Hidden sin

The Lord answered Joshua’s prayer. (1) “Israel has sinned.” The actual violation was committed by a particular individual, but God considered it to be a sin committed by the entire nation. Before God, Israel is a “covenant nation.” (2) The hidden sin spoken of here is not concerning the rebellious attitude, but an actual hidden sin. (3) The reason Israel was defeated in the conquest of Ai was not that the enemies had gotten stronger, but because Israel had gotten weaker. (4) Because it was taken from the things devoted to the Lord, now the nation needed to be consecrated. If not, Israel would not be able to stand against the enemies and they themselves would be under the ban and destroyed. The only way to resolve this problem was to “cleanse the body.” The one who violated the command must be removed.

Casting lots

Joshua, as commanded by the Lord, proceeded to expose the individual who made the violation. (5) There were five steps in this process. First, out of all twelve tribes, the guilty tribe was exposed. Then the guilty clan was exposed, and then the guilty family. From the family, all men were brought out, and finally, the guilty individual who had taken things from those devout to the Lord was exposed. The purpose of these steps is to teach Israel that this was a national sin. (2) It is unclear what kind of lot was cast. Jewish Rabbis teach that Urim and Thummim were used. These were placed in the breast piece worn by the high priest when going before the Lord (ref. Ex. 28:30, Lev. 8:8). The high priests used them to make judgments. In the times of the prophets, the Urim and the Thummim were no longer used. The answer given by the Lord was to remove the sin, namely what was taken from the devout. We, too, cannot stand against our enemies (Satan) holding on to our sin. God’s answer to this is confession of sin and cleansing. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jo. 1:9).