A Secret Stash
But the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully and violated their obligation in regard to the things [off limits] under the ban [those things belonging to the Lord], for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, took some of the things under the ban [for personal gain]. Therefore the anger of the Lord burned against the Israelites.
--Joshua 7:1
What has life been like since you made a profession of faith and took on the name of "Christ-follower"?
Has it been all lollipops and rainbows?
Have you been able to get through each day without a bump in the road?
Are your relationships without strife, your words full of edification, your thoughts those of purity, and your actions swift and constant?
Are you pressing forward clothed in faith, assurance, trust, and confidence in the good and beautiful life Almighty God has laid out for you, knowing full well of His great and unconditional love for you?
As the line in "O What A Beautiful Morning" from the musical "Oklahoma" reads is "everything going your way"?
Have you sinned since taking that step of faith? Do you still?
If you said "yes" to any or all of the above or "no" to the last question...well...as much as I hate to be a bearer of bad news, my friends, odds are pretty good that you're not telling the truth.
I have to admit, though, I've lost count of the number of times I've wished for life being happy, healthy, and free from trouble since coming to Christ. Moments of peace, life's circumstances moving in an upward, positive direction, unwavering faith. unshakable trust, the most fullness of confidence in everything, making it to the end of each day with a clear conscience and an even cleaner slate. Having every wish come true, every dream fulfilled. Wouldn't that just be the best?
I've wished for these things but I've received just the opposite. I understand all too well the trauma of abuse and dysfunction and secrets. I've seen first hand what happens when the actions behind closed doors don't quite line up with what's placed out there in the public circle. The crippling isolation and loneliness that came first from raising two boys on the autistic spectrum to raising those same two boys as a single mom for the better part of their formative years to more abuse and dysfunction from a toxic, narcissistic relationship with a "functional alcoholic", bringing two more children into the mix and being swallowed in the black hole of grief after losing three more. Even after my family was restored, that black cloud of sin was still there, draping itself completely over me. And for as much as it tore at me to do so, I willingly wore that cloud of sin.
During that time something very important was taking place in my life which I didn't seem to fully grasp. I had lost the blessing of God over my life because of the choices I was making and for keeping so tight to that cloud of sin. Did I lose God's love? Absolutely not, any more than one of my own kids would lose my love for something they did that was wrong. Did I lose His protection? No. When I look back over those years of my life the only way I made it from there to here was through His protection and covering. What I had lost was His blessing, His purpose. Because of my willful yet hidden disobedience I was not an effective, fruit-bearing member of His body. He could not use me to fulfill His purpose for me until I surrendered that black cloud, recognizing that cloud to be sin and that it can have no place in my life if I am to be His instrument.
Though this does not give me license to continue in sin, I am comforted in knowing that I am not the first to grapple with this issue and I'm pretty sure I won't be the last. Joshua faced something similar. In chapter 7 verse 1 we read this:
But the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully and violated their obligation in regard to the things [off limits] under the ban [those things belonging to the Lord], for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, took some of the things under the ban [for personal gain]. Therefore the anger of the Lord burned against the Israelites.
Further on, after losing at least 36 of Israel's men and the people begin to drown in despair, Joshua's humanity shows itself in vv.6-9: Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and [with great sorrow] they put dust on their heads. 7 Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord [a]God, why have You brought this people across the Jordan at all, only to hand us over to the Amorites, to destroy us? If only we had been willing to live beyond the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say now that [the army of] Israel has turned back [in retreat and fled] before their enemies? 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear about it, and will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will You do for Your great name [to keep it from dishonor]?”
Sounds a bit like us, doesn't it, when life gets pulled out from underneath us and we find ourselves in a situation we didn't think we'd find ourselves in?
But now read what the Lord God has to say: So the Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them [to keep]. They have even taken some of the things under the ban, and they have both stolen and [b]denied [the theft]. Moreover, they have also put the stolen objects among their own things. 12 That is why the [c]soldiers of Israel could not stand [and defend themselves] before their enemies; they turned their backs [and ran] before them, because they have become accursed. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from among you. 13 Rise up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: “There are things under the ban among you, O Israel. You cannot stand [victorious] before your enemies until you remove the things under the ban from among you.” 14 In the morning you shall come forward by your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which the Lord chooses by lot shall come forward by families, and the family which the Lord chooses shall come forward by [separate] households, and the household which the Lord chooses shall come forward man by man. 15 It shall be that the one who is chosen with the things under the ban shall be [killed and his body] burned with fire, he and all that belongs to him, because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he has done a [d]disgraceful and disobedient thing in Israel.’”
And just like Joshua falling to his knees in despair, how many times have we heard God say to us, "Get up!"
Israel lost blessing from God because of a hidden sin that had taken place somewhere among them. We learn later that a man named Achan (vv. 16-21), a descendant from the tribe of Judah, was the one who committed this hidden sin. When questioned by Joshua who urged him to confess what he had done and to not hide it (v. 19), this was Achan's reply: 20 So Achan answered Joshua and said, “In truth, I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, and this is what I have done: 21 when I saw among the spoils [in Jericho] a [e]beautiful robe from Shinar (southern Babylon) and two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I wanted them and took them. Behold, they are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”
In short, Achan saw. He then coveted. Finally he took. And Achan is not the first to fall into this. It started in the garden with Eve just before she and Adam sinned; she saw (the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good & Evil)..she coveted (it looked soooooooooo good!)....and then she took (she ate the fruit and gave some to Adam). It happened again with King David before his sin with Bathsheba. First he saw (she was bathing)...he coveted (he wanted her for his own at any cost)...finally he took (not only did he commit adultery with her but also sent her husband Uriah to the front line of battle knowing full well he wouldn't make it out of there alive). But there's another parallel in these two situations. In both, an attempt was made to hide from or cover their sin. Adam and Eve not only dressed themselves in fig leaves out of shame of their nakedness but when they heard God's voice speaking to them they tried to hide from him. King David covered his sin for nearly a year before God sent Nathan who lovingly but firmly called him out on his actions.
How many of us are like Achan with our own secret stash? I'm not talking about the kind of secret stash that involves special gifts for impromptu occasions or sweet treats you want to save for later. I'm talking about a secret stash of sin--something we know about, something we know we shouldn't be doing, involved in, or privy to but for whatever reasons of our own we are. Something we keep hidden from the all encompassing eyes of the world around us and we are arrogant enough to think that these things are lost on the eye of God. We aren't fooling anyone. Well, maybe we are...for a little while. But even while we think we have the world around us duped there is One whose eyes we will never be able to pull the wool over no matter how hard we try and that One is God!
Achan believed he could cheat God and live in disobedience and still go on business as usual. King David believed he could keep God's favor over him even while living in blatant sin. Eve believed the lies of the serpent that she would like God and that there was no way possible that she and Adam would die if they partook of that lovely, delicious fruit. I foolishly believed I could go my own way and live as I pleased and still stay in right relationship with God. Let me tell you from first hand experience--it doesn't work that way! You cannot willfully and deliberately live in sin and disobedience and not have its repercussions find their way back to you at one point or another. You cannot live wrong and expect right results.
The reminder of chapter 7 says this: So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and they saw the stolen objects hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. 23 And they took them from the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the sons of Israel, and [f]spread them out before the Lord. 24 Then Joshua and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the [royal] robe, the bar of gold, [g]his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and everything that he had; and they brought them up to the Valley of Achor (Disaster). 25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought disaster on us? The Lord will bring you disaster this day.” Then all Israel stoned them [to death] with stones; afterward they burned their bodies in the fire. 26 Then they piled up over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Achor (Disaster) to this day.
The result of Achan's sin was death. Not only his own but those of his children, his livestock, and pretty much everything he owned was destroyed. I know, that does seem a bit harsh. But here's the thing--even though Scripture isn't very clear on this it is quite possible that Achan's children helped dear old dad hide his ill gotten booty. Perhaps once they saw they began to covet and then helped to take as well. Whether they did or whether they didn't, the bottom line is this, your secret stash of sin doesn't just affect your life; it affects the lives of those around you as well. You cannot live in sin and disobedience and not have it spill over onto the ones you hold dear.
Achan was remorseful but his was not the remorse that leads to repentance and a new way of living. His was remorse for no more than the fact that he had been caught. Nowhere in the aforementioned Scriptures is there any indicators at all of him wanting to repent and start again. Many of us share in Achan's remorse, being sorry only for getting caught and unwilling to give up his sin. King David most likely felt this kind of remorse until Nathan brought him face to face with what he had done. It was then that his heart was truly broken for what broke the heart of God and he cried out, seeking God's face, His mercy and compassion. David was sincerely remorseful. God knew his heart, He saw his heart, and David was restored to fellowship with God. The good king still had to face the consequences of his actions yet even still he became known as a man after God's own heart. Therein lies the difference between Achan and King David.
With that, I ask again:
What has life been like since you made a profession of faith and took on the name of "Christ-follower"?
Has it been all lollipops and rainbows?
Have you been able to get through each day without a bump in the road?
Are your relationships without strife, your words full of edification, your thoughts those of purity, and your actions swift and constant?
Are you pressing forward clothed in faith, assurance, trust, and confidence in the good and beautiful life Almighty God has laid out for you, knowing full well of His great and unconditional love for you?
As the line in "O What A Beautiful Morning" from the musical "Oklahoma" reads is "everything going your way"?
Have you sinned since taking that step of faith? Do you still?
But here I am going to add this:
Are you an Achan who tries to conceal his sin and still live as you usually do?
Or are you King David who, after being confronted, genuinely repents and continues to seek the will of God regardless of what hand life may deal?
Devotional Time
Take a minute or two to quiet your heart before God. Ask Him to search your heart and to bring to light anything hidden that should no longer remain hidden. Receive His forgiveness and just bask in His mercies and grace. Journal any thoughts or reflections He brings to mind.
--Joshua 7:1
What has life been like since you made a profession of faith and took on the name of "Christ-follower"?
Has it been all lollipops and rainbows?
Have you been able to get through each day without a bump in the road?
Are your relationships without strife, your words full of edification, your thoughts those of purity, and your actions swift and constant?
Are you pressing forward clothed in faith, assurance, trust, and confidence in the good and beautiful life Almighty God has laid out for you, knowing full well of His great and unconditional love for you?
As the line in "O What A Beautiful Morning" from the musical "Oklahoma" reads is "everything going your way"?
Have you sinned since taking that step of faith? Do you still?
If you said "yes" to any or all of the above or "no" to the last question...well...as much as I hate to be a bearer of bad news, my friends, odds are pretty good that you're not telling the truth.
I have to admit, though, I've lost count of the number of times I've wished for life being happy, healthy, and free from trouble since coming to Christ. Moments of peace, life's circumstances moving in an upward, positive direction, unwavering faith. unshakable trust, the most fullness of confidence in everything, making it to the end of each day with a clear conscience and an even cleaner slate. Having every wish come true, every dream fulfilled. Wouldn't that just be the best?
I've wished for these things but I've received just the opposite. I understand all too well the trauma of abuse and dysfunction and secrets. I've seen first hand what happens when the actions behind closed doors don't quite line up with what's placed out there in the public circle. The crippling isolation and loneliness that came first from raising two boys on the autistic spectrum to raising those same two boys as a single mom for the better part of their formative years to more abuse and dysfunction from a toxic, narcissistic relationship with a "functional alcoholic", bringing two more children into the mix and being swallowed in the black hole of grief after losing three more. Even after my family was restored, that black cloud of sin was still there, draping itself completely over me. And for as much as it tore at me to do so, I willingly wore that cloud of sin.
During that time something very important was taking place in my life which I didn't seem to fully grasp. I had lost the blessing of God over my life because of the choices I was making and for keeping so tight to that cloud of sin. Did I lose God's love? Absolutely not, any more than one of my own kids would lose my love for something they did that was wrong. Did I lose His protection? No. When I look back over those years of my life the only way I made it from there to here was through His protection and covering. What I had lost was His blessing, His purpose. Because of my willful yet hidden disobedience I was not an effective, fruit-bearing member of His body. He could not use me to fulfill His purpose for me until I surrendered that black cloud, recognizing that cloud to be sin and that it can have no place in my life if I am to be His instrument.
Though this does not give me license to continue in sin, I am comforted in knowing that I am not the first to grapple with this issue and I'm pretty sure I won't be the last. Joshua faced something similar. In chapter 7 verse 1 we read this:
But the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully and violated their obligation in regard to the things [off limits] under the ban [those things belonging to the Lord], for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, took some of the things under the ban [for personal gain]. Therefore the anger of the Lord burned against the Israelites.
Further on, after losing at least 36 of Israel's men and the people begin to drown in despair, Joshua's humanity shows itself in vv.6-9: Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and [with great sorrow] they put dust on their heads. 7 Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord [a]God, why have You brought this people across the Jordan at all, only to hand us over to the Amorites, to destroy us? If only we had been willing to live beyond the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say now that [the army of] Israel has turned back [in retreat and fled] before their enemies? 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear about it, and will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will You do for Your great name [to keep it from dishonor]?”
Sounds a bit like us, doesn't it, when life gets pulled out from underneath us and we find ourselves in a situation we didn't think we'd find ourselves in?
But now read what the Lord God has to say: So the Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them [to keep]. They have even taken some of the things under the ban, and they have both stolen and [b]denied [the theft]. Moreover, they have also put the stolen objects among their own things. 12 That is why the [c]soldiers of Israel could not stand [and defend themselves] before their enemies; they turned their backs [and ran] before them, because they have become accursed. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from among you. 13 Rise up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: “There are things under the ban among you, O Israel. You cannot stand [victorious] before your enemies until you remove the things under the ban from among you.” 14 In the morning you shall come forward by your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which the Lord chooses by lot shall come forward by families, and the family which the Lord chooses shall come forward by [separate] households, and the household which the Lord chooses shall come forward man by man. 15 It shall be that the one who is chosen with the things under the ban shall be [killed and his body] burned with fire, he and all that belongs to him, because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he has done a [d]disgraceful and disobedient thing in Israel.’”
And just like Joshua falling to his knees in despair, how many times have we heard God say to us, "Get up!"
Israel lost blessing from God because of a hidden sin that had taken place somewhere among them. We learn later that a man named Achan (vv. 16-21), a descendant from the tribe of Judah, was the one who committed this hidden sin. When questioned by Joshua who urged him to confess what he had done and to not hide it (v. 19), this was Achan's reply: 20 So Achan answered Joshua and said, “In truth, I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, and this is what I have done: 21 when I saw among the spoils [in Jericho] a [e]beautiful robe from Shinar (southern Babylon) and two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I wanted them and took them. Behold, they are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”
In short, Achan saw. He then coveted. Finally he took. And Achan is not the first to fall into this. It started in the garden with Eve just before she and Adam sinned; she saw (the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good & Evil)..she coveted (it looked soooooooooo good!)....and then she took (she ate the fruit and gave some to Adam). It happened again with King David before his sin with Bathsheba. First he saw (she was bathing)...he coveted (he wanted her for his own at any cost)...finally he took (not only did he commit adultery with her but also sent her husband Uriah to the front line of battle knowing full well he wouldn't make it out of there alive). But there's another parallel in these two situations. In both, an attempt was made to hide from or cover their sin. Adam and Eve not only dressed themselves in fig leaves out of shame of their nakedness but when they heard God's voice speaking to them they tried to hide from him. King David covered his sin for nearly a year before God sent Nathan who lovingly but firmly called him out on his actions.
How many of us are like Achan with our own secret stash? I'm not talking about the kind of secret stash that involves special gifts for impromptu occasions or sweet treats you want to save for later. I'm talking about a secret stash of sin--something we know about, something we know we shouldn't be doing, involved in, or privy to but for whatever reasons of our own we are. Something we keep hidden from the all encompassing eyes of the world around us and we are arrogant enough to think that these things are lost on the eye of God. We aren't fooling anyone. Well, maybe we are...for a little while. But even while we think we have the world around us duped there is One whose eyes we will never be able to pull the wool over no matter how hard we try and that One is God!
Achan believed he could cheat God and live in disobedience and still go on business as usual. King David believed he could keep God's favor over him even while living in blatant sin. Eve believed the lies of the serpent that she would like God and that there was no way possible that she and Adam would die if they partook of that lovely, delicious fruit. I foolishly believed I could go my own way and live as I pleased and still stay in right relationship with God. Let me tell you from first hand experience--it doesn't work that way! You cannot willfully and deliberately live in sin and disobedience and not have its repercussions find their way back to you at one point or another. You cannot live wrong and expect right results.
The reminder of chapter 7 says this: So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and they saw the stolen objects hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. 23 And they took them from the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the sons of Israel, and [f]spread them out before the Lord. 24 Then Joshua and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the [royal] robe, the bar of gold, [g]his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and everything that he had; and they brought them up to the Valley of Achor (Disaster). 25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought disaster on us? The Lord will bring you disaster this day.” Then all Israel stoned them [to death] with stones; afterward they burned their bodies in the fire. 26 Then they piled up over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Achor (Disaster) to this day.
The result of Achan's sin was death. Not only his own but those of his children, his livestock, and pretty much everything he owned was destroyed. I know, that does seem a bit harsh. But here's the thing--even though Scripture isn't very clear on this it is quite possible that Achan's children helped dear old dad hide his ill gotten booty. Perhaps once they saw they began to covet and then helped to take as well. Whether they did or whether they didn't, the bottom line is this, your secret stash of sin doesn't just affect your life; it affects the lives of those around you as well. You cannot live in sin and disobedience and not have it spill over onto the ones you hold dear.
Achan was remorseful but his was not the remorse that leads to repentance and a new way of living. His was remorse for no more than the fact that he had been caught. Nowhere in the aforementioned Scriptures is there any indicators at all of him wanting to repent and start again. Many of us share in Achan's remorse, being sorry only for getting caught and unwilling to give up his sin. King David most likely felt this kind of remorse until Nathan brought him face to face with what he had done. It was then that his heart was truly broken for what broke the heart of God and he cried out, seeking God's face, His mercy and compassion. David was sincerely remorseful. God knew his heart, He saw his heart, and David was restored to fellowship with God. The good king still had to face the consequences of his actions yet even still he became known as a man after God's own heart. Therein lies the difference between Achan and King David.
With that, I ask again:
What has life been like since you made a profession of faith and took on the name of "Christ-follower"?
Has it been all lollipops and rainbows?
Have you been able to get through each day without a bump in the road?
Are your relationships without strife, your words full of edification, your thoughts those of purity, and your actions swift and constant?
Are you pressing forward clothed in faith, assurance, trust, and confidence in the good and beautiful life Almighty God has laid out for you, knowing full well of His great and unconditional love for you?
As the line in "O What A Beautiful Morning" from the musical "Oklahoma" reads is "everything going your way"?
Have you sinned since taking that step of faith? Do you still?
But here I am going to add this:
Are you an Achan who tries to conceal his sin and still live as you usually do?
Or are you King David who, after being confronted, genuinely repents and continues to seek the will of God regardless of what hand life may deal?
Devotional Time
Take a minute or two to quiet your heart before God. Ask Him to search your heart and to bring to light anything hidden that should no longer remain hidden. Receive His forgiveness and just bask in His mercies and grace. Journal any thoughts or reflections He brings to mind.
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