Achan
God’s Introduction
Achan, from the tribe of Judah, was part of the Children of Israel permitted to enter the Promised Land after forty years of wilderness wondering. After the death of Moses (Deuteronomy 34), Joshua led the Israelite army across the Jordan River into Canaan. Following a successful campaign in the defeat of Jericho, Joshua instructed the fighting men to take the the city while sparing Rehab and her family. The soldiers were instructed to completely destroy the city. Nothing was to be plundered. The only exceptions were items made of gold, silver, bronze and iron, all of which were to go into the “treasury of the Lord” (Joshua 6:19).
We are introduced to Achan in the first verse of Joshua 7, and it’s not a pleasant introduction. We are informed that Achan broke this command by taking things from Jericho that should have been either destroyed or given to the treasury (Joshua 7:20-21). This turned God’s anger toward Israel, causing them to suffer a tragic defeat. Following the defeat, it was found that Achan was hiding spoils of Jericho. This resulted in the stoning of Achan and his sons, daughters, oxen, donkeys, sheep, the forbidden spoils, and all his possessions. Following the stoning, they were burned and buried in the Valley of Achor (Joshua 7:22-26). This appeased the anger of God.
Character’s Identification
If Enoch and David are seen as having pristine reputations in Scripture, Achan is nearly the opposite. I Chronicles 2:7 summarizes his legacy well – “Achan, the troubler of Israel, who broke faith in the matter of the devoted things.” Due to his sin, Israel lost thirty-six soldiers in the attack on Ai, a city that should have been significantly easier to conquer than Jericho. He allowed greed to cloud his mind and lead him to sin against the Lord (Joshua 7:21). Not only did he do what was wrong, but he also tried to hide it. It’s possible he thought for a while he had gotten away with it. He was not forthcoming when with his wrongdoing until he was specifically called out and forced to confess. God used Achan as an example of what happens to those who disobey.
Our Impression
#1 Your sin will find you out. Achan knew what he did was sin. By his own admission, he hid the items in his tent (Joshua 7:21-22). He must have hidden it well enough for those living around him to not know of his actions. His taking the spoils must have also been accomplished in secret, because it is unlikely the other soldiers would have allowed it to happen. But God knew. God always knows. Moses foreshadowed this with a warning in Numbers 32:23 – “But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out.” The same warning is given to us today – “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:13)
#2 All disobedience is sin, regardless of who is harmed by it. Some may try to argue that Achan’s sin hurt no one. Some of the spoils were going to be destroyed; plus, the treasury wouldn’t miss just a few small pieces. So why was Achan’s punishment so severe? We must fully understand and accept that all forms of disobedience are sin (I John 5:17). We will not be able to justify our actions before God by claiming my disobedience resulted in no harm.
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