June 7, 2019: Day 41 – Joshua 7

I guess we can say that even if you admit your  guilt you are not guaranteed to get an easy sentence.  In many of our thoughts we see that when a person admits their guilt then maybe their sentence can be commuted and we can turn back and make them a productive member of society.  God does not mess with infidelity.  If you are going to disobey God, I mean like disobey God directly after you have heard God’s voice, then you really don’t have a whole lot to stand on.  The jealousy of the Lord is predictable in the Old Testament.

The beginning scene of this chapter is fascinating because the tables are completely turned on the Israelites.  They voluntarily decrease their numbers because the enemy is weak and should be easily conquered.  In a reverse-Gideon the enemy conquers and strikes fear in the heart of Joshua and all the Israelites thinking that the time of their blessing has come to an end.  But that is the not the case.  The time of their blessing has not come to an end, but rather their disobedience has caused the blessing of the Lord, the protection of the Lord, to be removed.  Remove the disobedience and the blessing will come back.

God doesn’t tell Joshua who the person is who disobeyed but allows Joshua to find the person through the process of elimination.   It works, and as a result the person confesses.  I was thinking, what a complete and full confession.  The person called out their sin and has shown remorse.  Now the mercy and grace of the Lord is about to be revealed.  Not so much.  But we did see the judgment of the Lord on full display, so we have that going for us.