Most of the time, when we turn to the early chapters of Joshua, it is the account of the famous "Battle of Jericho" in Joshua 6 that is studied. A story of equal value, I believe, is found in the next chapter: the story not only of the sin of Achan, but of Joshua's leadership in the conflict with Ai.
When Israel conquered Jericho, Joshua told them, "And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it" (Joshua 6:18). Despite the clarity of these instructions, one man, Achan, transgressed and brought a curse upon the whole camp of Israel. "But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan the son of Carmi...took of the accursed things; so the anger of the Lord burned against the children of Israel" (Josh. 7:1). We could stop here and talk about the dangers of disobedience, or how one sin is sufficient to incur God's wrath, but it's Joshua, not Achan, that is the focus of this article.
Beginning in Joshua 7:2, we find that immediately following their victory at Jericho, Joshua began to gather "intelligence" on Ai, the city next in line to be conquered and burned to the ground by Israel. Notice that Joshua did not consult the Lord about the plan regarding Ai, nor did he receive any commands or instructions from the Lord as he did concerning the crossing of the Jordan and the conquering of Jericho. Instead, Joshua acted presumptuously by ordering an attack on Ai. Had Joshua consulted the Lord, or had he waited for the Lord to give him instructions, he would have realized that the camp was cursed due to Achan's sin. However, he knew not of Achan's sin and presumed that the Lord would bless Israel with yet another victory.
So what happened?
"...about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water" (vs. 4-5).
This wasn't what Joshua expected! He expected an easy victory, not a shameful retreat! What on earth was God thinking...letting them lose the battle; this would lead to all sorts of problems! It would bolster the confidence of the nations of Canaan, sending the signal that Israel could be defeated, and furthermore, it would shatter the faith of the people of Israel and make it that much harder for Joshua to lead them effectively.
We learn in verses 6-9 that "Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face...and Joshua said, 'Alas, Lord god, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all - to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan! O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies? For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?" In other words, Joshua blamed God for their defeat.
But it wasn't God's fault...
It was Joshua's fault!
God was perturbed by Joshua's words and attitude. He told Joshua, "Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face?" (vs. 10) and then He proceeded to inform Joshua that the camp was cursed and therefore did not have God's blessing (vs. 11-12). Only when they removed the "accursed thing" from among them would God's blessings be restored (vs. 13).
This is a perfect example of misplaced blame.
Joshua himself had issued the command to Israel, that if anyone took any of the accursed things of Jericho that the ENTIRE camp would be cursed (Josh 6:18). And following the victory at Jericho, he didn't check to make sure that the command had been obeyed. But even then, had he simply inquired of God before presumptuously attacking Ai, this "curse" would have been brought to his attention and 36 men wouldn't have died in vain.
Was it God's fault? No, it was Joshua's...or at least, he was partly to blame, as the appointed leader of Israel. So he should have blamed himself, not God!
The lesson here is a powerful one, for many people today refuse to learn from Joshua's mistake. God has given us His law, and He has carefully explained to us the blessings of obedience as well as the consequences, both temporal and eternal, of disobedience. And yet God is blamed when people face the consequences for their own disobedience.
There are those who pay no attention to the rules of "Christian living" found in God's word. Instead of heeding the advice of Proverbs, and humbly putting into practice all the rules of the New Testament (that govern relationships, finances, thoughts, morality, etc), they choose to live how THEY want to live...and then they get upset when their life falls apart. "God, why would YOU allow this to happen to me???" Instead of taking responsibility for their actions and humbly seeking God's forgiveness and salvation, they blame God.
Then there are those who ignore God's teachings regarding the church and salvation. Instead of diligently seeking authority for all that they do, they act presumptuously. They presume that denominationalism is right, and so they participate in it by joining a denominational church. They presume that instrumental music in worship is acceptable, that churches can build fellowship halls and gymnasiums, that the collection can be taken up anytime (not just on Sundays), etc, etc, etc. Like Joshua, they fail to consult God as to whether or not these things are right; they don't turn to the Bible for authority....they just do what they want to do and assume that God will bless them. I dare say that there will be some folks on the day of Judgement that will, like Joshua, be mighty upset with God...who will blame God when they should be blaming themselves!
The lesson? Do what God says and you'll be blessed. Consult God. Don't act presumptuously.
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