Forgoing the Plunder

"Then the LORD said to Joshua, 'Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land. You shall do to Ai and its kin as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city.'" Joshua 8:1-2

"But Israel did not carry off for themselves the livestock and plunder of this city, as the LORD had instructed Joshua." Joshua 8:27

I have been spending some time in Joshua 8, this morning. I am left with a question:

Why did the Israelites forgo the plunder that was rightfully theirs to take?

Scripture doesn't come right out and say this but I believe it is because of events that took place just prior to the capture of the city of Ai.

In Joshua 7, the Israelites, with the LORD's help, have already captured and destroyed the city of Jericho. Afterwards, they set out to defeat the city of Ai and are stunned to find themselves outmatched. It is obvious to everyone that God did not go with them into battle. The Israelites' courage turns to fear.

Joshua throws himself facedown before the ark of God only to be told to "Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned..." (v. 10) It turns out one of the Israelite men, Achan, had kept some of the Jericho plunder for himself (v. 11). He polluted the entire camp by hiding silver, gold and a beautiful robe in his tent; items that had been specifically marked as sacred to the LORD (v. 18-19).

The punishment for this offense was that the man, his family, his cattle, donkeys, sheep, his tent and all his possessions were taken outside the camp to the valley. The Israelites stoned them, burned what was left and piled rocks over the remains. (v.24-26) Only then did God's anger subside.

I believe the brutal image of Achan and his family's death was with the Israelites when they went into battle against the people of Ai for the second time. Victory on the heels of such a horrific event would make it hard to celebrate. The LORD had given them permission to take the plunder but He hadn't commanded it. The Israelites had a choice. I suspect the Israelites declined because it held no appeal for them in the face of Achan's recent demise.

This brings to mind my own experiences of victory while simultaneously witnessing a friend in Christ being disciplined by the Lord. It is difficult to watch someone you know and love go through this sobering process. It can be quite an emotional experience.

Thankfully, the days of stoning are over. We are called, instead, to love as Jesus loved. We are called to forgive. We are called to practice grace and mercy. We are to cooperate with God's plan and not get in His way as He corrects the one we love.

Sometimes, this requires tempering our own celebration. Forgoing the plunder becomes a means of honoring God.