"The Lord then said to Joshua, "Stand up! Why are you on the ground? Israel has sinned. They have violated My covenant that I appointed for them. They have taken some of what was set apart. They have stolen, deceived, and put the things with their own belongings. This is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies. They will turn their backs and run from their enemies, because they have been set apart for destruction. I will no longer be with you unless you remove from you what is set apart" (Josh. 7:10-12, HCSB).
The natural human response to tragedy is to blame God. After the amazing victory at Jericho, Joshua should have deduced a problem when his men lost against the small village, Ai. Yet, Joshua blamed God. In essence, he said, "Why have you brought us here just to let us be defeated?"
Before I go any farther, I think I should make a few things clear. Every tragedy is a result of sin. However, that does not mean that every person who goes through tragedy is the cause of their own difficulty. Difficulty is not always (not even usually) the result of personal sin. But difficulty happens because of sin. Adam sinned and brought the human race into a fallen state. His sin impacted all of the created order, so that now creation groans for the appearing of Christ. All human beings, except Jesus, have been born with a sin nature. God is not the author of sin.
The sin of others affects us. Sometimes, difficulty is the result of someone's sin against us. For example, let's say I am driving down the road, in my lane, at the legal speed. All of the sudden, a drunk driver speeds through a red light and smashes into my car. Let's say that the experience paralyzes me. Should I assume that I did something wrong? Would the God who punished my sins in Christ, punish me in this way? I doubt it. The story of Job teaches us that not all who suffer are suffering because they have displeased God. Job pleased God very much. God permitted Job to suffer so that the world would know how pleased he was with Job.
Now back to our example. I'm in a wheel chair do to the sin of another (and not my own sin). Let's say the drunk driver is put in jail. Is he being punished for his sin? Yes, of course he is, but that doesn't mean he is beyond the reach of grace. However, that is a post for another day. What I want to point out is that just because one person suffers as a consequence of their sin that doesn't mean everyone who suffers is personally responsible.
Back to Joshua and Israel. Instead of accusing God, Joshua should have been asking why the defeat happened. Maybe he should have began by asking if he did something that cost his men, but considering his close relationship to the Lord, Joshua would have known if he was the problem. He would have immediately asked for forgiveness. He should have said, "God, what went wrong?"
Two more things should be pointed out. First, the sin of one Israelite had an affect on all the other Israelites. God's people were held accountable for the sin of one of their own. Second, God was more concerned with the sin of his people than of the nations. The nations that dwelt in Canaan were all under the judgment of God. Their sin had reached its full measure, but God permitted the Amorites to have victory over Israel because of Israel's sin.
What's the point? Judgment begins at the house of God. Those who know God are held to a higher standard. To whom much is given, much is required. Israel floundered in its forward advance because their was sin in the camp. Maybe the church is floundering today because there is sin in the camp. We don't practice church discipline much any more.
God is still holy. He still demands holiness of his people. The author of Hebrews tells us that without holiness no one will see the Lord (Heb. 12:14). We are called to live righteous lives. The church is called to maintain righteousness within the body. The enemies of Christ appear to be gain victory over the church in several places. It's tempting to believe that it is because the enemies possess greater power. Maybe it's because of the weakness of the Church. The Lord's solution for Joshua is our solution as well, "Get up! And get right!"
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