Bible

 

Joshua 7

Studie

   

1 Aga Iisraeli lapsed talitasid hävitamisele määratuga petise kombel, sest Aakan, Serahi poja Sabdi poja Karmi poeg Juuda suguharust, võttis enesele midagi hävitamisele määratust. Seepärast süttis Issanda viha põlema Iisraeli laste vastu.

2 Joosua läkitas nüüd Jeerikost mehi Aisse, mis on Beet-Aaveni ligidal Peetelist ida pool, ja rääkis neile, öeldes: 'Minge ja kuulake maad!' Ja mehed läksid ning uurisid Aid.

3 Kui nad tulid tagasi Joosua juurde, siis nad ütlesid temale: 'Ärgu mingu kogu rahvas! Mingu ainult kaks või kolm tuhat meest ja vallutagu Ai! Ära väsita seal kogu rahvast, sest neid on vähe!'

4 Nii läks sinna rahva hulgast ligi kolm tuhat meest, aga nad põgenesid Ai meeste eest.

5 Ja Ai mehed lõid neist maha kolmkümmend kuus meest ning ajasid ülejäänuid taga värava eest kuni Sebarimini ja lõid neid nõlvakul. Siis sulas rahva süda ja muutus veeks.

6 Aga Joosua käristas oma riided lõhki ning heitis Issanda laeka ette silmili maha ja jäi sinna kuni õhtuni, tema ja Iisraeli vanemad, ja nad panid endile põrmu pea peale.

7 Ja Joosua ütles: 'Oh Issand Jumal, miks lasksid tulla selle rahva üle Jordani, et annad meid emorlaste kätte hukkamiseks? Oleksime ometi otsustanud jääda teisele poole Jordanit!

8 Oh Issand! Mida peaksin ütlema pärast seda, kui Iisrael on pööranud oma vaenlase poole selja?

9 Kui kaananlased ja kõik maa elanikud kuulevad sellest, siis nad piiravad meid ümber ja kaotavad meie nime maa pealt. Mida sa mõtled teha oma suure nime heaks?'

10 Aga Issand ütles Joosuale: 'Tõuse! Miks sa lamad silmili maas?

11 Iisrael on pattu teinud ja on rikkunud ka minu lepingu, mille ma nendega tegin; nad on endile võtnud hävitamisele määratust, jah, nad on varastanud ja petnud ning on selle isegi pannud oma asjade hulka.

12 Sellepärast Iisraeli lapsed ei suuda oma vaenlastele vastu panna, vaid nad pööravad vaenlaste poole selja, sest nad ise on määratud hävitamisele. Mina ei ole enam teiega, kui te ei kõrvalda endi keskelt hävitamisele määratud asja.

13 Tõuse, pühitse rahvast ja ütle: Pühitsege endid homseks! Sest nõnda ütleb Issand, Iisraeli Jumal: Üks hävitamisele määratud asi on su keskel, Iisrael. Sa ei suuda enne oma vaenlastele vastu panna, kui te endi keskelt ei ole kõrvaldanud hävitamisele määratud asja.

14 Hommikul astuge ette oma suguharude kaupa ja see suguharu, kellele Issanda liisk osutab, astugu ette suguvõsade kaupa; ja suguvõsa, kellele Issanda liisk osutab, astugu ette perekondade kaupa; ja perekond, kellele Issanda liisk osutab, astugu ette mees-mehelt!

15 See, keda tabatakse hävitamisele määratud asjaga, põletatagu tulega, tema ja kõik, mis tal on, sest ta on rikkunud Issanda lepingu ja on Iisraelis teinud häbiteo!'

16 Ja Joosua tõusis hommikul vara ning laskis Iisraeli astuda ette suguharude kaupa: liisk osutas Juuda suguharule.

17 Ja ta laskis Juuda suguharu ette astuda ning liisk osutas serahlaste suguvõsale; siis ta laskis serahlaste suguvõsa ette astuda mees-mehelt: liisk osutas Sabdile.

18 Siis ta laskis tema perekonna ette astuda mees-mehelt: liisk osutas Aakanile, Serahi poja Sabdi poja Karmi pojale Juuda suguharust.

19 Ja Joosua ütles Aakanile: 'Mu poeg, anna nüüd au Issandale, Iisraeli Jumalale, tunnista temale kiituseks ja avalda mulle, mida sa oled teinud! Ära minu ees salga!'

20 Ja Aakan vastas Joosuale ning ütles: 'Ma olen tõesti teinud pattu Issanda, Iisraeli Jumala vastu! Ma tegin nõnda:

21 kui ma nägin saagi hulgas ühte kaunist Sineari kuube, kahtesada hõbeseeklit ja ühte kuldkangi, kaalult viiskümmend seeklit, siis ma himustasin neid ja võtsin need, ja vaata, need on kaevatud maasse keset mu telki, ja hõbe on kõige all.'

22 Siis Joosua läkitas käskjalad ja need jooksid telki. Ja vaata, see oli maetud ta telgis, hõbe kõige all.

23 Siis nad võtsid need telgist ja viisid Joosua ja kõigi Iisraeli laste juurde ning puistasid Issanda ette.

24 Siis Joosua võttis Aakani, Serahi poja, hõbeda, mantli ja kuldkangi, tema pojad ja tütred, tema härjad, eeslid, lambad ja kitsed, tema telgi ja kõik, mis tal oli, ja kogu Iisrael oli koos temaga, ja nad viisid need Aakori orgu.

25 Ja Joosua ütles: 'Miks sa tõukasid meid õnnetusse? Issand tõukab nüüd sind õnnetusse!' Ja kogu Iisrael viskas tema kividega surnuks; nad põletasid need tulega ja pildusid neile kive.

26 Ja nad kuhjasid tema peale suure kivihunniku, mis on olemas tänapäevani. Siis Issand pöördus oma tulisest vihast. Seepärast hüütakse seda paika tänapäevani Aakori oruks.

   

Komentář

 

Exploring the Meaning of Joshua 7

Napsal(a) New Christian Bible Study Staff, Julian Duckworth

Joshua 7: The defeat at Ai, and the sin of Achan.

This chapter opens with the statement that Israel had sinned at Jericho, because an Israelite named Achan had kept something for himself, against the Lord's commandment. (But Joshua doesn't know this yet.)

The great victory at Jericho was quickly followed by an embarrassing defeat at Ai. The Israelites hadn't expected much difficulty in taking Ai, and sent just a few thousand men to attack it. They were routed.

Spiritually, we might say that pride goes before a fall, but more specifically, in the work of our regeneration we are never to rest on our laurels, but to always stay alert to each situation and how we are internally handling it. (Apocalypse Revealed 158)

Understandably, Joshua pours out his heart to the Lord, wondering why they have even crossed over the Jordan to simply be destroyed. The Lord tells him that their defeat at Ai was because Israel sinned by taking some of the forbidden things of Jericho. The Lord explains how to put this right, by identifying the wrongdoer and destroying him and his family.

Note the weakness of Joshua (as earlier also with Moses at times) when things go wrong and he feels confused, full of doubt, hurt and afraid. When things go well, we go well; when things go badly, we tend to go to pieces. And we ask, “Why? Why this, why me, why now?”

The Lord’s answer is a command, “Get up! Why are you lying on your face?” This is a pretty plain meaning: The Lord wants us to use such setbacks to be able to go forward, seeing the problem as a challenge and an opportunity and learning point.

Joshua is told to find the source of the wrong and the defeat. From all the tribes, one tribe will be selected by the Lord. From all its families, one family will be chosen. From all its households, one household will be chosen, and from that household, one man will be chosen. And Achan was the man and he is brought out. (Arcana Caelestia 5135)

This drawing-by-lot is a remarkable picture of our spiritual self-examination. We’re told that to make our general confession of ‘having done what we should not have done’ is almost worthless because we are likely to just carry on the same afterwards. (Arcana Caelestia 8390) Our personal inventory must be specific. What kind of thoughts have I been allowing myself recently? What did that make me feel in my heart? Did I welcome it or want nothing to do with it? It’s a kind of pinpointing, and it leads us to Achan, whose name in Hebrew means ‘trouble’ and ‘troubler’. (The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine 164)

Achan, discovered, doesn't hide or deny his wrongdoing but openly admits that he has sinned against the Lord. He'd seen a beautiful garment, much silver, and a chunk of gold, and took them, and hid them in the earth in the middle of his tent. He confesses and indeed, his confession is transparent. So must our confession be when we see things in ourselves that go against the Lord’s truths and ways. They bring forth his stolen goods from his tent.

Then, in a comprehensive way, Joshua took everything Achan owned in its entirety, including the stolen goods, to the Valley of Achor (a name again meaning ‘trouble’) and stoned him and all his family and burned them with fire and raised a heap of stones over it all. This, to us, might well sound like a brutal and an unwarranted punishment.

Spiritually, the Lord does not punish us, ever. Rather, he commands that we turn from our evils, and suffer the consequences if we don't. The Lord does this to help and encourage us to stop following our own way and to commit ourselves to following and living His way. We can only conquer Canaan, representing heaven, when we do this. (Arcana Caelestia 8622)

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine # 164

Prostudujte si tuto pasáž

  
/ 325  
  

164. The man who explores himself that he may do the work of repentance, must explore his thoughts and the intentions of his will, and must there explore what he would do if it were permitted him, that is, if he were not afraid of the laws, and of the loss of reputation, honor, and gain. There the evils of man reside, and the evils which he does in the body are all from thence. They who do not explore the evils of their thought and will, cannot do the work of repentance, for they think and will afterwards as they did before, and yet to will evils is to do them. This is to explore one's self.

  
/ 325  
  

Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.