Last week we studied a certain person in the Bible and the consequences of his actions. We learned how the Israelites were wandering in the desert for 40 years until the entire generation died that were the original slaves in Egypt, out except for two people. One of those people was Joshua, who was made into the new leader of Isreal.
God opened the Jordan River for them to cross and enter the promised land. We learned how they marched around the city of Jericho for seven days, and on the seventh day they marched around seven times and then they all shouted, and the walls of Jericho came tumbling down.
Joshua gave everybody instructions that as they entered the city they were to put the people to death, put the silver and gold in the church coffers, and destroy all the other items. Of all these people, one did not listen to Joshua and he took some of the items for himself. This is the person who we studied. His name is Achan.
Because of Achans actions, the Israeli army was defeated by a much smaller city, AI, than the mighty city of Jericho. 36 of the Israeli soldiers were killed and the entire army, went into a panic and fled.
We learned that, with God’s help, Israel could beat anybody. And we learned that when Israel went on their own, without God help, they could be defeated by anybody.
We left last week with Joshua, laying on the ground on his face, tearing his clothes and throwing dust on his head. He was shouting at God saying why why why? And that is where we start tonight…
Joshua 7:10-15 – ESV
10. The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? 11. Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. 12. Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you. 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.” 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. 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.'”
10. The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? 11. Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings.
God tells Joshua to get up. Why does he say this?
Israel is the one who has sinned and created separation between them and God. Joshua is praying for God‘s heart to change, but is Israel’s heart that needs to change before God.
One man sin brought all this trouble. Why doesn’t God just make it so we can’t sin?
In order to truly be obedient, we must have the choice to follow or to rebel. In order to truly love God, we must have the choice to accept, or reject him. If he forces us to not sin or to love him, it isn’t real.
One man, and the whole nation is declared guilty. Not only that, 36 men are now dead all for the sin of one man and his family.
Why does God say Israel has sinned and not Achan has sinned?
1 Corinthians 5:6 – ESV
6. Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?
What does this mean?
In this case, Paul is talking to the people of the Corinthian church who had allowed sexual sin in their congregation.
A small amount of sin accepted and tolerated among God people can invite Gods response against the whole group.
Why does verse 11 say they have taken some of the accursed things and have both stolen deceived?
Joshua‘s warning says that all silver and gold was to be put into the Church treasury and all of the other items were to be destroyed because they were used for demonic practice. Achan stole some of the money that was devoted to God, and he kept some of the cursed items.
What does God say about giving?
2 Corinthians 9:6-7 – ESV
6. The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
12. Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you. 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.”
Verse 12 says that the children of Israel cannot stand before their enemies.
What does this mean?
God is very consistent here. He just destroyed the people of Canaan because they were living in sin. He is now telling the Israelites that they have no right to stand with God, and be on superior standing than their enemies.
Israels, people at the time of the Old Testament were under the covenant where they will not have God’s blessing if they are disobedient. They will have God’s blessing if they are obedient.
Deuteronomy 28:1-2 – ESV
1. “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God.
We are not under that same covenant because we Jesus who established our standing with God on our behalf. Our salvation is secure when we put our trust and belief in Jesus. However, we can be outside of as well.
1 John 1:6 – ESV
6. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
Before Israel can move on and conquer their enemies, and they must be right with God. They must get rid of the cursed things from among them.
Are there any parallels here for the modern day church
How about for your own family?
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. 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.’”
Verse 14 and 15 discuss how the people are going to find the one who has stolen. Joshua does not know who brought the curse on Israel, but God does.
Have you ever been in a situation where there’s a group of people and somebody has done something wrong. They say OK who did it? And nobody raises their hand.
Have you ever been the one in the group that they’re talking about?
Eventually, the truth will come out. In Achan’s case the consequences look to be pretty bad.
Just like we would, he has a chance to confess right now. But it does not do it.
Do you have anything that you need to confess to somebody? You have a chance to do it now, before the consequences are much worse.
Joshua 7:16-26 – ESV
16. So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel near tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17. 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. 18. 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. 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.” 20. And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: 21. 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.” 22. So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was hidden in his tent with the silver underneath. 23. 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 . 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. 25. 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. 26. 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.
16. So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel near tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17. 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. 18. 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.
How did God speak to his people in the Old Testament? He spoke to Moses with a burning bush, but how did he commonly speak to them?
Exodus 28:30 – ESV
30. And in the breastpiece of judgment you shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron’s heart, when he goes in before the Lord . Thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel on his heart before the Lord regularly.
Numbers 27:21 – ESV
21. And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the Lord . At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole congregation.”
1 Samuel 28:6 – ESV
6. And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets.
The text does not explain how the tribe, family, and individual was chosen or taken. It’s possible that Joshua or the high priest used the Urim and Thummim. It does not mention dreams or prophets.
There are several other verses throughout the Old Testament that mention the YUrim and Thummim. It’s interesting though that it never really explains what they look like or how they work. It’s commonly thought that they were in a pouch and you would reach in and one would indicate a yes, and one would indicate a no. So it’s possible that in this case Joshua said is it the tribe of Judah? yes, is it the clan of etc. And that is how they could have found Achan.
How long did Achan get to enjoy his newly found wealth? It doesn’t really say, but long enough for the Israelites to go fight and get defeated in another quick battle. It doesn’t say how long it took to sift through all the Israelites to finally end up on Achan, but I can’t imagine it was a really long time.
Obviously whatever items he took he was able to hide this whole time until this point. I wonder what he’s thinking. Do you think at this point he feels bad? Do you think he’s just scared he’s gonna get caught? Do you think he’s thrilled with the adrenaline rush of the transgression?
What stands out about the way he was selected?
Look at the systematic way they took all of the people of Israel and broke it down by tribe, by clan, by family, and then one by one the people of the family were taken until finally Achan was selected.
What do you think is going through his mind when he knows he’s guilty, and he sees the systematic way they’re driving down to him? At what point do you think he says, “it’s too late.”
Can you imagine the discussions going on while this is happening? How many times do you think he lied during this time?
What do you think the family members that are innocent are thinking? Do you think they wonder, “did I actually do it?”
Was it worth it? Was the thrill of that sin worth it? What parallels are here for us?
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.” 20. And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: 21. 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.”
What does Joshua mean when he says I beg you give glory to the Lord and make confession to him?
How do you give glory to God? Does anybody here consider confessing to God giving him glory?
How does confession give glory to God?
Confession of sin recognizes gods omniscience.
Confession of sin recognizes God’s righteousness.
Confession of sin recognizes God’s authority
Confession of sin recognizes God of judgments.
Confession of sin demonstrates a desire to be in a right relationship and fellowship with God.
The items that Achan took were enough to make him rich. However, the cost was great.
36. People were killed because of Achans actions. The size of the Israelites when they left Egypt has been estimated at 2 million. I don’t know how many people there are at this time, but it’s a lot. Imagine every person in South Dakota x2. It’s very possible that the 36 people who were killed have no idea who Achan is. They are fathers, sons, brothers. Killed in war because of an action of one person who they may or may not even know.
Have you ever thought about the butterfly effect of the consequences of any sin you might commit?
1 Timothy 6:10 – ESV
10. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.
It is easy to see the direct result of some of our sin, but imagine the indirect results which we don’t even know about. Does Achan stealing something over here has a direct result to 36 other families who aren’t involved over there. That’s a lot to think about.
In versus 20 and 21 there is something missing that is very common for people who are caught red-handed.
Achan did not make any excuses. He was honest and said that he coveted and he stole and he hid.
This is so cool:
Look at the three verbs, he says
I saw
I coveted
I took
Genesis 3:6 – ESV
6. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
I refer to this part of Genesis so often as the model for all sin.
It is good that he admits what he did was wrong and confesses. But what about the timing?
Do you think his confession is admirable?
Remember when they were going through all the people looking for the thief. They went from tribe to clan to family. At any point in there it could’ve confessed. The only time he did confessed was when he was at a place where there was no escape.
22. So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was hidden in his tent with the silver underneath. 23. 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 . 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. 25. 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. 26. 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.
Do you think this punishment is harsh?
It is not clear if Achans children are also burned and stoned here. There are four instances of the singular “him” when talking about stoning. Most scholars believe that the uses of the plural are talking about Achans possessions that were burnt. We don’t know for certain, But the material I had suggested that Achan alone was stoned, and that the items he stole were burned.
Look at verse 26, it says then the Lord turned from his burning anger.
What does this mean?
It means that things were made right with God. Noticed that in order to justify this sin, somebody had to die.
Galatians 5:24 – ESV
24. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Thank God today we live under the offer of Jesus‘s substitution.
When we understand what we deserve for our sin, but Jesus took our punishment. And not just for me, but for you and for you and for everyone. Anybody who accepts this free gift is saved. It should give you nothing but gratitude, but all the glory to God.
What can we learn? Achan may not have been a bad guy. He was wandering in the desert with the rest of the Israelites. He knew there was the dream of the promised land in the future. He probably had plans for his family just like we do. He probably rushed into Jericho with everybody else fully intending to follow the Lords commands. But then, there was an opportunity. The temptation and lust overwhelmed him. He took the items directly against God’s commands. Then he went and hid them in his tent.
What did he ever get out of them? Why did he hide them. Did you know that when we sin we always hide?
Is it hard to admit your sins to others?
Is it hard to admit them to yourself?
Do you have a very clever way that you’re hiding something right now?
The only biblical way to deal with sin is to confess it to God and repent. There’s nothing you’ve done that he won’t forgive. You can be confident in that.
Deeper questions, optional:
Why do you think God told them to destroy everything in the city even killing all the people?
It’s important to understand the time and place that this happened. If you try and rationalize this in today’s world, it might not make sense. This was more common at this time. God knew that if the things and people were left to survive, they would infiltrate and corrupt his people.
There is a spiritual parallel, though. Everybody has something in their life that must be destroyed completely in order to follow God completely.
Why did God not let the Israelites take anything?
Very often, God‘s grace comes in the form of warnings. We cannot see the future, but he can. He knew that taking those things would be lustful for the Israelites. He knew that mixing with those people would bring harm and distance between Him and his people. Remember that God is always looking out for us. If it seems like he is a dictator and doesn’t want us to have fun, understand that he knows what the future holds and he wants what’s best for us.
Proverbs 3:7-8 – ESV
7. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. 8. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.
Jeremiah 6:16 – ESV
16. Thus says the Lord : “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
Ezekiel 3:21 – ESV
21. But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.”
Spangler, Ann; Wolgemuth, Robert. Men of the Bible (p. 121). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
ht tps://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/joshua-7/