ACHAN’S SIN!

Joshua 7:1-26 TLB

But there was sin among the Israelis. God's command to destroy everything except that which was reserved for the Lord's treasury was disobeyed. For Achan (the son of Carmi, grandson of Zabdi, and great-grandson of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah) took some loot for himself, and the Lord was very angry with the entire nation of Israel because of this. [2] Soon after Jericho's defeat, Joshua sent some of his men to spy on the city of Ai, east of Bethel. [3] Upon their return they told Joshua, "It's a small city and it won't take more than two or three thousand of us to destroy it; there's no point in all of us going there." [4] So approximately three thousand soldiers were sent-and they were soundly defeated. [5] About thirty-six of the Israelis were killed during the attack, and many others died while being chased by the men of Ai as far as the quarries. The Israeli army was paralyzed with fear at this turn of events. [6] Joshua and the elders of Israel tore their clothing and lay prostrate before the Ark of the Lord until evening, with dust on their heads. [7] Joshua cried out to the Lord, "O Jehovah, why have you brought us over the Jordan River if you are going to let the Amorites kill us? Why weren't we content with what we had? Why didn't we stay on the other side? [8] O Lord, what am I to do now that Israel has fled from her enemies! [9] For when the Canaanites and the other nearby nations hear about it, they will surround us and attack us and wipe us out. And then what will happen to the honor of your great name?" [10-11] But the Lord said to Joshua, "Get up off your face! Israel has sinned and disobeyed my commandment and has taken loot when I said it was not to be taken; and they have not only taken it, they have lied about it and have hidden it among their belongings. [12] That is why the people of Israel are being defeated. That is why your men are running from their enemies-for they are cursed. I will not stay with you any longer unless you completely rid yourselves of this sin. [13] "Get up! Tell the people, 'Each of you must undergo purification rites in preparation for tomorrow, for the Lord your God of Israel says that someone has stolen from him, and you cannot defeat your enemies until you deal with this sin. [14] In the morning you must come by tribes, and the Lord will point out the tribe to which the guilty man belongs. And that tribe must come by its clans and the Lord will point out the guilty clan; and the clan must come by its families, and then each member of the guilty family must come one by one. [15] And the one who has stolen that which belongs to the Lord shall be burned with fire, along with everything he has, for he has violated the covenant of the Lord and has brought calamity upon all of Israel.'" [16] So, early the next morning, Joshua brought the tribes of Israel before the Lord, and the tribe of Judah was indicated. [17] Then he brought the clans of Judah, and the clan of Zerah was singled out. Then the families of that clan were brought before the Lord and the family of Zabdi was indicated. [18] Zabdi's family was brought man by man, and his grandson Achan was found to be the guilty one. [19] Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the God of Israel and make your confession. Tell me what you have done." [20] Achan replied, "I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. [21] For I saw a beautiful robe imported from Babylon, and some silver worth $200, and a bar of gold worth $500. I wanted them so much that I took them, and they are hidden in the ground beneath my tent, with the silver buried deeper than the rest." [22] So Joshua sent some men to search for the loot. They ran to the tent and found the stolen goods hidden there just as Achan had said, with the silver buried beneath the rest. [23] They brought it all to Joshua and laid it on the ground in front of him. [24] Then Joshua and all the Israelites took Achan, the silver, the robe, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, donkeys, sheep, his tent, and everything he had, and brought them to the valley of Achor. [25] Then Joshua said to Achan, "Why have you brought calamity upon us? The Lord will now bring calamity upon you." And the men of Israel stoned them to death and burned their bodies, [26] and piled a great heap of stones upon them. The stones are still there to this day, and even today that place is called "The Valley of Calamity." And so the fierce anger of the Lord was ended.

 

Achan’s sin was truly a can of worms! This is something that is extremely complicated, difficult, or unpleasant to deal with or discuss—just like the issue of Ai, Achan, and the things set apart for God.

Achan’s sin was a can of worms that affected the whole community. Sin touches everyone. Just as surely as fire burns, so sin has its consequences. Sin affects not only the one who sins but others, even innocent people. Sin is sin—there are no small, personal, or private sins. Everything and anything that God frowns upon is sin and has consequences.

You can’t hide anything from God, even if you do manage to hide it from man, according to Luke 8:17. The children of Israel suffered, even though only one person was guilty; yet his sin was imputed to the whole community—they all suffered the shame and disgrace of defeat, death, and general terror spread through the camp.

Proverbs 28:13 says there is no prosperity for those who cover their sin, just like Achan did. God sees hidden things. Have you done something the Lord asked you not to do—something you know is wrong, but you did it anyway? How about something you are hiding and hoping not to be found out? Good luck trying to hide anything from God, but not according to Hebrews 4:13; you can’t.

Joshua was honestly confused over the defeat of his army but through God’s process of elimination, Achan’s sin was uncovered in verses 14-21.

God had commanded Israel’s army to destroy the entire city of Ai because it was sinful. God gave them strict instructions: they were to burn everything in the city that belonged to the people of Jericho except the silver, gold, brass, and iron. These items they were to bring to the house of the Lord. But Achan disobeyed the orders, stole, and hid the beautiful Babylonian garment, and some silver and gold under his tent. Achan felt sure no one would find out, but his “can of worms” was soon to be opened.

The hidden sin within the camp caused Israel to be defeated—not just hidden, but in the camp! Some of us have prayed and tried everything for a breakthrough, yet nothing. It may just be because of that thing in your home. What “Babylonian garments” and glittering shekels are hidden under your tent? That may be causing spiritual deficiencies.

Why did Achan take the Babylonian garments? Greed, covetousness! This has become a huge thing in the church today too. Unfortunately, God attributed Achan’s crime to the whole tribe until the sin was discovered.

Achan stole from God! You might say, “Not me, I’ve never stolen a thing in my life—or at least not from God!” Really? How about those times you’ve done, given, or said less than what the Lord asked you to, especially around tithing, offerings, and seeds according to Malachi 3:8? Or those times when your help, assistance, and support were needed but you turned a blind eye, as James 2:16 and Proverbs 3:27 state. We may just be like Achan—robbing God too.

The “Achan Effect” means that one person’s sin or bad choice can affect a whole group—like a family, a team, or a church. Our actions matter. Even secret sins can hurt others.

Notice that Achan was dealt with swiftly and publicly. We should not frolic with sin, but if we do, be quick to run to the Lord for confession, repentance, and forgiveness, as 1 John 1:8-10 says.

Hebrews 3:13 instructs us to encourage and look out for each other, so no one falls and remains down—accountability—because what may seem like an isolated, individual sin or problem may turn out to have a systemic reach in the body of Christ. God does not condone sin, neither should we, even our own; one little wrong move creates room for more, Galatians 5:9. Be careful not to open a can of Achan's worms.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS 

- Why is it important to obey God even when no one is watching? 

- How has other people’s choices affected you? 

- What should you do if you’ve made a mistake or done something wrong? 

- How can you help your family or friends by making good choices?

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to obey You and make good choices. Teach me to be honest and to think about how my actions affect others. Thank You for forgiving me when I mess up, in Jesus’ name, amen.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1Q13jfRo1EviMQ0zSvNPud?si=CkcuV5FZTWyI0lvm1kBC_w

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