Joshua 7:13 – Get up! Consecrate the people and say, 'Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the Lord, God of Israel, "There are devoted things in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you."'
As we saw in our last post, Joshua and the elders of Israel were fasting, weeping, mourning and prostrating themselves before the Lord.� They were seeking an answer as to why the forces of Israel had been routed by the people of Ai.
As we would expect, God answered that humble (and desperate) prayer. The remainder of this chapter gives us the details of God's reply. It also delineates God's specific instructions for dealing with this situation.
First of all, God very plainly stated that someone in Israel had stolen from Him – they had taken spoil from Ai which was devoted to destruction. Therefore, the curse of destruction which was on the stolen items had now passed onto the entire nation of Israel.
Secondly, now that Joshua knew about the problem, it was time for him to 'get up' and take action.
He immediately issued a command to the Israelites to consecrate themselves, because the Lord was going to appear or manifest himself in their midst in an unusual way the next morning.
Clearly, the people needed to undergo some rite of purification, since they could not come into the Lord's presence while unclean. Due to the very short time frame, the actual purification ritual was probably limited to bathing and putting on clean clothing.
But even this minor action had an effect upon the people.� It caused them to stop their normal routines and take time to examine their own hearts/lives.� It was a chance for all of them to repent for their sins, even though they were not responsible for taking the devoted things.
Furthermore, the purification process would have had a somewhat calming effect upon the people. Prior to this, they were in a state of shock and fear because of the defeat at Ai. They did not know what to do or where to turn. (Where can you turn when God is against you?) Now that they knew someone among them had sinned and God was going to call them out, it must have given them a degree of peace/hope because God was providing a way for the nation to move forward.
According to the command of Joshua, everyone went through the purification process - including Achan and his household.� One can't help but wonder how Achan, the guilty party, is able to persist in rebellion against God.� Why doesn't he go to Joshua, confess his guilt and beg for mercy?� Why does he stubbornly harden his heart against the Lord and keep up the charade of his innocence?
We obviously don't know what was going on in Achan's heart or mind, but we do know that sin sears/burns our consciences and causes us to harden our hearts before the Lord (I Timothy 4:2). That may have been the case in this situation.
An element of pride was probably also at work in Achan's life. No one wants to publicly admit they were wrong or accept the shame and guilt associated with such a crime. Since that is exactly what would have happened to Achan if he had confessed, we surmise that his pride contributed to his decision to continue hiding his sin/guilt.
In addition, Achan may have justified his actions by believing that he was not the only thief – he assumed other soldiers had surely pilfered a few things too.�
Achan was more than willing to keep quiet and escape judgment/punishment while others were found guilty.� He probably felt that he was so clever, he could hide his sin from Joshua.� While that may have been the case, he couldn't hide it from God!
So, the combination of self-justification, pride and a seared conscience resulted in a man unwilling to confess his sin and seek mercy.
Joshua 7:14 – "In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes.� And the tribe that the Lord takes by lot shall come near by clans.� And the clan that the Lord takes shall come near by households.� And the household that the Lord takes shall come near man by man."
God is going to reveal the guilty party before the entire nation.� He will do this by narrowing down the entire population to just a single person.�
He begins with the largest sub-group in the nation – the 12 tribes. It would be really difficult and time consuming for 1/12 of the entire population to 'appear before' the Lord. This 'appearing' was done by having a representative of each tribe standing in for the tribe itself.
When we say 'appear before him' the implication is that this meeting took place outside the entrance to the tabernacle or the holy place with the high priest in attendance. Each representative would come and stand before the priest who would then cast lots to reveal whether or not this man represented the guilty tribe.
Once the guilty tribe was discovered, the clans or branches of the tribe would present themselves before the Lord (via the priest) and the guilty clan chosen. After that, the individual families within the guilty clan would come forward. Again, this was probably done through representatives. However, once a particular family was implicated, the men appeared before the Lord one-by-one and the guilty party was revealed.
It was common in Israel for decisions to be made by casting lots.� For instance:
- When Israel wanted a king, the entire nation presented themselves to the Lord in the exact same manner (tribe, clan, family, man) and Saul Son of Kish was revealed to be the first king of Israel (I Samuel 10:19-21).
- When one of the soldiers had broken Saul's command to fast, they used the same method to identify the guilty party – Jonathan (I Samuel 14:40-43).
- The Promised Land itself was divided by lot among the tribes of Israel (Numbers 26:55, 33:54, Joshua 13:6, etc).
- It was used by the 11 apostles to chose who would replace Judas Iscariot (Acts 1:26).
Joshua 7:15 – "And he who is taken with the devoted things shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he has done an outrageous thing in Israel."
Today, in our culture, we don't like to hold anyone accountable for their actions. Police forces are being de-funded and prosecuting attorneys are seeking little or no punishment for criminals. Respect for authority has all but disappeared.
Because of that, many will feel that the judgment of God was harsh or severe.� But they are wrong!� Man has no right to judge God at any time.� The punishment decreed for the guilty party was just; it was already determined by the law (Leviticus 27:28-29) and by a vow of the children of Israel:
Joshua 1:18 – Whosoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you commanded him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.
The guilty party, along with his children and all he had, is to be annihilated so that there is no remainder of the cursed things among the nation of Israel. The punishment was severe because the sin was so perverse and grievous:
- The guilty man defied, disrespected and insulted the God of the universe by breaking the specific command God had given.�
- He trampled God's rights by stealing what legally belonged to him.�
- He took something that was dedicated to God/appropriated for the service of his temple, and took it for his own personal use.�
To say he did 'an outrageous thing' in Israel is an understatement!
The guilty man has shamed the nation of Israel by dishonoring the name of God.� Furthermore, because of his actions, God's name and reputation have been disgraced in front of all the heathen nations of the world.�
The penalty for this abominable act serves as a warning to people in all ages to take heed how they rob God and disregard his holy commands.
This is a good time for us to remind ourselves that we too are guilty of sin in the eyes of God; we have broken or disregarded his holy commands just as Achan did. But, hallelujah, the price for our iniquity (eternal death) has been paid by our Redeemer, Christ Jesus.
If we accept his forgiveness and live by his holy commands, we are accepted into the kingdom of heaven; we are passed from eternal death to eternal life:
2 Timothy 1:10 -But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death, and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
However, if we harden our hearts as Achan did, we will receive the full punishment that is due for our sin.
Joshua 7:16-18 – So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel near tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was taken.� And he brought near the clans of Judah, and the clan of the Zerahites was taken.� And he brought near the clan of the Zerahites man by man, and Zabdi was taken.� And he brought near his household man by man, and Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.
The 'casting of the lot' was appointed by God himself and, as previously mentioned, it was commonly used as a method to ascertain the divine will of God in making decisions or judgments in Israel.
Proverbs 16:33 - The lot is cast into the lap; but its every decision is of the LORD.
No matter how casual it seems, the casting of the lot was serious business; it was under the direct control of God and he used it to display his infinite wisdom and justice.
But how, exactly, did the lot work?
Actually, we aren't completely sure.� We have no concrete information as to the precise steps taken in the casting of the lot.� In fact, scholars believe that several different modes were practiced.� Some variations may have been as simple as having two different stones in a vessel or bag and one stone being drawn out. �Another variation may have been the roll of what we know as a die (or dice).
While this might be frustrating to our curiosity, there is probably a very good reason why Holy Spirit made sure this information was not passed down to us.� Let's be honest – if we knew all about casting lots, we might try to use it ourselves.�
It would be wrong for us to rely on the lot now because we have been given access to Holy Spirit. Scripture tells us that Holy Spirit has access to the mind of God; if we need wisdom or instruction or knowledge of the divine will, we need only ask him and he will speak to us:
1 Corinthians 2:10-11 -But God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man, except the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God.
What we do know for sure, is that the lot was not a trivial occurrence. It was to be used only in matters of the greatest importance and only with the utmost respect for God. To use it in any other way was a mockery of God.
It's also good to remember that because God was making the judgment via the lot, everyone had to abide by the decision once the lot was cast.
So, in the early morning, after bathing and having a time of introspection, the citizens of Israel gathered near the door to the tabernacle and watched to see what would happen.
Once the tribe of Judah was judged guilty, most of Israel probably breathed a sigh of relief!� Even though the whole nation had fallen under judgment, God was now separating the holy from the wicked.� Those who were righteous had nothing to fear.
Once the family of Zabdi was called out, Achan must surely have known that he was going to be found out. But despite the many chances God gave him to repent, he still stubbornly maintained his innocence until, finally, he was revealed to be the sinner who had troubled the entire nation of Israel.
Joshua 7:19 – Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me."
Through the use of the lot, God has revealed the guilty party almost as if he pointed to him with his own finger!
There was no reason for Achan to aggravate his crime with vain denials. Accordingly, Joshua assumes his guilt and urges him to make a full confession without 'whitewashing' the truth or spinning any of the details to make himself look better. Doing so would bring glory to God, because it would prove his omniscience, and show that the coming judgment against Achan was righteous.
A full confession would also be the best thing for Achan himself. Under the law, his punishment must be death, but he still had an opportunity to repent before God so that his eternal soul could be saved.
Joshua 7:20-21 – And Achan answered Joshua, "Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them.� And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath."
Specifically speaking, Achan took 200 shekels of silver, a bar (your translation may say 'tongue' or 'wedge') of gold weighing 50 shekels and a cloak/robe from Shinar.
Shinar was the plain on which Babylon was situated. So the cloak or robe in question could also be called a Babylonian garment. Back in these times, the Assyrians were famous for the manufacture of beautifully dyed and richly embroidered robes. These robes were found throughout the Middle East and were typically worn by prophets and kings, who wore them on state occasions. The robe that Achan took may very well have been the royal robe of the king of Jericho.
We can't help but notice that this narrative does a great job of showing us the progression of sin in our lives.�
Lust or desire first enters the eye, then sinks into the heart, where it takes root, grows and produces a sinful action which eventually result in death.
James 1:14-15 -But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death.
In this case, Achan saw the items. In his heart he desired/coveted them but instead of reminding himself that these items were dedicated to God, he allowed his heart to lust after them. That lust/desire caused him to stretch out his hand and steal the items from God. And, as James tells us, sin always brings for death. This manifested itself in a very literal way in the life of Achan – he is about to be sentenced to death for his crime. However, let's keep in mind that the physical death of Achan represents the spiritual death that occurs in every person when they sin against God.
Now that we know the facts of the actual crime, let's examine the confession of Achan.
The first thing we notice is that he emphatically admits that he sinned against God. We can be sure that stealing the devoted things was no accident, nor was it a mistake, nor was it a matter of ignorance on his part. He saw the items, he coveted them and he purposely sinned against God by stealing them!
But before we pat ourselves on the back thinking we are better than Achan, let's take a moment to remind ourselves that anytime we commit a sin, it is also an offense against God!�
Joseph calls this to our attention in a vivid way back in the book of Genesis. As you recall, Joseph was working in the house of Potiphar where he was in charge of the entire household. Joseph is minding his own business when Potiphar's wife asks him to have a sinful sexual relationship with her. Joseph refuses to do so, plainly acknowledging that any/all wickedness is a sin against God:
Genesis 39:9 -There is none greater in this house than I; neither has he [Potiphar] kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?
Joseph, like Achan, could probably have hidden this sin from other people.� But he knew that nothing is hidden from God; he would be well aware of it.
We are also reminded of the time King David sinned by trying to hide his affair with Bathsheba. He thought he had succeeded in keeping the matter a secret, but God had seen his sin and severely punished him for it (II Samuel 12)!
This is a good time for each of us to consider our own lives. Even though our sin may escape the knowledge of the whole world, it is not concealed from God. He is the one we ultimately sin against when we break his laws. If we have any concealed sin in our lives, it is best to confess and lay it down before the Lord immediately. We would do well to remember that sin is crouching at our door; we must master it or it will consume and destroy us (Genesis 4:7).
Joshua 7:22-23 – So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was hidden in his tent with the silver underneath. And they took them out of the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the people of Israel. And they laid them down before the Lord.
The entire nation is waiting at the presence of the tabernacle, watching this trial unfold. Remember, all of them are under a curse, until the guilty party is found and judgment is carried out. For these reasons, the messengers hurry to Achan's tent and retrieve the stolen items.
Notice that there can be no doubt about Achan's guilt.� God pointed him out as the culprit, Achan himself made a full confession and now the items in question are found and presented before the Lord at the entrance to the tabernacle.� In this way, all Israel could see the facts against Achan; there was nothing that could be said in his defense.�
This also proved to the entire nation that God was justified in the punishment he gave to Achan.
Joshua 7:24 – And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor.
No mention is made of Achan having a wife at this time, but his family is included in the punishment.� As we mentioned previously, it seems cruel and barbaric to slay innocent children and animals along with the criminal.� However, we need to remind ourselves that our earthly wisdom is not worthy of comparison to God's divine knowledge.�
We have neither the insight nor the wisdom to question God. We would do well to remind ourselves that God's ways are higher than our ways, and his thoughts are higher our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). He has the right to deal with each individual as he sees fit.
Furthermore, many scholars believe Achan's family was guilty of conspiracy. He could not have hidden his loot under his tent without their knowledge, yet none of them came forward to confess.
Remember this also: Just before the battle of Jericho, all the soldiers were specifically warned/reminded not to touch the devoted things; if they brought these items into their homes, their homes would become cursed.
Deuteronomy 7:26 - Neither shall you bring an abomination into your house, lest you become an accursed thing like it: but you shall utterly detest it, and you shall utterly abhor it; for it is an accursed thing.
So the entire Israelite assembly, led by Joshua, gathers all that belongs to Achan and carries or leads them to the neighboring valley to carry out the sentence of death. Thus, Achan's entire household was destroyed as though it had become part of Jericho.
For this reason, it was henceforth called 'the valley of Achor' or 'the valley of trouble' because of the trouble this affair caused Israel.
Joshua 22:20 – Did not Achan the son of Zerah break faith in the matter of the devoted things, and wrath fell upon all the congregation of Israel?� And he did not perish alone for his iniquity.
The whole nation participated in the punishment of the offender, which was appropriate since his guilt fell on them all. We therefore conclude that each of us is 'our brother's keeper' – we are not to turn a blind eye to the sin of our brothers and sisters. If we discover a serious sin in their lives, we should reach out in love to help them get back on the right track.
Joshua 7:25-26 – And Joshua said, "Why did you bring trouble on us?� The Lord brings trouble on you today."� And all Israel stoned him with stones.� They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones.� And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day.� Then the Lord turned from his burning anger.� Therefore, to this day the name of that place is called the Valley of Achor.
Joshua refers to the original instruction of the Lord, where he specifically states that anyone who takes the devoted things brings trouble upon himself (Joshua 6:18).
The truth is that sin of any kind brings trouble. Consider some of the situations in your own life and you will agree. We can all think of circumstances where one of two things is true:
- We sinned and it brought trouble upon us (and possibly those near to us).�
- Someone close to us sinned and we got some of the backlash of it.
For example, if a husband or wife commits adultery, that sin will not only bring them trouble, but it affects the other spouse as well as any children from that marriage. If one of the parties to the sin is a Christian, trouble is brought down on the entire church and those in the congregation are also troubled by it.
Sin has often been compared to the ripple effects caused when a stone is tossed into a lake. This is an appropriate illustration, because sin reaches out and troubles all that are near to it.
Furthermore, once a sin has been committed the 'clean up' from it can last for years. In a marriage where infidelity has occurred, it would take a very long time for trust to be built back up (if indeed that is even possible). Children may be emotionally or physically scarred for life due to divorce or other marital problems.
The point is that sin is trouble!� The enemy always tries to downplay the effects of sin when he is tempting you, but remember – he is a liar.� The momentary pleasure of sin is not worth the trouble it brings to you and those near you.
Interestingly, several generations later there would be another man who was considered to be a 'troubler of Israel'. This was none other than wicked King Ahab (I Kings 18:18)!
As for Achan, there was no chance of a reprieve; the judgment pronounced upon he and his family was death.� However, he did have a chance to repent before this judgment was executed.� In the end, his public execution and the heap of stones covering his grave stood as an example to the rest of the nation.
The great heap of stones was probably the result of each individual member of the community (or a representative of each family) casting a single stone upon the grave.�
This act was a sign that each person considered the crime/sin of Achan to be detestable in their sight.
Once Achan and all that belonged to him were removed from Israel, God's fierce wrath abated, and Israel had peace once again.
In our own lives it is good to remember that when we put away or remove sin from our lives through true repentance and reformation, we will also remove 'trouble' from our lives and enjoy peach with God.
Let me offer you some encouragement:
It is funny how many people will justify sin by claiming it isn't really hurting anyone. The truth is that sin is very dangerous! It always brings spiritual death into the lives of those who harbor it.
Sadly, the consequences don't end there. Our sin can dishonor the name of God among sinners, driving them further away from the Lord instead of drawing them near to him. It can also have lasting effects on those around us, even though we are not aware of them.
The best thing we can do is pray and ask Holy Spirit to show us areas of our lives that need to be cleansed, changed or redeemed.� In doing so, we will honor the name of the Lord, and draw sinners into his saving grace.
Let me offer you some relief:
In the Old Testament, very few people had the privilege of coming into the presence of the King and making a request. It was a great honor just to have the king hear your petition, although you were not guaranteed to get what you asked for.
Now consider the benefits you enjoy as a Christian – a child of God. Because Jesus has forgiven our sin and clothed us with his righteousness, we are able to boldly come into the throne room of the God of the universe and make as many requests as we want (Hebrews 4:16). We can come at any time, stay as long as we like, and tell him absolutely everything!
And we have the assurance that he will answer our prayers, just as he did for Joshua! So whatever your situation, whatever answers you desperately need, seek God in prayer and he will speak to you.
Let me offer you some strength:
As we noted in today's post, sin is the result of the lust/desire that we have for something that isn't lawful for us to have/experience. The good news is that we can successfully fight against that lust/desire and chase it away! God promises that whenever we are tempted to sin, he will provide a way of escape for us:
1 Corinthians 10:15 – No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
We can access that escape hatch by memorizing the word, being accountable to someone else, and practicing diligence in what we see, watch, read, etc.
What methods work best for you when you want to escape the sin that is crouching at your door?