Achan’s Sin

Joshua 7

Chapter 7 opens with the statement, “But the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully…” (NAS) and we are presented with a dramatic turn of events in the life of Joshua and the conquest of the Promised Land. The capture and destruction of Jericho was marvelously accomplished with an overwhelming act of God in judgment toward unbelievers and an overwhelming act of mercy and grace toward believing Rahab and her family, and yet here in the next chapter we have such a devastatingly negative statement. How could a people who have seen such wonderful works of God so soon turn in unfaithfulness?

Looking at a map of the land of Canaan it looks like an elongated crescent shape of land with its western border the Great Sea (Mediterranean Sea) and bordered in the east by the River Jordan – north to Lebanon and south to below the Dead Sea. It makes strategic sense to start a campaign of conquest by dividing the country in half – so Jericho was the central city dividing the land into northern and southern parts. Jericho was in the valley of the Jordan and so to drive westward, cutting the country in two, he needed to take the higher ground above Jericho – the city of Ai. In a wise move, with precedent from his recent experience with Jericho, he sends spies to check out possible resistance from the people of Ai. They return with a favorable reply, “Do not let all the people go up; only about two or three thousand men need go up to Ai; do not make all the people toil up there, for they are few” (v. 3).

Some commentators suggest that this was bad advice but we don’t see any condemnation from the scripture here so I see this as a reasonable consideration. Remember that Joshua and his men did not learn of Achan’s sin and therefore had every expectation of continued success – they were living in light of the last verse in chapter 6 – “So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land.” So it is reasonable, since this was a smaller city and the route to battle involved climbing steep and narrow passes, that a smaller army would be more nimble and more than able, with God’s continued help, to defeat the enemy. A large army might have had difficulty making the approach and, in God’s kind providence, a smaller number would face defeat at the hands of the men of Ai - fewer men would die. But I am jumping ahead …

Why was God displeased with the sons of Israel? We recall, in chapter 6, the ‘ban’ on the city of Jericho – two things were required: all living things were to be destroyed (nothing was to be spared) and all material things were to be put into the treasury of the Lord. I find it curious that apparently no one committed the sin of allowing one to live who was condemned to die – we learn in the very beginning of chapter 7 that the sin committed was to take “some things” that were to be devoted to the Lord! Either sin probably would have equally displeased the Lord. Isn’t it interesting that here it was the 10^th Commandment that was violated. We are quick to covet something that is not our own, and, in this case, Achan was coveting something that he did not own, but even more frightening, he coveted something that was the Lord’s own by divine decree!

Ironically, when the sin of Achan was uncovered and God’s judgment was executed, the next thing commanded was to take the city of Ai – and “its spoil and its cattle as plunder for yourselves” (8:2). If Achan would just have obediently waited he would have had all the plunder he might desire. And are we so different than Achan? Tell me that we are not an impatient people wanting many things and being discontented with what the Lord has, in his divine timing, given us. Is this not an act of unbelief? Is it not sin when we doubt that the Lord knows our true needs and will provide all things necessary? Sure, we have the responsibility to work and do the things necessary to live and working to have a better home or clothes, etc. is not wrong. I’m talking about those things out of our control; those things that we think we ought to be able to control or produce; things that only God can provide. When our desires and God’s commands are in conflict we must be resolved to think more highly of God than our own desires. Clearly, Achan was foolishly thinking that he could simultaneously satisfy his own desire and hide this little bit of covetousness from his neighbors and from God.

So back to the beginning of chapter 7: why did they lose the battle of Ai and why did (v. 5) thirty six men have to die for Achan’s sin? First let’s consider Joshua’s reaction to the defeat: he asks the Lord the question, “why?” and follows that with a strange echo of the spies response to that first expedition into the land of Canaan – they came back with a similar report about ‘giants’ in the land and the question “Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” (Numbers 14:3). Compare that with Joshua’s question, “Alas, O Lord GOD, why did You ever bring this people over the Jordan, only to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? If only we had been willing to dwell beyond the Jordan!” (v. 7). What happened to the brave Joshua? Like Peter on the water, and like ourselves, he begins to sink when the storms come and when the cold wind blows. Yes, Joshua is flesh and blood just like us – reading through this section it almost appears that Joshua is trying to blame God for this defeat!

But now the Lord of Host speaks sharply and rebukes him, “Rise up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face? Israel has sinned…” (v. 10-11) and he learns the answer to the question, ‘why!’ Israel has sinned. Does that sound odd to you? Were you under the impression that Achan sinned? Why the accusation to the nation? But then, why is Joshua surprised that sin was the problem here? And why also are you surprised that the sin of one man had infected the whole community of Israel? Did not the sin of Adam corrupt the whole world? Was not sin the cause of the Great Flood that destroyed all mankind except the family of Noah? Did not sin cause the destruction of the city of Jericho? It almost seems as if the Lord is saying to Joshua, ‘why are you whining and accusing me, as you must surely know that sin is the cause of all trouble and sorrow, you must also know that you ought to be searching for the source of the sin among the people!’

Now I am not saying that the sin of an individual today will necessarily cause the whole community to be subject to punishment – but I am saying that we ought to consider what lesson there is in this narrative for communities (churches) of believers today. When the presence of God is removed from our worship and church family life I think we ought to consider the possibility that we are, in some way, displeasing God. Sometimes the felt presence of the Lord is removed for a season to test or grow us, and that is no fault of our own but something to endure by faith. But in either case it ought to cause us to ask questions such as: are we worshipping in an unworthy manner? Is there known or public sin going on in our church? I am saying that some sin is not public and we may never become aware of it but some sin is public and known. Known and/or public sin ought to be dealt with in a biblical manner. We are not given the divine means that Joshua was given – a family by family search. But we are given biblical means of church discipline and we see here an encouragement toward being faithful as a church to pursue church discipline when appropriate. Have you ever experienced the loss of the felt presence of God in your own life or the life of your family? When living through times like these; when the Lord appears to turn His face away; whether in a church or in your private life, we know that the Lord is working all things out ultimately for His glory and for our good. Whether you are displeasing the Lord or perhaps He is testing and growing you, either way it would be a good time for you to seek the Lord. Is there some way you are displeasing to the Lord? Confess and turn from your sin. Have you examined yourself and, like Job, judge yourself faithful? Then your duty is to simply endure by faith and wait on the Lord.

We are so careless about sin and we spend little time trying to discern its presence in ourselves – we are no better than Joshua in this sense. But after his conversation with the Lord, Joshua was faithful to act. He made a diligent search, family by family, for the sin in the camp and eventually coming to Achan’s tent and confronting Achan with his sin.

Imagine what that must have been like for Achan – sin in a crowd is easy to conceal. We so easily imagine that our sin is either hidden or insignificant. In a culture where many sins are laughed about and feelings of guilt are considered psychologically damaging we are so very much tempted to imagine our sin as no big deal. Did Achan think that because his action did not actually hurt anyone it was not a big deal? Perhaps Achan thought he was entitled to take just a few things for his family because of his effort in the battle – after all, conquering the city it involved some risk and besides, a couple of bars of silver and gold plus a new outfit wasn’t a big deal considering all the riches captured in the battle. And hidden beneath his tent he felt sure that no one, except his family, would ever know what he had done. Imagine now his concern when it became known that Commander Joshua was doing a family by family search for the sin that caused the defeat. Did he begin to wonder if his own sin might be uncovered? Or did he think perhaps it was someone else’s sin? Sometimes we sin because we see others’ casual attitude about sin. It is possible that before or during the battle Achan overheard others complaining about the waste or perhaps about how they ought to be entitled to a share of the plunder? Even if they technically did not steal from God did their own grumbling words contribute to Achan’s wretched decision? Is it possible that our own casual attitudes toward sin have unintentionally encouraged others to sin? I think it possible that Achan thought that many others had stolen and hidden riches as well. Did he think even now that the sins of ‘group’ might be passed over – after all, would the Lord not forgive when so many are involved? But as Commander Joshua went from family to family and narrowed down the search with no one being singled out it became more apparent that Achan would soon face the judge. How his heart must have fallen and how fast his heart began to beat as the inevitability of being discovered came to light. All his previous arguments and excuses for sin began to fall away and he increasingly became naked before the judge. Yes, “…trouble befalls the income of the wicked” (Proverbs 15:6). How dreadful in that day when we must all appear before the Righteous Judge to account for our lives. How blessed is the one who has run to Christ for salvation!

Notice three things about the confrontation between Joshua and Achan:

1) Joshua addressed Achan, “My son …” Joshua now knows how much suffering Achan induced, yet he speaks with fatherly care to this broken-down man. Joshua the Commander sent those 36 men with many others into battle, and it is now clear that it was because of Achan’s sin that they died – Commander Joshua loved those men so how is it that he shows such compassion on Achan? Is it possible that this is one of those small glimpses into the character of Christ? Even though believers may be tempted and may fall, Christ sympathizes with our weakness. And even though the consequences of our sin must be faced, Christ has compassion on His sheep. Even though the Lord created the world and all who would live in that world He had compassion on the one caused its fall - father Adam - and gave him the first promise (Genesis 3:15). Or perhaps Joshua had humbly examined his own heart and knew of a similar temptation that had been, by the grace of God, resisted (1 Corinthians 13)? We do not know whether Achan truly repented and was a believer; all we know is that the consequence of sin in this case was death and apparently he submitted to his rightful punishment.

2) Now when Achan was confronted we do not know whether he was truly repentant or whether he was simply confessing in the hope that it would soften the punishment for what he had done. We do know that he confessed his sin frankly (v. 20-21) and he hid nothing from Joshua before the stolen treasure was uncovered (v. 22). So it is possible that the things that he had stolen formerly were now calling out in condemnation and, under conviction, his heart was changed from loving sin to hating sin as evidenced by his new desire to rid himself of those stolen possessions – he no longer tried to hide the sin: he could not wait to confess and to have the symbols of his rebellion removed from his tent! Joshua knew all along that Achan needed to deal with God in this matter (Proverbs 28:3). But. as we have said, we do not know whether he was a believer or not. We do know that sinners who come to the point of seeing their miserable state of condemnation; who realize that all their excuses and justification for sin are but filthy rags before the Righteous Judge; and who give up any notions of hiding from judgment, are on the threshold of saving faith. The Law did its work on Achan: we know for certain that the Lord was glorified but we do not know whether grace was given to Achan. The Scriptures do teach us that all who recognize and repent of their sin; all who see their need for salvation; and all who put their trust in the Lord, will be saved.

3) When the people of God were asked to execute judgment (v. 25) on him they did not hesitate. And in addition they raised a monument to remind their descendants of the dreadful consequence of disobedience (v. 26). This judgment seems dark and ugly to us today but it is a mere shadow of the coming judgment at the Last Day. We love to think of the Lord’s love and mercy, and that is good and true. But to think on His awful wrath – that is another thing altogether. It is a mystery to consider the infinite love and the infinite righteousness of God existing at the same time but it would be a grave mistake for us to only teach one part without the other. “The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty …” (Deuteronomy 14:18). Why was Achan’s family also destroyed? We may conjecture but really this is another situation where we ought to take the Apostle Paul’s view of imputation – that even though the principle of imputation became a curse in Adam (all humankind inherits sin and condemnation through Adam’s sin); imputation becomes an even greater blessing in Christ! Those who trust Christ for salvation are ‘imputed’ the righteousness of Christ. ”For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many …” (Romans 5:15) and “so by the one man's (Christ Jesus) obedience the many will be made righteous…” (Romans 5:19). You see now that the Apostle takes the dark view of God’s righteous judgment for sin and turns it toward the glory of His mercy and the eventual undoing of all the horrible effects of sin endured through the ages because of the sinful disobedience of Adam.

Application:

a) We have no idea how our sins may wreck ourselves, our families, our church. We are urged to walk in holiness throughout the scriptures for the glory of God and simultaneously for our own good. What a glorious blessing we have knowing that there is ultimate happiness losing ourselves and gaining the Lord! In any case, without Christ our good works are nothing but filthy rags - trust Christ, and walk with Him in obedience. If you find yourself hating His righteous Law then ask him to give you a new heart - this is a prayer that He delights in granting.

b) Judgment day is coming and nothing is hidden from the eyes of whom we have to make an account on that dreadful day. We may flee to Mt Sinai (a symbol of good works according to the Law) but there is no safety there! - I urge you to flee to Mt Zion (a symbol of the Lord Jesus Christ) and that heavenly resting place in which there is no condemnation but grace through Christ! Repent and believe upon Christ and be saved (Acts 17:30-31)!

c) As individuals and as a church we must judge sin within ourselves - church discipline is an important part of our responsibility and though it is a somber responsibility we know that it is for God’s glory and for our good. The psalm writer said, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” The word translated ‘grievous’ is better translated ‘wicked’ in this case. So it is proper for individuals and churches ask the Lord to shed light on sins that may be hidden or sins that we may have falsely justified in our own minds.

Robin