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The Wedge Josh. 7:19-26 The Congregation of Israel had for years been used to having victory in each battle they fought. One day Joshua sent men from Jericho to check out a town called Ai. The men returned and said we don't need to send every one to take this town, we only need about 3,000 men and you can let the others stay here. However, to their surprise when they got to Ai, 36 men were killed and their hearts melted before the men of Ai and they lost the battle as well as losing some more men as they retreated. Joshua was very upset and rent his clothes and asked the Lord why He had brought them into the land. He felt at that time they would have been better off if they had stayed on the other side of Jordan. Joshua said: Oh Lord what shall I say, when Israel turns their backs before their enemies? For the Canaanites and all the other inhabitants of the land shall hear of it. The Lord told Joshua to stand up. He said Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded thee. This is the reason they could not stand before their enemies. Neither will I be with you any more unless you destroy the accursed thing which is among you. Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow. You cannot stand before thine enemies, until you take away the accursed thing from among you. In the morning you shall be brought according to your tribes, and it shall be, that the tribe that the Lord taketh shall come according to the families thereof and the family which the Lord shall take shall come by households and the households which the Lord shall take shall come man by man. And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire because he hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord and hath wrought folly in Israel. Joshua rose up early in the morning and brought Israel by the tribes and the tribe of Judah was taken. He brought the family of Judah, and he took the family of Zarhites man by man, and Zabdi was taken and his household was taken man by man, and Achan the son of Carmi and Joshua said unto Achan, my son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto Him and tell me now what thou hast done, hide it not from me. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel and thus and thus have I done. When I saw the spoils, a goodly Babylonish garment, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels I took them "greed set it." Joshua sent some men to Achans tent and found the things under the floor where Achan had hid them. And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? The sin of one man caused Israel to suffer many things. The sin of one person today can cause many innocent people to suffer. The sin of strong drink and drugs causes many people needless suffering. Divorce causes many innocent people to suffer. The 17 deadly sins are in Galatians 5;19-21. Have you any wedges hid in your home or the life you live today? I want you to know that Achan's sin cost him, his wife and children their lives and my dear friends it will not only cost you your life, it will cost you your soul. Paul said, I have also told you in time past that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Let's get these wedges out of our lives. A wedge always divides. What are some of the wedges that we need to be aware of ? |