Desperate Lives (Part 4) Achan - 11/18/2007
Joshua 7:1-6
Defeat at Ai
1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things; so the anger of the LORD burned against the children of Israel.
2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, “Go up and spy out the country.” So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “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.” 4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai. 5 And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water.
6 Then Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, Lord GOD, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all—to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies? 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?”
The Sin of Achan
10 So the LORD said to Joshua: “Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? 11 Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff. 12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you. 13 Get up, sanctify the people, and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says the LORD God of Israel: “There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you.” 14 In the morning therefore you shall be brought according to your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which the LORD takes shall come according to families; and the family which the LORD takes shall come by households; and the household which the LORD takes shall come man by man. 15 Then it shall be that he who is taken with the accursed thing shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he has done a disgraceful thing in Israel.’”
16 So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17 He brought the clan of Judah, and he took the family of the Zarhites; and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man, and Zabdi was taken. 18 Then he brought his household man by man, and Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.
19 Now Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I beg you, give glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession to Him, and tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.”
20 And Achan answered Joshua and said, “Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I have done: 21 When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.”
22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver under it. 23 And they took them from the midst of the tent, brought them to Joshua and to all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD. 24 Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? The LORD will trouble you this day.” So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones.
26 Then they raised over him a great heap of stones, still there to this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Achor to this day.
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Intro: Remember that no where in the Bible does it teach that money or possessions themselves are evil. I it is not money or possessions that are at fault; it is the people who use them. There is a very interesting and heart wrenching story found in the book of Joshua. It is the story of Achan.
1. A Great Victory for Israel (Joshua 6)
After the stress and pain of 40 years of wilderness wandering, the first victory in the "Promised Land" was Jericho. I've been to Jericho. It is literally just across the Jordan river from the wilderness.
The "spoils of war" belong to God. Certain items were "put under a ban." They put those items of silver and gold and iron into "the treasury of the house of the Lord." (Joshua 6:24)
(v1) "But the Chidren of Israel acted unfaithfully in regard to the things under the ban, for Achan, ...took some of the things under ban, therefore the anger of the Lord burned against the Children of Israel."
Israel was defeated at Ai, 3,000 Israelite soldiers turned and ran. Thirty six men died. All because of the disobedience of one man and his family.
What did he do? (Joshua 7:21)
His confession: "When I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle from Shinar and two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold fifty shekels in weight, then I coveted them and took them; and behold they are concealed in the earth inside my tent..."
What made Achan so desperate?
Defeat at Ai
1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things; so the anger of the LORD burned against the children of Israel.
2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, “Go up and spy out the country.” So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “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.” 4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai. 5 And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water.
6 Then Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, Lord GOD, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all—to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies? 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?”
The Sin of Achan
10 So the LORD said to Joshua: “Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? 11 Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff. 12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you. 13 Get up, sanctify the people, and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says the LORD God of Israel: “There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you.” 14 In the morning therefore you shall be brought according to your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which the LORD takes shall come according to families; and the family which the LORD takes shall come by households; and the household which the LORD takes shall come man by man. 15 Then it shall be that he who is taken with the accursed thing shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he has done a disgraceful thing in Israel.’”
16 So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17 He brought the clan of Judah, and he took the family of the Zarhites; and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man, and Zabdi was taken. 18 Then he brought his household man by man, and Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.
19 Now Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I beg you, give glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession to Him, and tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.”
20 And Achan answered Joshua and said, “Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I have done: 21 When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.”
22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver under it. 23 And they took them from the midst of the tent, brought them to Joshua and to all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD. 24 Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? The LORD will trouble you this day.” So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones.
26 Then they raised over him a great heap of stones, still there to this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Achor to this day.
--------------------------
Intro: Remember that no where in the Bible does it teach that money or possessions themselves are evil. I it is not money or possessions that are at fault; it is the people who use them. There is a very interesting and heart wrenching story found in the book of Joshua. It is the story of Achan.
1. A Great Victory for Israel (Joshua 6)
After the stress and pain of 40 years of wilderness wandering, the first victory in the "Promised Land" was Jericho. I've been to Jericho. It is literally just across the Jordan river from the wilderness.
The "spoils of war" belong to God. Certain items were "put under a ban." They put those items of silver and gold and iron into "the treasury of the house of the Lord." (Joshua 6:24)
- Not to be like other nations.
- To emphasize the "all in this together" ethic.
(v1) "But the Chidren of Israel acted unfaithfully in regard to the things under the ban, for Achan, ...took some of the things under ban, therefore the anger of the Lord burned against the Children of Israel."
Israel was defeated at Ai, 3,000 Israelite soldiers turned and ran. Thirty six men died. All because of the disobedience of one man and his family.
What did he do? (Joshua 7:21)
His confession: "When I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle from Shinar and two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold fifty shekels in weight, then I coveted them and took them; and behold they are concealed in the earth inside my tent..."
What made Achan so desperate?
- He had done without for 40 yeras - difficult to comprehend (living out of a tent, moving from place to place). [My in-laws lived in teh same house in Chicago for 40 years.]
- Mantle - Babylonian Garment - weaving of various colors - embroidered
- 200 shekels of silver/bar "ingot" of gold - we've lost our understanding in this age of credit cards and on-line banking.
- Sermon on the Mount
- Possessions - (Matt 6:19) "Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth... (Matt 6:24) for no one can serve two masters.
- Anxiety -
- Judgment -
- Israel sinned
- Cannot stand before their enemies
- God will not be with them anymore
- Why such extreme measures? Highly visible - deterrent?
- We don't always see how our sin affects others.
- ie. Marion Jones - U.S. Olympic Athlete - was part of the 4.100 meter relay team that won the Gold Medal in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney Australia, confessed to taking performance enhancing drugs.
- Teammate Jearl Miles-Clark released a statement saying, "I am upset and chagrined about the entire drug situation. I defended Marion against critics and said that I wouldn't believe she had taken performance enhancing drugs unless she said it herself. Well, the other day she admitted it and the reality of the situation has to be dealt with.
- Jones thought she was only cheating herself but actually she was cheating her teammates and her country. Sometimes we think that our sins don't affect others but unfortunately they do.
- My immediate thought is that this is bad for athletes like myself, who are truly clean and run outstanding times. I feel that everyone will suspect us of cheating and look at us with a jaundiced eye.
- Concerning the medals, I don't know what will happen, we all might have to give them back.
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