What Is Hidden In Your Tent?
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Josh 7
1 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.
Intro
Intro
WHat would your mood be after victory at Jericho? Where you barely had to flex your muscles and the walls fell down when you shouted?
Jericho was the big one. Now the other smaller towns were afraid and the Israelites were set on sweeping the region
In this expertly written account, that is the (rightful) confidence of the Israelites.
Some spies are sent by Joshua to survey the region to plan their next steps and they set their sights on Ai
“They are few in number. So only two or three thousand men of many 100000s are required.”
This should be a military formality
But the story turns and the Israelites turned around and fled in defeat at Ai.
Their confidence turns to fear. Joshua and the leaders (elders) are distraught and go pleading before the Lord
They are depressed and their tone is defeatist. If they could not win at Ai, then what hope did they have this side of the Jordan? They would be destroyed
But more than that, why would God risk his great name be besmirched in Canaan and his testimony through Israel wiped out? Did he not care about his honor?
What would cause God to take that level of risk to his own reputation among the peoples?
The story of Achan is well know, less than Jericho. Buts it part of a complex of stories beginning with last week and also including their eventual conquest of Ai in chapter 8.
And the expert writer gives us a clue in v1 Josh 7:1
1 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.
We already know something is about to go horribly wrong because the Lord was angry against Israel.
And that anger came about as a result of one man’s sin, that of Achan who took some of the devoted things from Jericho
Josh 6 18
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.
The warning was clear, by taking things that belonged to the Lord, israel would mark themselves out for trouble and destruction, and now it was about to come due to Achan’s trespass.
And the account tells us how Joshua and Israel figure out the sin of Achan that we already know and the remedy for his sin that is needed before they can move on with their lives in the promised land.
And the story itself is simple though detailed (and perhaps raises a few questions that we seek to address)
but by bringing our attention to Achan’s sin at the beginning, the writer wants us to lay our focus on that and how it offends God’s holiness (theme throughout Josh and prior in penta)
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 3141 Preacher Was against Sin
Calvin Coolidge attended church alone because of the indisposition of Mrs. Coolidge. When he arrived back home he went up to his wife’s room to see how she was feeling. She promptly reassured him, and asked him if he had enjoyed the sermon. He replied in a weak affirmative.
“What was it about?” she continued.
“Sin.”
“What did the minister say?”
“He was against it.”
And today, we can also learn a few lessons that are reminders and warnings for us as the people of God
The nature of sin
The impact of sin
God
Self (identity)
Community (identity)
The remedy for sin
Wrath of God (judgement begins with the church of God)
Run to Jesus
Community
The Nature Of Sin
The Nature Of Sin
Josh 7 20-21
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.”
Achan went after the conquest of Jericho, in the ruins of the city destroyed by God, (tasked perhaps with getting the things for the treasury of the Lord,) and it says he saw a beautiful cloak from Shinar (Babylonian), 200 silver shekels and and a 50 shekel gold bar
Notice the progression: He saw, he coveted, he took (he stole)
He saw - the first look is not the problem, he observed. He had to bring these things as the Lord said they were devoted things, collect it and bring it back for the treasury
But that sight turned into the sin of wanting something that was forbidden. Covetousness
The 10th commandment Ex 20:17
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
To covet - to want, to desire, to take pleasure illictly and go against God
Its a fundamental sin, in that it is the root of many other sins and rebellion against God
Gen 3:6
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
She saw, she desired (covet) and she took
A pattern in the Bible
David with bathsheba
Ahab with Naboth
Judas
And so he saw, he coveted, he stole and then he hid them under his tent
Now, did he need it?
He was an old man with many oxen and donkeys and sheep and ‘all that he had’ (v24)
But that was not enough. God had been good to him and his family but he wanted more. the itch, the pang in his heart. perhaps it was the beauty of the babylonian robe or the chance to take some gold and silver and pass it on to his children, get some security, get some wealth but doing it in a way that went directly against the commandment of God
God was ‘not good’ enough to him so he wanted more.
Should he have known better
Look at his age (sons, daughters) and experience (knew about how the Lord brought his people out of Egypt, was probably at the giving of 10 commandments, saw his parents die in the desert for their rebellion and directly heard from Joshua the commandment
His lineage (v1 son of Carmi, Zabdi, Zerah, tribe of Judah). The special tribe. He had a status and an identity but that was not enough
Oh he knew better than Lord. It was foolish to let these things go to waste. There was so much potential in them if only the Lord could see things clearly and let his people also share in the spoils
His parents dead in the desert, he should have been too, but him and his family and many things were now on this side of the Jordan due to the goodness of God and all he could think about was a Baylonian robe, 200 silver and 50 gold
And he brought them into his secret place and hid it under his tent and thought he could hide them from God
So he violated the 10th commandment and the eighth commandment. But more
num 15:28 - 31
28 And the priest shall make atonement before the Lord for the person who makes a mistake, when he sins unintentionally, to make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven.
29 You shall have one law for him who does anything unintentionally, for him who is native among the people of Israel and for the stranger who sojourns among them.
30 But the person who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native or a sojourner, reviles the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from among his people.
31 Because he has despised the word of the Lord and has broken his commandment, that person shall be utterly cut off; his iniquity shall be on him.”
a high handed sin
Reviles the Lord , blasphemes the Lord and says the Lord is not good enough, he does not know what he is doing , I know better
Despised the word of the Lord and says well that is not important here, does not apply to me, who cares about that or as the devil asks “Did God really say” as in did God really mean that
Broken his commandment knowingly, willingly, willfully
For such sins, the person shall be cut off
Pride - hide from God
Stole from God
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming.
7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.
8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
Why idolatry? Because those things made him go against God and they took the place of God
Imagine the planning, the secrecy, the furtive looks to see if they were ok and to admire, the dreams that he had made
“Covetousness is an act of worship. What people covet they will worship on the first day of the week. They have spent hours of mental planning day after day getting more and more of what they fancy, and these are the things that they cherish, and boast of, and live for, and jealously protect. Take anything from them, as long as you don’t take the silver and gold and clothes.” - Geoff Thomas
Where was his contentment
1 Tim 6 6-9
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain,
7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.
8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.
9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
First commandment - you shall have no other Gods before me also broken
A robe from Babylon, silver, god, enough to turn him against the God who saved him, gave him every good thing, brought him out of Egypt and crossed the Jordan, felled down the walls of Jericho
Where was his god? Not in their midst, or in the ark or in the church. Hidden under the tent
The Impact Of Sin
The Impact Of Sin
On God
On God
First thing we read in v1 is that the anger of the Lord is burning against Israel
Sin provokes God, his holiness offended, in that he takes action and he acts in judgement
And that judgement leads to the loss of life of 36 people in the battle, and later on to the loss of Achan’s life and that of his family
It is so provoking that God is willing to put his reputation at risk in order to root sin out from the midst of his people
JOsh 7:12
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.
His presence cannot continue in the presence of sin ie his presence of blessing is removed and his presence becomes one of judgement. That is a fearful thing (choose devoted things or God)
Josh 7:19-20
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:
Authenticity of person is needed to enter into God;’s presence. Cannot hid from him. Praise and worship is entering into God’s presence unmasked and holy
And Achan’s response echoes that he recngizes that ultimately his sin, though impacting himself, his family, the nation, it is ultimately against God
On Self
On Self
We looked at the psychological impact on Achan and what impact his sin had just to his daily lifestyle and his orientation towards God
identity - long list of his heritage
But what he ends up doing and what ends up happening to him is not matching that identity, either as a member of the tribe of Judah or of Israel
Instead, compare it to the story of Rahab still vivid in our memories
Rahab was a Canaanite -> destruction. But her faith -> being counted in the portion of Israel and she was saved
But Achan went the reverse. Israel -> salvation. sin-> death = Canaan
Sin makes you an enemy of God in that your identity is fundamentally opposed to him. Become a Canaanite
enemy of his people because of the ill will it brought upon them (Canaanite in their midst)
On Community
On Community
family as immediate community, impact on them
v1, Lord’s anger against Israel
v11, Israel has sinned
Social contagion and solidarity
Solidarity - One man’s sin Rom 5:17-19
17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.
19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.
SOidarity - we are one body so one member’s sin infects the whole body in a way to make it diseased
used to American individualism (bag of balls)
But Bible, especially in NT, talks of the local church as an organism in which every member’s actions affect the other members and the identity of that body
yeast 1 Cor 5:6-7
6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?
7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
contagion - spreads so it must be treated or cut out
1 Cor 5:9-11
9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—
10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.
11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.
who started it first in 1 Cor 5? It spread
Revelation churches warning
Pergamum - tolerating false teaching
Thyatira - false immoral prophetess
Community identity in solidarity
melted Josh 7:5
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.
Israel became like the Canaanites
Remedy For Sin
Remedy For Sin
Wrath of God
Wrath of God
The holiness of God demands that he judges high handed sin and rebellion against him with his wrath. it provokes him to unleash the destructive force of his holy wrath, even upon his people
And here we see that wrath in full force.
Of course , Achan executed as per the Law. Was there some avenue open to him? We dont hear of repentance or anything but regardless, his punishment just as per the law already revealed to him
But what about his family? Unfair?
First off, we forget that 36 people died because of Achan prior to his family. What did they die for?
The his family. Did they know or play a part?
Not sure. But corporate solidarity means his family was punished
What it should tell us how serious God is about sin and holiness.
And we do not appreciate how serious God is about judging sin and what impact it has on him
Even in NT church - Ananais and Sapphira
1 Pet 4:17
17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
But with him also comes a refining fire, and they must purify themselves of all iniquities in order to avoid the pain of his disciplining judgment, even while they continue trusting him who alone can enable them to stand before himself (v. 19).37
Run To Christ
Run To Christ
Wrath of God
Ps 130:3
3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
Lyrics of Petra? song only by grace
Lord, if You marked our transgressions, who would stand?
Thanks to Your grace we are cleansed by the blood of the
Lamb
Only by grace can we enter
Only by grace can we stand
Not by our human endeavour
But by the blood of the Lamb
If you understand the seriousness of sin wrt God, then only can you understand the grace of God in Christ Jesus
the grace of God that his Son’s blood was shed to pay the price for our sins
The wrath of God for the sins of the world was satisfied by the sacrifice of the Son on the cross
All of us were Achans, all of us raised our fists against God and said we know better, you are not good, we are better
Is 53:8-9
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.
High handed sin cut off - he was cut off for our sins
If we are found in him, then by his grace we can enter into the presence of the holy God
Fallen nature, tempted to hide things under our tent, but price paid for sins past present and future
How can we lay hold of it?
1 John 1:7-9
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
John says next do not sin but if we do, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. Under the cover of his righteousness, his blood to cleanse us, his mercy to cover us, our sins are wiped away from the presence of God so that by his grace we can enter and stand in his presence without fear of his wrath because on his body was laid the wrath and the afflictions of us all
Josh 7 26
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.
Hos 2 14-15
14 “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.
15 And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.
That door of hope is Christ
But if you assume his grace, if you cheapen his blood, if you know and yet act high handedly against the blood of Christ, o the wrath of God will remain on you.
Heb 10:26-27
26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.
Community
Community
Josh 7:13-14
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.
The community is separated unto God
That community can provide a remedy for your sins as per the Bible
What is hidden in your tent? Secret? Fear of shame> Loss of reputation
Sin will find you out
Luke 12:2-3
2 Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.
3 Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.
Its going to come out. You are going to face the judgement of God
Run to Christ but you are not alone in the battle. You are part of this consecrated body and you need to think about your impact as well as your refuge
Detection process not by lots, but by a mechanism that by the grace of God offers us a way out without the fear of judgement
James 5:15-16
15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
Find yourself your brother or sister and confess. . Not an ordeal but a matter of life and death for a fellow brother or sister
Eph 4:15
15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
Be on the lookout. watch over your brother or sister
Sanctification, again, is the only sure mark of God’s election. The names and number of the elect are a secret thing, no doubt, which God has wisely kept in His own power, and not revealed to man. It is not given to us in this world to study the pages of the book of life, and see if we are there. But if there is one thing clearly and plainly laid down about election, it is this,--that elect men and women may be known and distinguished by holy lives. - JC Ryle
Church, zealous for sanctification of each other
Gal 6:1-2
1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Conclusion
Conclusion
What is hidden in your tent? What is drawing your worship and causing you to rebel with a raised fist against God?
God is patient he is long suffering, but his mercy does not last forever
His judgement is coming
Run to CHrist, lay hold of his mercy, confess to him
Remember that you are oart of this body and you will impact it
be kind, confess. Lay down your burden, you are not alone
for every Achan, the chance of Valley of trouble -> door of hope