Joshua 7:17–26
17 So he brought the family of Judah forward, and he selected the family of the Zerahites; then he brought the family of the Zerahites forward man by man, and Zabdi was selected.
18 And he brought his household forward man by man; and Achan, son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, was selected.
19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I implore you, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and give praise to Him; and tell me now what you have done. Do not hide it from me.”
20 So Achan answered Joshua and said, “Truly, I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, and this is what I did:
21 when I saw among the spoils a beautiful robe from Shinar, two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold fifty shekels in weight, then I wanted them and took them; and behold, they are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”
22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was hidden in his tent with the silver underneath it.
23 So they took them from inside the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the sons of Israel; and they laid them out before the Lord.
24 Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that belonged to him; and they brought them up to the Valley of Achor.
25 And Joshua said, “Why have you brought disaster on us? The Lord will bring disaster on you this day.” And all Israel stoned them with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones.
26 Then they erected over him a large heap of stones that stands to this day, and the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Achor to this day.
Achan’s Punishment
Achan exposed
First, the tribe of Judah was set apart by lot, from which the clan of the Zerahites was set apart. Then from the clan of the Zerahites, Zabdi was taken. All men of the Zabdi’s household were brought forth one by one, and lastly, Achan, son of Carmi was taken. Sinners, out of foolishness, often think that they can hide their wrong doings, but we must not forget that God brings all sins to light. “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord” (Prov. 16:33).
Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I implore you, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and give praise to Him; and tell me now what you have done.” The phrase “give glory to the Lord” is a fixed expression that means to tell the truth (ref. Jo. 9:24). According to Talmud, a Jewish scripture, because Achan confessed his sin, he gained a blessing after death (a place in paradise).
Achan’s confession
Achan confessed his sin. He took from the devout a beautiful mantle from Shinar, 200 hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold about fifty shekels in weight. As a sidenote, there once was a kingdom of Nimrod in the land of Shinar where the incident of the tower of Babel took place (ref. Gen. 10:10, 11:2). (1) Achan saw the things of the devout, not in faith but in greed. (2) He then coveted. (3) And he took. (4) These things were hidden in his tent. The three steps Achan took to steal from the devout are general steps to sinning. The things that appeared irresistible before would become a burden after taking them. Achan was unable to make use of the things he took and hid them in his tent. Not only Achan but all of his belongings, even his sons and daughters, were executed. Thus, his name was wiped from the face of the earth. All of Israel stoned him, burned all of his belongings, and raised over them a great heap of stones. This was a common method to bury infamous individuals. Let us learn from the steps Achan took being drawn into sin. If you have any hidden sin, confess before God and immediately receive forgiveness from Him.
Today's prayer
God of Israel, please help me to see all things not with greedy eyes, but with eyes of faith. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.