Kozi ya Kina ya Yoshua — Sehemu ya 5: Dhambi ya Akani na Kurejeshwa huko AiJoshua Intensive — Unit 5: Achan's Sin & the Restoration of Ai

Umesikia habari za kitabu When Bad Things Happen to Good People (Mabaya Yanapowapata Watu Wema). Jambo hilo ni kweli kabisa. Ayubu ndiye mfano mkuu wa Agano la Kale: hakutenda kosa lolote, hata hivyo alipoteza mali yake, afya yake, na watoto wake. Mkewe alimwambia amkufuru Mungu afe. Rafiki zake walimwambia lazima kuna dhambi iliyofichika maishani mwake — hilo lilikuwa wazo la kawaida katika siku zake. Hata wanafunzi walichanganyikiwa; walimwona mtu aliyezaliwa kipofu wakamwuliza Yesu kama ni dhambi ya mtu huyo au dhambi ya wazazi wake iliyosababisha upofu wake. Yesu alisema si yoyote kati ya hizo, akamponya mtu huyo tu.You have heard of the book When Bad Things Happen to Good People. That is certainly true. Job is the great Old Testament example: he did nothing wrong, yet lost his money, his health, and his children. His wife told him to curse God and die. His friends told him there had to be hidden sin in his life — that was the common sentiment in his day. Even the disciples were confused; they saw the man born blind from birth and asked Jesus whether it was the man's sin or his parents' sin that caused his blindness. Jesus said it was neither and just healed the man.

Lakini nusu nyingine ya kweli ni ya Kibiblia vile vile, na Yoshua 7 ndio mfano wa kitabuni wa kweli hiyo: wakati mwingine mabaya huwapata watu wanaotenda mabaya. Dhambi ina matokeo. Wayne anasimulia habari ya wanandoa mmoja huko Kanada alipokuwa akitumika huko kama mchungaji. Debbie alikuwa mmoja wa washiriki waanzilishi wa kanisa. Alihudhuria mara kwa mara na kuwaleta watoto wake. Mumewe Dave alikuwa amesoma katika chuo cha Biblia baada ya shule ya sekondari, lakini alisema kanisa si la lazima ili mtu awe Mkristo na kwamba, zaidi ya hayo, kanisani kuna wanafiki. Mwana wao alipokuwa darasa la pili, mwalimu wa shule ya Jumapili alikuwa akizungumza juu ya Siku ya Kumbukumbu (Memorial Day) — na kuwakumbuka watu waliokufa. Mvulana alisema kwa sauti: "Lakini hawajaondoka milele, kwa sababu sasa wako mbinguni." Kadiri miaka ilivyopita, Dave alipanga shughuli nyingi zaidi na zaidi siku ya Jumapili. Debbie aliacha kuja. Hakuna hata mmoja wa watoto watano aliyehudhuria kwa kweli baada ya darasa la tatu hivi — walitaka kuwa kama baba yao. Leo mvulana yule aliyejua habari za mbinguni akiwa darasa la pili amejiingiza katika makundi mabaya na dawa za kulevya. Debbie ameanza kuhudhuria kanisa tena, lakini hakuna hata mmoja wa watoto anayehudhuria pamoja naye. Wakati mwingine mabaya huwapata watu wanaotenda mabaya, na mambo yanayowaangukia mara nyingi huwaangukia pia watu wanaowapenda.But the other half of the truth is just as biblical, and Joshua 7 is the textbook case for it: sometimes bad things happen to people who do bad things. Sin has consequences. Wayne tells of a couple in Canada when he served there as a pastor. Debbie was a charter member of the church. She came regularly and brought her children. Her husband Dave had actually attended a Bible college after high school, but he said church was unnecessary to be a Christian and that besides, there were hypocrites in the church. When their son was in the second grade, the Sunday school teacher was talking about Memorial Day — and remembering people who had died. The boy spoke up: "But they are not gone forever, because they are in heaven now." Over the years, Dave scheduled more and more activities on Sunday. Debbie stopped coming. None of the five children really attended after the third grade or so — they wanted to be like their father. Today the boy who knew about heaven in the second grade is involved in bad crowds and drugs. Debbie has started attending church again, but none of the children attend with her. Bad things sometimes happen to people who do bad things, and the things that fall on them often fall on the people they love.

Hutendi dhambi peke yako.You don't sin alone.

Yoshua 7 na 8 hufanya kazi pamoja kama mkondo mmoja. Sura ya 7 inaonyesha kushindwa huko Ai, kugunduliwa kwa dhambi iliyofichwa ya Akani, kushughulikiwa kwake hadharani katika Bonde la Akori, na kurejeshwa kwa agano. Sura ya 8 inaonyesha shambulio la pili dhidi ya Ai — wakati huu likifanikiwa — na kujengwa kwa madhabahu juu ya Mlima Ebali ambako Torati yote ya Mungu inasomwa kwa sauti mbele ya taifa lililokusanyika, baraka na laana pia. Sura hizi mbili kwa pamoja zinafundisha somo moja: Mungu hatalibariki jeshi linaloficha vitu vilivyoibwa ndani ya hema lake, na Mungu atalibariki kwa furaha jeshi lililoishughulikia dhambi na kukusanyika tena kuzunguka madhabahu yake.Joshua 7 and 8 work together as a single arc. Chapter 7 shows the defeat at Ai, the discovery of Achan's hidden sin, the public dealing with it in the Valley of Achor, and the restoration of the covenant. Chapter 8 shows the second attack on Ai — this time successful — and the building of an altar on Mount Ebal where the entire Law of God is read aloud over the assembled nation, blessings and curses both. The two chapters together teach a single lesson: God will not bless an army that is hiding stolen goods in its tent, and God will gladly bless an army that has dealt with the sin and gathered again around His altar.

Sehemu hii inafuata mkondo huo huo. Fungu la I linashughulikia sababu tatu za kushindwa huko Ai — kiburi, kupuuza maombi, na kutotii. Fungu la II linapitia kugunduliwa na kuungama (mkulima aliyekuwa akifa aliyesema, "Piga kengele"). Fungu la III linasimama katika Bonde la Akori pamoja na familia ya Akani na hukumu ya kifo ya karibuni zaidi iliyofanana nayo (Karla Faye Tucker, Februari 1998). Fungu la IV linasikiliza kiitikio cha kugusa moyo cha John Fischer — "Hutendi dhambi peke yako". Fungu la V linachukua mtego wa nyani wa New Guinea. Fungu la VI linaingia katika sura ya 8: Mungu anasema, "Usiogope, wala usifadhaike," na Israeli wanautwaa mji ambao hawakuweza kuutwaa juma moja kabla. Fungu la VII linapanda Mlima Ebali ambako madhabahu inajengwa na Torati inasomwa kwa sauti. Hitimisho linalibadilisha Bonde la Akori kuwa mlango wa matumaini (Hosea 2:15).This unit walks the same arc. Section I takes the three reasons for failure at Ai — pride, neglect of prayer, and disobedience. Section II walks the discovery and confession (the dying farmer who said, "Ring the bell"). Section III stands at the Valley of Achor with Achan's family and a more recent execution that mirrored it (Karla Faye Tucker, February 1998). Section IV listens to John Fischer's haunting refrain — "You don't sin alone". Section V picks up the New Guinea monkey trap. Section VI moves into chapter 8: God says, "Do not fear or be dismayed," and Israel takes the city it could not take a week earlier. Section VII climbs Mount Ebal where the altar is built and the Law is read aloud. The Closing turns the Valley of Achor into a door of hope (Hosea 2:15).

Yoshua 7 inaanza kwa mojawapo ya sentensi za kutisha zaidi katika Agano la Kale: "Lakini wana wa Israeli walifanya dhambi katika kitu kilichowekwa wakfu; kwa kuwa Akani… alitwaa baadhi ya vitu vilivyowekwa wakfu; hasira ya BWANA ikawaka juu ya wana wa Israeli" (Yoshua 7:1). Mtu mmoja alitwaa. Taifa zima likateseka. Maandiko tayari yanajua kile ambacho jeshi bado halijui — kwamba jeshi linalokwenda kuelekea mji unaofuata linakwenda likiwa na vitu vilivyoibwa vimezikwa katika mojawapo ya hema zake. Kwa upande wa kibinadamu inaonekana kama kampeni ya kijeshi iliyoshindwa. Kwa upande wa Mungu ni agano lililo katika taabu.Joshua 7 begins with one of the most ominous sentences in the Old Testament: "But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan… took of the accursed things; so the anger of the LORD burned against the children of Israel" (Joshua 7:1). One man took. The whole nation suffered. The text already knows what the army does not yet know — that the army marching toward the next city is marching with stolen goods buried in one of its tents. From the human side it looks like a failed military campaign. From God's side it is a covenant in trouble.

1. Kiburi — Hatari ya Kujiamini Kupita Kiasi (Yoshua 7:2–5)1. Pride — The Danger of Over-Confidence (Joshua 7:2–5)

Yeriko ilikuwa imeanguka bila upanga kupungwa. Sasa Yoshua anatuma wapelelezi kuitazama Ai, mji unaofuata njiani. Wanarudi na shauri la kujiamini: "Wasiende watu wote; lakini waende watu kama elfu mbili au elfu tatu wakapige Ai; usiwasumbue watu wote kwenda huko; kwa kuwa watu wa huko ni wachache" (Yoshua 7:3). Yoshua anapokea shauri la wapelelezi. Hakuna kumbukumbu kwamba aliomba juu ya jambo hilo. Hakuna kumbukumbu kwamba alimwuliza BWANA kama washambulie kabisa. Anakubali ripoti hiyo kwa kutikisa kichwa tu na kutuma watu elfu tatu. Watu wa Ai wanatoka, Waisraeli wanakimbia, na watu thelathini na sita wanauawa kwenye mteremko. Maandiko yanasema waziwazi: "mioyo ya watu ikayeyuka, ikawa kama maji" (Yoshua 7:5). Taifa lile lile ambalo ushuhuda wake uliyeyusha mioyo ya wafalme wa Kanaani sura moja kabla, sasa linaona moyo wake wenyewe ukiyeyuka. Hilo ndilo hutokea wakati mpango wa kujiamini unasimama juu ya dhambi ambayo hakuna mtu aliyeishughulikia.Jericho had fallen without a sword being swung. Now Joshua sends scouts to look at Ai, the next town up the road. They come back with confident counsel: "Do not let all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not weary all the people there, for the people of Ai are few" (Joshua 7:3). Joshua takes the spies' counsel. There is no record that he prayed about it. There is no record that he asked the LORD whether to attack at all. He simply nods at the report and sends three thousand men. The men of Ai come out, the Israelites flee, and thirty-six men are killed on the slope. The text says it plainly: "the hearts of the people melted and became like water" (Joshua 7:5). The same nation whose testimony had melted the kings of Canaan one chapter earlier now finds its own heart melting. That is what happens when a confident plan rests on a sin nobody has dealt with.

Wayne anaeleza tatizo lililo ndani zaidi kwa habari ya Dkt. C. J. Fowler, mhubiri mashuhuri wa utakatifu na kwa miaka mingi mkuu wa Chama cha Kitaifa cha Utakatifu (National Holiness Association). Fowler alikuwa mchungaji wa kanisa zuri sana na alihisi alihitaji kutakaswa ili ampendeze Mungu. Alihudhuria mkutano wa utakatifu akaenda madhabahuni. Mungu alimwongoza katika kujiweka wakfu, naye akaweka juu ya madhabahu ya Mungu mambo mengi, ikiwa ni pamoja na fimbo yenye kichwa cha dhahabu na kofia yake ndefu ya juu (stovepipe). Baada ya kusema amina kwa hayo yote, bado hakupata ushuhuda kwamba ametakaswa. Kisha akamwuliza Mungu kama kulikuwa na kitu kingine chochote alichopaswa kuweka juu ya madhabahu. Mungu akamwonyesha kwamba alikuwa na kiburi cha kikazi, kwamba moyoni mwake kulikuwa na tamaa ya kujulikana kama mchungaji wa kanisa kubwa, na kwamba alipenda kupewa nafasi za heshima. Alimwahidi Mungu kwamba angeridhika kutojulikana, na kwamba Mungu angeimiliki sifa yake. Ndipo amani ikaja naye akajua kwamba ametakaswa. Na Mungu akampa uwanja wa huduma mpana kuliko ambao angeweza kuufikia kama angekataa kuifuata njia iliyodharauliwa ya Msalaba.Wayne illustrates the deeper problem with the story of Dr. C. J. Fowler, a noted holiness preacher and for many years head of the National Holiness Association. Fowler was the pastor of a very fine church and felt he needed to be sanctified to please God. He attended a holiness meeting and went to the altar. God guided him in his consecration, and he laid on God's altar many things, including a gold-headed cane and his stovepipe hat. After saying amen to all this, he still did not get the witness that he was sanctified. Then he asked God if there was anything else he should lay on the altar. God showed him that he had a professional pride, that there was in his heart a desire to be known as the pastor of a large church, and that he loved to have places of prominence. He promised God he would be content to be unknown, and that God would have his reputation. Then peace came and he knew he was sanctified. And God gave to him a field of usefulness wider than he could ever have attained had he refused to take the despised way of the Cross.

Hiyo ndiyo picha ya kiburi ambayo Yoshua 7 inaichora katika ngazi ya jeshi. Inashangaza kwamba Yoshua anapokea mara moja shauri la wapelelezi. Wapelelezi wanajiamini, kambi iko katika mfululizo wa ushindi, na hakuna anayeuliza swali lililo wazi. Mithali 16:18 inaingia chumbani: "Kiburi hutangulia uangamivu; Na roho ya majivuno hutangulia anguko." Kiburi ndiyo sababu ya kwanza ya kushindwa huko Ai. Visu vya mawe vimewekwa kando mapema mno. Viatu vimevaliwa tena.That is the picture of pride that Joshua 7 is sketching at the army level. It is striking that Joshua instantly takes the counsel of the spies. The spies are confident, the camp is on a winning streak, and nobody asks the obvious question. Proverbs 16:18 walks into the room: "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." Pride is the first reason for the defeat at Ai. The flint knives have been put away too soon. The sandals are back on.

2. Kupuuza Maombi2. Neglect of Prayer

Sababu ya pili inaifuata ya kwanza kama usiku unavyofuata mchana. Askari elfu tatu walipotoka kwenda Ai, Maandiko hayataji chochote kuhusu maombi. Wako kimya mbele za Mungu. Huenda walifikiri jambo hili lilikuwa dogo mno hata hawakuhitaji kuomba juu yake. Wakati mwingine tunasahau kwamba tunamhitaji Mungu kwa mambo makubwa na kwa mambo madogo. Tunapaswa kujifunza tena kwamba hatuwezi kufanya lolote bila Yeye. Wayne anasema wakati mwingine hujikuta akiomba juu ya mambo madogo sana — hata juu ya kupata nafasi ya kuegesha gari. Yakobo anasema, "Hamna kitu kwa sababu hamwombi" (Yakobo 4:2).The second reason follows the first like night follows day. When the three thousand soldiers headed out for Ai, the text records nothing about prayer. They are silent before God. Maybe they thought this was so trivial they didn't need to pray about it. Sometimes we forget we need God for the big things and the little things. We have to learn again that we can do nothing without Him. Wayne says he sometimes finds himself praying about very small things — even about finding a parking space. James says, "You have not because you ask not" (James 4:2).

Baada ya kushindwa, Yoshua alikwenda moja kwa moja kwa Mungu. Hata anamlaumu Mungu: "Kwa nini umetuleta hapa? Kwa nini unataka kutuangamiza?" (taz. Yoshua 7:7). Mungu alimfundisha kwamba lawama haikuwa mlangoni pa BWANA bali mlangoni pake mwenyewe. Mtindo huo ni kinyume kabisa cha jinsi ulivyopaswa kuwa: omba kabla ya vita, si baada ya kushindwa tu. Kuna shairi la zamani ambalo Wayne hupenda kulinukuu kuhusu jambo hili:After the defeat, Joshua went straight to God. He even reproaches God: "Why have You brought us here? Why are You going to destroy us?" (cf. Joshua 7:7). God taught him that the blame did not lie at the LORD's door but at his own. The pattern is exactly backwards from how it should have been: pray before the battle, not just after the defeat. There is an old verse Wayne loves to quote about this:

"Tukiyazuia maombi, tunaacha kupigana; / Maombi huzifanya silaha za Mkristo kung'aa; / Na Shetani hutetemeka anapomwona / Mtakatifu aliye dhaifu kuliko wote akiwa magotini.""Restraining prayer, we cease to fight; / Prayer keeps the Christian's armor bright; / And Satan trembles when he sees, / The weakest saint upon his knees."

Mtakatifu aliye dhaifu kuliko wote akiwa magotini ana mamlaka zaidi mbinguni kuliko jeshi lenye nguvu kuliko yote kwenye mteremko wa Ai. Wale elfu tatu walikuwa na silaha za mwili na za vita. Hawakuwa na magoti. Hawakuwa na maswali kwa Mungu. Walikuwa na ripoti ya kujiamini ya wapelelezi tu. Na kwa hiyo walikimbia.The weakest saint upon his knees has more authority in heaven than the strongest army on the slope of Ai. The three thousand had armor and weapons. They had no knees. They had no questions for God. They had only the spies' confident report. And so they ran.

3. Kutotii — Akani Hemani3. Disobedience — Achan in the Tent

Sababu ya tatu ndiyo iliyo ndani zaidi na ngumu zaidi. Baada ya Yoshua kuanguka kifudifudi mbele za BWANA, Mungu anamjibu kwa kauli ya wazi: "Israeli wamefanya dhambi; naam, tena wamelivunja agano langu nililowaamuru; naam, wametwaa baadhi ya vitu vilivyowekwa wakfu; tena wameiba, tena wameficha; tena wameviweka kati ya vitu vyao wenyewe" (Yoshua 7:11). Akani alipoiba lile joho la Babeli, ile fedha, na ile kabari ya dhahabu kutoka Yeriko, bila shaka hakuwahi kufikiri kwamba kungekuwa na matokeo ya kutisha namna hiyo. Kuanzia Yoshua hadi kambi nzima, dhambi ile moja ilikuwa na matokeo. Ndivyo ilivyo njia ya dhambi. Kama mawimbi madogo juu ya mto, huenea nje.The third reason is the deepest and the hardest. After Joshua falls on his face before the LORD, God answers him with a flat statement: "Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff" (Joshua 7:11). When Achan stole the Babylonian cloak, the silver, and the wedge of gold from Jericho, he surely never imagined there would be such terrible consequences. From Joshua to the whole camp, the one sin had a consequence. That is the way of sin. Like ripples on a stream, it spreads outward.

Amiri wa jeshi la BWANA, ambaye katika sura ya 5 alikuwa amesimama mbele ya Yoshua akiwa na upanga wake uliofutwa, sasa ameurudisha upanga wake alani. Agano limevunjika kwa sababu mtu fulani amechukua kile kilichokuwa mali ya BWANA peke yake. Jeshi linapigana bila kifuniko, na kwa hiyo jeshi linashindwa. Kiburi kilifungua mlango. Kutokuomba kuliuacha wazi. Kutotii kukapita ndani.The Captain of the LORD's host, who in chapter 5 had stood before Joshua with His sword drawn, has now sheathed His sword. The covenant is broken because someone has taken what belonged exclusively to the LORD. The army fights with no covering, and so the army loses. Pride opened the door. Prayerlessness left it open. Disobedience walked through.

BWANA hamtaji Akani kwa Yoshua mara moja. Badala yake anaweka utaratibu: taifa litakaribia kabila kwa kabila, kisha kwa jamaa, kisha kwa nyumba, kisha mtu kwa mtu, na BWANA mwenyewe atamtenga mkosaji (Yoshua 7:14). Ni polepole kwa makusudi. Kila Mwisraeli ana usiku mzima wa kufikiri kama kura inaweza kumwangukia. Kufikia wakati kura inapomwangukia Akani hatimaye, kila mwanamume kambini amelazimika kujiuliza swali ambalo Akani alipaswa kujiuliza majuma kadhaa kabla.The LORD does not name Achan to Joshua at first. Instead He prescribes a process: the nation will come near tribe by tribe, then by family, then by household, then man by man, and the LORD Himself will single out the offender (Joshua 7:14). It is slow on purpose. Every Israelite has all night to think about whether the lot might land on him. By the time the lot finally falls on Achan, every man in the camp has had to ask himself the question Achan should have asked weeks before.

Akani anapotambulishwa hatimaye, maneno ya Yoshua kwake ni ya ajabu. Si maneno ya jemadari mwenye ghadhabu; ni maneno ya mchungaji: "Mwanangu, nakusihi, mtukuze BWANA, Mungu wa Israeli, ukakiri mbele zake; ukaniambie sasa ni nini ulichokifanya; usinifiche" (Yoshua 7:19). Na Akani anasema kweli yote. Aliona joho zuri la Babeli, shekeli mia mbili za fedha, na kabari ya dhahabu yenye uzito wa shekeli hamsini. Alivitamani. Alivitwaa. Alivificha ardhini katikati ya hema lake. Mfuatano huo ni mfuatano wa kila dhambi ya siri: niliona, nilitamani, nilitwaa, nilificha. Vitenzi vile vile vinne vilivyopita katika Bustani ya Edeni vinapita katika hema la Akani.When Achan is finally identified, Joshua's words to him are remarkable. They are not the words of a furious general; they are the words of a pastor: "My son, I beg you, give glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession to Him, and tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me" (Joshua 7:19). And Achan tells the whole truth. He saw a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels. He coveted them. He took them. He hid them in the earth in the middle of his tent. The progression is the progression of every secret sin: I saw, I coveted, I took, I hid. The same four verbs that ran through the Garden of Eden run through Achan's tent.

Wayne anaeleza nguvu ya kuungama kwa habari hii:Wayne illustrates the power of confession with a story:

Inasemekana kwamba mkulima mmoja alikuwa mgonjwa na aliomba kwa bidii apone. Kwa namna fulani alihisi kwamba hayo ndiyo mapenzi ya Bwana. Lakini, baada ya maombi mengi, si yeye wala yeyote kati ya rafiki zake aliyeonekana kuweza kuwa na imani yoyote kwa ajili ya kupona kwake, naye akakubali kwamba ataondoka. Alitarajiwa kufa wakati wowote. Hata hivyo, kwa kuwa aliendelea kuishi, watoto wake na rafiki zake walirudi kwenye nyumba zao zilizokuwa karibu. Ilikubaliwa kwamba, wahudumu wake watakapohisi kwamba mwisho umekaribia, wangepiga kengele, na hiyo ingekuwa ishara ya kukusanyika kwa ajili ya kuagana kwa mara ya mwisho. Hatimaye, siku moja alimwambia mkewe, "Piga kengele." Akajibu, "Je, hali yako imezidi kuwa mbaya, na unahisi mwisho umekaribia?" Akasema tu, "Piga kengele."

Kengele ilipigwa, na punde watoto wote walisimama wakilia kuuzunguka kitanda. Ndipo akaanza kuyaungama makosa yake. Angemwambia kila mtoto, mmoja mmoja, na kuzungumza juu ya makosa yake, na jinsi alivyokuwa hana subira, au alivyomkosea kwa namna fulani. Kulikuwa na kilio na kuungama pande zote. Ilikuwa kama mkutano wa kambi (camp meeting). Hatimaye alimaliza, na katikati ya machozi na kelele za furaha akasema, "Sasa, jambo moja tu zaidi; tafadhali nileteeni nguo zangu na niacheni nitoke hapa, kwa maana Bwana ameniponya." Naye akatoka.It is said that a farmer was sick and prayed earnestly for his recovery. Somehow he felt it was the will of the Lord. But, after much prayer, neither he nor any of his friends seemed to be able to have any faith for his healing, and he became resigned to go. He was expected to die at any time. However, as he lingered, his children and friends returned to their nearby homes. It was agreed that, when his attendants felt that the end was about there, they would ring the bell, and this was to be the signal to assemble for the last good-bye. Finally, one day he said to his wife, "Ring the bell." She replied, "Are you worse, and do you feel the end is near?" He simply said, "Ring the bell."

The bell was rung, and soon all the children stood weeping around the bedside. Then he began confessing his failures. He would address the children, one by one, and speak of his faults, and how he had been impatient, or wronged them in some way. There was weeping and confessing all around. It was like a camp meeting. Finally he was through, and amid tears and shouts of joy he said, "Now, just one more thing; please get my clothes and let me out of here, for the Lord has healed me." And out he came.

Mungu anasema, "Ungamanani makosa yenu ninyi kwa ninyi… mpate kuponywa" (Yakobo 5:16). Wakati mwingine jambo hili linaweza kusaidia sana kuleta uponyaji wa mwili, au kuleta uponyaji wa kiroho katika nyumba au kanisa. Linaweza kuanzisha uamsho. Akani hangepata matokeo ya yule mkulima. Lakini utaratibu wa kiroho ni ule ule: kuungama ndicho kitu pekee kinachoiweka dhambi iliyofichwa wazi mahali ambapo Mungu anaweza kuishughulikia. Kengele lazima ipigwe. Nguo lazima zitolewe kutoka chini ya sakafu ya hema.God does say, "Confess your faults one to another… that ye may be healed" (James 5:16). Sometimes this might go a long way toward physical healing, or toward bringing spiritual healing to a home or church. This might precipitate a revival. Achan would not get the farmer's outcome. But the spiritual mechanism is the same: confession is the only thing that puts hidden sin out in the open where God can deal with it. The bell has to be rung. The clothes have to come out from under the floorboards of the tent.

Kuuawa kwa Akani katika Yoshua 7:24–26 ni mojawapo ya matukio makali zaidi katika Agano la Kale. Akani, wanawe, binti zake, ng'ombe wake, punda wake, kondoo wake, hema lake, na vitu vilivyoibwa vyote vinapelekwa bondeni na kupigwa kwa mawe. Chungu kubwa la mawe linainuliwa juu ya mahali hapo. Bonde hilo linaitwa Bonde la Akori — kutoka katika mzizi ule ule wa Kiebrania kama jina Akani — maana yake taabu. Chungu la mawe ni alama ya agano. Linasema mambo matatu kwa yeyote anayepita karibu: Dhambi kambini ni hatari. Dhambi hiyo imeshughulikiwa. Mungu amewarejesha Israeli katika uhusiano ulio sawa naye.The execution of Achan in Joshua 7:24–26 is one of the harshest scenes in the Old Testament. Achan, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and the stolen goods are all taken to a valley and stoned. A great heap of stones is raised over the place. The valley is named the Valley of Achor — from the same Hebrew root as the name Achan — meaning trouble. The pile of stones is a covenant marker. It says three things to anyone who walks past: Sin in the camp is dangerous. The sin has been dealt with. God has restored Israel to a right relationship with Himself.

Jambo gumu zaidi ni familia. Kwa nini nyumba nzima iadhibiwe kwa sababu ya wizi wa mtu mmoja? Mambo mawili yanashikilia jambo hili katika mvutano. Kwanza, Maandiko yanadokeza kwa nguvu kwamba familia ilishiriki — vitu vilizikwa katikati ya hema, mbele ya macho ya kila mshiriki wa familia, kwa muda mrefu. Kuficha hazina iliyoibwa chini ya sakafu ya hema la Enzi ya Shaba si kazi ya mtu mmoja. Pili, dhambi siku zote ina matokeo yanayosafiri mbali zaidi kuliko mtenda dhambi. Somo tunalojifunza ni kwamba dhambi siku zote ina matokeo. Kuna mwenezo wa mawimbi kama jiwe lililotupwa ziwani.The hardest detail is the family. Why is the whole household punished for one man's theft? Two notes hold this in tension. First, the text strongly implies the family was complicit — the goods were buried in the middle of the tent, in plain sight of every member, for an extended period. Hiding stolen treasure under the floor of a Bronze Age tent is not a one-man operation. Second, sin always has consequences that travel further than the sinner. The lesson we learn is that sin always has consequences. There is a ripple effect like a stone cast on a lake.

Hukumu ya kifo ya karibuni zaidi ilikuwa katika kumbukumbu za Wayne pamoja na kifungu hiki. Mnamo Februari 3, 1998, Karla Faye Tucker aliuawa na Jimbo la Texas. Alikuwa na umri wa miaka thelathini na minane. Tucker alikuwa amemuua mwanamume na mwanamke kwa sururu wakati wa wizi baada ya siku tatu za kutumia dawa za kulevya. Yeye na mpenzi wake walikuwa wamekwenda kuiba vipuri vya pikipiki kutoka kwa mtu waliyemfahamu, Jerry Lynn Dean. Mpenzi wake, ambaye pia alihukumiwa kifo lakini alifia gerezani kwa ugonjwa wa ini, alianza kumpiga Dean kwa nyundo. Tucker alichukua sururu akammalizia Dean, kisha akamgeukia Deborah Thornton, aliyekuwa amejikunyata pembeni kwa hofu, akamuua na kuiacha sururu ikiwa imezama kifuani mwake. Akiwa gerezani Tucker alizaliwa upya akawa Mkristo. Kabla ya kifo chake kwa sindano ya sumu, aliziomba radhi familia za waliouawa. "Ninasikitika sana," alisema. "Natumaini Mungu atawapa amani kuhusu jambo hili. Sasa nitakwenda kuwa uso kwa uso na Yesu. Nawapenda nyote sana. Nitawaona nyote mtakapofika huko. Nitawangojea."A more recent execution sat in Wayne's notes alongside this passage. On February 3, 1998, Karla Faye Tucker was put to death by the State of Texas. She was thirty-eight. Tucker had killed a man and a woman with a pickax during a robbery after three days of taking drugs. She and a boyfriend had gone to steal motorcycle parts from an acquaintance, Jerry Lynn Dean. Her boyfriend, who was also sentenced to death but died in prison of liver disease, began beating Dean with a hammer. Tucker grabbed a pickax and finished Dean off, then turned on Deborah Thornton, who was cowering in the corner, killing her and leaving the pickax embedded in her chest. In prison Tucker became a born-again Christian. Before her death by lethal injection, she apologized to the families of her victims. "I am so sorry," she said. "I hope God will give you peace with this. I am going to be face to face with Jesus now. I love all of you very much. I will see you all when you get there. I will wait for you."

Kesi ya Tucker ilipata uungwaji mkono kutoka kote nchini na ulimwenguni pote. Papa Yohane Paulo II, Bunge la Ulaya, Umoja wa Mataifa, na hata mtangazaji wa kidini Pat Robertson waliomba huruma. Bodi ya Msamaha na Parole ya Texas ilipiga kura 16–0 dhidi ya kumpunguzia adhabu. Gavana George W. Bush hakutoa ahirisho la mara moja la siku thelathini lililokuwa mamlakani mwake kulitoa. Richard Thornton, mume wa Deborah, alisema hangeweza kukubali msamaha alioombwa na hakuamini kuongoka kwake. Kaka yake Deborah, Ron Carlson, alipinga hukumu hiyo ya kifo, akisema Tucker alikuwa mfano kamili wa jinsi urekebishaji katika mfumo wa magereza unavyopaswa kufanya kazi. Mume wa Tucker, mhudumu wa gerezani Dana Brown, alimwita "Mkristo aliyempenda Mungu kwa moyo wake wote." Katika mahojiano yake ya mwisho, Tucker aliwahimiza Wakristo kujihusisha na huduma ya magerezani: "Kwa sababu ikiwa Mungu anaishi kihalisi ndani ya mtu fulani na maisha yake yanaongozwa na sheria yake, na upendo wake, na maadili yake, nao wakatoka hapa, hawatakuwa tishio kwa jamii yetu."Tucker's case drew support from across the nation and around the world. Pope John Paul II, the European Parliament, the United Nations, and even religious broadcaster Pat Robertson called for mercy. The Texas Board of Pardons and Parole voted 16–0 against commuting her sentence. Governor George W. Bush did not grant the one-time thirty-day reprieve that was his to give. Richard Thornton, husband of Deborah, said he could not accept the apology and did not believe the conversion. Deborah's brother Ron Carlson opposed the execution, saying she was a perfect example of how rehabilitation in the penal system is supposed to work. Tucker's husband, prison minister Dana Brown, called her "a Christian who loved God with all her heart." In her final interview, Tucker urged Christians to get involved with prison ministry: "Because if God is literally living in somebody and his life is governed by His law, by His love, by His morals, and they walk out of here, they're not going to be a threat to our society."

Kesi ya Karla Faye Tucker si Yoshua 7. Maswali ya kisheria ni tofauti. Mazingira ya agano ni tofauti. Lakini utaratibu wa kiroho ni ule ule. Dhambi ina matokeo ambayo mtenda dhambi hawezi kuyazuia, hata wakati amesamehewa na Mungu. Damu ya Kristo huiondoa adhabu ya milele mara moja. Matokeo ya muda ya sururu na vitu vilivyoibwa na wahanga waliokufa hayaondoki siku zote katika maisha haya. Bonde la Akori katika Yoshua 7 na kitanda cha hukumu huko Huntsville mnamo 1998 vinatamka sentensi ile ile ngumu juu ya kweli ile ile ngumu: jueni ya kuwa dhambi yenu itawapata (Hesabu 32:23).Karla Faye Tucker's case is not Joshua 7. The legal questions are different. The covenant context is different. But the spiritual mechanics are the same. Sin has consequences that the sinner cannot stop, even when she has been forgiven by God. The blood of Christ removes the eternal penalty in a heartbeat. The temporal consequences of pickaxes and stolen goods and dead victims do not always lift in this life. The Valley of Achor in Joshua 7 and the gurney in Huntsville in 1998 say the same hard sentence over the same hard truth: your sin will find you out (Numbers 32:23).

Katika Yoshua 7:14–18 Mungu anamweleza Yoshua kile anachopaswa kuliambia taifa, na anazungumza juu ya athari kubwa ya kutotii kwa hata mtu mmoja. Miaka kadhaa iliyopita, John Fischer alipokuwa katika watumishi wa kanisa la Wayne kama mwanamuziki, aliandika wimbo kutokana na habari hii ya Akani na Ai. Una kiitikio cha kugusa moyo, "Hutendi dhambi peke yako." Lolote ninalofanya lina athari kwa watu wanaonizunguka. Familia ya kanisa inaweza kushindwa kwa sababu ya ugonjwa hatari wa dhambi isiyoungamwa ya mtu mmoja.In Joshua 7:14–18 God explains to Joshua what he is to say to the nation, and talks about the profound effect of the disobedience of even one person. A number of years ago when John Fischer was on the staff at Wayne's church as a musician, he wrote a song out of this story of Achan and Ai. It has the haunting refrain, "You don't sin alone." Whatever I do has an effect on the people around me. A church family can be defeated by the malignancy of an individual's unconfessed sin.

Wayne anasema: "Hivi karibuni nimehusika na familia moja iliyoharibiwa kabisa miaka kumi na mitano iliyopita kwa sababu ya machaguo ya dhambi ya baba. Hakuwa tayari kutubu na kuishughulikia dhambi hiyo, na ndoa ikalipuka. Ulikuwa ni talaka yenye uchungu mwingi. Kutokana na fujo hiyo, watoto watatu, wote wakiwa katika ujana wa mwisho au mwanzo wa utu uzima, waliishia kutengana na mama yao na baba yao pia, na kumchukia Bwana mwenyewe kwa uchungu. Utengano huo umeendelea kwa karibu miaka kumi na mitano sasa."Wayne says: "I've been involved recently with a family that was literally destroyed fifteen years ago by the sinful choices of the father. He was unwilling to repent and deal with the sin, and the marriage exploded. It was an acrimonious divorce. As a result of this mess, the three children, all in late adolescence or early adulthood, ended up estranged from both their mother and their father, and embittered against the Lord himself. That estrangement has gone on for almost fifteen years now."

Hakuna hata mmoja wetu anayetenda dhambi peke yake. Dhambi ina ushawishi wa kuharibu. Inaenea nje kutoka hemani hadi kambini. Inaenea nje kutoka kitanda cha ndoa hadi vyumba vya kulala vya watoto na hadi kizazi kinachofuata. Wale watu thelathini na sita waliokufa kwenye mteremko wa Ai hawakuwahi kukutana na Akani. Hawakujua kwamba hema lake lilikuwa na kichocheo kilicholeta mazishi yao. Hiyo ndiyo sehemu ya dhambi ambayo kamwe hatupendi kuitazama: si kile inachonifanyia mimi, bali kile inachowafanyia watu ambao wamejikuta katika kambi moja pamoja nami.None of us sins alone. Sin has a corrupting influence. It rolls outward from the tent into the camp. It rolls outward from the marriage bed into the children's bedrooms and into the next generation. The thirty-six men who died on the slope of Ai never met Achan. They had no idea his tent contained the trigger that pulled their funeral. That is the part of sin we never quite want to look at: not what it does to me, but what it does to the people who happen to be in the same camp with me.

Dhambi ya Akani iliwaua askari thelathini na sita, nyumba yake mwenyewe, na karibu kampeni nzima ya kuiteka nchi kabla Mungu hajaukatiza mnyororo huo. Kesi ya 1998 anayoitaja Wayne iliharibu ndoa na maisha ya vijana watatu waliokuwa wakiingia utu uzima. Mtindo ni ule ule. Hutendi dhambi peke yako.Achan's sin took out thirty-six soldiers, his own household, and almost the entire campaign of conquest before God interrupted the chain. The 1998 case Wayne mentions took out a marriage and three young adult lives. The pattern is the same pattern. You don't sin alone.

Miaka kadhaa iliyopita Wayne alisoma juu ya jinsi wanavyowakamata nyani huko New Guinea. Wanachukua kibuyu kikubwa kilichokauka, wanakitoboa ndani, na kukijaza karanga ambazo nyani wanazipenda. Wanakata tundu katika kibuyu lenye ukubwa wa kutosha tu kwa nyani kupenyeza mkono wake. Nyani anazishika karanga zilizo ndani, lakini hawezi kuutoa mkono wake. Anachohitaji kufanya tu ili awe huru ni kuziachilia karanga na kuurudisha mkono wake nje. Lakini nyani anazitamani karanga mno na hataki kuziachilia, na hapo anakamatwa.Some years ago Wayne read about how they catch monkeys in New Guinea. They take a big, dry gourd, hollow it out, and fill it up with nuts that the monkeys love. They cut a hole in the gourd just big enough for the monkey to slip his hand through. The monkey grabs the nuts inside, but cannot pull his hand out. All he has to do to get free is let the nuts go and slip his hand back out. But the monkey wants the nuts too badly and won't let go, and then he is captured.

Hiyo ndiyo hoja ya habari ya Akani na Ai kwa taifa la Israeli, na kwetu sisi leo pia. Tunaposhikilia dhambi katika maisha yetu, tunakuwa watumwa wa dhambi. Tunafikiri tunaweza kuepuka kwa hali kidogo ya kununa, hasira kidogo ya ubinafsi, kinyongo kidogo. Mkono uko ndani ya kibuyu. Vidole vimezishika karanga. Na mwindaji anakuja akitembea njiani. Silika ya nyani ni kushika kwa nguvu zaidi; silika ya neema ni kuufungua mkono. Vita vyote vya Akani na vita vyote vya kila mwamini aliyewahi kukaa juu ya dhambi iliyofichwa na kujiuliza, "Je, naweza kuishika hii na bado nikamtumikia Mungu?" — jibu ni lile lile ambalo nyani hagundui kamwe. Fungua mkono. Karanga hazina thamani kuliko kibuyu.That is the point of the Achan and Ai story for the nation Israel, and for us today as well. When we hold onto sin in our lives, we become slaves to sin. We think we can get away with just a little moodiness, a little selfish anger, a little resentment. The hand is in the gourd. The fingers are around the nuts. And the hunter is walking up the path. The instinct of the monkey is to grip harder; the instinct of grace is to open the hand. The whole battle of Achan and the whole battle of every believer who has ever sat over a hidden sin and asked, "Can I keep this and still serve God?" — the answer is the same answer the monkey never figures out. Open the hand. The nuts are not worth the gourd.

Yoshua 8 inaanza kwa mojawapo ya sentensi za kichungaji zaidi katika kitabu hiki. Baada ya adhabu ya sura ya 7, BWANA hamwachi Yoshua chini ya wingu. Anasema, "Usiogope, wala usifadhaike; twaa watu wote wa vita pamoja nawe, ukainuke, upande juu Ai; tazama, nimetia mkononi mwako mfalme wa Ai, na watu wake, na mji wake, na nchi yake" (Yoshua 8:1). Neno lile lile la wakati uliopita kutoka sura ya 6 limerudi: Nimetia. Agano limerejeshwa. Amiri ameufuta upanga wake tena. Israeli wanaushambulia mji ule ule uliowafukuza sura moja kabla — lakini wakati huu kila kitu ni tofauti.Joshua 8 opens with one of the most pastoral sentences in the book. After the discipline of chapter 7, the LORD does not leave Joshua under the cloud. He says, "Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land" (Joshua 8:1). The same past-tense word from chapter 6 is back: I have given. The covenant is restored. The Captain has unsheathed His sword again. Israel marches against the same city that routed it a chapter earlier — only this time everything is different.

Sasa jeshi linaongozwa na BWANA badala ya ripoti za wapelelezi. Sasa mkakati umetolewa na Mungu: kuvizia. Yoshua anatuma watu elfu thelathini, mashujaa hodari, usiku ili wakae kuvizia nyuma ya mji (Yoshua 8:3–9). Asubuhi iliyofuata anaongoza jeshi kuu kuelekea Ai kana kwamba anarudia shambulio la kwanza. Watu wa Ai wanawaona Waisraeli wakikimbia, na kama hapo awali, wanamiminika kutoka malangoni wakiwafuatia, wakijipongeza kwa ushindi wa pili rahisi. Mji unabaki mtupu. Ndipo Yoshua, kwa amri ya BWANA, anaunyosha mkuki wake, wale waliovizia wanainuka nyuma ya mji na kuutia moto, na jeshi lililokuwa likikimbia linageuka. Ai inanaswa kati ya majeshi mawili. Mji unaanguka.Now the army is led by the LORD instead of by spy reports. Now the strategy is divinely given: an ambush. Joshua sends thirty thousand mighty men of valor by night to lie in wait behind the city (Joshua 8:3–9). The next morning he leads the main force toward Ai as if to repeat the previous attack. The men of Ai see the Israelites flee, and just as before, they swarm out of the gates in pursuit, congratulating themselves on a second easy victory. The city stands empty. Then Joshua, at the LORD's command, stretches out his spear, the ambush rises behind the city and sets it on fire, and the fleeing army wheels around. Ai is caught between the two forces. The city falls.

Jambo la Maandiko la kuzingatia ni mkuki. Yoshua anaushika ukiwa umenyoshwa kwa vita vyote, akiushusha tu mji ulipokwisha kuangamizwa (Yoshua 8:18, 26). Ni mwangwi wa makusudi wa Musa juu ya kilima akiwa ameinua mikono juu ya Amaleki katika Kutoka 17. Mungu yule yule aliyeokoa kwa mikono ya Musa iliyoinuliwa anaokoa kwa mkuki wa Yoshua ulionyoshwa. Hoja si mkuki. Hoja ni kiongozi akiombea wakati vita vinapiganwa chini. Kurejeshwa baada ya dhambi siku zote kunahusisha kurudi kwenye mkao wa Musa na Yoshua: mikono juu, macho kwa BWANA, wakati watu wanapigana vita ambavyo Mungu amekwisha kuvishinda.The textual detail to notice is the spear. Joshua holds it stretched out for the entire battle, lowering it only when the city is destroyed (Joshua 8:18, 26). It is a deliberate echo of Moses on the hilltop with arms raised over Amalek in Exodus 17. The same God who saved by Moses' raised hands saves by Joshua's stretched-out spear. The point is not the spear. The point is the leader interceding while the battle is fought below. Restoration after sin always involves a return to the posture of Moses and Joshua: arms up, eyes on the LORD, while the people fight the fight God has already won.

Tofauti na sura ya 7 ni kamili. Kule: kiburi, kutokuomba, dhambi iliyofichwa, kushindwa. Huku: unyenyekevu mbele za Mungu, utii wenye maombi, dhambi imeshughulikiwa, ushindi. Jeshi lile lile. Mji ule ule. Kampeni tofauti. Tofauti si askari. Tofauti ni agano. Nimetia.The contrast with chapter 7 is total. There: pride, prayerlessness, hidden sin, defeat. Here: humility before God, prayerful obedience, sin dealt with, victory. Same army. Same city. Different campaign. The difference is not the soldiers. The difference is the covenant. I have given.

Yoshua 8 haiishii na magofu ya Ai yanayofuka moshi. Inaishia na mojawapo ya ibada zisizothaminiwa ipasavyo katika Agano la Kale. Yoshua analichukua taifa zima — wanaume, wanawake, watoto wadogo, wazee, maafisa, waamuzi, pamoja na mgeni aliyeishi kati yao — na kuwakusanya katika uwanja wa asili kati ya Mlima Ebali na Mlima Gerizimu, hasa mahali ambapo Musa alikuwa ameamuru miaka arobaini kabla katika Kumbukumbu la Torati 27. Huko, juu ya Mlima Ebali, Yoshua anajenga madhabahu ya mawe yasiyochongwa ambayo juu yake hakuna chombo cha chuma kilichoinuliwa. Wanamtolea BWANA sadaka za kuteketezwa na sadaka za amani. Kisha Yoshua anaandika nakala ya torati ya Musa juu ya mawe, mbele ya taifa zima. Na kisha, nusu ya makabila wakiwa wamesimama juu ya Mlima Gerizimu na nusu juu ya Mlima Ebali, Yoshua anasoma kwa sauti maneno yote ya Torati — baraka na laana — "sawasawa na yote yaliyoandikwa katika kitabu cha torati. Hapakuwa na neno moja katika yote aliyoyaamuru Musa, ambalo Yoshua hakulisoma mbele ya kusanyiko lote la Israeli" (Yoshua 8:34–35).Joshua 8 does not end with the smoking ruins of Ai. It ends with one of the most underrated worship services in the Old Testament. Joshua takes the entire nation — men, women, little ones, elders, officers, judges, including the foreigner who lived among them — and gathers them in the natural amphitheater between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, exactly where Moses had commanded forty years earlier in Deuteronomy 27. There, on Mount Ebal, Joshua builds an altar of unhewn stones over which no iron tool has been raised. They offer burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD. Then Joshua inscribes a copy of the law of Moses on stones, in the presence of the entire nation. And then, with half the tribes standing on Mount Gerizim and half on Mount Ebal, Joshua reads aloud all the words of the Law — the blessings and the curses — "according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel" (Joshua 8:34–35).

Soma kile kilichotokea punde. Jambo la kwanza Israeli wanalofanya baada ya kupona kutoka kushindwa kulikosababishwa na dhambi si kujenga ngome, si kuimarisha eneo, si kupanga kampeni inayofuata. Jambo la kwanza wanalofanya ni kujenga madhabahu na kusoma Biblia. Ibada na Neno ndizo nguzo mbili zinazoushikilia mlango wa kurudi ndani ya agano baada ya dhambi kuung'oa kutoka kwenye bawaba zake. Bila madhabahu hakuna upatanisho kwa dhambi iliyokwisha kutendwa. Bila Neno hakuna onyo dhidi ya dhambi ambayo bado inajaribu. Vyote viwili huenda pamoja. Kanisa linaloabudu bila kusoma Neno litapotoka. Kanisa linalosoma Neno bila kuabudu litakuwa gumu. Kanisa linalofanya yote mawili, asubuhi ile ile, juu ya kilima kile kile, hurudishiwa kile ambacho Akani alijaribu kukiiba.Read what just happened. The first thing Israel does after recovering from a sin-driven defeat is not to build a fortress, not to consolidate territory, not to plan the next campaign. The first thing they do is build an altar and read the Bible. Worship and the Word are the two posts that hold up the door back into the covenant after sin has knocked it off its hinges. Without the altar there is no atonement for sin already committed. Without the Word there is no warning against sin still tempting. The two go together. A church that worships without reading the Word will drift. A church that reads the Word without worshipping will harden. A church that does both, on the same morning, on the same hill, gets back what Achan tried to steal.

Angalia pia ni nani walio katika kusanyiko: "pamoja na wanawake, na watoto wadogo, na wageni waliokaa kati yao" (Yoshua 8:35). Usomaji huo si kwa ajili ya makuhani au mashujaa wa vita peke yao. Watoto wa miaka minne wanausikia. Mgibeoni mgeni anausikia — kwa sababu kufikia sura inayofuata ya Yoshua atakuwa pale. Neno linakwenda kwa kambi nzima kwa sababu dhambi ilikuwa imeiambukiza kambi nzima. Dawa inasafiri mbali kama ugonjwa ulivyosafiri.Notice also who is in the assembly: "with the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them" (Joshua 8:35). The reading is not just for the priests or the warriors. The four-year-olds hear it. The foreign Gibeonite hears it — because by the next chapter of Joshua he will be there. The Word goes to the whole camp because the sin had infected the whole camp. The remedy travels as far as the disease.

Hapa pia ndipo somo la Yoshua 5 kwa Yoshua linapotua hatimaye. Amiri aliyemwambia avue viatu vyake kwa sababu ardhi ilikuwa takatifu sasa amesimama katika kusanyiko wakati taifa zima linaisikia Torati ile ile iliyotolewa Sinai. Mungu yule yule. Agano lile lile. Matarajio yale yale. Baada ya adhabu, Israeli wanarudi mahali walipopaswa kuwa tangu mwanzo: wakisimama chini ya Neno, viatu vikiwa vimevuliwa kiroho kama si kimwili, madhabahu ikifuka moshi mbele yao na baraka na laana zikivuma bondeni kati ya milima miwili. Hiyo ndiyo picha ya kurejeshwa. Hilo ndilo Mungu anafanya baada ya Akani.This is also where Joshua's Joshua 5 lesson finally lands. The Captain who told him to take off his sandals because the ground was holy is now standing in the assembly while the whole nation hears the same Law that was given on Sinai. The same God. The same covenant. The same expectation. After the discipline, Israel comes back to the place it should have been all along: standing under the Word, with sandals off in spirit if not in body, with the altar smoking in front of them and the blessings and curses ringing across the valley between two mountains. That is the picture of restoration. That is what God does after Achan.

Karne nyingi baada ya Yoshua, nabii Hosea analichukua bonde lile lile na kulipa kusudi jipya kuwa mojawapo ya picha kuu za neema katika Agano la Kale. Akizungumza juu ya Israeli asiye mwaminifu, BWANA anasema: "Nami nitampa mashamba yake ya mizabibu toka huko, na bonde la Akori kuwa mlango wa matumaini" (Hosea 2:15). Bonde lile lile ambamo dhambi ya mtu mmoja iliiua familia yake linakuwa, katika Hosea, mlango ambao kupitia huo Mungu atawaongoza watu waliovunjika warudi kwake. Chungu la mawe juu ya mifupa ya Akani halina neno la mwisho. Mlango wa matumaini ndio wenye neno la mwisho.Centuries after Joshua, the prophet Hosea picks up the same valley and repurposes it into one of the great pictures of grace in the Old Testament. Speaking of unfaithful Israel, the LORD says: "I will give her her vineyards from there, and the Valley of Achor as a door of hope" (Hosea 2:15). The same valley where one man's sin had killed his family becomes, in Hosea, the doorway through which God will lead a broken people back to Himself. The pile of stones over Achan's bones does not have the last word. The door of hope does.

Huo ndio usomaji wa kiinjili wa Yoshua 7–8. Dhambi kambini ni hatari. Dhambi kambini haina neno la mwisho. Amiri bado ana upanga wake. Madhabahu bado inafuka moshi juu ya Mlima Ebali. Torati bado inasomwa juu ya kusanyiko. Na Bonde la Akori bado ni mlango wa matumaini kwa yeyote aliye tayari kupiga kengele, kuufungua mkono, kuziachilia karanga, na kutoka chini ya sakafu ya hema.That is the gospel reading of Joshua 7–8. Sin in the camp is dangerous. Sin in the camp does not have the last word. The Captain still has His sword. The altar still smokes on Mount Ebal. The Law is still read over the assembly. And the Valley of Achor is still a door of hope for anyone willing to ring the bell, open the hand, drop the nuts, and come out from under the floor of the tent.

Hutendi dhambi peke yako. Wala huhitaji kutubu peke yako. Mungu aliyeitoa Yeriko aliitoa Ai mara ya pili, baada ya Akani kuzikwa chini ya mawe. Atafanya vivyo hivyo kwa mwamini yeyote juma hili.You don't sin alone. You also do not have to repent alone. The God who gave Jericho gave Ai the second time, after Achan was buried under the stones. He will do the same for any believer this week.