The Hidden Things
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Kid’s Corner- The Golden Rule
Kid’s Corner- The Golden Rule
12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
Treat other people the way you want to be treated.
Matt
Is that easy to do?
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Phil 2:
The Hidden Things
The Hidden Things
Have you ever watched a TV show that was a crime investigation show. There are several shows like that currently airing on the major networks.
CSI, NCIS, Criminal Minds, First 48, and many others like these have been produced over the years. There have also been a lot of movies on the big screen with similar storylines, each of which leave us in suspense as the characters investigate some type of horrible crime/sin.
When Cathy and I watch these shows, she will often begin asking questions about who did it or she will offer her opinion about the circumstances leading up to the crime. This morning, I want to take a look at what I find to be one of the most interesting crime investigations in the pages of Scripture. This is a narrative that includes a hidden stolen treasure, interrogation of a suspect and the discovery and recovery of the stolen items.
As I read , please listen carefully to the circumstances, the criminal investigative procedures that are implemented and the testimony of the guilty party.
I would also like you to think about the
1 But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel. 2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, “Go up and spy out the land.” And the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not have all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not make the whole people toil up there, for they are few.” 4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people. And they fled before the men of Ai, 5 and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water. 6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord God, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say, when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies! 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name?” 10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. 12 Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you. 13 Get up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the Lord, God of Israel, “There are devoted things in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you.” 14 In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes. And the tribe that the Lord takes by lot shall come near by clans. And the clan that the Lord takes shall come near by households. And the household that the Lord takes shall come near man by man. 15 And he who is taken with the devoted things shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he has done an outrageous thing in Israel.’ ” 16 So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel near tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17 And he brought near the clans of Judah, and the clan of the Zerahites was taken. And he brought near the clan of the Zerahites man by man, and Zabdi was taken. 18 And he brought near his household man by man, and Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. 19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” 20 And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: 21 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.” 22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was hidden in his tent with the silver underneath. 23 And they took them out of the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the people of Israel. And they laid them down before the Lord. 24 And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The Lord brings trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. 26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his burning anger. Therefore, to this day the name of that place is called the Valley of Achor.
These shows often
1 But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel. 2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, “Go up and spy out the land.” And the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not have all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not make the whole people toil up there, for they are few.” 4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people. And they fled before the men of Ai, 5 and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water. 6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord God, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say, when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies! 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name?” 10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. 12 Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you. 13 Get up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the Lord, God of Israel, “There are devoted things in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you.” 14 In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes. And the tribe that the Lord takes by lot shall come near by clans. And the clan that the Lord takes shall come near by households. And the household that the Lord takes shall come near man by man. 15 And he who is taken with the devoted things shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he has done an outrageous thing in Israel.’ ” 16 So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel near tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17 And he brought near the clans of Judah, and the clan of the Zerahites was taken. And he brought near the clan of the Zerahites man by man, and Zabdi was taken. 18 And he brought near his household man by man, and Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. 19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” 20 And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: 21 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.” 22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was hidden in his tent with the silver underneath. 23 And they took them out of the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the people of Israel. And they laid them down before the Lord. 24 And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The Lord brings trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. 26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his burning anger. Therefore, to this day the name of that place is called the Valley of Achor.
The chapter begins with a bit of a spoiler
Achan’s Sin is Israel’s Sin
Achan’s Sin is Israel’s Sin
Mi casa es tu casa or in this case “Mi pecado es tu pecado”
I’d like to focus this morning on the specific verses that speak about Achan.
1 But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel.
Broke Faith/Acted unfaithfully
Broke Faith/Acted unfaithfully
Notice, Israel wasn’t simply accused of stealing, which in itself is bad enough as it is the eighth commandment (thou shalt not steal). The nation was accused of acting unfaithfully, of idolatry, the phrase in verse 1 “broke faith” is a phrase that refers to the sin of an adulterous relationship. The people of Israel were unfaithful to the covenant that he had made with God.
Look at again, it describes how the people of Israel had sinned.
1 But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel.
“for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things.”
I’d like to take a closer look at what exactly took place in Achan’s life. How this situation came about. The progression that happened in Achan’s heart and mind, as they people of Israel were entering the city of Jericho.
If we took the time to go back to chapter 6 we would see that Joshua passed along God’s instructions that he had given to the people relating to the spoils of the promised land. He held nothing back when instructing the people of Israel.
Let’s consider the process he went through in his commission of this sin.
Joshua 7:
20 And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: 21 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.”
If we took the time to go back to chapter 6 we would see that Joshua passed along God’s instructions that he had given to the people relating to the spoils of the promised land. He held nothing back when instructing the people of Israel.
There are four main steps, which Achan took in these two verses.
He saw the items
He saw the items
He coveted the items
He coveted the items
He took the items
He took the items
He hid the items
He hid the items
The question we need to ask first, is at what point did Achan sin.
First he saw the items
First he saw the items
Did he sin when he saw the items? NO
It is not sin to see something or look at something by the simple act of seeing it with your eyes. These things were not immoral things that ought not to be seen, such as pornography, they were simply items that were designated or devoted to the Lord. The cloak from Shinar would have been devoted for destruction/burnt and the gold and silver was intended for the Lord’s treasury.
Second he coveted the items
Second he coveted the items
Did he sin when he coveted the items? YES
Deuteronomy 5:
21 “ ‘And you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. And you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.’
In addition to the fact that he was coveting is the fact that he wasn’t simply coveting his neighbor’s possessions, he was coveting something that was “Devoted to the Lord.”
He was coveting something that was God’s, and something which God had a specific purpose for.
Third He took the items
Third He took the items
Did he sin when he took the items? Yes, because he did not turn them in or destroy them with fire.
17 And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. 18 But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. 19 But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.”
19 “ ‘And you shall not steal.
Deut 5:
Again, he not only coveted and stole, but he coveted and stole directly from God. He was untrue and unfaithful to God. The precious metals were to be placed into the Treasury of the Lord.
He hid the items
He hid the items
This is clear evidence that he knew what he had done was wrong. Just as Adam and Eve attempted to hide themselves from God in the Garden of Eden, Achan hid these items knowing that he was guilty.
He believed a lie/many lies.
He believed a lie/many lies.
He saw-
These items are nice and they have value and beauty.
He coveted-
They should be mine
These items would meet my needs
I deserve them more than God/or anyone
He took
I am taking these (probably at some point he had convinced himself that they were just a small portion of the spoils and no one would care or notice if he took them.)
He hid
I have this but no one else can know I have it.
God and others wouldn’t be pleased if they find out I have it
I can deceive them all, and keep these items hidden and avoid giving them to God, as He had commanded.
This is the process that we often go through, when we become engaged in sinful behavior.
We see something
We covet it
We take it
We hide it
Now Consider what must have been going through his mind, as Joshua announced that the people needed to consecrate themselves once again
13 Get up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the Lord, God of Israel, “There are devoted things in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you.” 14 In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes. And the tribe that the Lord takes by lot shall come near by clans. And the clan that the Lord takes shall come near by households. And the household that the Lord takes shall come near man by man.
Joshua 7:13
This is where the opportunity for confession was available.
Achan never takes advantage of the consecration process, instead he continues in his sin, deceit and attempt so conceal his sin, until Joshua
Just as God seemed to give the people of Jericho an opportunity to trust in Him and avoid destruction, he has also given Achan ample opportunity to repent, however he maintains a prideful heart
God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
I would ask each of you to consider ways that you may be sinning against the Lord and repent! Turn from your wicked prideful heart.
I certainly don’t know your heart, just as Joshua could not have fully known the specifics of the disobedience, yet God worked to reveal the disobedience in Achan’s life, and one day we will each answer for our deeds.