Just Achan for Trouble

 

Just Achan for Trouble

So, the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the whole country. But Israel violated the instructions about the things set apart for the LORD. A man named Achan had stolen some of these dedicated things, so the LORD was very angry with the Israelites. (Josh. 6:27; 7:1)

Kids, summertime, a backyard pool and water wings. We called them Floaties. Maybe they’re called something different today. But whatever you called them, you wanted those blown-up flotation devices to do both – propel your kids like Superman and keep them afloat when they hit the water because, well, the kids could only fly so far. Unless, of course, dad gave them a little help. But more often than not, I was on the receiving end of their adventure, encouraging them to sprout their wings and fly because dad would be there to catch them when gravity took over. They’d launch into the pool like a rocket, and I was there to ensure their safe re-entry.

Never once did they question my judgment or strength. Their mom did. A pediatrician would have. But never in the launch cycle of a thousand rockets did my kids ever say to me, "Have you thought this through, Dad?" Or "I'm not sure you can catch me." Or how about, "Are you sure you know how to do this, Dad? Maybe you should practice with one of the neighbor kids." Never once did they think I’d drop them. Dad says he can, then he can. Dad says he will, then he will. They trusted me. After all, I was their father. Oh, that we would trust ours.

Jesus once declared, "The work God wants you to do is this: believe the one he sent." (John 6:29) Everything begins with faith. The absence of it results in aimless wandering. The presence of it results in living out the life God intended. It's really that simple. It was for Joshua. He didn't launch himself into a swimming pool, mind you, but he trusted God to open rivers, collapse strongholds and pry the devil's fingers off of the promised land. Joshua trusted God, and almost everyone followed his example. But one man refused. His name was Achan.

Never heard of the guy? You’re not alone. We tend to gravitate toward happier Bible stories. We love Peter's redemption, Saul's conversion and Samson's restoration. But Achan's corruption? It’s not the stuff of Sunday school songs. Yet his story survived the final edits of the book of Joshua. God kept it in there for a reason. It's not a happy story; it’s not a pleasant read. In fact, you might want to brace yourself for its solemn warning. And the prior chapter had ended on such a high note. "So, the LORD was with Joshua." (Josh. 6:27) Jericho was demolished. No rock or enemy was left standing. The stage was set for the Hebrews to run the table. The citadel was in shambles. The word was out, and the Hebrews were emboldened. Joshua's face was on the evening news. "So, the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the whole country." (v. 27)

So. Such a great word. Sadly, the so at the end of chapter 6 becomes a but at the beginning of chapter 7. “But Israel violated the instructions about the things set apart for the LORD. A man named Achan had stolen some of these dedicated things, so the LORD was very angry with the Israelites.” (Josh. 7:1) Here’s the dossier on Achan. He had a wife. He had a family. He had oxen, donkeys, sheep and a tent. (v. 24). He had a place in the bloodline of Judah, and, most of all, he blatantly and deliberately violated the following command: “Do not take any of the things set apart for destruction, or you yourselves will be completely destroyed, and you will bring trouble on the camp of Israel. Everything made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron is sacred to the LORD and must be brought into his treasury.” (6:18-19) Bottom line? Achan stole from God.

The instructions were clear. Don't touch the stuff. Don't make necklaces out of the gold. Don't make medals out of the bronze. No souvenirs. No trinkets. No Jericho jewelry. No nothing. No kidding. God had high hopes for these Hebrew people. Through them the Scriptures would be written, the prophets would come, and the Messiah would descend. God needed them to trust him, and him alone. Hasn't that been the message of Joshua so far? Who opened the Jordan River? Who led the people across on dry ground? Who brought down the Jericho walls? Who fought for and delivered his people? God did. They never went without provision. They may have grown weary of manna-nut bread, but they were never hungry. And he didn’t just give them food because God gave them clothing and good health, too.

Moses once reminded the Hebrews, "Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years." (Deut. 8:4) God echoed that message: "During the forty years that I led you through the wilderness, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet." (Deut. 29:5) The following phrases were never heard in the wilderness: "I need to soak my feet in Epsom salts." "Oh, bummer, my robe has a rip in it." "Hey, new sandals? Where’d you get ‘em?" Podiatrists, tailors and cobblers had a lot of time on their hands. No want for food. No need for clothing. Never a blister or a bunion. God provided for them. God provided everything.

In God's Promised Land society, he was the sole source of blessing. He knew what would happen if the soldiers collected treasures – they would stop trusting him and start trusting stuff. Think about it. They were just a bunch of hayseed Bedouins, most of them conceived and born in the wilderness. Hebrews in Jericho were like gypsies on Rodéo Drive. The gold would bedazzle them; the bracelets and rings would entrance them; the shekels, the jewelry, the silk . . . the Hebrews were ill-prepared to own that kind of stuff. And Achan proved the point. He saw the bling and forgot his King. And God's discipline was immediate and severe. Here’s the backstory.

A few miles north of Jericho sat the encampment of Ai, not to be confused with Ai as in “artificial intelligence.” Joshua circled the name of the city on his war room wall map and told his officers to attack. Flush with a Jericho victory, he assumed the small town would be an easy target. The entire village numbered only twelve thousand. Joshua had that many men on his night watch. So, he sent a reduced battalion: three thousand soldiers. But Joshua was in for a big surprise. The town was a kennel of pit bulls. The people of Ai bit back, and Joshua's division raced home discouraged, disheveled and licking their wounds. “The men of Ai chased the Israelites from the town gate as far as the quarries, and they killed about thirty-six who were retreating down the slope. The Israelites were paralyzed with fear at this turn of events, and their courage melted away.” (Josh. 7:4-5)

Joshua's mighty men crawled underneath their blankets and trembled. Joshua didn't know what to think. He was coming off a string of victories and miracles. Jordan. Jericho. The rescue of Rahab. Undefeated. Undaunted. Undeniably the new force in Canaan. And now this? So, our hero had a meltdown. He tore his clothing and fell on his face. He prayed like the Hebrews of the wilderness days. He regretted the invasion and accused God of setting them up for failure. "Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan!" (Josh. 7:7) Joshua came undone, but God was far from being done. "[T]he LORD said to Joshua, 'Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this?'" (v. 10) So Joshua pulled himself to his feet, and God told him that there was trouble in the camp. “Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. And they have not only stolen them but have lied about it and hidden the things among their own belongings. That is why the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat.” (vv. 11-12)

It's not that the people of Ai were formidable. It's more like the Hebrew camp was poisoned. God told Joshua, in so many words, to find the rotten apple before it ruined the whole bunch. So, at God's direction, Joshua did a tribe-by-tribe, then family-by-family, then man-by-man review until Achan confessed. The treasures were hidden in his tent. “I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. Among the plunder I saw a beautiful robe from Babylon, 200 silver coins, and a bar of gold weighing more than a pound. I wanted them so much that I took them. They are hidden in the ground beneath my tent, with the silver buried deeper than the rest.” (vv. 20-21)

It's not hard to re-create Achan's stumble. Along with the other soldiers he had walked through the fallen city. Walls down. Rubble everywhere. Conquest complete. All the spoils of Jericho lay unprotected – the gold, coins, fine garments. Everyone saw the stuff, but everyone else remembered God's command. They saw the treasures and kept going. But Achan? When he thought no one was looking, he "… saw a beautiful robe from Babylon, 200 silver coins, and a bar of gold weighing more than a pound. I wanted them so much that I took them." "I saw . . . I wanted . . . I took." Others saw. Others surely wanted. But only Achan took. Why?

Maybe he wanted a payoff. After all, his side had won the battle. Or maybe he needed an ace in the hole, some money to fall back on in case the Hebrews had lost. Maybe he thought that a nest egg would be nice, as would some negotiating power in case he was taken captive. Whatever the explanation, Achan didn't trust God. He didn't trust God's wisdom. He didn't trust God's ability to provide or protect. In the biblical version of my summertime "Superman" with the kids, Achan doubted God's ability to catch him, and this was the indictment God gave: "he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD." (Josh. 7:15) Achan took matters into his own hands. More literally, he took treasure into his tent and entangled his family in his deceit, and the judgment was swift and the punishment severe. Achan and his family were publicly executed, and all their possessions were burned. A monument was even built at the site as a warning to the people. It was a solemn day in Gilgal. And it’s a solemn warning to us: God is jealous for our trust. He doesn't request it, suggest it, or even remotely recommend it; he demands it. His unvarnished message is clear: "Trust me, and me alone."

What would a search of your tent reveal? A cabinet full of faith, or a closet piled with ambition? A pantry of hope, or a storage bin of stock certificates? For our own sakes, the story of Achan reminds us: don't put your trust in stuff. Paul told Timothy, "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." (1 Tim. 6:17) The "rich in this . . . world." That’s you, and that’s me. If you didn’t make a dime this year but somehow own a cell phone, you’re in the top 58.03% of the richest people in the world. And that’s okay. Prosperity is not an uncommon consequence of faithfulness. (Prov. 22:4) Paul didn't tell the rich to feel guilty about being rich; he just urged caution, because nothing breeds failure like success. Money is just a short-term condition. The abundance or lack of money will only be felt for one lifetime . . . so don't get tangled up in it.

The currency of this world will be worth nothing when you die or when Christ returns, both of which could happen at any moment. If you and I stockpile earthly treasures and not heavenly treasures, what does that say about where we put our trust? Don’t be an Achan. Do you trust in God, or King More? King More is a rotten ruler. For all the promises he makes, he can’t keep a single one. King More will break your heart. But the King of kings will catch you every single time.

Randy

Your Walls Turned Into Stepping Stones

 

Your Walls Turned Into Stepping Stones

Your Walls Turned Into Stepping Stones - Audio/Visual 

 

Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go out or in. But the Lord said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors.” (Joshua 6:1-2)

Here’s what you need to know about the walls of Jericho: they were immense, and they wrapped around the city like a suit of armor – two concentric circles of stone rising a total of forty feet above ground. Impenetrable. Its inhabitants were ferocious and barbaric. They withstood all sieges and repelled all invaders. They were guilty of child sacrifice: "They even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods!" (Deut. 12:31) They were the Bronze-age version of Tren de Aragua (“TdA”). That is until the day Joshua showed up. Until the day his army marched in. Until the day the bricks cracked, and the boulders broke. Until the day everything shook – the stones of the walls, the knees of the king, even the molars of the soldiers. The unassailable fortress met the unstoppable force. Mighty Jericho crumbled. But here’s what you need to know about Joshua: he didn't bring the walls down.

Joshua's soldiers never swung a hammer. His men never dislodged a brick. They never rammed a door or pried loose a stone. The shaking, quaking, rumbling and tumbling of the thick, impervious walls? God did that for them. And God will do the same for you. Your Jericho may be your fear. Your Jericho may be your anger, bitterness or prejudice; your insecurity about the future, guilt about the past or your negativity, anxiety and proclivity to criticize, overanalyze and/or compartmentalize. Your Jericho is any attitude or mind-set that keeps you from joy, peace and rest. Jericho. It stands between you and your life in Christ. It mocks you and tells you to take your dreams back to the wilderness. It stands like an ogre on the bridge of progress. It’s big, and it’s evil. It blocks your way. And its walls must fall.

To live where God intends you to be, you must face your Jericho. It's not always easy. Every level of inheritance requires a disinheritance from the devil. Satan must be moved off before a saint can move in. Joshua told his people to "go in to possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess." (Josh. 1:11) The verb translated possess means to occupy – as in driving out the previous tenants and possessing what used to be their place. Satan won't leave without a fight. He’ll resist. He’ll push back. But he won’t win because God has already declared that you’re the victor. Satan, defanged and defeated at Calvary, has no authority over you. God's word to Joshua then is God's word to us today: "Be strong and of good courage." (v. 6)

Don’t heed your fear. Don’t cower before your woes. Take the land and the life that God has given you to possess. "And the LORD said to Joshua: 'See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor.'" (6:2) God didn’t say, "Go take the city, Joshua." God said, "Joshua, receive the city I have already taken." Joshua didn’t go up against Jericho hoping to win; he knew that God had already won. The same can be said about you and your challenges, too. God doesn’t say, "Break your bad habit, Randy." He says, "Randy, I have broken the bad habits of your life. Receive the blessing of my victory." Remember, you are a co-heir with Christ. Every attribute of Jesus is at your disposal. Was Jesus victorious? Did Jesus overcome sin and death? Yes, thanks be to God. So, will you be victorious? Can you overcome sin and death? Yes and yes.

The question is not, will you overcome? It’s when will you overcome? Life will always bring challenges. But God will always give you the strength to face them. Things are different in Christ. Hang-ups and addictions don’t have the last word. Today's trouble is not necessarily tomorrow's obstacle. Don't incarcerate yourself by assuming that it is, and resist the urge to self-label, i.e., "I'm just a worrier," or "Gossip is my weakness," or maybe, "My dad was a drinker, so I’m doomed to carry on the tradition." These words create alliances with the devil. They grant him access to your spirit. It’s not God's will that you live a defeated, marginalized, unhappy and weary life. Ignore the old voices and make new choices. "The land you have given me is a pleasant land. What a wonderful inheritance!" (Ps. 16:6) Live out of your inheritance in Christ, not out of your circumstance in life.

God has already promised a victory. And he has provided weapons for the fight. I can just picture the soldiers perking up as Joshua, their commander, announces, "It’s time to take Jericho, boys!" "Great!" they reply. "We’ve got our ladders and ropes!" "We’ll scale the walls!" "Our spears are sharpened, and our swords are polished!" "Which side do we attack first?" And then Joshua looks at his men and says, "Well, God has a slightly different strategy." The general then outlines the most unlikely of attacks. "Take up the Ark of the Covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD." (Josh. 6:6) Joshua then commands his soldiers to march before and behind the priests. He tells the priests to blow the trumpets continually as they walk around the city once a day. And everyone else? "You shall not shout or make any noise with your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, 'Shout!' Then you will shout." (v. 10)

Wait a minute. No war cry? No hand-to-hand combat? No flashing swords, flying spears, battering rams or catapults? Just priests, rams' horns, and approximately two million people marching in circles not saying a single word? Joshua has at least forty thousand soldiers at his command, and he tells the multitude to just be quiet and watch. What kind of warfare is that? It’s spiritual warfare. Every battle, ultimately, is a spiritual battle. Every conflict is a contest with Satan and his forces. Paul urged us to stand "against the wiles of the devil." (Eph. 6:11) The Greek word he used for "wiles" is methodia, from which we get our English word method. Satan is neither passive nor fair. He’s active and deceptive. He has designs and strategies. Consequently, we need to have a strategy, too; a method. For that reason, "though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds." (2 Cor. 10:3-4)

Just as Jericho was a stronghold in Canaan, we have strongholds in our lives. The apostle Paul used the term to describe a mindset, or attitude. "The weapons of our warfare are . . . mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God." (vv. 4-5) The apostle defined a stronghold as a high thing that "exalts itself against the knowledge of God." It’s a conviction, outlook or belief that attempts to interfere with the truth. Other translations describe a stronghold as "imaginations," (KJV) "pretension," (NIV) "lofty opinion," (ESV) or "warped philosophies." (MSG) A stronghold is a false premise that denies God's promise. It "sets itself up against the knowledge of God." (v. 5) It seeks to eclipse our discovery of God. It attempts to magnify the problem and minimize God's ability to solve it. Does a stronghold have a strong hold on you? Do you see nothing but Jericho? Do you feel nothing but despair? Do you think thoughts of defeat?

Perhaps asked differently, do you speak the language of impossibility? God could never forgive me – the stronghold of guilt. I could never forgive that person – the stronghold of resentment. Bad things always happen to me – the stronghold of self-pity. I have to be in charge – the stronghold of pride. I don't deserve to be loved – the stronghold of rejection. I'll never recover – the stronghold of defeat. I must be good, or God will reject me – the stronghold of performance, not grace. I'm only as good as I look – the stronghold of appearance. My value equals my possessions – the stronghold of materialism. Most Christians don't recognize their strongholds and blithely live in the shadow of these joy-sucking Jericho’s. But we don't have to be among them. Our weapons are from God and have "divine power to demolish strongholds." (2 Cor. 10:4) And isn't that what we want?

We long to see our strongholds demolished and turned into rubble once and for all. We long to see Jericho brought to the ground. But how does that happen? By keeping God at the center. The ark of the covenant was the symbol of the Lord's presence and Joshua placed the ark in the middle of the procession. Every activity orbited around God. We don't attack our Jericho with anger, blame casting or finger-pointing. Instead, we keep God center stage, using the weapons of worship, Scripture and prayer. We employ every tool God offers: hymns, songs, communion, Scripture memorization, and petition. We put down the phone and open the Bible. We remember Jesus' promise: "I am with you always." (Matt. 28:20) We worry less and pray more. We even blast our version of a ram's horn. A ram's horn? Really?

The Hebrews used two instruments: the silver trumpet and the ram's horn. The silver trumpet was used to call the people to assembly. (Num. 10:2) The ram's horn celebrated a battle already won. When Abraham displayed his willingness to give up his son Isaac as an offering, God stopped him and provided a ram. The ram's horn then reminds us of God's sovereign generosity. God gave Abraham a ram of deliverance, and God told Joshua to fill the air with the sounds of a ram's horn victory. And, just as curiously, he told the people to keep quiet. "Don't say a word." (Josh. 6:10) No chitchat. No opinion-giving, or second-guessing. No whining or small talk. Just keep your mouths quiet and the trumpets loud. And then imagine the reaction of the Canaanites as Joshua's army marched circles around them.

The first day they mocked the Hebrews. The second day they scoffed again, but not as loudly. By the fourth and fifth days, the enemy had grown silent. What are these Hebrews up to? they wondered. On the sixth day the Canaanites were dry mouthed and wide eyed as the Hebrews made their round. The people of Jericho had never fought a battle like this. Just as challenging is your battle with your archenemy, the devil. He has held this stronghold in your life for months, maybe even years. You've tried everything to overcome it: renewed discipline, self-help books, pop culture gurus. Nothing helps. But now you come in God's power with God center stage, Jesus in your heart, and angels in front and behind you. You come, not with hope of a possible victory, but with the assurance of an absolute victory.

So, march like a Canaan conqueror. Blast your ram's horn. Sing songs of redemption and declare Scriptures of triumph. Marinate your mind with the declaration of Jesus, "It is finished!" (John 19:30), and the announcement of the angels, "He is not here; for He is risen." (Matt. 28:6) Personalize the proclamations of Paul: "We are more than conquerors through [Christ]" (Rom. 8:37), and "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Phil. 4:13)

As you do, the demons will begin to scatter while another Jericho bites the dust. "Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper." (James 4:7) He will retreat. He must retreat because he’s not allowed in the place where God is praised. Just keep praising and walking. Easier said than done, perhaps, because maybe you’ve been walking for a long time, or it seems like it. But it probably seemed that way to the Hebrews, too. Joshua never told them how many trips they would have to make around the city. God told Joshua that the walls would fall on the seventh day, but Joshua didn't share that little detail with the people. They just kept walking. And the truth is, our Joshua didn't tell us either.

Through the pen of Paul, Jesus urges us to be "steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." (1 Cor. 15:58) So keep walking. For all you know this may be the day that the walls will come down. You may be only steps from a moment like this: “On the seventh day . . . they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and marched around the city seven times in the same manner . . . And the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: ‘Shout, for the LORD has given you the city! . . .’ So, the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people . . . took the city. (Josh. 6:15-16, 20) Interestingly, the very walls that kept them out had now become stepping stones upon which they could walk right on in.

A great shaking is coming for this world, too. Our Joshua, Jesus, will give the signal, and a trumpet will blast. He will reclaim every spoil and repel, for the last time, each and every demon. He will do again what he did in Canaan. But until he does, keep marching and believing. Defeat your strongholds with the spiritual weapons of worship, Scripture and prayer. Move from false premises to God's promises. It's just a matter of time before your Jericho comes down, too.

Grace,

Randy