CHAPTER 7

THE SIN OF ACHAN

THE SIN OF ACHAN STUDY ON THE SIN OF ACHAN STORY WITH THE SIN OF ACHAN MESSAGE

            Greetings and welcome back to Daily Bread. We've seen it happen time and again in our studies of the Bible, how good things happen when people obey the Lord, and how transgressing from His Word can bring no good. Such is the case in this story from the book of Joshua.

If you will recall, in the last chapter, Joshua warned the children of Israel that if they took anything at all out of the city of Jericho, other than that which the Lord designated was Holy for the treasury, they would bring a curse upon themselves as well as the camp of Israel.

Sometimes people think they can keep something secret from the Lord, but friends, that is simply not true.  There was a man of the tribe of Judah, named Achan, and he took something out of Jericho. Knowing this was forbidden, he kept it a secret, but the Lord, all knowing, sees everything, and His anger was sparked against Israel because of what Achan did.

Do you sense that something not good is about to happen? Me too.

Well, all of this being unbeknown to Joshua, he continued on with his mission and sent spies to the city of Ai. The spies returned to Joshua and told him there was no need to send the entire army of Israel to take the city, but only two or three thousand men, because Ai was a city of few people.

THE SIN OF ACHAN LESSON WITH THE SIN OF ACHAN EXPLANATION AND THE SIN OF ACHAN SUMMARY

So Joshua sent three thousand soldiers, and when they encountered the men of Ai, they turned and ran in fear! Thirty six Israelites were killed as they were chased from the city gate and down the hillside.

This disheartened the people of Israel and Joshua tore his clothes in grief and fell on his face in front of the Ark of the Lord until evening along with the elders of Israel, all putting dust on their heads in mourning. If you put yourself in Joshua's place, you would understand the confusion he was no doubt feeling ... After all, God promised that Israel would be victorious over their enemies, and here, unexpectedly, their enemies were enjoying success over them.

Joshua asked the Lord why all of this was happening, and the Lord answered, Why are you laying there like that on your face, get up and tell Israel to purify themselves from the pollution that they let in among them. They have stolen things and have deceived. When the accursed thing is removed and the thief is punished, you will safely stand before your enemies again. In the morning, all of Israel will be brought before the Lord and the one who is discovered with the accursed thing will be burnt by fire, he and all he owns, because he has broken the covenant of the Lord, and has committed wickedness in Israel.

Joshua got up early in the morning and brought Israel first by tribes, then by families, then by households, then man by man (this was probably done by casting lots or perhaps by Urim and Thummim) until it was revealed that Achan had committed the transgression.

Achan confessed that when he had seen a fine Babylonian garment and some silver and gold during the raid in Jericho, that he desired them, so he took them and buried them in his tent. So Joshua and all Israel with him, took Achan and the garment and the silver and gold and his sons and daughters and his oxen, mules, sheep, tent, and all that he had, to the valley of Achor and they stoned him and burned them with fire, then buried him under a heap of stones.

THE SIN OF ACHAN INFORMATION WITH THE SIN OF ACHAN MEANING AND THE SIN OF ACHAN DISCUSSION

There's a very interesting thing to think about concerning this story. How many times do we, like Achan, desire things that belong to God, for ourselves ... Because after all ... What is God going to do with them? Do you suppose when Achan saw the stuff that he stole, he thought, Now what's God gonna do with that ... I need that more than God does. What about in our lives today? Do we desire all of our time for ourselves to do what WE want to do, or do we consider that some of our time belongs to God and we should be spending it with Him, or for Him in some way. Are we stealing from Him in a manner of speaking? What about money? Do we spend it on things we desire (but don't really need) instead of giving it to the treasury of the Lord? What if you don't belong to a church ... Does that make you exempt from giving God what BELONGS to Him (because after all, He provides everything for you in the first place).

Let's take this a bit farther. Did you notice that Achan's sons and daughters also paid for his sin? Don't get me wrong about this, because I'll be the first to tell you that if you are repentant, God will rain Grace down upon you. But if you are practicing a sin that just seems normal because the rest of the world thinks it's okay, and you are convinced too, I will also say, that our God will do something to get your attention, and He loves balance. Have you ever wondered why terrible things sometimes happen to good people? I assure you, Achan's sons and daughters probably wondered that too ... Or how about those thirty six soldiers that lost their lives on account of it.

Examine your life, and ask the Lord if you are stealing something that is sacred to Him, whether it be time, or talent, or tithes, or praise, or something else. Maybe subconsciously, you're even keeping it a secret from yourself, and you don't realize you're doing it. Listen for His answer ... You will become aware of things that you never thought of much before, and that's the Holy Spirit guiding you into understanding what God's answer is.