Today, we are going to be headed back into the 6th Chapter in the Book of Joshua.

Last week we saw the instructions being given to Joshua about how to defeat the city of Jericho. Tonight, we are going to see this very unconventional plan being enacted.

The walls of Jericho are going to come tumbling down, and there would be no way to explain it except that the Lord was the One that caused the walls to fall. We are going to see that Jericho would be their first victory in the promised land, and so it was the firstfruits of Israel's many victories thus it was to be dedicated to the Lord. This meant that there would be no taking of the spoils for themselves.

After such a tremendous victory, you would assume that the Israelites were unstoppable. However, what we are going to see is that shortly after the Israelites victory they would also experience their first defeat. This defeat would come from an unlikely source. It would be at the hands of a little, itty-bitty po-dunk town named Ai. We are going to read about the only Israelite casualties written in the Book of Joshua.

The reason that the Isralites were defeated is because the Lord was not with them in the battle. There was a guy by the name of Achan that brought condemnation to the nation of Israel by not following the instructions about how all the items in Jericho were to be dedicated to the Lord. Instead, he saw some things that he wanted for himself, took them, and buried them in his tent. Because of this man's sin, 36 Israelites were killed and Israel was defeated against a much smaller, and less fortified, city in Ai.

This goes to show us a few lessons:

If the Lord is not with us, we can not expect victory.

Our sins never just affect us.

There are consequences to our sins.

Our sins will eventually come to light.

The holiness of God should never be taken lightly.

Achan's sin would be found out supernaturally, and He would be killed and all his possessions destroyed right in front of his family.