In 2021 the late Queen Elizabeth memorably declined an award: she was nominated to be ‘Oldie of the Year’ by the magazine of that name, but wrote in reply that she felt she didn’t meet the criteria and hoped ‘someone more worthy’ would be given it instead.
It is a remarkable display of humility to which we became accustomed with the late Queen – all the more notable for being so rare in other walks of life. There are famous examples of actors and musicians who have refused awards in protest, but very few because they felt unworthy to receive it.
After the euphoria of the victory against Jericho, today’s passage marks a downturn in Israel’s quest to settle in the Promised Land. The presenting issue is one of obedience: they were specifically instructed by the Lord not to profit from their conquest by taking ‘devoted things’ from those they overcame. This could in some instances refer to religious artefacts which contravened their status as God’s people – but in this case it was just valuable ‘stuff’. A chap called Achan pinched a beautiful robe, as well as some gold and silver, and hid it in his tent (v21).
The result was disastrous: Israel incurred God’s displeasure and lost their favour in battle. They were routed by a tiny hamlet called Ai (which means ‘The Ruin’, just to emphasise how far their star had fallen – they were beaten by non-place!) and realised that something was desperately wrong.
Achan and his family sadly paid the price for his wrongdoing, but there is more going here. Yes, we learn from this that obedience and purity matters; but things had started to go wrong before Achan’s greed got the better of him. Joshua was specifically instructed by God not to go into battle without enquiring of the Lord (Numbers 27:21, which we looked at previously): and yet here, he sends out spies and then warriors on his own initiative. It seems the victory at Jericho temporarily went to his head as well.
Most poignantly, this passage reminded Israel that their success was entirely due to God: not their bravery or their tactics or their military skill. They only succeed if God is with them. This hard but vital lesson in humility runs throughout the history of the Old Testament – but it is a word for us today, as well.
Ultimately, everything we are and do relies on God. Naturally, we offer our time and energies, and our skills are important, too. But it’s risky to give ourselves too much credit; as Mary says in her beautiful song: ‘God has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has lifted up the humble.’
May God grant us grace to choose humility today and this week, trusting in his mighty power and love to lift us up, for every circumstance and situation.