If you are familiar with the story of Achan, you will see why no parents ever name their son Achan. It is an appalling story, no two ways about it.
The main text is Joshua 7. In verse 1, we see the problem defined: a family has been disobedient to the Lord's explicit command, which was to not take for themselves any item from Jericho. All items from that place had been marked for destruction by the Lord or to go into the Lord's treasury. This command was given in Joshua 6:18-19:
8 But keep yourselves from the things set apart, or you will be set apart for destruction. If you[c] take any of those things, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster on it. 19 For all the silver and gold, and the articles of bronze and iron, are dedicated to the Lord and must go into theLord’s treasury.”
In Joshua 7:2-5 we see that, what should have been a relatively minor skirmish against the people of Ai, became a rout in which 36 Israeli warriors were killed. The Lord God made it plain to a grieving, horrified Joshua why this had occurred. It was because someone in the Israeli nation had disobeyed God.
Achan's root sin was that he did not believe God, did not take Him at His word. Achan was sure that there was no such thing as "the power of one". He believed that his sin was a "little sin" - - minor, undetectable, unimportant. He was dead wrong; because of his sin and that of his family members, who no doubt were his accomplices, 36 innocent warriors died.
Achan failed to understand that his sin would affect the entire nation of Israel, as the Lord God had forewarned. It is the same with the Church today. When one of us sins, that sin, no matter how small, negatively affects the entire Body of Christ. And, I used that last name intentionally. When your toe hurts, your whole body hurts. When your head hurts, the whole body is affected. When one of us sins, we have NO IDEA of the far-reaching repercussions. Brothers and sisters, we need to get serious about our sin.
See....we tend to get serious about other people's sins. In fact, we are famous for pointing the condemning finger toward others, particularly those sins that are not "politically correct". But, all sin is sin. All should be confessed and repented from. Believers in America need a huge dose of humility and repentance. Especially me.
Do you tend to make the same mistakes Achan did? I do. In the heat of temptation, I delude myself that my "little transgressions" don't matter. "Just this once"... Thank God He does not usually hold us to the same standard He held Achan, with such far-reaching consequences.
Or, does He? The truth is: we really have no idea! We truly do not even know the far-reaching consequences of our "little sins". If we did, we would no doubt be crushed with the guilt of them, even as Achan's family was crushed by the stoning that was the execution (pardon the pun!) of God's judgment upon them.
There's a verse that describes "little sins" and their consequences:
Catch for us the foxes,
the little foxes
that ruin the vineyards,
our vineyards that are in bloom.
Song of Solomon 2:15
There are always consequences for our sins. Always. We may not always see them immediately or know them ever; but, they are there. Every tiny bit of ground we cede in the spiritual war must be retaken by ourselves or by another Christian warrior. God is every bit as serious about our sins today as He was in the day of Achan. He.Still.Hates.Sin.
He hates our sin so much, yet loves us so much that He sent His only, most-beloved Son to free us from sin's curse! And, Believers, He longs for us to walk in close fellowship, to walk clean, with Him on a daily basis.
This is not a pretty blog post, is it? The picture of our guilt before God as unrepentant sinners is not pretty. This morning, I am heartbroken over my own sin, and (sorry!) where I go in the Word and what I receive is what I share with you.
But, let's be encouraged as we go out and face this day, Warriors!
If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9
Thank God! We may or may not see the consequences of our sin. Or, we may be devastated by them. But, this one thing is sure - - - there IS forgiveness and restoration. Hallelujah! We do not have to remain in our sins.
So, are you a Believer? Have you asked Jesus to possess you, to be Your forever Savior? If not, do that today! Believe on Him and His finished work for you. Confess your sins. Repent - - - turn away from your sinful patterns of living and begin to model your life after His. Submit to Jesus Christ on a regular basis. His Holy Spirit, Who comes to live in you at the moment of your salvation, will show you the way.
Christian brothers and sisters. Let's be vigilant about our warfare! We cannot fight effectively with broken armor. Unconfessed sin will cause us to be crippled in battle. Let's confess and "get clean" today, so that we can be used by the Lord in a greater way tomorrow.
Oh Lord Jesus, catch for us the little foxes, the little foxes that spoil our vines! Show us clearly, like an x-ray, those ways in which we are hurting ourselves, hurting Your heart and hurting the coming of Your kingdom in this lost, dying world. In Jesus' name, amen.
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