The basic message of Joshua Chapter 7 is that the success and victory in your spiritual life will be hampered if you are harbouring or hiding sin in your life. And Chapter 8 goes on to reaffirm this by showing that success and victory are much aided by getting rid of it.

I'm not here to contest or even support that. That message is self evident in the reading of Joshua.

But there's something that I believe about God that isn't mentioned specifically in this chapter.

In this Chapter, God tells Joshua that the reason that they failed to sack the city of Ai, was because someone had disobeyed Him and brought back something of the spoils after God had told them to destroy everything and everybody.

They had been defeated, and thirty-six men had died. Why? Someone took some silver and gold money they found (in weight amounting to about 4 rolls of quarters and roll of half dollars - you could hold it one hand), and a garment. For the cost of some money and a shirt or a coat, thirty-six men died and Israel was sent packing - humiliated.

God tells Joshua that He (God) is going to call out the person responsible by name, and He pulls out Achan. Joshua pleads with Achan to confess to the Lord and tell what he has taken; which Achan does. He tells Joshua where to find the money and the shirt. Israel then stones and then burns him as God instructed.

Here's what's not mentioned that I think is true nonetheless. Joshua pleaded with Achan to give glory to God and confess to the Lord what he had done, and then, afterwards, tell him (Joshua) what he had done. But there is no mention that he actually did that. He confessed to Joshua, but there is no mention that he gave God glory, or made confession to the Lord.

Knowing what we know about God's character, and the fact that God does not change, and that one of the parables Jesus gave us describing God as being forgiving and compassionate (the good and wicked servants)... knowing all that I fully believe that if Achan had fallen down on his face before God and said "Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner, and be patient with me and I will repay thee all" that God would have done just that.

Same for when God curses the house of Eli. If Eli had taken all that God said, and said "Everything you say is true of me, Lord, but be merciful to me a sinner..." then I think God would have regarded it.

There's something about these two men, and many others in the Bible who find themselves in this position: they cling to their sin and their idols and their deception and their pride until the very end. Even in the face of God's perfect vision and perfect knowledge and immutable wisdom, they still cling to their story and refuse to humble themselves before the one who made them. They remain stiffnecked and stubborn, proudful and arrogant to the very end, defying God when He would quickly forgive them if they would simply (and sincerely) ask for it. He has told us that that is his nature.

When God said "I will not always strive with Man's Pride" he spoke truthfully. But God calls it quits not because he has run out of patience, but because man has run out of options and is still rebellious.