I read Joshua 7 this week and it holds one of my favorite verses. Maybe not one of my favorites, but one that convicts every time I read it. "Hidden among you, O Israel, are things set apart for the Lord. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you."
This is the key verse for the story of Achan. There is so much in this story. To summarize God is leading Joshua and the Israelites, and they are conquering everything in their path. But all of a sudden they go into a battle that should be easy and they lose. Joshua doesn't understand what is going on. God tells him, someone in your camp disobeyed. They took something at the last battle, that was to be set aside for the Lord. They not only took it, they lied about it and hid it.
God instructs Joshua, tomorrow morning line everyone up and I will reveal who that is. So the Israelites all file out the next morning. God singles out a tribe, then he singles out a clan, then he singles out a family, then he singles out Achan. I can't imagine what Achan must have been thinking standing there on shaking knees, sweat rolling down. He had to know it was him. Did he think he wouldn't be found out? Or maybe he was hoping someone else had taken something more valuable than he had. I mean I do that, this is my sin, but surly the person next to me has a more offensive one, then mine won't look so bad.
Joshua confronts him and Achan says. It is true, I sinned. I saw a robe, 200 silver coins, and a bar of gold. I wanted them, I took them, and I hid them.
Joshua and the Israelites then take Achan, the silver, the gold, the robe, and Achan's sons, daughters, and everything he owed. They stoned Achan and his whole family, then burned their bodies, and buried them under a pile of stones.
There are a couple of really big lessons in this chapter. First we can't hide ANYTHING from God, who are we trying to fool? You can't play hide and seek with God He is omni everything. I can pretend to myself, that just because I hide those feelings of jealousy, envy, anger, bitterness, and discontent from others, that I can hide them from God. But I am only kidding myself. It is just as insane as Achan standing there thinking the spot light wasn't going to land on him.
Second, our sin never effects just us. Achan's sin affected the whole tribe of Israel. Because of Achan's sin, God did not go before them in battle, and they lost. Innocent soldiers lost their lives. Wow, what if God refuses to lead my whole church in something because of my disobedience? Then, Achan's whole family was destroyed. Did you get that DESTROYED. I can say my sins don't effect anyone else, but they do. Families are destroyed every day because of consequences of sin divorce, alcoholism, abuse, hate, and selfishness. If we were able to think beyond I want this, to what are the consequences, would it change some of our actions?
God says in Joshua 7:13B "Hidden among you, O Israel, are things set apart for the Lord. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you." He is talking about the robe, silver, and gold hidden under Achan's tent. But he could just as well have been talking about the things hidden in my heart envy, pride, disobedience, and selfishness. Until I remove those I will never defeat my enemy. Would I work harder to remove them, if tomorrow morning, God ask all of Marion to file out. Then he started singling out my church, my family, me. What a scary thought.
Thanks for reading!
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