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Sunday, December 8, 2013

Joshua's Criminal Investigation (Joshua 7:14-18)

Joshua 7

King James Version (KJV)


14 In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the Lord taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the Lord shall take shall come by households; and the household which the Lord shall take shall come man by man.
15 And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.
16 So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken:
17 And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken:
18 And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.


Comments:
God instructs Joshua on how to conduct a criminal investigation in order to determine who took the spoil for private use. While criminal investigations can be tedious, inquiring diligently (Deuteronomy 17:4; 19:18) is necessary for rulers concerned about arriving at the truth.