No doubt you’ll recognize these words from Achan’s confession. God had clearly forbidden the taking of plunder from the city of Jericho–all gold, silver or bronze was to be dedicated to the Lord, and everything else was to be burned. But Achan said, “When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are concealed in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath” (Joshua 7:21).
Achan’s story is powerfully instructive. Consider these lessons:
1. Sin has catastrophic consequences. Both Achan and his family paid dearly for his sin. But what’s more, there are thirty-six widows standing beside thirty-six fresh graves because of Achan; thirty-six families whose children are now without dads; seventy-two parents who’ve lost their sons (Joshua 7:5). Temptation NEVER warns us about sin’s consequences. But, oh how catastrophically real they are!
2. Achan’s fall began with his eyes. Which fueled his desire. The gotta-have-it gripped him so strongly that he stole. And covered his tracks with deceit (Joshua 7:11). Sin ALWAYS entices us by our desires, and our eyes light the fires of our desire (Genesis 3:6; James 1:14-15). This present Covid-19 crisis could be a real opportunity for temptation. A change of routine means temptation can catch us unguarded. Extra screen time brings extra risk. Are you watching what you’re watching?
3. Call sin what it is. In the end Achan got this part right, but by then it was too late. When you sin, confess it clearly and specifically to the Lord and to those you sin against. Don’t say you messed up or made a mistake. Don’t minimize sin by saying you fibbed or fudged. Say, I lied. I stole. I was not loving. I disrespected you. I was selfish.
4. Don’t wait till you get caught to own your sin. How many opportunities to come clean did Achan disregard? The thirty-six funerals, the day of prayer (7:6), the announcement of an offender (7:13), God’s instructions on how to identify the transgressor (7:14-15), the long night… Achan squandered them all. Don’t be him.
Friends, I urge you to memorize Achan’s words. They can guard you from the deceptiveness of sin, keep you from being led into sin by your desires, and save you from sin’s catastrophic consequences.
It really is a matter of life and death. Just ask Achan.