Achan For A Breakin'

[dave c]

HEALING SHELTER MINISTRIES #129l Re-Written 02NOV08 http://groups.msn.com/AHealingShelter/welcome.msnw

Gatekeepers—Part Twelve: Achan For A Breakin’

by rev dave c

When Moses died at the conclusion of 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, God anointed Joshua as his successor in the leadership of the Israelites. After miraculously parting the waters of the Jordan River so that the people of God could pass into the promised land, Jehovah also miraculously handed the impregnable city of Jericho into their hands. Then in Chapter Seven of the Book of Joshua, we read that the Israelites were routed by a far inferior force at the small city of Ai. Thoroughly discouraged by this unexpected defeat, Joshua prostrated himself before the Lord in self-pity. God then told him that there was hidden sin in the camp—that Achan, of the Tribe of Judah, had buried some of the treasure from Jericho that was “devoted to destruction” beneath his tent. We then read, The LORD said to Joshua, "Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction (Jos 7:10-12; NIV).

Obedient to God’s command, Joshua then gathered all the tribes together and, by lot, it was made apparent to all Israel that Achan was responsible for their defeat. Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and give him the praise. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me." Achan replied, "It is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath." So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the LORD. Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold wedge, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. Joshua said, "Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today." Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since (Jos 7:19-26; NIV).

When the nation of Israel failed to conquer Ai, Joshua didn’t form an advisory committee to investigate the problem—he fell on his face before the Lord and cried out to him. Even though Joshua’s prayer smacked mightily of, “Oh, poor, pitiful me,” God heard his cry and the Divine answer was immediately forthcoming. Jehovah told the Hebrew, “Stand up! ...Israel has sinned.” Then the Lord revealed the who, what, where, and when specifics of that sin. Instead of totally destroying it as God had commanded, one among them had hidden some of the treasures of the enemy beneath his tent. Joshua then directly confronted Achan, who made a public confession. The story concludes with Achan, his entire extended family, his livestock, and all he owned being stoned, burned, and buried by the people of God. Then the LORD turned from his fierce anger.

For half a century the Church has become increasingly powerless to prevent legislation and counter the rulings of Federal judges that render the public acknowledgment of our Christian faith and heritage illegal. We have so far been unable to overturn the legalization of 35 years of murder on demand—and we are now on the verge of failing to steer our culture away from further governmental endorsement and empowerment of homosexuality. Within the story of Achan we find three possible reasons for the inability of Christians to more effectively influence our society, and three courses of Godly action to overcome those inabilities.

We know that Jesus has already openly and thoroughly defeated our real foe, and that He has set us free from the sin and death that once enslaved us. We are, however, commanded to utterly destroy any and all of the “treasures” of this world that could tempt us back into paths of unrighteousness. If the Church is failing to prevail in even the lesser battles of this life, perhaps it is because we have individually, and in secret, buried some of the “stuff” of this world deep within the heart of the tent of this flesh. The drive for material gain may be obvious, but bitterness, envy, pride, and personal agendas are just as self consuming. Even more subtle and devastating than these, however, is our desire for acceptance by the people of the World. Like Achan, I fear that we have bowed before our desires of the flesh, the lust of our eyes, and our spiritual pride (1Jn 2: 15&16).

If I place the needs/addictions of my body above my love for Christ (Mt 22:37); if I place my lust for more and more of what I can see and hold in my hand before the needs of my neighbors (Mt 22:39); and if I regard my opinions and the opinions of non-believers as greater than the Word of God and His love for the Church (Jn. 13:34&35)—then I am guilty of the sin of Achan, and I am responsible for the Church being unable to stand against her enemies. It is my fault that we turn our backs and run because we have been made liable to destruction. The solution? 1) Fall to my knees in prayer and confession. 2) Stand up to the truth of my personal failings and the failings of my society. 3) Take corrective action in obedient faith. “God, please forgive me (forgive us) and today, right now, please help me (help us) to pray, to stand, and to act righteously in Your holy name. Amen.”