The Sin of Achan

I. Introduction
A. This week one of our officers urged me to be bolder in my preaching. And so let me start my sermon this morning by being bold about the sermon series on sin which we’re doing this summer.
B. Some Christians find the discovery of their sin one big downer. So preaching a series like this on great sins of the Bible sounds morbid to them. “Why would anyone preach on this?”
1. Well, I would like to challenge that way of thinking.
2. Let me ask you this: Think about the teachings of Jesus. Before He atoned for sin on the cross, Jesus exposed sin and He also commended faith and love. But what was the emphasis of His teachings and interactions? Did He do more affirming of people for the way they were, or more challenging them about the way they were? Definitely exposing sin.
3. You see, the gospel doesn’t say, “It’s OK. You can be the way you are. Jesus loves you anyway.”
a. The gospel says this, If you yield your heart and life to Jesus, He will forgive your sin. And not only will He forgive your sin, but He will begin to work on you by the power of His Spirit, and root out your sins and idolatries, fashioning you into the image of Jesus, so more and more you will become like Him in the way you think, in the way you feel, in the things you desire, and in the way you live.
4. But this is not a pleasant process. Remember in the Dawn Treader when Eustace was turned into a dragon and he kept trying to peel his skin off – with discomfort, but for it to really come off Aslan had to tear deeply with his claw and it hurt more than anything he’d ever experienced.
a. The fact is, we are dragons in need of Christ’s deep and painful work in our hearts.
5. The question is, Do we realize that? Do we realize that our great problem is not bad guys out there, but idolatry in there? Do we realize that the greatest dangers we face are not out in the world but in our own heart?
a. If we don’t realize that, we will waste our lives grumbling about the idiots or the bullies or the tyrants or the schemers or the pagans or the champions of immorality — all of which will reinforce our conviction that we are doing just fine and not in need of drastic heart surgery.
6. What are we more afraid of? Are we more afraid of living a life of subtle and unconscious idolatry or are we more afraid of pain and loss and heartbreak and poverty and sickness?
a. Are we more afraid of going without the comforts and pleasures of this life, or of getting to the end of your life and being judged as an idolater?
b. If we are more afraid of pain than of idolatry, then Satan has got us fooled. He has blinded us as to what is the real danger is in our life, and as to what the real treasure is of our life as well.
7. What’s the first thing we do if you find out we have cancer? Learn everything we can about the cancer to prepare ourselves for the fight you have ahead. Why don’t we handle sin the same way?
8. Having our sin exposed is our friend, not our enemy! Repentance is the pathway to life, not death!
a. Repentance is beautiful and healthy! The angels in heaven through a party when we repent!
b. And we can’t have repentance without first having knowledge about our sin!
c. The first thing Jesus said was, “Repent!” (Matt.4:17) Was He being morbid?
9. But if we try to avoid seeing our sin unless our face is rubbed in it, then most of our sin we’ll never see, and therefore we’ll never repent of it.
10. God doesn’t work to get rid of our sin merely because it He hates sin and it hurts Him. He works to get rid of it because He loves us, and because our sins hurts us so much, it damages us.
C. Before we read Joshua 7, let’s set the stage.
1. After wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, after the entire generation of those who had rebelled against the Lord died out (with the exception of Moses, Joshua and Caleb), the Israelites came to the plains of Moab, where, in the book of Deuteronomy, Moses reminded them of God’s commands and of important things He wanted them to remember before they entered the land.
2. Then the Israelites crossed over the Jordan River and into the promised land. The first battle was the famous battle of Jericho, where God made the walls fall down and gave Israel a great victory.
3. They went next to attack the city of Ai. And they had every reason to expect to be victorious...
D. Joshua 7:1–26 But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the LORD burned against the people of Israel. 2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, “Go up and spy out the land.” And the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not have all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not make the whole people toil up there, for they are few.” 4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people. And they fled before the men of Ai, 5 and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water. 6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord GOD, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say, when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies! 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name?” 10 The LORD said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. 12 Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you. 13 Get up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the LORD, God of Israel, “There are devoted things in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you.” 14 In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes. And the tribe that the LORD takes by lot shall come near by clans. And the clan that the LORD takes shall come near by households. And the household that the LORD takes shall come near man by man. 15 And he who is taken with the devoted things 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 an outrageous thing in Israel.’ ” 16 So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel near tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17 And he brought near the clans of Judah, and the clan of the Zerahites was taken. And he brought near the clan of the Zerahites man by man, and Zabdi was taken. 18 And he brought near his household man by man, and Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. 19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the LORD God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” 20 And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I did: 21 when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” 22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was hidden in his tent with the silver underneath. 23 And they took them out of the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the people of Israel. And they laid them down before the LORD. 24 And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The LORD brings trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. 26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his burning anger. Therefore, to this day the name of that place is called the Valley of Achor.
II. Background
A. Many years earlier, God had promised the land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants. He had also pronounced a curse on Canaan (Gen.9:25-27). And now that He’d delivered Abraham’s children from Egypt, it was time to take possession of what God had promised 100s of years earlier.
B. Now, under the leadership of Joshua, they have begun to conquer the land of Canaan.
C. But first, God made the ground rules very clear:
1. Joshua 6:17–18 The city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. 18 But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it.
2. Why was this so important?
a. Conquests of nations was a very common thing in the ancient world, though it is certainly still known today. One country would conquer another and gain more power and become an empire.
b. It was all about power. It was all about greed. It was all about pride.
3. And here was God’s nation now conquering another nation. In some ways, it could have looked the same as when other nations did it. But God wouldn’t have it.
a. This conquest was not about power and greed and pride. This conquest was about the fulfillment of God’s oath to Abraham and his children, to give them the land he promised centuries earlier.
b. And it was also about God’s fulfillment of His curse upon Canaan, on account of the sin of Ham.
4. No one had ever conquered like this before. And God wanted to make sure it wasn’t done the way it was usually done. That’s why He made the rule: “You’re not here to plunder. This isn’t about you increasing your personal wealth. This isn’t about satisfying your greed. Their treasures are mine. They will be devoted to my house.”
D. Things went swimmingly at Jericho. But when they cleaned up the mess and then moved on to attack the next city, Ai, suddenly disaster struck. Instead of easy victory, they were dealt a sound defeat. This upset Joshua greatly, and he cried out to the Lord. And the Lord told him that someone had stolen plunder from Jericho. And through the use of lots, God pointed the blame at a man named Achan, who confessed to the crime: “When I saw a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and 50 shekels of gold among the spoil, I coveted them and took them.”
III. There are a number of lessons we could talk about:
A. The sin of one affects the welfare of the many. We don’t just influence those around us, we affect their welfare. (Joshua 22:20)
B. The Lord knows our sin even when we try to hide it. The only one we’re fooling is ourselves.
1. Achan lived a long time among the Israelites hiding this idolatrous craving. It wasn’t until the opportunity presented itself before him that it surfaced out of the depths like a sea monster.
C. Victory and defeat, success and failure are both of the Lord. God makes one army win and the other fall. It’s not merely a matter of opportunity or hard work or ingenuity or resources.
D. God prospers those who are faithful to Him.
E. Ultimately, God will not let His people fall, but their path to victory isn’t always pretty. And it’s often very different than the way they would have chosen to achieve victory.
IV. But this morning we are focusing on the sin of Achan, so let’s zero in on that.
A. What’s the big deal about taking stuff that he wasn’t supposed to take? It happens all the time!
B. The thing that is so remarkable and distinct about Achan’s sin is that he took something even though he knew it would likely get him killed.
C. It shows us that we are all capable of being so driven, so hooked, so addicted that we do things which would seem insane to any objective outsider.
D. Sin so affects us that it makes us feel like we absolutely must have something. Our impulse to sin is so strong that we will risk everything in order to obtain what we crave. That’s what Achan did.
E. Sinful craving affects our hearts so deeply that the control center of our heart is no longer our reason or our conscience. It’s not even our instinct for self-preservation. It’s our appetite/craving.
F. We’ll pursue what we want even if it means losing everything in the end. That’s how bad it is.
G. Remember Edmund when he was fed Turkish Delight in C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? This is how he described it. “…anyone who had once tasted it would want more and more of it, and would even, if they were allowed, go on eating it till they killed themselves.”
H. Calvin said that our problem is not with desiring things, it’s with desiring them too much. We desire them so much that they can kill us.
I. The human heart latches onto things. We all do it. That’s what we’re talking about this morning.
J. Who wouldn’t want some silver, who wouldn’t want a bar of gold, who wouldn’t want a beautiful cloak from Shinar? But Achan wanted them too much. Achan felt desperate for them, so much so that he was willing to put his life, the life of his whole family, and the welfare of the nation at risk.
K. At the moment it feels like we’re choosing life, when in reality we’re choosing death – for ourselves and others.
L. In one sense, Achan committed suicide. He knew what the rule was, he knew the consequences, but he did it anyway. He wanted it so much, he lost everything.
M. That’s what sin does to good desires. It promotes them to first place, the place only God deserves to be. And when you put something else on the throne of your heart, it bumps Jesus off. For no man can serve two masters. (Matt.6:24)
V. Sometimes we have trouble putting things or keeping things in second place.
A. We keep wanting to elevate things to first place. Perhaps it’s our family. Perhaps it’s our country. Perhaps it’s our earthly life. Perhaps it’s the favor of our friends. Perhaps it’s our house, or our money, or our looks, or our significant other, or success, or being thought of as a good person, or being loved, or being independent, or not being alone.
B. In God’s economics, everything else but Him must be put second.
C. And putting things first – which ought to be put second – is lethal. It erodes our joy, our hope, our peace, our love, our sense of purpose.
D. There is a part of us which would love to spend our whole lives ignoring this. We’d rather have our Jesus AND our idols — pretending that there’s nothing incompatible about them, pretending that Jesus never said no man can serve two masters.
E. But because He loves us so much, God won’t let that happen to those who truly belong to Him. He comes after us. He disturbs our complacency; He removes our idols or at least threatens them. Or He brings discipline into our lives, because sometimes pain is the only way to get our attention.
VI. How do we know if we have an idol? How do we know if we have elevated something to 1st place?
A. Ask for God’s help. We can’t trust ourselves. Our flesh has a vested interest in the investigation turning up nothing.
B. Search your own heart: Is there anything about which you would say, “Lord, if you do this to me or if you refuse to give this to me, we’re through!”? Or inventory your life and give Him each thing.
C. Look for signals: And every time we despair, every time we shudder in fear, every time we burn in anger, it’s a pretty good indication that there’s an idol, an addiction, a craving being threatened.
1. When we are rational & moderate, we can say, “I’d like to have that, but I don’t have to have it.”
2. But when we can’t, there’s something there.
VII. What do we do if we do have an idol?
A. The place to begin is repentance and crying out to God for help.
B. The expulsive power of a new affection
1. “Just say no! Stay away. Stop it. Turn your mind away. Don’t think about it. Get accountability.” These are all negative, and the negative is never enough. In Hebrews 12, it doesn’t just say, “Let us run the race before us, casting off every sin and every weight that entangles.” It doesn’t just stop there. It says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith …”
2. Thomas Chalmers was a pastor in Edinburgh, Scotland in the early 19th century. As he worked with the poor in the city, he found that many of them had addictions and life-dominating habits. As a result of his experience in that ministry, he preached and then published a sermon entitled, “The Expulsive Power of a New Affection.”
a. His point in the sermon was that the only way a person can be freed from the power of a strong attraction is by introducing an even stronger attraction.
b. You can’t just say no. You can’t just turn away from something which has hold of your heart. The only way to break the power of a beautiful object is to introduce an even more beautiful object.
c. Jesus is the beautiful thing which must be the new affection with expulsive power.
3. If we are not enraptured by Jesus, we’ll be enraptured by something else.
a. The most appropriate first response to Jesus is, “Wow! What a great savior!”
b. Satan, of course, wants to deceive us. He wants us to think Jesus is boring, or suffocating.
4. The actor Paul Newman was married to his wife Joanne Woodward for 50 years, which is very long for a Hollywood marriage. So he often got asked to explain his faithfulness to her, and his famous response was: “Why would I go out for hamburger when I have steak at home?”
a. Well, every time we sin, we go out for hamburger when we have steak at home.
b. Newman was also famous for saying he had never met someone who had more to lose than him.
(1) And that is also true about us. Christians have more to lose than anyone else.
(2) We have Christ! We have fellowship with Him! And sin breaks up that splendid party.
5. And it’s only when we forget the treasure we have that we can be lured away by something else.
a. As Jesus Himself teaches us in the parables of the treasures in the field, and of the pearl of great price, in Him we have a treasure which is worth more than everything in the world.