Joshua 7-8; Psalm 52; 1 Corinthians 5

Joshua 7 - The Sin of Achan
It only appears that they have donated all the silver and gold to the tabernacle. As usual, the love of money leads to sad consequences.

• Achan, of the tribe of Judah, takes some of the "devoted" things, angering God.
• In the meantime, Joshua send spies to Ai, who come back and report they'll need only two or three thousand men to defeat Ai.
  
• The 3000 go, but they are chased back, and 36 are killed. Now their hearts "melt."
• In true Moses fashion, Joshua tears his clothes and falls to the ground before the ark -- he and the elders.
• God explains to Joshua that since Israelites have stolen a devoted thing, they themselves will become "devoted to destruction." A few die for the sins of one.
  
• The next day they are to come before God tribe by tribe, family by family, person by person, until the culprit is discovered, who is then to be burned with fire.
• Achan is discovered. He confesses taking a mantle, 200 shekels of silver, and a 50-shekel gold bar and tells them where to find it.
• He is stoned to death, and his family and everything he owns, including the goods he stole, are burned; their grave is marked with stones. There is to be no trace of Achan's family remaining.
  
• The place is called the Valley of Achor (Heb. Trouble).

Joshua 8
1-29 Ai Defeated This Time

• God to Joshua: "Do not fear or be dismayed." I will give you Ai just like I gave you Jericho. Only this time, the spoil will be yours. Again, God wants the first fruits, even of the spoil of Canaan. But he is generous with the rest; after all, he is the one who is responsible for the victory in the first place. Shouldn't he receive the first rewards?
• The Plan: Joshua will send 30,000 soldiers behind the city. He and the rest of the people will draw the people of Ai out of the city, by ambushing and then fleeing. Then the 30,000 will take the city and set it on fire.
• It goes as planned: Every man in Ai and Bethel pursue the 5,000 "fleeing" Israelites.
• At Joshua's signal, the 30,000 enter the city and set it on fire. The Ai-ites are trapped between the now turned-back 5,000 and Israelite soldiers coming out of the city.
• Joshua does not withdraw his signal (a drawn sword) until all men and women are dead -- 12,000 inhabitants.
• They take the livestock and spoils, burn the city -- a permanent ruin -- and hang the king.

30-35 Joshua Builds an Altar and Renews the Law of Moses

• Joshua builds an altar on Mount Ebal (See Deuteronomy 27) and offers offerings of well-being, in the manner prescribed by Moses (God)
• He writes the law of Moses on stones
• Half the people stand in front of Gerizim and half in front of Ebal, as before, and Joshua reads all the words of the law, including the blessings and cursings. (In Deuteronomy 27, I've just discovered, 5 of the tribes standing on Gerizim reciting the blessings are the legitimate sons of Israel by Leah and Rachel, plus Issachar; those standing on Ebal, except for Reuben, are sons of the handmaidens.)
  
• An important ceremony -- even on this side of the Jordan they are to keep God's statutes.
  

Psalm 52 - Judgment on the Deceitful
Refers to Doeg the Edomite, who betrayed David to King Saul
Accusation: v. 3 - "You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking the truth."
Result: v. 5 - "God will break you down forever...he will uproot you from the land of the living."

1 Corinthians 5 - Sexual Immorality
Paul leaves the discussion of elevating men to condemning their permissive attitude toward immorality.

• A deplorable situation there - a man living with his father's wife -- and the Corinthians are arrogant about it.
• I don't have to be there in the flesh to pass judgment on this man. You (Corinthians) must, with my (Paul's) encouragement and power from Christ, officially hand over this man to Satan so he will recognize his sin, to the end of saving his soul.
  
• This is nothing to boast about -- this sin will spread among you like yeast in a batch of dough.
• We have a new paschal Lamb in Christ, and we celebrate him with unleavened bread -- untainted by the leaven of malice and evil, an unleavened bread pure and true.
• You shouldn't even sit down to eat with a brother or sister engaged in immorality. We can't keep from associating with the immoral in the world, but you must not encourage a brother or sister in their immorality with casual friendship. You have an obligation to them to bring them back to God's standard.