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Have you ever done something that you knew you weren’t supposed to do? But you rationalized it was okay because no one was ever going to know what you had done. And then you took great effort to cover up what you had done just to make sure no one would ever know. The answer to that question for all of us is “yes”. How do i know? Because we are all sinners … and we all have the proclivity to sin. Allow me to introduce a fellow sinner by the name of Achan.
On the morning the walls of Jericho collapsed, Joshua commanded the people of Israel, “Do not take any of the things set apart for destruction, or you yourselves will be completely destroyed, and you will bring trouble on the camp of Israel. Everything made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron is sacred to the LORD and must be brought into His treasury.”(1) Joshua had repeated this instruction multiple times so that everyone would clearly know and remember what they were to do. And every one of the fighting men took that command to heart and obeyed … except one.
The treasures of Jericho were laid bare that day. Their owners were either killed by the collapsing wall or the sharp edge of an Israelite sword. God had commanded that all the inhabitants be destroyed – there were to be no exceptions. Thus, all their possessions were ripe for the taking. There was no one to lay claim to them. There was no one to object if a few pieces were quietly pocketed. All of their precious treasures were being gathered into a gigantic pile to be taken to the treasury of the Lord. Given the massiveness of the pile, who would possibly miss a few coins, a bar of gold and a robe?
We don’t know how old Achan was. He may have been old enough to have been one of those who had been a young child when the Israelites left Egypt. Thus he would have remembered seeing such finery in an Egyptian home when he was a boy. Perhaps he had wished to possess something of such great value ever since then. He may well have thought, “Why should I not be entitled to have such things?” OR perhaps, he longed for his wife and children to have these special things that he would never be able to provide for them. OR perhaps, the temptation of greed and avarice may have overcome him through that same voice that had spoken in the Garden of Eden in days past, saying, “you will not surely die.”(2) Regardless of his reason, he decided this was his chance! He probably rationalized that pillaging a little bit of wealth along the way wasn’t really going to hurt anyone – after all, the people who had owned them were dead! Whatever his thought process, Achan’s sin began with a rationalization – just like ours does.
The fighting men of Israel were organized. They had to be, or there would have been mass chaos. They were organized into tribes, then within those tribes into clans, and within those clans into families. There would have been an established order in which commands were passed from person to person within the ranks. And that same order would have been used in reverse to report back from the ranks to the commander. It is reasonable that after everything had been destroyed and collected that day in Jericho there would have been a reporting back from the ranks to Joshua.
Each warrior would have reported that all was destroyed, and all of the precious metals had been collected for the LORD’s treasury. It is very reasonable to presume that Achan would have given just such a report to his “superior” that he had done what he had been instructed to do. So he had stolen, and then he had lied about it. That’s the way sin is. As soon as we commit it, we want to cover it up – most often with a lie.
But Achan’s cover up couldn’t stop there. He needed to hide his stolen goods from view. So he attempted to hide his sin by burying it.
As i was writing this article, i experienced a very real time example of this very point! As a matter of fact, it is scary just how real – and real time – it was. i “googled” a phrase i was going to use in this article to describe Achan’s sin. i wanted to make sure that the phrase would be an accurate description. But to my horror the listings that came up under the phrase i was using all pointed to pornographic sites. And i realized that with one click, i could be at a place that i should never enter. And the real frightening thing is that “no one” would know. It would be hidden from view. And if i never said anything about it, “no one” would ever be the wiser. And i realized that at that moment, i had the exact same choice before me that Achan had. Do i obey the command of my Lord – in my case, to keep my heart guarded and my eyes averted from sexual temptation – or do i “steal” a look and then attempt to hide it by covering it up.
You and i both know that it is not accurate to say that “no one” would have known because there is One who will always know. No matter how much i may try to lie about it or cover it up, He will always know. And though my sin would be against others as well – most notably, my wife – it would most importantly be against Him. i may be able to hide it from my wife (though i doubt it!), but i would definitely not be able to hide it from my Lord!
And the reality is that my sin doesn’t just affect me and my relationship with my Lord, it affects those i have sinned against, … and it affects my entire family … my church … and potentially the entire body. Achan’s family was ultimately stoned and burned, and their bodies buried under a “great heap of stones” – all because of what Achan did! The Israelites were defeated, and Israelite warriors were killed at a place called Ai – all because of what Achan did! The name of the God of Israel was dishonored – all because of what Achan did!
When all of the tribes and then the clans of Judah began to pass before the LORD, do you not think that Achan knew where this was heading? i would imagine that his heart began to race, and the guilt began to swell over every part of his body. But still, he remained silent! He was probably hoping that his sin would somehow remain covered up. After all, he had buried it pretty deep.
He didn’t step forward to confess his sin; he waited until he could no longer hide it. Then instead of confessing his sin in repentance, he acknowledged his sin in remorse. Oh, he was sorry for his sin, but he was sorrier that he had been found out! That is when he realized that he could not bury his sin deep enough.
There is a part of Achan in all of us. Scripture tells us that “we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”(3)None of us are exempt. And “the wages” of that sin “is death.”(4) But if we confess our sins (not just become remorseful over getting caught, but truly repent) He “is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”(5)
Are there a few coins, a bar of gold and a robe … or their equivalent … buried in our tents? Let’s quit trying to bury them deeper. We may have some success at first … but in the end, no matter how deep we may think we buried it, the truth will out. And in the meantime, we will be crippled under the weight. Let’s not wait for someone else to discover it. Let’s not live under that weight any longer. We can be freed and cleansed from it today. Let’s not wait until we are defeated at our own Ai.
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You will find the story of Achan in Joshua chapter 7.(6) I’ve adapted this post from Possessing The Promise, chapter 20, entitled “You Can’t Bury It Deep Enough” This third book in the Lessons Learned In The Wilderness series is available through Amazon in print or for your e-reader. Click HERE for more information on how you can obtain your copy of the book.
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(1) Joshua 6:18-19 (NLT)
(2) Genesis 3:4 (NKJ)
(3) Romans 3:23 (NLT)
(4) Romans 6:23 (NLT)
(5) 1 John 1:9 (NLT)
(6) Joshua 7:10-26 (NLT)
But the LORD said to Joshua, “…Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. And they have not only stolen them but have lied about it and hidden the things among their own belongings. …So Joshua sent some men to make a search. They ran to the tent and found the stolen goods hidden there, just as Achan had said, with the silver buried beneath the rest. ...Then they laid them on the ground in the presence of the LORD.
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