What is the meaning of Joshua 7:11? Israel has sinned – God speaks in the present tense, stressing immediacy: “Israel has sinned.” The nation is viewed as one body (1 Corinthians 12:26), so the sin of one member defiles all (Joshua 22:20; Romans 5:12). – Scripture consistently affirms universal guilt before a holy God (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8). Here, however, the emphasis is on covenant people who should know better (Amos 3:2). – The sentence lays the foundation for corporate accountability: blessings and consequences flow communally (Deuteronomy 28:1–2, 15). they have transgressed My covenant that I commanded them – “Transgressed” pictures a deliberate overstepping of a clearly marked boundary (Isaiah 24:5). God had spelled out the terms at Sinai (Exodus 19:5) and reiterated them through Moses before crossing the Jordan (Deuteronomy 27:9–10; Joshua 1:7–8). – Covenant language underscores relationship. Breaking it is not merely rule-breaking; it is betrayal (Hosea 6:7). – The charge is personal: “My covenant.” Obedience is an expression of love (John 14:15), so disobedience is relational rupture. and they have taken some of what was devoted to destruction – At Jericho, the Lord declared: “But keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction… otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble upon it” (Joshua 6:18). – “Devoted to destruction” (ḥerem) means set apart exclusively for God—either by total destruction or by placing in His treasury (Leviticus 27:28; Deuteronomy 13:17). Keeping any of it is sacrilege, treating the holy as common (Malachi 1:14; Hebrews 10:29). – The act inverted divine order: instead of destroying what was cursed, they embraced it (Deuteronomy 7:25–26). Indeed, they have stolen and lied – God names the sin plainly. Theft violates the eighth commandment (Exodus 20:15); lying violates the ninth (Exodus 20:16). One hidden act spawns another—deceit follows theft (Proverbs 28:13; Acts 5:1–3). – Sin always promises gain but delivers bondage (James 1:14–15). The stolen items became a snare, not a treasure (Proverbs 1:19). – Lying to cover sin is ultimately lying to God (Psalm 139:2–4), impossible to hide (Numbers 32:23; Luke 8:17). and they have put these things with their own possessions – By mingling the cursed items with personal goods, Achan—and thus Israel—brought contamination into the camp (Joshua 7:13). Like leaven, sin spreads (1 Corinthians 5:6). – The action reveals a heart that treasures worldly wealth over God’s honor (Matthew 6:21; 1 Timothy 6:10). – Possessions are not neutral; what we keep shapes us (Matthew 19:22). Surrendering all to the Lord secures true blessing (Proverbs 3:9–10). summary Joshua 7:11 is God’s penetrating indictment: a single act of disobedience is a covenant breach with communal consequences. Taking the devoted things was theft against God, and concealing them compounded the sin with deceit. The verse warns that hidden sin corrupts the whole community, underscores the seriousness of treating the holy as common, and calls God’s people to wholehearted obedience, transparent repentance, and reverent stewardship of all entrusted to them. |
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