“Sin’s Consequence” Joshua 7:10-13

There is a philosophy called chaos theory. One idea of chaos theory is that of the butterfly effect. The idea is that seemingly small and insignificant events can alter events in such a way as to have substantial differences in the outcome. In effect, when a butterfly moves its wing, it affects the air molecules around it, which alter other molecules and so on until winds shift, tides change and untold events occur as a result. This is an oversimplification of the theory, but the point is there are those who believe a small act can alter history.

There are all sorts of “what ifs” in history. What if John Kennedy hadn’t been assassinated? What if Abraham Lincoln hadn’t gone to the theater that night? An English sharpshooter had George Washington in his sites; what if he had pulled the trigger? And that’s just American history. We could play the game for all sorts of events.

The things we do have ramifications for our world and those in it. Today’s passage of Scripture speaks to how sin can have a wide-ranging effect in our world.

Background

Jericho had fallen. God’s hand felled the walls, and the Israelite army had done the rest. God’s instructions were that the city and all that was in it were devoted to Him, which meant all living things were to die and the things of value to be brought into the Lord’s treasury. This was faithfully followed.

Except for one man. Achan had fought at Jericho, but instead of bringing everything to the treasury, Achan found some items that he coveted and kept.

The next village after Jericho was a place called Ai. As he did with Jericho, Joshua sent some men to spy out the place and bring a report. Their report was that Ai wasn’t much of a place, and that Israel should easily defeat them using only a portion of their army.

Joshua listened to their advice. An army of 3000 advanced on Ai, assuming they would make short work of the village.

Instead, the battle went against Israel, and the Ai army routed them, chasing the Israelites for miles. News reached the rest of Israel. The Bible says, “At this the hearts of the people melted and became like water” (v. 5).

Joshua tore his clothes and fell face down before the ark, remaining there until evening. The elders followed Joshua’s lead. Finally, Joshua called out to God, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, why did You ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan!” (vs. 6-7). Joshua then tells God how the Canaanites are going to destroy Israel.

God’s answer to Joshua is what we are looking at today. In this passage, we learn the following truth:

Central Truth: Our sins go beyond our own actions and affect our world.

The sin (10-11)

Joshua had assumed the loss in battle had to do with God allowing them to lose, which was correct. His mistake was in assuming that God had no desire for Israel to succeed from here on out. God was quick to point out Joshua’s error.

At first glance, it looks as though God is rather harsh with Joshua. “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face?” tells us and Joshua that there was no reason to grovel at God’s feet, particularly with the assumption Joshua made. Joshua is reverting to the days of Israel before the 40 years of wandering—constantly whining and complaining about God being cruel to bring them here only to let them die.

God sets Joshua straight, though. The reason the battle was lost was not because God didn’t care, but because Israel had sinned. Specifically, Israel had violated their covenant with God, a covenant to obey and follow God always. For this reason, God has allowed them to lose the battle to get their attention.

Notice that God didn’t say, “Someone has sinned.” He attributes the sin to the entire community. “Israel has sinned; they have violated the covenant.” Though earlier in Joshua we know it to be one man who sinned, God attributes the sin to the entire body of the nation. Repeatedly, though we know that it is one man, God constantly mentions “they” as the perpetrators of the sin.

The reason is that sin has the effect of touching us all. The people of Israel are called to be a holy people, consecrated to God’s work and to do God’s bidding. It is this vast nation and its army that is to be used by God to bring judgment to a sinful people. Now sin has touched Israel, and in so doing, it has made all Israel unclean. In order to be made clean again, Israel must act to remove the sin that taints them all.

The consequence (12)

Having told Joshua that Israel has sinned, God now explains to him how this sin has altered the relationship with God and how that has altered the outcome of battles.

Before we go too far in this, remember that God gave Joshua the plan to bring down Jericho. It was the commander of the Lord’s army who instructed Joshua, and Joshua conveyed the plans to his army and his people. In the battle against Ai, there is no indication that Joshua received nor that he sought God’s direction in how to defeat Ai. There seemed to be an assumption that Israel could handle this on their own. Had Joshua sought the Lord’s direction in the battle, he no doubt would have been told of Achan’s sin, and the sin would have been dealt with first.

Sometimes, we have a tendency to assume we know what God has in mind for us. We go forward with our plans and wonder why it doesn’t always work out. When God calls us to Him, He calls us to serve Him and to walk in His ways. We make mistakes when we assume we know the mind of God.

Joshua has been told Israel sinned, and now he is told that the result of the sin was the loss of a battle. Joshua had asked God why He had turned against Israel. God has told Joshua that it is not God that has turned away, it is Israel. As long as the sin is in their midst, they cannot hope to find success. By allowing the sin to remain in their midst, they are all liable for destruction. Had Israel turned to God first, they would have known what needed to be done and they would have won the battle. As it is, the battle is lost because the sin is unrepented.

The judgment (13)

One of the reasons God told Joshua to stand up is because he had a job to do. In order to rid the people of the sin within their midst, they would need to consecrate themselves and bring themselves before the Lord in the next morning. At that time, they will discover why they lost the battle and what steps they must take to return to their holy state.

The next day, the people are gathered together, and lots are cast. In the casting of the lots, God singles out a single tribe—that of Judah. From Judah, God singles out one clan, and from that clan God singles out one family. From that family, God exposes Achan as the sinner.

Joshua calls upon Achan to confess his sin, and to his credit, Achan admits that he took a beautiful robe from Babylon, some silver and a wedge of gold. His reason is that he coveted it, so he took the items. He hid them in a hole under his tent.

Joshua confirmed Achan’s story by sending messengers to Achan’s tent, where the goods were recovered. Please note in v. 23 it says that they took the things back to Joshua and laid them before the Lord. In so doing, they were devoting the items once again to the Lord.

The sin having been confessed and exposed, there is only the judgment that is left. Achan, his family, his household goods—everything related to Achan—was taken out to the Valley of Achor. There, Achan and his family were stoned, and then their bodies and all their earthly goods were then burned.

This seems a harsh reality, but try to remember that Israel was still relatively new in their covenant with God under the Mosaic law. There was much they had to learn, and one of the things they had to learn was that disobedience had harsh consequences. You don’t think the people walked away from the events of the day with an attitude of nonchalance, do you? There may have been some who questioned God’s actions on this day, but the vast majority were reminded that God had called them to a higher standard, and part of that standard was to walk in obedience to the Lord’s commands.

While we may not suffer loss of life because of our sins, we nonetheless suffer consequences, sometimes long after the sin has been confessed and dealt with. The ramifications of sin are like the ripples in a pond created when a small rock is dropped into the still water.

Conclusion

The beating of a butterfly’s wing can case major changes, so some would say. The sins of one man can have grave consequences on a nation. It can have ramifications for a church family, for a body of believers and for the message that the church puts forth as the word of God. When our words become tainted because of sin, because of the lack of seeking God first, then we suffer the consequences.

We all sin. We all confess. Let us recommit ourselves today to seek first the kingdom of God and place ourselves under His leadership. Let God be God, and let us walk in His ways.