“Dealing with Disobedience”
Lesson Text: Joshua 7:1, 10–12, 20–26
Background Scripture: Joshua 7, 8
Devotional Reading: Romans 6:15-23
Joshua 7:1, 10–12, 22–26
1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son ofCarmi, the son of Zabdi the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel.
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10 And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?
11 Israel hath 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.
12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.
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20 And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:
21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.
22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.
23 And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the Lord.
24 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
25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.
26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.
OBJECTIVES
To show how God led Joshua to deal with Achan's sin of disobedience.
To show that our God deals sternly with disobedience in the lives of His children.
To illustrate that when we disobey God, He disciplines us; the removal of sin is the path to restoration.
INTRODUCTION
Responses to Disobedience
It was a family vacation, and the father was driving as the family enjoyed the scenery of the mountains. At one point, the father changed from the secondary road to a tertiary one - that fine line on the map that indicates a road of lesser quality. Just as the car changed roads, a sign confronted them with a warning: Road Closed.
In spite of reservations by others in the car, the father went ahead. He remembered having been here before, and he was confident that he could negotiate around any obstacle. The family would be able to enjoy even more spectacular views.
Just before merging back with the first road, they came to a place where a bridge was being replaced. There was no way around. As they returned to the place where they had taken the more scenic route, they were greeted by a message with bold letters on the back of the sign that had been ignored: We told you so.
That’s humorous, but warnings regarding expected conduct are often viewed as affronts to personal liberty. Authorities are to be challenged or disregarded. Compliance is optional. We think we know better.
Respect for authority should begin in the home. But the homes of today often deliver mixed messages on expectations. The guidelines often change as children are shuffled from the home of one divorced parent to another. Children seem to understand that emotional forces are at work that will make discipline by a nonparent difficult in blended families.
Experts in family life recommend that families develop lists of expectations along with consequences for infractions. For this plan to work, there must be consistency in application. If a person in authority abdicates responsibility, then family dynamics deteriorate. This is a lesson that is clearly evident in the Old Testament.
LESSON BACKGROUND
Time: 1405 B.C.
Place: Jericho; Valley of Achor
Israel’s determined obedience to God produced the successes that the previous generation forfeited because of disobedience. Some of the people experienced the full 40 years of punishment in the wilderness wandering. The evidence accumulated to show that the repeated disobediences and complaining by their ancestors was totally unacceptable behavior to God. The rebellious adults who left Egypt perished in the wilderness.
The farewell address of Moses in the book of Deuteronomy also had a strong effect. Moses’ death took place a short time before the book of Joshua begins. In his speeches, Moses vividly contrasted the results for obedience and disobedience, not only for that generation, but also in the future (see Deuteronomy 27 and 28). Over 200 times Moses used the imperatives hear, do, obey, keep.
The second generation—that is, the one that followed Joshua’s leadership—did well in listening and learning. Many good things happened as a result. The people pledged to obey Joshua. They accepted the news from the two spies sent to Jericho that the inhabitants of Canaan were terrified. The conquest of Jericho was completely successful. Simple obedience to God’s unusual battle plans produced a stunning victory. This was the first of three cities in Canaan that the book of Joshua says were burned. The others were Ai (Joshua 8:18, 19) and Hazor (11:11).
From all outward appearances, the conquest of Canaan was going extremely well. But during the assault on Jericho, a deliberate, disobedient, defiant sin entered Israel. What would be the consequences for the nation of Israel, and what could be done about it to make things right again?
SIN COMMITTED (Joshua 7:1, 10-12)
1. What happened following the fall of Jericho that Joshua was not aware of? (Joshua 7:1a)
The word but is ominous: For the moment everything looked good! "It started when the walls of Jericho fell. What a victory. And everything happened just the way God said it would. Israel was on a spiritual, emotional, and military high. Taking the Promised Land was going to be a piece of cake. A little marching, blowing trumpets, some shouting-and every city in Canaan would be theirs. They knew it wouldn't always be easy, but they were full of confidence" (Gangel, Holman Old Testament Commentary: Joshua, Broadman and Holman).
If that sounds too good to be true, it was. Joshua was unaware of something that had taken place during the conquering of Jericho, and what he did not know was going to result in disaster for the Israelites. Joshua 7:1 serves as a transitional statement between the great victory over Jericho and the tragic defeat at Ai. What follows is a reminder to us of the devastating effects of disobedience to God.
The percentage for compliance with God’s commands is exceptionally good. It is better than 99.99 percent, for only one person of the entire Israelite army succumbs to the temptation of violating the ban on Jericho. Yet the sin of one man makes the entire nation guilty of violating a specific, sacred sanction. The man’s name is Achan, and his ancestry is traced back three generations, and then to the tribe of Judah. King David will come from this tribe some 400 years later. But at this moment there is a sin problem, and the sin must be dealt with.
Here we are told that Achan committed a trespass relative to those things that were to be dedicated to God (cf. 6:17,18).
2. What was God's reaction to this? (v. 1b)
The thing that catches our attention, however, is the fact that God was angry. Thatstatement indicates that there would no doubt be some follow-up activity on His part, for His anger would have to be pacified.
The sin of Achan has far-reaching effects, for the entire nation is considered guilty. If anyone brings any of the devoted items into the camp, then all Israel is affected by being subject to the anger of the Lord. Before we raise the question of the “fairness” of punishing the many for the sin of the one, keep in mind that Joshua gave fair warning that this would happen (Joshua 6:18, previous lesson).
3. What happened when Joshua tried to take the next city after Jericho? How did God respond to Joshua's plea for understanding? (vs. 10,11)
After the victory over Jericho, Joshua immediately made plans to take the next city, Ai. As he had done with Jericho, he sent spies to learn about Ai (v. 2). They reported that this should be an easy task and that a small number of men could handle it (v. 3). Three thousand were dispatched, but they were soundly defeated, and thirty-six of them were killed (vs. 4,5).
Joshua tore his clothes and fell on his face before God, seeking understanding (vs. 6,7). The thrill of victory had just been followed by the agony of defeat.
"This distance between a great victory and a terrible defeat is one step, and often only a short one at that. A fact of reality is that in a fallen world we can be riding high on the cloud of some great spiritual success, and the very next moment find ourselves in the valley of spiritual failure and despair. One moment we can be like Elijah standing victoriously on Mt. Carmel, and the next hiding out in a cave, fearing for his life, ... (1 Kings 19:10)" ("The Agony of Defeat," Bible.org).
God responded to Joshua by telling him that lying there on his face would not solve the problem. Action on his part was required. The reason? There was sin in the camp of Israel, and it had to be dealt with. The Lord left no doubt about what He was referring to: "Israel hath 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 disassembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff" (Josh. 7:11).
As stated before, only one person actually trespasses by violating a specific command. But the contagion of sin has the effect that the entire nation shares in the event and becomes guilty. The sin is by one man, but it is viewed as if the entire nation has stolen that which belongs to God.
God was not looking for excuses, nor a sociological assessment of what caused Israel to sin. God was interested in repentance, confession of sin, and restoration to fellowship.
4. What was tragically different about Israel because of what occurred during Jericho's fall? (v. 12)
Israel was now seen by God as being under the ban spelled out in Joshua 6:18. "And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it." They were now accursed, that is, doomed to destruction just as Jericho had been.
No wonder they had been unable to stand against the army of Ai! God had not gone with them, and He would not do so until their sin was remedied.
In Joshua 6:27 we are told that the Lord was with Joshua, but now he was given the foreboding word that the Lord would not be with him until the accursed thing that was now in the midst of Israel was destroyed. Otherwise, they would be endeavoring to conquer Canaan in their own strength. Most of us have learned the hard way that we cannot fulfill God's purposes in life by relying on our own strength. Without the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through us, we struggle and fail more often than not.
Here was the consequence following the sin. God freely forgives sin but often allows us to suffer the consequences brought on by it. Thank God that He is merciful, or we would suffer much more than we do.
SIN DEALT WITH (Joshua 7:20-26)
The intervening verses that are not in today’s text, Joshua orders the people to consecrate themselves. The call to sanctify the people is reminiscent of Joshua 3:5. God never moves in unclean vessels. If Israel is to be used of God, she must be purged of her sin. The method of determining the sinner was ingenious. In the morning all Israel would be assembled by tribe, by family, by household, and man by man. The genealogies of the children of Israel were very strictly kept, as the books of Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah indicate. With God’s guidance, it would be a relatively easy task for the sinner in the camp to be determined.
5. How did Joshua find out who the culprit was? What did Achan tell Joshua after he was revealed as the cause of the problem? (vs. 20,21)
God instructed Joshua to sift through the tribes and people of Israel to find out who the culprit was who had taken the accursed thing (vs. 13,14). The penalty was destruction by fire (v. 15). Joshua was immediately obedient, beginning early the next morning (v. 16). AfterAchan was revealed as the perpetrator, Joshua asked for a confession of what he had done sothat God would receive glory (v. 19).
Achan confessed immediately, acknowledging that what he had done was sin against God. He explained that he had seen a beautiful Babylonian garment, some silver, and some gold; and when he saw them, he coveted them and took them. He had hidden all the items in his tent. While Achan answered honestly, he gave no indication of sorrow or repentance for the trouble he had brought upon Israel. This might have been a case in which he was sorry he had been caught but did not feel sincere repentance over his actions.
6. What were the three steps Achan took in committing his sin? (v. 21)
It is important to notice the three critical steps of Achan's sin. He saw; he coveted; he took. It is the same thing Eve experienced in the Garden of Eden. She saw the fruit of the forbidden tree; it was desirable to her; and she took of it and gave some to Adam (Gen. 3:6).Likewise, David saw Bathsheba, desired to have her, and took her. The "lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 John 2: 16) will cause spiritual defeat every time.
You can also add a fourth step to Achan’s sin: The fact that Achan has gone to the trouble of hiding the items indicates that he knows that what he has done is wrong. Achan now faced the consequences of his disobedience.
7. How did Joshua confirm that what Achan told him was true? (vs. 22,23)
After Achan told him where to find the coveted articles, Joshua sent messengers to retrieve them. It was immediately confirmed that what Achan had said was true: "Behold, it was hid in his tent.” The messengers proceeded to gather up all the items they found and take them to Joshua. Since the entire nation was affected, they were taken also "unto all the children of Israel."
With the stolen items now in Joshua’s possession, they are placed before the Lord to demonstrate obedience to the divine commands. This procedure becomes an object lesson from which all may learn that the Lord expects obedience. It is possible that others had been tempted to take some of the treasures of Jericho for themselves, but the need to conquer such thoughts now receives a dramatic confirmation.
8. What punishment did God prescribe for Achan, and who was involved in carrying it out? (vs. 24,25)
God expected Joshua to be thorough in his dealing with this matter of disobedience, and indeed Joshua was. Strong leaders will face challenges this way instead of trying to take an easier way out or to modify the seriousness of whatever issue they are facing.
As the discipline continued, everyone remained involved. Joshua moved ahead with what God had told him to do, and "all Israel with him" participated. This probably means the heads of each tribe. They took Achan, his family, his herds and flocks, his tent, everything he possessed, and everything he had stolen out to a valley that would become known as Achor,meaning "trouble." There Joshua asked Achan why he had troubled Israel and said that God would now trouble him.
The people then proceeded to stone Achan to death. The implication is that his family and every living thing among his possessions were' included. After that they burned everything with fire.
These actions may strike us as very harsh when we consider the mercy we see emphasized in the New Testament. Perhaps Achan’s sons and daughters know of their father’s act—after all, it’s hard not to see a large amount of contraband being buried inside one’s tent—but do nothing about it. Thus they are subject to judgment as well.
In this incident with Achan, we see the justice and holiness of God emphasized. He had a specific purpose and plan for Israel and refused to let His people become corrupt and unable to fulfill it.
The importance of keeping God's people clean as seen in this incident needs to be observed carefully by today's churches. Achan’s personal sin in taking of the accursed thing brought about the deaths of thirty-six innocent Israelite soldiers. Perhaps the most terrifying thing about sin is that there is no such, thing as private sin. All sin affects others; the personal sin of Achan kindled the anger of God against Israel. The personal sin of believers always affects the church at large.
9. What were the two results of Israel's punishment of Achan? (v. 26)
After everybody and everything belonging to Achan had been stoned and burned, a great heap of stones was raised over Achan's body. This was intended to be a memorial of disgrace and a visible warning to everyone who saw it in the future. The author indicated that at the time of the writing of this book, the heap was still there.
There were two results of this incident. The first thing is that the Lord turned from His anger against Israel. The removal of those who had committed the sin satisfied Him. This reminds us of the New Testament teaching that Jesus Christ is the propitiation for our sins (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2; 4:10). Jesus satisfied God's righteous demands of payment for sin when He died on the cross. How grateful we should always be for His sacrificial death, for it freed us from having to pay that price!
The second thing is that the valley received its permanent name, the Valley of Achor. "The Hebrew words for Achan and Achor are probably related. Thus Achan, which possibly means‘troubler,’ was buried in the valley of Achor, the Valley of 'Trouble.' But because Israel was willing to deal with the sin problem in their midst, God's burning anger (7:1) was turned away and He was ready to lead them again to victory" (Walvoord and Zuck, eds., The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Victor).
PRACTICAL POINTS
1. True victory can be had only when God is obeyed fully (Joshua 7:1).
2. Too often we blame God for our failures rather than recognize the consequences of our own and others' sin (vs. 10-12).
3. Beware lest your looking turns into coveting and your sinful coveting turn into action (vs. 20,21).
4. Public acts of judgment should always be based on demonstrable facts (vs. 22,23).
5. Our sin always impacts us and those around us (vs. 24,25).
6. Rightly dealing with sin is the only way to appease God's anger (Josh. 7:26; cf. John 3:36; Rom. 5:9).
CONCLUSION
But God Knew!
The title of this lesson, “Dealing with Disobedience,” is true. But frequently there is a period of time between the sin and its punishment. Achan may have thought that the passing of time meant that he had escaped detection, but God knew that the sin had occurred. Sin has its wages.
The sin of David with Bathsheba is another example of a person’s thinking that he has masterfully arranged to appear innocent. David created the illusion of being compassionate in marrying the widow of a fallen solider. Instead, David had coveted another man’s wife, committed adultery, and arranged for the husband to be killed. What looked like just another military casualty actually was the culmination of sinful actions. God responded to the disobedience, although He waited several months to do so (2 Samuel 11,12).
A caution must be expressed, however. Some tend to look on all reversals as divine judgments for sin. The example of Job proves that this may not be the case. Sometimes things just happen, and sometimes events will not be understood in this lifetime. Each Christian is to overcome through trust in God, thus being an example to others.
PRAYER
Almighty God, help me overcome temptation. As I do, I understand that this will strengthen me and be an example to others that they may also live victoriously in Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.
THOUGHT TO REMEMBER
May your life not be a memorial for sinful acts!
