Israel Is Defeated At Ai, The Sin Of Achan, The Conquest Of Ai (Chapters 7 & 8)
David Klingler, Warren Truesdale
Israel is initially unable to defeat Ai because the inheritor of the Messianic promise, Achan the son of Zerah, coveted and took items under the ban from Jericho. Achan and his family are subsequently destroyed and their judgment is memorialized with another stone structure. This cleansing of sin results in God empowering Israel to defeat Ai. Afterwards, the whole Law is repeated to the people.