Achan and God’s wedge of gold: Joshua 7
December 19, 1998 President Bill Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives on the grounds of perjury involving the Lewinsky scandal. Had it not been for a tiny stain on a blue dress, his indelible statement before the world of “I never had sexual relations with that woman, Ms Lewinsky” would have never been changed to, “Indeed, I did have relationship with Mis Lewinsky that was not appropriate. In fact it was wrong.” The entire country was held at bay until the Senate later acquitted him!
Be sure your sin will find you out! Two London women struck up a conversation, and the topic got around to their husbands. They then were seen to rummage in their purses. One pulled out a photo and said, ‘That’s my husband.’ The other did the same - and it was the same man!
The children of Israel melted and became as water as the men of Ai killed about 36 men and chased some 3,000 of them as dogs from their city. Why? Because “...the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan…took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel. Cp Joshua 6:18,19.
Achan was confronted of his covetous sinful act and said: “Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel…” Notice the effect of one man’s sin: “Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. The entire nation was humiliated, defeated and suffered consequences all because of one man’s sin. My mother was right: “One bad apple will spoil a bushel of apples”!
Cleansing of the sin in the camp. And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. And all Israel stoned him with stones and burn them with fire. God doesn’t leave anything out about the accursed thing!
Now about God’s wedge of gold, the accursed thing, the devoted thing, that which belongs to God. Achan like so many are guilty of covetousness and stealing from God. These are blood-brothers, they are joined at the hip. Commit a double-crime, and you pay a double fine! Here is a dumb-founding, mind-boggling thing, what are we thinking when we steal from God as if He does not know of it? And when we steal, we usually end up lying about it too. Peter said to Ananias, you have not lied to men, but unto God.
God will not acquit any of any sin and he may visit that sin to third and fourth generation. Today for example, we are either God tithers or God robbers. How can we ever expect to have God’s blessing, his presence, his power in our lives or in our family when we have robbed His holy things for our own selfish gain? Interesting, Achan means troubler, he troubled God, he troubled himself, he troubled his family, and he troubled his country after he was stoned to death he was buried in troubled place, the Valley of Achor.