in the victory an opportunity for trusting in the flesh. He, who-until now, had been a type of Christ by His Spirit acting in the believer, so as to bring him into possession of his privileges, descends to the level of an ordinary man. The typical Joshua, disappears, to make room for Joshua as a man.
Is it not often so with us? Every believer in his measure is a representative of Christ, an epistle intended to make Him known, which,, directly we forget Gilgal, disappears -to give place to the old man which we have neglected to judge.
But the people, alas! follow the example of their leader. The men sent by Joshua having returned, said unto him: " Let not all the people, go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people, to labor thither, for they are but few." (Ver. 3). They have the most implicit confidence in themselves; they will " smite Ai." What is it for us-and our men of war? Have we not shown our capability at Jericho? Dangerous confidence!
But there is not only this lack of dependence on God, and self-confidence, the fruit of unjudged flesh; there is more; coveted things, hidden from every eye; are buried in the earth in the midst of a tent; the accursed thing is there.
God had cursed the town of Jericho; all that belonged to it was under the curse; no one dared keep any of it lest he should make himself and the camp of Israel accursed. (Chapter 6:18.) One man Only had disobeyed, and hearkening to his lusts, had stolen of the accursed thing. Which of us is free in heart from this?
This man had followed his natural inclinations, he had begun where we all begin, where the first man began. " I saw." (Ver. 21.) " When the woman saw " is said in Gen. 3:6. He had eyes which knew how to discern the goodly things amongst the spoil. His eyes were the avenue to his heart, but there was no sentinel to watch, no " qui vive " to resound in case of an attack. It is through the eyes that the accursed thing takes possession of the heart, and provokes it to lust: " I coveted them." " Then when lust path conceived it bringeth forth sin:" " I took them." The goodly Babylonish garment which could adorn the pride of life, the silver and gold which could satisfy every lust, became the prey of Achan; nay rather, these things make him, their prey! Fatal and Satanic chain which links the world to man's natural heart, in order to make him the sport of the prince of this world.
Notice now how the sin of one man has to do with all Israel. (Ver. 1.) " But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing.. and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel." The people might have said: Does that concern us? How could we have known about a hidden thing, and not having-known it, how are we responsible? To all that we reply, that God always has the unity of His people before His eyes. He considers individuals as members of one whole, and responsible the one for the other. The suffering and sin of one is the suffering and sin of all, and if it is thus with Israel, how much more so with us, the church of God, one body united by the Holy Spirit to the Head which is in heaven.
If, however, their souls had been in a good state, God would have manifested the hidden evil in their midst. The power of an ungrieved Spirit in the assembly brings to light all that dishonors Christ amongst His own. The reason it was not so with Israel, was that there was something unjudged in the people and their leader. The hidden evil of Achan is the means of bringing out the hidden evil in the heart of the people. When the assembly is in a good state, although always answerable for the sin of one of its members, it is made aware of it by the Holy Spirit, and finds itself in a position to put away the evil from its midst, and, as the case may be, to put out the wicked person. sent men from Jericho to of the church, in the case of the cutting off of -Ananias and Sapphira; the power of the Spirit of God discovered and judged the evil immediately. But here in Israel, hearts had to be brought by self-judgment to bear the sin of one as the sin of all before God.
Is it thus with us in these days of ruin? Do we feel the evil in the church? Do we recognize our responsibility as to all the corruption which has been introduced? Or are we self-confident enough, in presence of the rubbish, to think that we could do better than others, and that the ruin of the church is not our doing? If our hearts are not habitually thus before God, we are sectarian; and, more than this, we may have to be reminded by a terrible defeat of the humility which becomes those who ought to have remained at Gilgal. See how differently from our miserable hearts God judges. He says: "Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing; and have also stolen and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff." (Ver. 11.)
In verses 5 and 6 we find the chastisement of the people. Three thousand men of Israel flee before Ai; and the hearts of the people melt and become like water because thirty-six of them are smitten. They are prostrate; strength and energy fail them; fear takes possession of their souls, for their courage has been carnal. So proud of their previous victory, they fall now to the level of the Amorites whose " hearts melted " when they heard of the crossing of Jordan. This was a sad but necessary experience, for they had forgotten Gilgal; and Satan undertakes to teach them through the bitterness of a defeat, what amount of strength they possess, and how much confidence can be placed in the flesh. All! if they had been with God they would have been preserved from a defeat, as we see very remark, ably in the- apostle Paul's experience. He had been triumphantly caught up to the third heavens, into paradise, and there he had heard unspeakable words which it is not lawful for a man to utter, but when he came down again to the earth, a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, was given to buffet him. The flesh was in him, and would have exalted itself, but God anticipates it and hinders His beloved servant from being puffed up.
The danger was great, for had he listened to the flesh, how many flattering things he would have said to himself in consequence of this wonderful vision, thus compromising not only his peace, but even his apostleship and his course. But God takes care of His servant, giving him the necessary corrective, in order that the course of his victories may be uninterrupted. Paul learns by " the thorn," which is his Gilgal, that the flesh, even the best, is worth nothing. God says to him: Never mind the infirmity-the thorn in the flesh; stay at Gilgal, it is precisely what you need, for in this way the power will be entirely mine and will obtain the victory; and as for thee, my grace is sufficient! It was a place of suffering and humiliation for' 'Paul, but of wondrous blessing! He was with God, in communion with the Lord, and the messenger of Satan is but the means of keeping him at Gilgal, and not of bringing him back there by a defeat.
(T. R.)
(To be continued.)