An Achan Heart
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· 4 viewsThey thought that they were standing on the edge of a great string of victories that would see them conquering the entire land of promise,
Notes
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God is good (all the time) and all the time (God is good)
But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, 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. And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-el, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai. And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few. So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.
And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads. And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies! For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name? And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? 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. 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. Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you. In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the Lord taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the Lord shall take shall come by households; and the household which the Lord shall take shall come man by man. And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.
So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken: And he brought the family 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: And 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. And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: 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. So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. 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. 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 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. 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.
Introduction:
Israel has just been involved in the greatest military conquest in their history - they have just witnessed the tremendous defeat of the city of Jericho and they are still basking in the glow of that great event, but verse 1 tells us that God was upset with the people.
They thought that they were standing on the edge of a great string of victories that would see them conquering the entire land of promise,
yet what they didn’t know at this point, was that there was a problem, there was sin in the camp.
There was one in the midst who was causing a problem for the entire family of God.
Things are still the same today? We are all members of one body. Notice
And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
When one member of the body has problems----the entire body has problems. What you do effects the entire Church body.
When one member of the body has problems----the entire body has problems. What you do effects the entire Church body.
Sin causes problems, it causes them for the sinner and for everyone else around them. When we allow sin into our lives and when we try to hide our sins and try to cover it up, we bring pain and trouble into our lives
When we allow sin into our lives and when we try to hide our sins and try to cover it up, we bring pain and trouble into our lives
You see we are all Achans from time to time and when we are, our sins causes aching in our lives and so often in the lives of those around us.
However, these verses tell us that God has a prescription for an Achan heart.
1. A Painful Defeat
1. A Painful Defeat
And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-el, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai. And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few. So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.
Israel was a confident people----v. 2-3
Israel was still basking in the glow of their victory at Jericho and they looked at Ai and felt like that little town would be no problem for such a great army
Israel was a confident people, but a closer look reveals that their confidence was misplaced in v. 3—they fell like that just a few of the soldiers are needed to secure a victory in little Ai. These people are guilty of resting on their laurels
Israel did not realize it, but they are living through one of the most dangerous times of life. The time just after a great spiritual victory is a dangerous time, often, like Israel we will be over confident and believe that we can handle any battle that comes our way
Pride goeth before destruction,
And an haughty spirit before a fall.
Confidence is a good thing as long as one’s confidence is in the right place
Confidence is a good thing as long as one’s confidence is in the right place
Israel was also a conquered people—v. 4-5
When Israel went up to Ai they suffered a terrible defeat and 36 of their men were killed.
Now looking more closely at their actions it is easy to see that they made several mistakes; mistakes that many of us are guilty of making as well.
Mistake #1)—Nowhere in this passage does it even hint that Joshua and the people of Israel sought the will of God for dealing with Ai.
If they had prayed, God would have revealed the problem before people died.
It is far better to consult God before we make the mistake than it is to expect Him to clean up our messes afterwards.
Mistake #2)—They didn’t take the Ark of the Covenant into battle
The Ark symbolized the presence and power of God. They went into the battle in their own strength and they failed.
We try to fight the flesh and the devil in our own power and we fail time after time.
We do not take the time to strengthen our walk with God
When we are walking with the Lord and in His Word as we should be, He will go with us into the battle and face our enemies on our behalf.
Mistake #3)—Israel had their confidence in their own power and not in the Lord
They were not walking by faith, but they were guilty of trusting what they could do, they're own wisdom and intellect and making their own decisions.
We all need the Lord if we are to walk in spiritual victory in our lives.
–"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
----"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing."
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Israel was also a confounded people—v. 5
After their terrible defeat at the hands of Ai, the people of Israel are feeling the same fear that their enemies experienced.
This is one of the problems with sin, nothing is right in your life while there is sin in his midst of it.
Israel didn’t know at this point what was wrong, thankfully God wants His people to have the victory, not the defeat, so He takes the necessary steps to reveal to the nation of Israel just exactly where the problem lies.
Number one we saw a painful defeat.
2. A Painful Discovery
2. A Painful Discovery
And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads. And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies! For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name? And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? 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. 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. Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you. In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the Lord taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the Lord shall take shall come by households; and the household which the Lord shall take shall come man by man. And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.
Joshua 7:
Joshua and the Elders (leaders) react in prayer–v. 6-9
After the tragedy happens, Joshua and the elders find themselves before the Lord in prayer—notice v. 6.
There is also a hint of anger and accusation against the Lord, but they are going to learn that prayer is the correct recourse in a time of trouble, but that prayer will avail nothing until sin has been dealt with.
If I regard iniquity in my heart,
The Lord will not hear me:
Joshua wonders why Israel was powerless in the battle. The answer wasn’t to blame God, or to dispute His will. The answer was in their own camp.
After we have made decisions that brought with them terrible consequences, it is never the right time to accuse God of anything.
When there is a defeat in our lives, we need to look within and see where the problem is.
Joshua and the elders reacted in prayer and God rehearses the Problem—v. 10-15
While Joshua and Israel try to figure out what is happening—God in heaven already knows and tells Joshua all about it.
He tells him that there is sin in the camp of Israel and that it is this sin that is hindering His power and it is what is bringing about their defeat.
He also tells Joshua how to discover the guilty party in these words to Joshua—God gives us some insights into sin of which we need to take note.
Seven observations concerning sin and its effects in our lives:
#1) God knows about our sins—v. 11
1)—God knows about our sins—v. 11
The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
Beholding the evil and the good.
Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
#2) God hates our sins–v. 11
These six things doth the Lord hate:
Yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
A proud look, a lying tongue,
And hands that shed innocent blood,
An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations,
Feet that be swift in running to mischief,
A false witness that speaketh lies,
And he that soweth discord among brethren.
#3) God has a plan for our sins– v. 14-15
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I acknowledged my sin unto thee,
And mine iniquity have I not hid.
I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord;
And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
#4) God will punish our sins—v. 15
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
#5) Sin affects those around us–v. 11-12
Your sins and mine have the ability to drastically lower the spiritual temperature of the Church. We are all one body and what effects you effects me.
#6) Sin hinders God’s work—v. 12
And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
#7) Sin must be dealt with—v. 13
Either you and I will deal with our sins or God will deal with them, but one way or the other they will be dealt with.
For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
Often the greatest problems faced by the Church come from within and not from without. You see, it is not the water on the outside of the boat that causes the problems, it is the water on the inside of the boat that causes trouble.
3. A Painful Death
3. A Painful Death
Joshua 7:16-26
So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken: And he brought the family 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: And 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. And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: 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. So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. 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. 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 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. 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.
In these verses —the wages of sin are put on clear display for all to see.
We see that the sinner discovered—v. 16-18
God knew who was guilty, why didn’t He just tell Joshua who they were looking for? He was giving Achan time to repent and to confess his sins and if he had confessed and repented, it may have turned out differently.
That’s the way it is in situations in God’s Church, but sooner or later it will be dealt with.
The lesson for us needs to be learned well. God already knows your sins and His finger is getting closer and closer to your life.
One day soon it will point you out. It is only a manner of time.
It will not and cannot be hidden forever.
But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out.
"But if you will not do so behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out."
Not only was the sinner discovered but The sin discussed—v. 19-21
Now that the sin is out in the open it has to be dealt with.
So often in Church we don’t want to do that.
Notice the two aspects of this section.
#1) The Compassion—v. 19
When Joshua speaks to Achan, he speaks with love in his heart.
He knows that Achan is condemned, but Joshua still cares for this man who brought so much trouble to Israel.
That’s the way we should try to deal with our brothers and sisters who have sinned.
Even though man is the enemy of God, God still wants man to repent and to come to Him for salvation.
#2) The Confession—v. 20-21
Achan finally confessed his sin, however don’t believe for a second that Achan repented.
He's like some others in the Bible, only confessed his sins after he got caught in them, but was never in real repentance.
God wants man to be open and honest about the sin in his life and for him to confess those things to the Lord.
He that covereth his sins shall not prosper:
But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
God’s way is for His people to throw the covers off their sins and tell God the truth that He already knows.He can bless a person who handles sin the Biblical way.
He can bless a person who handles sin the Biblical way.
However, the person who tries to hide his sins will never prosper, but will face God in judgment.
You will confess your sins one way or another. You can confess them where the confession will make a difference or you will do it when you face the Lord in judgment.
You will confess your sins one way or another. You can confess them where the confession will make a difference or you will do it when you face the Lord in judgment.
Note the progression in Achan’s sin in v. 21: "I saw, I coveted, I took."
It is and will be this way in nearly any instance of sin you can name.
Another problem that Achan had is found in v. 21. Achan calls the things he took "Spoils." This word refers to the booty that a conquering army can claim after a victory. However, these things were no spoils. God said in 6:18-19 that these things were His. They were to be placed within the treasury of the Lord’s House.
Achan was guilty of stealing from the Lord. Are you guilty of that sin
Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me.
But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee?
In tithes and offerings.
Notice this: Achan had things buried in his tent that he could not use. To use them would be to reveal his character to the entire nation of Israel. In other words, Achan sinned and died for nothing. The things he stole were no good to him at all.
We also see the sinner destroyed—v. 22-26
These verses give us the sad conclusion to this tragic tale. Achan and all that he had were taken out and stoned to death by the people of Israel. Now it did not have to end this way. These verses demonstrate the horrible end that all sinners who refuse to repent will come to.
The name of the valley is called "Achor." This word means trouble.
Folks, if you are going to sin, and never repent, you need to know that you are headed for trouble.
Sin that you have not repented of, sin in your life, you need to know that your sin is a hindrance to the Church.
God already knows about it and is touching your heart and giving you time just as He did Achan. What are you going to do?
Notice v. 24-25 and
The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
Achan’s wife and children knew about the sin.
And I will give her her vineyards from thence,
And the valley of Achor for a door of hope:
And she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth,
And as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.
The promise here is that this place of trouble could become a door of hope. The same is true concerning your sins.
The altar can literally become a door of hope for you right now
if you will come for the cleansing you need.
Invitation:
Invitation:
Every head bowed and every eye closed as the piano player comes.
As the piano is played we are going to open this alter for anyone who wants to come and pray. If you have a sin you need to confess take it to the Lord in Prayer with a retentive heart.
If you are here this morning and you were to die without Christ as your Savior you would die in your sins and go to a place called Hell. No one here wants to see that! so if you would like to know how to make Christ your savior and have him forgive all your sins please step forward and come and talk to someone here at the alter and we can show you the saving Grace of Jesus Christ from the Bible.
As the piano continues to play and people are praying lets remain silent. Pastor would you come at this time.