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Isus Navin 7

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1 Ali se ogrešiše sinovi Izrailjevi o prokletinju, jer Ahan sin Harmije sina Zavdije sina Zarinog od plemena Judinog, uze od prokletih stvari; zato se razgnevi Gospod na sinove Izrailjeve.

2 A Isus posla ljude iz Jerihona u Gaj, koji beše blizu Vet-Avena s istoka Vetilju, i reče im govoreći: Idite i uhodite zemlju. I ljudi odoše i uhodiše Gaj.

3 I vrativši se k Isusu rekoše mu: Neka ne ide sav narod; do dve hiljade ljudi ili do tri hiljade ljudi neka idu, i osvojiće Gaj; nemoj mučiti sav narod, jer ih je malo.

4 I ode ih onamo iz naroda oko tri hiljade ljudi; ali pobegoše od Gajana.

5 I Gajani posekoše ih do trideset i šest ljudi; i goniše ih od vrata do Sivarima, i pobiše ih na strmeni; i rastopi se srce u narodu, i posta kao voda.

6 A Isus razdre haljine svoje i pade licem na zemlju pred kovčegom Gospodnjim, i leža do večera, on i starešine Izrailjeve, i posuše se prahom po glavi.

7 I reče Isus: Jao! Gospode Bože, zašto prevede ovaj narod preko Jordana da nas predaš u ruke Amorejcima da nas pobiju? O, da htesmo ostati preko Jordana!

8 Jao! Gospode, šta da kažem, kad je Izrailj obratio pleća pred neprijateljima svojim?

9 Čuće Hananeji i svi stanovnici te zemlje, i sleći će se oko nas, i istrebiće ime naše sa zemlje; i šta ćeš učiniti od velikog imena svog?

10 A Gospod reče Isusu: Ustani: što si pao na lice svoje?

11 Zgrešio je Izrailj, i prestupio zavet moj koji sam im zapovedio: jer uzeše od prokletih stvari, i ukradoše, i zatajiše, i metnuše među svoje stvari.

12 Zato neće moći sinovi Izrailjevi stajati pred neprijateljima svojim; pleća će obraćati pred neprijateljima svojim, jer su pod prokletstvom; neću više biti s vama, ako ne istrebite između sebe prokletinju.

13 Ustani, osveštaj narod, i reci: Osveštajte se za sutra; jer ovako veli Gospod Bog Izrailjev: Prokletstvo je usred tebe, Izrailju; nećeš moći stajati pred neprijateljima svojim dokle ne uklonite prokletstvo između sebe.

14 Pristupićete ujutru po plemenima svojim; i koje pleme obliči Gospod ono će pristupiti po porodicama svojim; i koju porodicu obliči Gospod ona će pristupiti po domovima svojim; i koji dom obliči Gospod, pristupiće ljudi iz njega jedan po jedan.

15 Pa ko se nađe u prokletstvu, neka se spali ognjem i on i sve njegovo, jer prestupi zavet Gospodnji i učini bezakonje u Izrailju.

16 I ustavši Isus ujutru rano reče te pristupi Izrailj po plemenima svojim; i obliči se pleme Judino.

17 Potom reče te pristupiše porodice Judine; i obliči se porodica Zarina; potom reče te pristupi porodica Zarina, domaćin jedan po jedan, i obliči se Zavdija.

18 I reče, te pristupi njegov dom, ljudi jedan po jedan, i obliči se Ahan sin Harmije sina Zavdije sina Zarinog od plemena Judinog.

19 I reče Isus Ahanu: Sine, hajde daj hvalu Gospodu Bogu Izrailjevom, i priznaj pred Njim, i kaži mi šta si učinio, nemoj tajiti od mene.

20 A Ahan odgovori Isusu i reče: Istina je, ja zgreših Gospodu Bogu Izrailjevom, i učinih tako i tako:

21 Videh u plenu jedan lep plašt vavilonski, i dvesta sikala srebra, i jednu šipku zlata od pedeset sikala, pa se polakomih i uzeh; i eno je zakopano u zemlju usred mog šatora, i srebro odozdo.

22 Tada Isus posla poslanike, koji otrčaše u šator, i gle, beše zakopano u šatoru njegovom, i odozdo srebro.

23 I uzeše iz šatora i doneše k Isusu i svim sinovima Izrailjevim, i metnuše pred Gospoda.

24 Tada Isus i sav Izrailj uzeše Ahana sina Zarinog, i srebro i plašt i šipku zlata, i sinove njegove i kćeri njegove, i volove njegove i magarce njegove, i ovce njegove, i šator i sve što beše njegovo, i izvedoše u dolinu Ahor.

25 I reče Isus: Što si nas smeo? Gospod da te smete danas! I zasu ga kamenjem sav Izrailj, i spališe sve ognjem zasuvši kamenjem.

26 Po tom nabacaše na nj veliku gomilu kamenja, koja stoji i danas. I Gospod se povrati od žestine gneva svog. Otuda se prozva ono mesto dolina Ahor do danas.

   

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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)

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Arcana Coelestia # 1043

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1043. 'The cloud' means the obscure light in which the spiritual man dwells in comparison with the celestial man. This becomes clear from what has just been stated concerning the bow; for the bow, or the colour of the bow, is never manifested except within the cloud. As has been stated, it is the obscurity itself through which the sun's rays shine that is converted into different colours, and so the actual colour that is produced is determined by the nature of the obscurity which the brightness of those rays encounters. Similarly with the spiritual man. The obscurity with him, which is called 'the cloud' here, is falsity, and is the same as the intellectual side of his proprium. When innocence, charity, and mercy from the Lord are instilled into this part of his proprium, the cloud is no longer seen as falsity but as an appearance of truth together with [real] truth from the Lord. Consequently there is the likeness of a coloured bow. The conversion of something spiritual that defies description is involved here, but how else the matter can be explained intelligibly except through the way a person perceives colours and how they are produced I do not know.

[2] The nature of this cloud with someone who is regenerate is clear from what his state was prior to regeneration. A person is regenerated by means of the things he supposes to be the truths of faith. Everyone supposes that his own accepted belief is the truth, and on this basis acquires a conscience. Consequently once he has acquired a conscience, acting contrary to the things that have been impressed on him as being the truths of faith is to him acting contrary to conscience. This applies to everyone who is regenerate. For many from whatever accepted belief are regenerated by the Lord; and once regenerated, they do not receive any direct revelation, but only those things which are implanted through the Word and preaching of it. But because they receive charity, the Lord operates by way of charity into the cloud that is theirs. From this, light is provided, as when the sun pierces a cloud which thereby becomes more illumined and made varicoloured. So also within the cloud [of falsity] the likeness of a bow is manifested. The thinner the cloud therefore, that is, the more it consists of many truths of faith blending together, the more beautiful is the bow; but the thicker this cloud, that is, the less it consists of truths of faith, the less beautiful the bow. Innocence adds considerably to its beauty, bringing so to speak a living brightness to the colours.

[3] All appearances of truth are 'clouds' which envelop a person when he is confined to the sense of the letter of the Word, for the Word speaks according to appearances. Yet, even though he remains in appearances, since he believes the Word in simplicity and has charity, that cloud is relatively thin - it being within this cloud that the Lord forms conscience in the case of one who is inside the Church. In addition, all forms of ignorance of truth are 'clouds', such as envelop a person who does not know what the truth of faith is, in general when he does not know what the Word is, and still more when he has not heard about the Lord. It is within this cloud that the Lord forms conscience in the case of one who is outside the Church; for in ignorance itself there can be innocence, and so charity. All falsities too are 'clouds', but these clouds are the darkness that exists either with people who have a false conscience, as described already, or with people who have none at all. These are in general the various types of clouds. As regards the number of them, the clouds with an individual are so numerous and so thick that if he knew he would be amazed that rays of light from the Lord could ever pierce them at all and that anyone could be regenerated. The person who imagines he has a very small amount of cloud sometimes has a vast quantity of it, while the one who believes he has a vast quantity of cloud has less.

[4] Such clouds reside with the spiritual man, but with the celestial man not so many do so since with him love to the Lord is present, which has been implanted in the will part of his mind. He does not therefore receive conscience from the Lord as the spiritual man does, but perception of good and from this of truth. When the will part of someone's mind is such that he is able to receive rays from a celestial flame, the understanding part is lit up by it, and he knows and perceives from love all things that are truths of faith. The will part is then like a little sun from which rays pass into the understanding part. Such was the nature of the member of the Most Ancient Church. But when the will part of his mind has become utterly corrupted and hellish, and a new will, which is conscience, is therefore formed in the understanding part, as happened to the member of the Ancient Church and happens now to every regenerate member of the spiritual Church, there is thick cloud; for, having no ability to perceive what good and truth are, he must gain a knowledge of this through learning about them. At the same time falsity, which is the obscurity of the cloud, is constantly flowing in from the black will part of his mind, that is, from hell by way of that will part. For this reason the understanding part with the spiritual man can never be enlightened in the way that it is with the celestial man. This is why 'cloud' here means the obscure light in which the spiritual man dwells in comparison with the celestial man.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.