Achan and Ai

Repulsive
The book of Joshua is a war diary, so we shouldn't be surprised to find stories about violence and bloodshed. Nevertheless, I have always felt uncomfortable about the story of Achan. Jericho, famously, was the place where 'the walls came tumbling down'. Less well-known is the order Joshua gave to the Israelite army not to take any booty as they fought their way through Jericho. One warrior, Achan, ignored that command. A few days later, the Israelites set out over-confidently to attack a smaller town called Ai - but they were defeated. That wasn't just a setback - it was disastrous. The Israelites had no permanent homes, and no backup options for a safe retreat. They needed answers - and Achan became the scapegoat.

Complicit
Wartime justice is often swift and harsh. In this case it was especially brutal. They identified the culprit by lottery (though I suspect that anxious looks may have drawn attention to those who were close to Achan). Then the people took him outside the camp and stoned him to death. After that, they stoned his wife, his children, and all his possessions, including his livestock, then burnt the lot. Each time I have read that story, I have felt repulsed. Achan alone had committed the crime. Perhaps his wife became complicit when he brought home the booty, but how could it be just to destroy the children with the parents?

Jangled
You often have to search the small details to understand an Old Testament story. In this case, the description of the loot gives the clue. This is what he stole:
"...a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels" and they were "hidden in the ground inside (his) tent, with the silver underneath." (Joshua 7:21 NIV)
If we convert the shekels, Achan was carrying about 2.25 kilos of silver, 50-75 grammes of gold, plus the "beautiful robe". The soldiers who attacked Jericho may have been close together during the hand-to-hand battle, but they would certainly have walked back to camp together. Achan's booty, plus his weapon, wasn't a huge load, but it was too much to carry unnoticed - especially as the silver coins jangled. The men walking with him would know that he was carrying back more than he took to Jericho. He then concealed the goods in the ground under the family tent. His neighbours may have seen him digging, but his family would certainly have noticed the disturbed ground.

Pride
Achan was alone when he stole the booty, but his family and some other people were complicit as "accessories after the fact". Not even Joshua can escape blame in this story. If he had taken time to consult God before he led his army into the ill-fated assault on Ai he would have sensed a problem. Maybe Joshua did pray before the battle, but he didn't seek guidance. Rather, flushed with pride in his victory over Jericho, he pared back his army to just 3000 men and presumptuously led them to defeat.