God calls His people before Him to reveal the one who caused Israel’s defeat.
“In the morning then you shall come near by your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which the LORD takes by lot shall come near by families, and the family which the LORD takes shall come near by households, and the household which the LORD takes shall come near man by man.” (v.14) The people of Israel face a critical moment following their unexpected defeat at Ai. Under Joshua’s leadership, the nation is instructed to gather tribe by tribe so that the LORD, through a divine selection process (also seen in 1 Samuel 14:41), can reveal where the sin lies. This methodical approach emphasizes that the wrongdoing will be uncovered in front of the entire community, showing that no individual oversight escapes God’s notice.
Joshua’s leadership is integral to Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land during approximately 1405-1390 BC, after Moses led them out of Egypt decades earlier. As the successor to Moses (Deuteronomy 34:9), Joshua is responsible for guiding the people into their inheritance. In this verse, “the tribe which the LORD takes by lot” (v.14) underscores that God remains the ultimate arbiter of justice, revealing the hidden disobedience that halted Israel’s progress. The geographical context involves the region west of the Jordan River in Canaan, where Ai and other cities sat waiting to be conquered.
God’s perfect knowledge of human hearts and His commitment to holiness connects directly to Jesus’ teaching in the New Testament (Matthew 12:36), where every hidden deed and motive stands accountable before God. Israel’s solemn procedure in Joshua 7:14, moving from tribe to family to household to individual, highlights the seriousness of sin within the covenant community. This passage demonstrates that God’s instruments of grace and correction faithfully operate, ensuring that His people remain aligned with His righteous ways.
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Joshua 7:14 meaning
“In the morning then you shall come near by your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which the LORD takes by lot shall come near by families, and the family which the LORD takes shall come near by households, and the household which the LORD takes shall come near man by man.” (v.14) The people of Israel face a critical moment following their unexpected defeat at Ai. Under Joshua’s leadership, the nation is instructed to gather tribe by tribe so that the LORD, through a divine selection process (also seen in 1 Samuel 14:41), can reveal where the sin lies. This methodical approach emphasizes that the wrongdoing will be uncovered in front of the entire community, showing that no individual oversight escapes God’s notice.
Joshua’s leadership is integral to Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land during approximately 1405-1390 BC, after Moses led them out of Egypt decades earlier. As the successor to Moses (Deuteronomy 34:9), Joshua is responsible for guiding the people into their inheritance. In this verse, “the tribe which the LORD takes by lot” (v.14) underscores that God remains the ultimate arbiter of justice, revealing the hidden disobedience that halted Israel’s progress. The geographical context involves the region west of the Jordan River in Canaan, where Ai and other cities sat waiting to be conquered.
God’s perfect knowledge of human hearts and His commitment to holiness connects directly to Jesus’ teaching in the New Testament (Matthew 12:36), where every hidden deed and motive stands accountable before God. Israel’s solemn procedure in Joshua 7:14, moving from tribe to family to household to individual, highlights the seriousness of sin within the covenant community. This passage demonstrates that God’s instruments of grace and correction faithfully operate, ensuring that His people remain aligned with His righteous ways.