Achan hid treasure that he stole from Jericho. God had said they were to destroy everything and not loot. When Israel got to Ai, they were defeated. Humiliated. So after prayer and investigation, Achan’s sin was discovered and he and everything he had, including his family, had to be destroyed.
In chapter 8, God had a new message for Joshua. Really the same message he had all along. Don’t be afraid. God is with you. Sema usiogope.
Fear is a terrible prison. It keeps you in bondage.
Whatever challenge you are facing, God is already there for you. Do not be afraid.
You must do what the Lord has commanded. God tells you what he wants you to do and you need to follow.
Joshua built an altar to commemorate the victory at the second battle of Ai. He built it according to the instructions that Moses laid out in the law. Gather stones and build it. Don’t cut or break the stones. Just use what you have. This is how God works with us. He takes all of our past experiences, the good and the bad, and puts them together into something better than what we would ever see. All of the little pieces fit together just right.
God wants you to come to him as you are. Just come. You don’t need to become perfect to come to church. That part will be taken care of by God. Satan wants you to stop coming to church. God just wants you to come.
We also need to know the rules. We get those from God’s word. He is very clear. And we need to teach them to each other and to the children. Both the rules and the blessings. The blessings and the curses. We also need to teach them how to pray.