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The Accursed Thing

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The Accursed Thing

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The Accursed Thing

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If we stop and think on how our actions affect the lives of other people, we would become be very cautious. Is it OK to do whatever we want, as long as it doesn’t harm anyone else? Or, does everything we do have an effect?

Transcript

Blaise Pascal was a 17th century French mathematician, and an inventor, a writer, and also a Christian philosopher. And in 1642, while still a teenager, Pascal started some pioneering work on calculating machines. And after three years of effort and fifty prototypes, he built twenty finished machines called Pascal's Calculators, establishing him as one of the first of two inventors of the mechanical calculator.  I think you've seen those before. You push the buttons in and pull the handle and the answer to your mathematic question comes up. So this is in the 1600's – a mechanical calculator. Quite an invention to have all those little rods and pins line up to give you the answer. 

He also had an influential theological work. He was a mathematician, but he was also a philosopher and a Christian. There was a piece that was finished after he died, actually, from his notes referred to as the Pensées, which means in English thoughts.  They put all these thoughts together after he died, it is said, to have been an examination and defense of the Christian faith. The Psychology Today website quotes Pascal with his Pensées work, and says – quoting Pascal – “In each action we must look beyond the action at our past, present, and future state, and at others whom it affects, and see the relations of all those things. And then we shall be very cautious.”  He's saying, if we stop and think on how our actions affect the lives of other people, we would be very cautious. We would be very careful how we live our life. 

Is it okay to do whatever you want as long as it doesn't hurt someone else? Or does everything we do in some way have an effect? Do the sins committed by people, which may at first seem private, harm society as a whole?  

I remember as a child, my parents reading us The Bible Story on Friday nights when the Sabbath began. It was produced by the church in the '50's and '60's – several volumes called The Bible Story.  And it contained graphic illustrations of Bible characters and Bible stories that were drawn by an artist name Basil Wolverton. And one of those stories read to me – which was also graphically illustrated – was about the sin of one person that caused the death of dozens of people. Do you remember the story? Do you remember which one I'm talking about? It's probably not a story you've read lately or very often. It is a story that is very serious to consider. Although I will say upfront that one day it will have a very happy ending, as we will see. 

In the sermon today titled, The Accursed Thing, we are going to examine that story and see where we stand in assuring blessings and health for the whole body of Christ. What is the accursed thing? 

Turn to Joshua chapter 6, because you will easily remember the story of Rahab, the harlot, who lived in the city of Jericho. But it's what happened after her rescue that we want to look at today. It's a story about the accursed thing. Let's turn to Joshua, chapter 6, and verses 17 through 19, where we read:

Joshua 6:17 - Now the city – talking about Jericho – the city, Jericho, shall be doomed by the LORD to destruction – so the Israelites are about to enter the Promised Land and first on the list is Jericho to conquer – to move in. Jericho shall be doomed by the LORD to destruction, it and all who are in it. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. Verse 18 - And you, by all means – this is God talking – abstain from the accursed things – the Good News Translation says, “anything that is to be destroyed” – lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things – the New American Standard Bible says, “when you take of things that are under the ban” things that you shouldn't, things that are banned – and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. So God is saying, “Don't take spoils from Jericho when you conquer it.” Except – verse 19 – all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron – are Mine, says God – consecrated to the LORD; they shall come into the treasury of the LORD."

And so the Israelites marched around the city of Jericho silently for seven days, as you recall from the story, and on the seventh day they marched around seven times. And on the seventh pass, the Israelites shouted, the priests blew the trumpets, and the walls of Jericho came tumbling down. And so Israel was victorious over the city. There's an interesting addition to this in our Church's Bible Commentary about Joshua chapter 6. It explains a little bit more about the fall of Jericho and how archaeological findings from the destruction, that we now can see today, are quite remarkable. For instance, there was an inner and outer wall to the city – the lower one resting on the retaining wall that held the earthen embankment beneath the city in place. So you can see that at the ruins today. But the archaeological ruins show, along with many buildings that the city walls did collapse and fell beneath itself to the base of the retaining wall. And the debris caused a virtual ramp up into the city from all directions. As the walls fell down, then you had ramps up into the city all the way around the city, except in one direction, that is. A short stretch of the lower city wall on the north side did not fall. And there were houses built against that wall, as Rahab's house is described. Someone living there could have survived. So just a little bit of archaeological evidence showing the miracle of what happened to Jericho. There is also clear evidence of the city being burned like God told Joshua it would be, but only after the earthquake from God did its damage first – again confirming the Biblical account. Also archaeologists found storage jars full of grain that had been caught in the fiery destruction. The jars found in the ruins of Jericho, though, were full, showing that the siege was actually short – maybe a week. They didn't eat up all their supplies while they were under siege from the Israelites. It went very quickly because the people inside the walls did not consume very much of their grain. So just a little side story there about Jericho. 

But now let's get to the purpose of this message here today. The things from Jericho dedicated to God – that would become accursed if used for any other purpose. That leads us into Joshua chapter 7. Okay?  Joshua 7. I'm going to read from the New Living Translation – just going to read the story here to get the flow of things.  Reading from the New Living Translation:

Joshua 7:1 - But Israel violated the instructions about the things set apart for the LORD . A man named Achan had stolen some of these dedicated things – of course, the New King James Version says, “took of the accursed things” – so the LORD was very angry with the Israelites. Achan was the son of Carmi, a descendant of Zimri son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah – so he was a Jew. Verse 2 - Joshua sent some of his men from Jericho to spy out the town of Ai, east of Bethel, near Beth-aven. Okay, so Jericho is now under Israelite control. The next one on the list is the city of Ai. Okay? So Joshua sent men to spy it out. Verse 3 - When they returned, they told Joshua, “There’s no need for all of us to go up there; it won’t take more than two or three thousand men to attack Ai. Since there are so few of them, don’t make all our people struggle to go up there.” They saw how God, you know, won the battle for them at Jericho and this will be easy. Just send about 3,000. Now verse 4 - So approximately 3,000 warriors were sent, but they were soundly defeated. Israel lost. Verse 5 - The men of Ai chased the Israelites from the town gate as far as the quarries, and they killed about thirty-six who were retreating down the slope. The Israelites were paralyzed with fear at this turn of events, and their courage melted away. Verse 6 - Joshua and the elders of Israel tore their clothing in dismay, threw dust on their heads, and bowed face down to the ground before the Ark of the LORD until evening. Verse 7 - Then Joshua cried out to God, “Oh, Sovereign LORD, why did you bring us across the Jordan River if you are going to let the Amorites kill us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side!  And down to verse 10 - But the LORD said to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this? Verse 11 - Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. The New King James says again, “some of the accursed things. And they have not only stolen them but have lied about it and hidden the things among their own belongings. Joshua was like, “What do you  mean?” Verse 12 - That is why the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat.  For now Israel itself has been set apart for destruction. What?  Now Israel is going to be destroyed because of this? God says, I will not remain from you any longer unless you destroy the things among you that were set apart for destruction. Verse 13 - “Get up! Command the people to purify themselves in preparation for tomorrow.” This was supposed to be like an evening of purification and self-reflection before the next day.  For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Hidden among you, O Israel, are things set apart for the LORD. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you. Verse 14 - “In the morning you must present yourselves by tribes, and the LORD will point out the tribe to which the guilty man belongs. That tribe must come forward with its clans, and the LORD will point out the guilty clan. That clan will then come forward, and the LORD will point out the guilty family. Finally, each member of the guilty family must come forward one by one. God was going to point out, you know, who had stolen these things from Jericho illegally. Verse 15 - The one who has stolen what was set apart for destruction – he who had taken the accursed things – will himself be burned with fire, along with everything he has, for he has broken the covenant of the LORD and has done a horrible thing in Israel.” The Hebrew word, translated a disgraceful thing or a horrible thing in verse 15, denotes a blatant and senseless disregard for God's will, according to Nelson Study Bible

Sometimes one man's sin can adversely affect others who apparently had nothing to do with it.  Thankfully, at this point in the story, only thirty-six out of a few thousand men were lost. And, though tragic, the repercussions could have been much worse, because God, then, says the nation as a whole… He said, Israel is now doomed to destruction – verse 12 – until the sin was removed from its midst. So, verse 16 – Early the next morning Joshua brought the tribes of Israel before the Lord and the tribe of Judah was singled out. Verse 17 – Then the clans of Judah came forward and the clan of Zerach was singled out. And the families of Zerach came forward and the family of Zimri was singled out. Verse 18 – And every member of Zimri's family was brought forward person by person, and Achan was singled out. Verse 19 – Then Joshua said to Achan,“My son, give glory to the Lord the God of Israel by telling the truth.” Make your confession and tell me what you've done. Don't hide it from me.” Verse 20 – And Achan replied, “It's true. I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel.” And then he explains what he took. Verse 21 – Among the plunder I saw a beautiful robe from Babylon, 200 silver coins, a bar of gold weighing more than a pound. I wanted them so much that I took them and they are hidden in the ground beneath my tent with the silver buried deeper than the rest.  And that's that Basil Wolverton's image, that I have in my head right now, of him burying everything in his tent. So verse 22 – So Joshua sent some men to check it out, 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. Verse 23 – They took the things from the tent and brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and they laid them on the ground in the presence of the Lord. Verse 24 – Then Joshua and all the Israelites took Achan, the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons, daughters, cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats, tent and everything he had and brought them to the Valley of Achor. Verse 25 – Then Joshua said to Achan,“Why have you brought trouble on us? The Lord will now bring trouble on you.” And all the Israelites stoned Achan and his family and burned their bodies. Verse 26 – They piled a great heap of stones over Achan, which remains to this day. That is why the place has been called the Valley of Trouble ever sense. Achor means trouble.  The Valley of Achor was the Valley of Trouble. Then it says the Lord was no longer angry. So now this sin had been purged and Israel could move on.  

In 1 Chronicles 2:7, if you want to make a note of it, Achan is referred to as Achar, the troubler of Israel. He was remembered generations later for what he did. He was referred to as Achar, the troubler of Israel, who violated the ban. That's how the New American Standard Bible puts it.  NIV puts it this way:  Achar, he brought trouble on Israel by violating the ban on taking devoted things. 

So the accursed thing – the purpose of my message today – is anything that is God's that we take for ourselves, or anything that God has banned for us to have or do. In other words: sin, sinful behavior and breaking God's commandments. Those will bring a curse on us. 

Here is the point and major lesson of the account for you and me: you know this happened four thousand years ago or whatever, right? A long time ago! Achan's sin defiled the other members of the community as well as himself. A similar situation is seen at the very beginning of God's plan of salvation with mankind – Adam and Eve – a similar story. Adam and Eve's rebellion destroyed the perfect relationship the human race would have enjoyed with God. Just think, one lady – Eve – who took of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil – what we could maybe call, the accursed tree – affected the lives of all of humanity, both male and female in every country, on every continent, of every race, of every generation, of every century for the past six thousand years – one person together with her husband. We fool ourselves if we think our sins only affect us, because disobedience can bring ruin even upon the innocent, as happened to those thirty-six soldiers that lost their lives when they went up to battle against Ai. Sins effects go beyond the initial sinner.

What are some examples of hidden sins that we may be harboring that affect the wellbeing of our congregation and our church? What could affect the spiritual health of our families in our congregation? 

  • How about hidden jealousy? Do you have any of that? 
  • Covetousness. Do we covet what others have? 
  • Hate. Do you really dislike other people in the congregation? I'm just kind of thinking of some things here. 
  • Idolatry. Do we have things in our life that take a higher position than God? 
  • Immorality. Do you harbor secret affections that are illicit? 
  • Drunkenness. How much do we drink? Do we get inebriated?  
  • Addictions. What's going on in our life that we can't control? 
  • Gossip. Do you spread rumors or pass on information that is not yours to give? 
  • We heard an excellent sermonette about the Sabbath day a moment ago. So what about inappropriate activities on the Sabbath? 
  • Pornography is a huge sin in our country. And, as a result, we know that it does affect even the church to one degree or another. Perhaps a spouse, for instance, is unaware of the husband or wife's addiction. Their addiction leads to secretiveness, a change in attitude toward him or her as their partner. The spouse sees that change and speculates on the possible causes and maybe she thinks, “I'm not attractive now,” or “I'm not loved anymore,” or “They're having an affair.”  You know, they don't know why. And while none of these are directly true, the consequences of the private sin are potentially damaging to the marriage and their family – even if the secret sin is never discovered, it has an effect.

We cannot know what's in another person's heart. We can only judge by outward appearance and the fruit we see in a person's life. I know what's in my heart. I know what I'm dealing with in life. I know where I fall short of God's perfect commandments, but I don't know what's in your heart and neither does anyone else except God. Only you can know that. Only you and God know if an Achan-style event is shortchanging your relationship with God. And so we have to ask ourselves, “Is there anything in my life, anything in the way I am living that is affecting not only me, but the health of the body of Christ as a whole, because we're all in this together.” We're family. We're told in 1 Corinthians 11 and in 2 Corinthians 13, “Examine yourself as to whether you are in the faith.”  It's a good thing to do on a regular basis, not just before the Passover each year. So we examine ourselves. That's what this sermon is kind of about – a bit of a heavy subject, but it's important. We should always be examining ourselves as to where we stand in our commitment to God.

Let's talk about the story of Achan a bit more. What else can we take note of? The gold and silver Achan stole was stolen from God, Himself. The precious metals were to be added to the treasury of God, and in stealing them, Achan robbed God. Interestingly, it is shown in Joshua 7, verse 13, God actually gave Achan a night to consider his sin and come to Him in repentance. God asked the nation to purify itself before the sinner was to be revealed the next day. And Achan did not avail himself of God's mercy and patience. 

Some ask why did God destroy Achan's family, as well? Isn't that a little extreme? Proverbs 15:27 tells us that a greedy man brings trouble to his family, and Achan was greedy. So it was proverbial. If you are greedy, you bring trouble on your family. And we are told that the sins of the father can have an effect for generations to come. Perhaps Achan's children had already begun to exhibit their father's traits of covetousness, disobedience and disrespect for God's commands. Most likely they had actually helped Achan hide the stuff and were, in fact, accomplices to the crime. In the culture of the day, living in tents in the desert, it would be kind of hard to bury stolen treasure and Babylonian clothing in the dirt under your tent without your family knowing. That wasn't a very big housing accommodation. The lesson for us is: don't allow sin to go on under your nose without distancing yourself from it or making sure it ceases. You can't be an accomplice. 

What happened to Achan's family is not just an Old Testament type of punishment. Many people will say that the God of the Old Testament was harsh and mean, but when Jesus walked the earth, He was full of mercy. You might think of mercy demonstrated to the woman at the well who had five husbands, a woman caught in adultery who could have been stoned according to the law. Why didn't Achan receive similar mercy? After all, wasn't the Rock that Israel followed the One who became Jesus  Christ? Well, as I said, that's not just an Old Testament punishment. Think of the passage about Ananias and Sapphira in Acts chapter 5. For lying to God and for keeping back what they said they'd dedicated to Him, there were immediate consequences. Think of the judgments of the great tribulation where the blood of men is pictured as flowing up to the horses' bridles in the winepress of God's wrath. You see, sin will not be tolerated forever. Eventually it catches up with a nation. Eventually it catches up with a person. The scripture provides personal warnings to each of us. 

The story of Achan and many other Biblical narratives give us sufficient information to understand that God is holy and that He is not to be disobeyed without risking the consequences. 
So what is there in your spiritual closet?  Hopefully nothing.  Right?  What is buried in the dirt under your tent? What are you hiding from God? What is going on in your life that will have a negative effect on those around you? And, like Achan, what are you not repenting of when given the chance? Like I said, hopefully nothing. But stories like this in the Bible give us a moment to pause. 

Let's bring the subject closer to home for a minute. Think of our Council of Elders. Now, I'm not saying anything is going on there, but imagine if one of our councilors had an issue between him and God.  Would it affect the productivity of the whole council? You'd say, “Yeah, it would. It wouldn't be good.”  Or, what if somebody in the Home Office administration had disrespected one of God's commandments? Could it affect the whole staff upstairs? Or, what if someone here in our congregation had a secret sin that he or she was not working to rid from their life? Would it affect the health of the congregation in some way? Or, what if a husband or wife has a troubling weakness they are not overcoming? Could it affect the whole family? What if an apartment of young adults or rental home of college students has one of the roommates engaging in bad or sinful behavior? Could it affect the whole apartment or the whole home? 

So, you know, think about it. Bring it down to the nitty-gritty a little bit. Now, I don't know anyone else's situation, like I said, but my own, but you do. You know your situation. You know your own struggles between you and God and His law. Are you affecting others in the way you live – whether privately or publicly – because the warning from scripture is, don't be an Achan. Don't be an Eve, or an Adam, or an Ananias, or a Sapphira. 

The story of Achan reminds us that we should immediately confess our sins and not wait until we are caught – not wait until it is exposed – because Achan's confession only came after he was directly confronted by Joshua in verse 20. He did not come forward when Israel failed in its first attempt to take the city of Ai.  He was still hiding his sin even when the lengthy investigation was under way. Achan forced Joshua and God to go through the whole elimination process until then he was singled out. Did he not think that eventually his sin would be exposed? Do we  not think that eventually we will be exposed if our sins are not repented of? 

Proverbs 28:13 – let's turn there for a moment.  As far as God was concerned, Achan's confession came too late. If Achan had confessed his sin some time before he was confronted by Joshua, God just might have been merciful to him. We shouldn't wait until we are caught – and then to be sorry we are caught.  That's not true repentance. 

Proverbs 28:13 - He who covers his sins will not prosper – once again, it's proverbial – but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. And that's when God shows mercy, when we repent and we're sorry. 

Some Biblical critics ask, “Why must the inhabitants of the land of Canaan be eliminated like this when Israel entered the Promised Land anyway? Why were they told to just go destroy everybody in Canaan when they overtook the Promised Land?” The answer comes in Leviticus chapter 18. I want to turn to Leviticus chapter 18. It gives a long list of the depravities that had engulfed the people of Canaan – the people of the region. Much of it is sexual deviancy and incest. Let's read the last half of the list toward the end of the chapter, because just imagine where our world would be today if this kind of living was allowed to continue unabated like it was in Canaan. Notice Leviticus 18 verse 3, first of all.   

Leviticus 18:3 - According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do – don't do like the Egyptians – and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances. Then notice verse 20 - Moreover you shall not lie carnally with your neighbor's wife, to defile yourself with her. Verse 21 - And you shall not let any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech – they had child sacrifice that was extremely common – nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the LORD. Verse 22 - You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination. Verse 23 - Nor shall you mate with any animal, to defile yourself with it. Nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it. It is perversion.   Verse 24 - 'Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations are defiled – God says they are all doing it – which I am casting out before you. Verse 25 - For the land is defiled; therefore I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants. Verse 26 - You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you - Verse 27 - (for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled), Verse 28 - lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you. Verse 29 - For whoever commits any of these abominations, the persons who commit them shall be cut off from among their people. Verse 30 - 'Therefore you shall keep My ordinance, so that you do not commit any of these abominable customs which were committed before you, and that you do not defile yourselves by them: I am the LORD your God.' "

Quite honestly, we may not even be here today as people – humanity on earth – if it wasn't for a core group of nations that God was working with to keep our world's basic laws, in some form, of a Judeo-Christian way that slows down the stem of evil and depravity like we read about here that happens around the globe. If it wasn't for some of these laws, that at least some of our countries keep in a general way, I don't know if we'd even all be here anymore. God's plan of salvation would have gotten cut short.  And so there was a strong reason why the nations that lived in Canaan had to be replaced completely when Israel entered the land. 

Let's move to the New Testament for a moment and read 1 Corinthians chapter 10. It answers the question of why we're talking about Achan today. It tells us why we study the story of Adam and Eve and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, why we study the story of King David and his repentance in Psalm 51. It tells us why we must follow God and His commandments. 

1 Corinthians 10:1 - Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea – they came out of Egypt. Verse 2 - were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, Verse 3 - all ate the same spiritual food, Verse 4 - and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. So ancient Israel was following the being that became Christ. Verse 5 - But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. They had their problems.  Verse 6 - Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. These stories are written for our admonition. They show that life is serious. Yes, we can have fun, but life is serious when it comes to our salvation. Verse 7 - Do not become idolaters as were some of them – you know, the golden calf. As it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play." Verse 8 - Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; Verse 9 - nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; Verse 10 - nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Verse 11 - Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come – for those who would read these words later in the end time. Verse 12 - Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. So there's a verse there in verse 12 about self-examination again.  Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.  

In the story that was written for our example – the story of Achan – we see that God held the whole camp of Israel accountable for the act of one man and withheld His blessing until the matter was corrected. There was sin in the camp and God would not continue blessing the nation as long as this was so. This doesn't mean this was the only thing going on in Israel, but that one in particular was singled out. You see, God viewed the nation of Israel as a unit. What one did was viewed as a sin for the whole nation. Today, as a warning for the church, it shows us we cannot progress and move ahead with known sin in our lives. God views the church as a unit, too. After all, He calls it the body of Christ. It's a unit. What one part of the body does affects the other parts. Achan's behavior illustrates how one person, one family, or a few members of the congregation, when pursuing their own selfish desires and agendas, can negatively impact an entire group. Achan's name – the Hebrew Akan – is a play on the word Akor, which means trouble.  And the sight of Achan's death and grave was called the Valley of Akor or the Valley of Trouble. And though the crime was committed by one person, the whole nation was considered guilty. 

Go to 1 Corinthians chapter 5 for a moment. We're going to turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 5 and read verses 6 and 7. The nation was responsible for the obedience of every citizen and was charged with the punishment of every offender. And this is exactly how the New Testament talks of sin. It's a direct parallel. 

1 Corinthians 5:6 - Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? What one little mold spore will do will affect the whole lump. Verse 7 - Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. God wants us to become pure, wants us to become unleavened, spiritually speaking. 

Achan, as with Eve, was dissatisfied, impatient and self reliant. And if allowed to continue, no doubt Achan would have affected greater portions of the Israelite people, as leaven leavening the whole nation.  He had his own strategies to get what he wanted out of life, especially financially. Ironically, God was actually in the process of taking all of Israel into the land where each man, each family would have his own land, his own house, and lots of blessings. 

Ancient Israel was called for a special purpose, too – a very special purpose. They were called to be people of God, and to be His witness to the world, and through whom God would grant a Savior.  Ancient Israel were the descendants of Jesus Christ. They had a very, very special calling and God took that very seriously. It was the example of Israel that, in many ways, set the laws for the rest of the world, when you look at health laws, food laws, the Ten Commandments, basic judgments.  It goes back to that. Israel had a very high calling and it could not be messed up – and they did a whole lot of messing up! 

Likewise, we have to remember just how serious is our calling and our walk with God is now, as His church, as spiritual Israel. It's a high calling. The great heap of stones set up over Achan's grave seems to have been done as a warning for generations to come. As people would go by, as rows of camels and camel trains would go by, they would say, “What's that?” “Oh, that's where Achan got stoned.” “Why?”  Well, tell the story. 

Go to Joshua 8, verse 29.  Let's go back to Joshua chapter 8, because it was a common method of burial for infamous individuals. As we see in the next chapter, when the king of Ai was finally defeated, the marker of stones shows as an ongoing warning to Israel of the repercussions of sin – of disobeying God's command. 

Joshua 8:29 - And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until evening. And as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his corpse down from the tree, cast it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and raise over it a great heap of stones that remains to this day. So these were markers of warning. 

Interestingly, the story of Achan goes far beyond just an historical account or some old tale from an ancient people. It also has prophetic significance that you may not be aware of. Turn to Isaiah, chapter 65, and let's look at a Messianic prophecy. The Valley of Achor is used to describe the messianic age and the time of restoration that will result for the descendants of Israel, which should be many of us here today, but only after they pass through trouble in the end time – we've all heard of the time of Jacob's trouble, right? – which is the end during the great tribulation. Isaiah chapter 65, verse 9. This is, like I said, a prophecy of the end.

Isaiah 65:9 - I will bring forth descendants from Jacob – who became to be called Israel – and from Judah an heir of My mountains; My elect shall inherit it. This is a future prophecy. And My servants shall dwell there. Notice verse 10 - Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, And the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down, For My people who have sought Me. You see, the valley, one day, will no longer represent trouble. It will be a peaceful place where you can gather your flocks for the herds to be in safety, to lie down. 

Go to Hosea chapter 2 – another prophecy. As we know, the great tribulation will come upon the modern descendants of the tribes of Israel in the end time. And it will be because so many people are in complete and total rebellion against God. We see it in our nation today, but it will get a lot worse – the rebellion against God. The terrible sins of many in our nation that are not rooted out will cause suffering to come upon us all, just like Achan's sins did upon Israel. And then after great tribulation, the story of Achan, the Valley of Achor, will bring a ray of hope for Israel in the end time. 

Hosea 2:14.  God says, "Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Will bring her into the wilderness, And speak comfort to her." It's kind of like a romantic relationship. Verse 15 - I will give her her vineyards from there, And the Valley of Achor as a door of hope. So in the end time it won't be considered a symbol of trouble, but a symbol of hope – kind of like a time of restoration. She shall sing there, As in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. Verse 16 - "And it shall be, in that day," – saying in that day often means in the end time – says the LORD, "That you will call Me 'My Husband,' And no longer call Me 'My Master,'  Verse 17- For I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals, And they shall be remembered by their name no more.

Remember, God had to divorce Israel after all their sins thousands of years ago, but the time is coming – in that day – when what came to be represented by Achan will turn into a ray of hope and restoration.  And Israel, once again calling God – Jesus Christ – 'My Husband'. The divorce will be reconciled. It's talking about the bride of Christ even. 

So from the early days with the battle of Israel against Ai, to the punishment of Achan and his family for disobedience, to the end time great tribulation, to the restoration of the Valley of Achor, when Israel is once again restored as the bride of Christ, we learn many lessons from just this one chapter in the book of Joshua. It's a story of disobedience, a story of sin, punishment, death, and then final restoration, though, when Christ returns, which is actually – thankfully – a happy ending. 

So let's summarize the lesson and ask, “Is there anything figuratively buried in the dirt under your tent?  What's under the floorboards in your home? What are you hiding from God?” Like I said, hopefully nothing, but only you and God know for sure. I know what I know. You know what you know. We all want the spiritual help of the United Church of God to be at its best. We all want God to bless us in the work He has set before us – to preach the gospel of his kingdom and to care for those disciples whom He calls.  And we all want a most healthy Church of God community as a whole, no matter where Jesus Christ has His flock. But, each of us must do our part to insure that help. Each of us must ensure that nothing is hidden from God in our tent lest any accursed thing affect the whole body of Christ in some way. And so I always pray, “May God be able to bless His church.”

Comments

  • Peter Eddington
    Thank you Tammy. It is very encouraging to get helpful feedback like this. All the best!
  • tammy v.
    A very sobering sermon concerning Achan and his family from Joshua chapter 7 , especially with the inclusion of 1 Corinthians 10:1-12 for our day. It's nice to know the Valley of Achor - trouble, another name for Achan, will one day be as a door of hope. Mr. Eddington really rang home about what we could be hiding, makes me want to get closer to The FATHER & Christ. It's was really nourishing to listen to.
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