READ
Joshua 5:13 - 7:26 Psalm 123
Verses chosen for meditation - Joshua 7:24-26
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
REFLECT
Joshua 5 to 7 told us about how God delivered Jericho to the Israelites. In fact the method was not through Trojan Horse or powerful catapults, but a rather unprecedented way of marching around the city for 7 days and with a shout! It was a good thing that the Israelites followed this instruction without questioning the logic behind this military strategy devised by God himself. I enjoyed that part of the readings but what I dragged on reflecting was the part on the sin of Achan. From the meditation verses we learned that Achan and his family and livestock faced deadly and gruesome consequences for disobeying God. They were stoned and burned. I was questioning the fatherly and merciful nature of our God in these verses that I read.
So Achan:
- Was from the respectable tribe of Judah and I believe his ancestors would have been diligently teaching him all about the great things God has done for Israel
- Would have heard or experienced God’s judgement on his ancestors in the wilderness when they disobeyed and disbelieved
- Had eaten the manna provided by God
- Had gone through the circumcision of the male Israelites to mark God’s covenant;
- Partook in the Passover feast to commemorate God’s deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt before entering Jericho
So why did Achan disobey God’s clear command and instruction (and warning of destruction for disobedience)? He should have been quite contented with what he already had (families, livestocks, family line of Judah). I strongly believe that he knew that God is all powerful and all knowing. He knew the consequence of disobedience (from what had happened to the first generation in the wilderness). Perhaps he thought that keeping some loots to himself was a petty sin. Or perhaps he was putting God to a test (against the commandment too). Or maybe the temptation (silver and gold) was too hard to resist.
The Israelites have more battles ahead of them in the conquest of Canaan. If there were more of “Achan” in the midst certainly this would place the entire nation in great danger. God was not concerned with the stolen gold and silver that did not go to His treasury but the act of disobedience that would lead Israel to self annihilation.
RELATE
We sometimes tend to take God for granted because we know the fact that He loves us. We disobey because we feel that we do not have the strength to overcome the temptation and the fatal attraction of this world. After all we are only human. But some trivial sin and disobedience may trigger a bigger threat to our lives, career and even the integrity of our families. Just like the case of Achan where his disobedience eventually killed his whole family and also put the entire nation at stake (defeat by Ai). The reason is very simple - without God the Israelites could not have conquered any enemy on their own (with their numbers and military might). They are helpless without God and disobedience renounce that reliance on God. Isn’t this renunciation an act of self destruction? I always feel that I am closest to God when my life is at the bottom of the pit. That is where my own power, pride and ability has been fully exhausted and I can only put my entire faith and trust in Him. In good times it may seem that all my achievement is due to my own hard-work and ability. But it is God who places me in this favourable environment, health and supportive family. We all experience God’s favour and miracle in times of struggles and illness. I would like to continue to remind myself of God’s goodness on daily basis and to pray for joyful obedience because I am nothing without Him.
PRAY
God of mercy and grace, we thank You for Your instruction for they are good for us. In this treacherous and vulnerable world, we are nothing without You. Continue to keep us safe by Your word and instruction so we may not perish but have a sustainable future, and everlasting life. In Jesus name we ask, Amen,.
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