Joshua instructed the children of Israel when they conquered Jericho not to take any of its treasures for themselves.  The gold, silver, bronze and iron were to go into the treasury of the Lord, and the rest was to be burned.  The children of Israel understood this clearly, but one man, Achan, of the tribe of Judah, could not resist the treasures he saw while invading Jericho.  He took a wedge of gold, some silver and a Babylonian garment.  What a terrible price Achan and all of Israel would pay for this small treasure.

Achan is an example of a modern problem which many people have: a lack of self-control.  He knew the items were forbidden, but he saw their beauty; he wanted them; so he took them.  Many sins are committed by people who know the thing is sinful, but they do it anyway because they decide to fulfill their own desires rather than do the will of God.  It is not that they cannot resist, because the Bible makes it clear that we can choose to do right or wrong.  In looking at the consequences of Achan's sin, we will be able to see that the price for giving in to temptations is more than we can bear.

After the conquering of Jericho, the children of Israel were feeling extremely confident.  They thought that they were a mighty army, which could not be defeated.  But there was no reason for them to think this because it was  God who had knocked the walls down.  All they did was march around the city.

The next city to be conquered was Ai, a small city close to Jericho.  Instead of consulting with God, Joshua sent out spies who recommended an army of only two to three thousand to conquer Ai.  They went against Ai and were soundly defeated.  36 men were killed.  In addition, the people were totally discouraged and lost confidence in their ability to conquer Canaan.  All of this happened because of the sin of Achan.

When Joshua finally went to God, he discovered the problem.  With God's help, he identified Achan as the culprit.  They placed Achan and all of his possessions together and all the people stoned him.  Afterward they burned his possessions.  The heap of stones made from the stoning was for several years a memorial to the folly of a lack of self-control.

It was now time for a second attempt at conquering Ai.  This time Joshua let God make the plans for the battle.  If he had done so the first time, the tragic defeat would never have occurred.  Much sorrow could be avoided today if we would act according to God's instruction found in the Bible, rather than our own plans.  Solomon said, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." (Proverbs 14:12)  God's way is always the best.