One Man's Sin

Josh. 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 of 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."

After the great victory at Jericho, Achan coveted and took some of the items devoted for destruction. Sadly, his sin did not just affect him and his family, but the entire nation. As they went out to battle against Ai, a much smaller town, the tide was turned. Not only did they lose the battle, but 36 of their men were killed. As Joshua fell on his face before the Ark of the Lord, he found out that God could not be in their midst because of the sin--the sin of one man. Sin is serious to God! His holiness can not coexist where His words are disobeyed. God gave Joshua specific instructions about what to do. Not only were Achan and his possessions found and destroyed, but his family, livestock and even his tent were destroyed. What far reaching effects sin has! Just as Achan's sin had affected the whole nation, the entire nation participated in the cleansing of this iniquity, in the burning and stoning. At the site, they raised a heap of stones and named it the Valley of Achor. Even though it sounds pretty harsh, it demonstrates graphically how polluting sin is.

Because of the nature of this narrative, it makes me wonder about my sin? Am I polluting the lives of those close to me? Am I coveting the 'wealth' of the world and hiding it in my heart? Does my desire to obey God supersede everything else in my life?

Father,

Keep my heart free of a love of the world and the things that are in it. Convict me when I am hiding away things that pull me away from You. Strengthen my heart in obedience.

In Jesus name,

Amen

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