From Joshua 7:10-26

Yesterday we learned about how God allowed Israel to be defeated in battle because a man named Achan took some of the devoted things from Israel’s conquest for himself.  Joshua, not knowing what Achan had done, fell before the Lord in mourning and sadness.  In today’s verses, God tells Joshua to get up and deal with those who have transgressed in the community.  So Joshua goes through the people of Israel, tribe by tribe and clan by clan and man by man. He confronts Achan, inviting him to confess, and Achan does, saying “when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them.  And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” Joshua sends messengers to retrieve the stolen items.  At this point you might think all’s well that end’s well, but Achan’s part of history isn’t quite done.  After retrieving the items, the people of Israel stone Achan and his family.

There are a few understandings we can draw from these events.  We know that God takes sin seriously, we know that the wages of sin is death, and we know that (since no one is righteous) it’s not reasonable to ever say that a punishment is not fair.  None of those is what we’re going to dive into right now; however, because here we see that God has designed His creation and His community to include consequences. Achan stole from things dedicated to God, he stole form the community of Israel, and despite his confession and returning of the stolen items – he is punished.  It reminds us that even though we are forgiven in Christ, our sin sometimes carries unavoidable consequences.  If you lie to someone, they might forgive you, but they might not be able to trust you anymore.  If you steal from someone, they might forgive you, but they probably won’t ask you to look over their valuables while they’re away.  We know and believe in God’s forgiveness for us, and we strive to reflect that forgiveness in our relationships with one another, but sometimes consequences are still necessary and appropriate.

Focus on God

We are reminded in these verses that God disciplines those He loves.

Function in Our Lives

We are encouraged to recognize that actions, even forgiven sins, have consequences.

Topics to Pray About                                                               

  • Thank God for caring enough to discipline us.
  • Confess to God the times where you avoid consequences that you should probably endure.
  • Ask God to help you live a life where you avoid actions that deserve negative consequences.

In His Service,

J. LeBorious