The children of Israel had just won a great victory over Jericho. There was sin in the camp. All the valuable objects like gold and silver were to be dedicated to the Lord’s treasury. Achan took gold and silver which suggests materialism, but also a beautiful robe from Babylon which not only suggests materialism, but the desire to be fashionable or to gain the approbation of men. No one had seen Achan, except God! The army was easily defeated against Ai as a result of this sin.

1 – The underlying cause of that sin (vs. 6)

There was a man who had committed a sin and God held all of Israel accountable. There is a corporate guilt. They had been careless.

• Pride – They went with pride in themselves. Jericho had been God’s victory. They had done nothing. It is so easy to take the credit for something we have not done.
• Presumption – The presumed they could defeat the city of Ai. They failed in the strength of their flesh. They presumed that God was with them. He was not. They had sin in the camp.

It is the little foxes that spoil the vine. It is the small battles that cause us to fail. They had stopped praying. They thought they could handle things themselves. If they prayed they would have known something was wrong. We usually make a mess and then pray to God. We need to pray to God at all times and beware of pride and presumption.

Carelessness was the sin of Israel and covetousness was the sin of Achan. Covetousness is a desire for something that we do not have a right to. Another word for covetousness is worldliness. God supplies everything we have a right to. See 1 John 2:15-16. Achan did not love God enough to obey Him. We need the love of God in our hearts.

2 – The unfailing curse of this sin

Unconfessed sin is a curse in the life of a believer. God makes it that we cannot sin and prosper. What did Achan’s sin do?

• It dishonoured his God (vs. 8) – God was dishonoured among the Canaanites.
• It brought defeat to his brethren (vs. 12) – The children of Israel could not stand before their enemies. The nation was in this together. The church is members of the same body. Sin affects others.
• It brought disgrace to his parents (vs. 7) – The entire family was disgraced. There should be family honour. We are to honour our father and mother. You can’t have family honour if you have unconfessed sin.
• It brought death to his loved ones (vs. 24) – The children had been corrupted and they were killed along with Achan. Unconfessed sin brings ruin.

3 – The ultimate consequences of this sin

There are three we can see.

• The ultimate revelation of that sin (vs. 18) – One day it will be revealed. You can hide it from all, except God. Be sure that your sin will find you out. It needs to be washed out by the blood of Jesus Christ. You will have to face your unconfessed sins. See Romans 14:11-12.
• The ultimate recognition of that sin (vs. 19) – We all have to recognise our sins at some time. Achan confessed after he had been caught. Like Achan we will give the glory to God. It would be better to confess it now.
• The ultimate retribution of that sin – God will punish secret sin. You cannot get away with sin. If Achan had repented before he was found out he would have found mercy. See Proverbs 28:15. Achan and his family would not have died. Make sure you confess your sin – before you lose the war.

Categories: Joshua