SCRIPTURE: Joshua 7:16-26
OBSERVATION:
There are times when God is amazingly patient, and times when His patience ends. Here at this crucial time in Israel’s story, being established in Canaan, God punishes Achan and his family in a violent, unsettling way. In a similar fashion we see Ananias & Sapphira drop dead on the spot at a crucial time in the Church’s story, the establishing of the church in Jerusalem (Acts 5:1-11). Either God is over-reacting (afterall, Christians have been guilty of worse sins since Ananias and Sapphira), or this is an important event in His unfolding plan. Is this God’s ways of showing how serious His kingdom purpose is, and will these events be the basis for future judgment? No one will be able to say, “but we didn’t know how serious things were!”
I do not want to make light of this frightening scene, but neither should we make light of how serious and harmful sin, greed, selfishness are. Like a poison they affect the whole community, whether we like it or not.
APPLICATION:
There does come a point when God unleashes our sins against us. Note that the punishment doesn’t just fit the crime, it is the logical result of the crime (when the crime is seen as serious as it is). All of us deserve similar treatment. One look at the horrible mess that this world is in, and how many people suffer from our selfishness, and we realize that all sin is serious. I may not like how this story ends, but do I learn from this how all stories will end, if we (I) do not repent (Luke 13:1-5).
PRAYER:
Lord, forgive me for making light of sin, and for blaming You for once in a while letting us experience the full weight of our guilt and shame. Your patience is amazing, more than I realize. Help me to learn from those moments when You reveal Your justice. Amen.
Achan’s sins was found out and it affected all the people. In conquering the land he saw the beautiful robe and the money and took it and hid it. It was tempting – especially if we remember where they just had come from. As it took messengers to retrieve everything, it may have been that others in the family were a part of this. The sin of the father is visited upon the whole family. Once again, so as the leader goes, so go all those who are part of the family, the nation, etc.
Once again, we see a walk not after the Lord’s ways, but selfish ways, worldly ways. The Lord had told them what to do. But our eyes lead us into temptation all too often. We see. We covet. We see. We steal. We see. We kill. We follow the desires of our heart and not the Lord’s. We follow the world’s ways and deceive not only ourselves but all those around us.
This is my Father’s world. Help me Lord to see Jesus at all times. Help me daily to live for You so that the treasures/gifts I have received are used in Your service. May I be content in You.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.