Achan From Sin? | Sunday, April 23, 2023

On the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets... Joshua said to the people, "Shout, for the LORD has given you the city!"... So the people shouted... and the wall fell down flat. Then they took the city... So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout all the country. But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan... took of the accursed thing; so the anger of the LORD burned against the children of Israel. (Joshua 6–7, condensed)

The danger of every spiritual high is the potential for an epic biblical belly flop.

An Epic Belly Flop

This last Thursday I got up early to watch a live stream of SpaceX launching their massive Super Heavy rocket in Texas. It's 400 feet tall—like sending a skyscraper into orbit. It blew up at about 110,000 feet, but Elon Musk said that was expected; they just wanted to get it off the pad. The plan was for it to make almost a full revolution around the earth and then perform what Musk called an "epic belly flop" in the Pacific.

That epic belly flop reminded me of my youth pastor days. Every summer we'd go to the Calvary Chapel youth camp near Big Bear, and out on the lake they had "the Blob"—a giant air pillow with a platform twelve feet above it. A sixty-pound sixth grader would crawl out to the end, and then two 200-pound counselors would jump on and launch her twenty-five feet into the air to come crashing down in an epic belly flop. The whole camp would gather around the lake to watch.

Today we're going to look at an epic belly flop in the Bible. There are several. In Matthew, Jesus asks His disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter speaks up: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus tells him, "Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." Then within about forty-five seconds Peter is rebuking Jesus, and Jesus says, "Get behind Me, Satan!" From a high high to a low low. That's always the danger of high highs—the potential for a fall.

Standing on the Ruins of Jericho

I cannot think of a higher high than this moment in Joshua. The people of Israel are standing on top of the ruins of Jericho, having defeated this great walled city. They had no hope of doing it by their own strength—they walked around the city once a day for six days and seven times on the seventh day. By the thirteenth time around, they all knew they couldn't do this. But God caused the walls to fall flat.

Joshua had commanded the people, "By all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed... But all the silver and the gold and the vessels of bronze and iron are consecrated to the LORD; they shall come into the treasury of the LORD." They shouted, the walls fell, and they took the city. And Joshua 6:27 says, "So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout all the country." If Twitter existed, Joshua would have been trending—hashtag Jericho.

Beware When You Think You Stand

Here's our first point: beware when you think you stand, lest you fall. This comes straight from Scripture. In 1 Corinthians we're told that everything recorded in the Old Testament was written for our instruction. Take heed when you think you stand, lest you fall.

You almost don't even need to read Joshua 7:1 to know what's coming. We have here what's called Chekhov's gun. The Russian playwright Anton Chekhov said that if you hang a rifle on the wall in chapter one, it has to go off by chapter two or three. The fame of Joshua spread throughout all the country—and then: "But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things."

A trespass is when you know full well not to cross the line, and you cross it anyway. Joshua told the people not to take the accursed things, but Achan, son of Carmi, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing, "so the anger of the LORD burned against the children of Israel." Israel had just experienced an unprecedented victory by God's power alone, and now they were headed toward another city called Ai—a name that actually means "heap of ruin."

Off Limits, Forbidden, Set Apart

Point number two: if God is your Lord, then there are certain things that are off limits, forbidden, and set apart. We don't like the word "no." We learn to dislike it from a very young age. There's something about the command "don't touch that" that inflames desire within us.

But I want to suggest that you cannot experience the abundant life God intends without boundaries. Our culture says there should be no boundaries—you decide who you are, what you are, how you live. But watch people who live out that mindset and you'll see people in terrible bondage. God created you with an intended purpose, and when you function within it, you excel. The abundant life is not life without boundaries; it is life within the boundaries God ordains.

God had promised this land to Abraham back in Genesis 12. Now, centuries later, his descendants are coming to take possession of it. But there was a condition: the first fruits of the land belong to God. Jericho was the first fruits—everything in it was to be consecrated to Him.

Why Jericho's Spoil Was Consecrated

There are at least three reasons. First, worship. Giving back to God a portion of what He had given them was an act of worship—a sacrifice, which by its very nature is difficult, but which anticipates blessing.

Second, it signaled honor and value. By giving this to the Lord, they declared they honored and valued God more than the blessings themselves. When we value the things God gives us more than God Himself, that's called idolatry, and it always leads to bondage and death.

Third, it was a simple act of obedience. This initial act would reveal the extent to which they would continue to obey in the future.

Now, why were these things "accursed"? Not because they were connected to paganism—if that were the reason, the spoil of every other city would be accursed too, but God says they could take spoil from the other cities. The answer is in the Hebrew word, which has two meanings: "accursed" and "devoted." These things were devoted to God. So when Achan took them, he wasn't touching something unclean—he was taking something that didn't belong to him. That's theft. And he lied about it, breaking the eighth and ninth commandments. Point three: severe consequences await those that rob from God. You may say, "It's a good thing I've never done that." Hold that thought.

Defeat at Ai

Joshua sent spies to Ai, and they returned saying, "Do not let all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not weary all the people there, for the people of Ai are few." We've got this—it's not a big deal. Take heed when you think you stand, lest you fall.

Their thinking was flawed because they failed to recognize what had given them power at Jericho. They were victorious not because of the size of their army or a good plan, but because of their wholesale dependence on God. Now they say, "We got this, God." So about three thousand men went up, and they fled before the men of Ai, who struck down about thirty-six. "Therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water."

The tables turned quickly. Back in Joshua 3, Rahab told the spies that all the cities of Canaan melted with fear when they heard Israel was coming. Now Israel sends a small detachment to a heap of ruin and is defeated, and their own hearts melt.

Joshua's Strange Prayer

Joshua tore his clothes and fell on his face before the ark until evening, putting dust on his head—signs of mourning. He responded to defeat in the proper way, sort of. But if he had come before God with this humility before sending the army, he would not be in this position. I don't point a finger of judgment, because many times in my own life I've come to brokenness only after a defeat, wishing I had come in humility sooner and averted disaster.

But notice his prayer in verse 7: "Alas, Lord GOD, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all... Lord, what shall we say when Israel turns its back before its enemies?... and what will You do for Your great name?" Joshua essentially says, "God, this looks really bad for You." Not the best look. In Corinthians we read that if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. A little self-reflection would go a long way here.

God's Response: Get Up

I love God's response: "Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? Israel has sinned... they have both stolen and deceived... Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies... Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed thing from among you."

Israel was defeated because they had stolen, lied, and broken the covenant. In both Testaments, sin is associated with leaven. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. Just a little bit of sin—it's private, nobody sees it—affects everybody. That's exactly what happened here. The exhortation is to purge out the old leaven.

Point four: God is more concerned with my present sanctification than my earthly success. This is hard for us, because we're all focused on success. Unfortunately, many churches in 2023 give a message that basically says God reigns in heaven for your earthly pleasure and success, which is completely unbiblical. Yet the amazing thing is that when we walk in righteousness and are sanctified by His Spirit and His word, we do experience success—just measured by God's standard, not the world's. As Joshua 1 says, if you meditate on God's word and do it, "you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." That success carries over into the next life; the world's success will not.

Achan Exposed

In the morning, Israel was brought tribe by tribe, family by family, man by man. The tribe of Judah was taken, then the Zerites, then Zabdi, and finally Achan. Joshua said, "My son, I beg you, give glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession to Him." Achan answered, "When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold... I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent."

Just before Moses died, he warned the tribes in the book of Numbers, "Be sure your sin will find you out." My observation is that no one ever truly gets away with anything—there will be a reckoning. You may object: some pretty wicked people seem to do quite well. A man about three thousand years ago thought the same thing in Psalm 73. He was almost in despair over how the wicked prosper—"until I went to the house of the Lord and saw their end." This life is not all there is. Revelation tells us a day is coming when the Judge of all the earth will open the books and we will be judged according to our works.

I Saw, I Coveted, I Took, I Hid

Notice Achan's progression: I saw, I coveted, I took, I hid. This same progression appears in Genesis 3 with Adam and Eve—I saw, I coveted, I took, I sinned. In the 21st century we are bombarded with temptation Achan could never have imagined. Research shows the average American sees between four and ten thousand advertisements a day, all designed to make us want and desire. We don't need it, but within minutes we find a way to need it. That ignites covetousness—I want it, I have to have it.

There has long been discussion about where exactly we cross into sin. Seeing is not in itself sin, but there's a fine line between seeing and coveting—the tenth commandment says, "You shall not covet." Between seeing and coveting, a desire is triggered, often called lust.

Lust in itself is not necessarily sinful, but it's a very fine line. Lust is actually necessary for life—you have appetites for food, water, even sex, and there would be no life without them. In the proper context lust is good. Fire in the fireplace is good; fire in the living room is not. A boat in the water is good; water in the boat is not. Lust for your own spouse—praise Jesus. But lust for someone else is another matter.

Whose Authority?

Recently the Daily Wire released an Exodus series led by Dr. Jordan Peterson with a group of scholars. In one episode, the Jewish commentator Dennis Prager said, "As a Jew I am less interested in the interior person than you Christians are... that's why we don't have a claim that if you look at another woman to lust after, you've committed adultery." He suggested lust, even through pornography, might not be that bad. This caused a controversy online. But here's the problem: Jesus said, "If you look at a woman to lust after her, you've committed adultery in your heart." So it comes down to authority—do you take the guy on AM radio, or the One who died on a cross and rose from the dead? I'll listen to that One.

Unbridled lust leads to covetousness, which leads to all forms of sin, which leads to death. James writes, "Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death."

Some religions, like Buddhism, try to escape desire altogether. But John observes in 1 John that all that is in the world is "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life." You cannot get away from desire. The body wants it, the eye sees it, the mind says "I deserve it"—and sin always follows: I see it, I want it, I will take it.

Judgment in the Valley of Achor

Joshua sent messengers who found the spoil hidden in Achan's tent. They brought Achan, his sons and daughters, his livestock, his tent, and all he had to the Valley of Achor. Joshua said, "Why have you troubled us? The LORD will trouble you this day." So Israel stoned him and burned them, raising a great heap of stones. "Then the LORD turned from the fierceness of His anger."

It seems severe. No one in Israel took pleasure in this. You may say, "But Achan confessed." Yes—but only after they cast lots tribe by tribe, family by family, until he was singled out. He had every opportunity to come out and repent and did not until it was, "It's you, dude. What do you have to say?" Like the unmasking at the end of Scooby-Doo: "If it weren't for you meddling kids." The options were either to be doomed to destruction and lose the presence of God, or to punish Achan severely.

Point five: personal sanctification requires swift and sometimes severe action against sin. The takeaway is not that we purge sinners from our midst, but that we purge sin from our own lives—even if that sin seems small, hidden, and harmless. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. Jesus said, "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out... if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off." We don't end up with a bunch of one-eyed people, but we should have a severe view of sin, because sin is deadly. How is it cleansed? "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." He cleanses us by the washing of the water of His word.

We All Deserve Achan's Judgment

Beware when you think you stand, lest you fall—none of us is immune. If God is your Lord, certain things are off limits, set apart, devoted to Him. Severe consequences await those who rob God. And again you say, "I've never done that." Consider Malachi 3:8: "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings... for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation."

I can't close without acknowledging this: all of us have taken of accursed things. All of us have experienced the defeating effects of sin. Every one of us is worthy of the same judgment Achan endured. So why are we not judged like Achan? Because there is a final judgment yet to come, when the Judge of all the earth opens the books and death and hell are cast into the lake of fire—the second death.

This is a sobering reality that should cause a little terror in the presence of a holy God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; fools despise it. Whether or not you believe it does not make it any less real.

The Only Refuge

That's the bad news. The good news is that in Christ we can escape judgment. There was judgment on Jericho, but Rahab the harlot escaped because she was in the house with the scarlet cord in the window—reminiscent of the Passover forty years earlier, when the blood on the doorpost spared everyone in the house. Both foreshadow this: if anyone is in Christ, they are sheltered from judgment. He is the Passover Lamb who became sin for us, that we might receive His righteousness and be safe in Him. He is the only refuge from the coming judgment of God.

This is a heavy, sobering story meant to weigh upon us and point us to the only place of protection. The good news is not good until you see it against the backdrop of the bad news—and then it makes all the more sense. Amen.

Closing Prayer

Father God, I thank You for passages like this that weigh upon us. They are sobering, they seem severe and harsh, and we see what it looks like to be judged without mercy—and we realize there is only mercy and grace from You in Christ. God, You loved the world so much that You gave Your only begotten Son, that whoever trusts in Him would not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus, You demonstrated Your love toward us in that while we were still sinners, You died for us. We need Your death, because we have all sinned and fallen short of Your glory, and the wages of sin is death—but the free gift is forgiving grace and mercy in You.

You said whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, for with the mouth we confess and with the heart we believe. We confess that You are Lord; we believe that You rose from the dead, dying and rising for our sin. There we find no shame, but Your mercy and Your grace. God, we rejoice in that good news today. As we stand here, I want to give anyone hearing this an opportunity to confess with their mouth and believe in their heart that Jesus is the one who deals with their sin, and to experience the forgiving grace of God. In Jesus' name, amen.