Joshua 7
The Hebrew children suffered a devastating defeat at Ai, an utter shock coming on the heels of such a glorious triumph at Jericho. Being routed by Ai was not expected. Victory looked so easy that the spies suggested not even sending the whole army. Sadly, 36 men died in battle, and the Bible says that the people were so terrified that …the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.
Joshua could not understand why. He cried out to God for understanding, and the Lord’s reply in Joshua 7:10-15 must have shocked him to the core. God said, Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant… Someone in their camp had directly disobeyed God’s commands regarding how they were to conquer the land. This person not only had stolen the spoils but also had …put it even among their own stuff. God called the stolen, hidden items “the accursed thing.”
To make a long story short, Achan admitted to taking gold, silver, and a garment and hiding them in his tent. He said he coveted them, took them, and hid them. While we can only guess what his position was among the Hebrew children—he could have been a core member or a well-respected leader—we do know Achan was the head of his family. However, in the end, his title, position, or standing had no bearing on God’s judgment for his sin. It took just a moment of looking at something that was not his to possess to send him down a path of bad decisions that led to the worst consequences: a horrible defeat, 36 dead warriors, and Achan’s entire family and all his possessions being stoned and burned.
While so many truths and lessons could be taught from this Bible story, I keep going back to how God called the things that Achan coveted, stole, and hid “the accursed thing.” These items did not gain that classification until Achan disobeyed to obtain them. The accursed thing was so bad that it lifted God’s hand of protection from the entire group. It affected EVERYONE.
We all want God to protect us and give us victory, but when we hold on to the accursed thing in our own lives, how can He? If we refuse to set aside those things that God has not given to us, we eventually will discover how devastating that will be for us, our families, and even our churches. While I am sure this list could be much longer, here are three specific things that could become “the accursed thing” in our lives:
Time
God has commanded how we are to use our time. We live in a busy world, and if we are not careful, we can easily prioritize other things. Time can become something we withhold from God.
As one example, I think of how God has commanded each of us to reach the world for Him (Mark 16:15). We should take care to make soulwinning a priority. After all, we make time for shopping, going out to eat, enjoying our hobbies, and going on vacation. What about soulwinning time? When giving this command, God never made exceptions for gender, health, career, ability, family, etc. God expects us to make time for soulwinning.
Relationships
I truly wonder if Achan saw those things and, perhaps to justify his actions, made the internal excuse of how the riches would help his family. If so, he would have put his family higher than God’s command. Our relationships should never supersede God’s order. We can so easily allow our desire to hold on to the wrong relationships to cause us to defy biblical principles. It could be something as simple as spending too much time with someone who makes us doubt our God-given leadership or causes us to think negatively in general. I have seen Christian ladies never go all the way for God because, while they needed a friend who would be the “iron” to sharpen them, they stayed close to the friend who kept them just dull enough that they could never achieve all God had for them.
The Bible talks about keeping our hearts in Proverbs 4:23. It is so important in today’s world of blurred lines concerning relationships that we take care to keep appropriateness in our relationships with the opposite gender. This includes never allowing our hearts or our emotions to go where they should not. We must be cautious in our actions and even in our private conversations. Achan hid the accursed thing under his tent. He thought no one knew, but God knew. God’s knowledge alone caused Him to lift His hand of protection from all the people, resulting in devastating consequences.
Consumption
Screens may be the biggest thing that has affected this generation. From social media to streaming services to YouTube, the world will find its way into our thoughts and actions if we do not take purposeful care to avoid its effects. We spend so much time trying to protect our children from this, but we should remember to protect ourselves! On an airplane, the flight attendants instruct the passengers to apply their own oxygen masks before helping others to apply theirs. We should be no different in avoiding the effects of the accursed thing of worldly consumption. How can we expect our young people to keep their minds and hearts pure if we ourselves do not do so?
••••••••••
When I was a teenager, I often would go shopping “just for fun” with my grandma. We both enjoyed the art of window shopping, but it could become more than that if we did not take care! I recall one particular trip to the mall in which I saw this blue sweater that I was certain was made just for me. I walked by it a couple of times, contemplating if I should buy it. As a rule, I almost never buy anything full price, and this sweater was not on sale. It was overpriced, in fact. Finally, after my third pass down the aisle, my tiny grandma put her hands on my back, pushing gently, and said, “Just keep walking. Don’t even look at it! Look the other way!”
What if Achan had just looked away? What if he had just kept on walking? The outcome would have been vastly different. Instead, he looked. He thought about it, then he coveted. He stole and then hid his sin. The consequences affected an entire nation and left an indelible mark in the history of the Hebrew children. God also thought it important enough to put the account into His Word as a warning to us all.
Let us take care to avoid “the accursed thing,” whatever that may be. May we never forget that the devil still wants to destroy us and our influence for God. When he waves that accursed thing at us, we should not even look; we must keep walking toward what is right and what brings honor to God. The futures of so many whom we love depend on it!
by Tracie S. Burns
