Stick to Your Standards
- Rev. Jerry Lepasana
- Feb 19, 2006
- Series: Moving into a Great Future
STICK TO YOUR STANDARDS
Joshua 7:1-9
- But the Israelites acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord's anger burned against Israel.
- Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, "Go up and spy out the region." So the men went up and spied out Ai.
- When they returned to Joshua, they said, "Not all the people will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary all the people, for only a few men are there."
- So about three thousand men went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai,
- who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted and became like water.
- Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads.
- And Joshua said, "Ah, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan!
- O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies?
- The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?"
Today, there's this popular tag line that the city of Las Vegas has used for promotion, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas."
The slogan caught my attention because I believe that it reflects the most basic lie of Satan concerning sin, and it's unfortunate that many people are buying it.
Is there really such a thing as "a secret sin"? Can someone ever commit sin without anyone knowing it? Our text this morning will clearly expose the absurdity of this idea, and at the same time put out a serious warning to anyone who carelessly plays around with sin.
Chapter 7 is a sad and tragic passage. From just experiencing a great victory in Jericho, the passage narrates Israel's huge defeat in Ai. How could this happen? Last Sunday, we took the time to uncover the major factors that contributed to their victory:
- They chose to be allied with Almighty God
- They carried out His instructions
- They complied to His instructions till the end
The truth is if they wanted to continually win, they should have stuck to these standards. However, somewhere along the line, they ignored these standards. And as a result, we would find that they had to pay a dear price for their carelessness. Studying our text, I would like to share three ways on how we can stick to our standards, and avoid tragic defeats in our lives.
I DETECT THE BEGINNING OF COMPROMISE: (vs. 1-5)
Our text opens with a strong conjunction "but" to emphasize the contrast between the victory in Jericho and the tragic defeat in Ai. Reading this, it should remind us concerning the danger in success. Most often success breeds carelessness. We have to be careful after great victories because we usually have the tendency to lower our guards and become vulnerable to temptations. Why? Because pride takes over.
In verse 1, notice how Achan disobeyed the Lord concerning the "devoted things." In the previous chapter, God explicitly told commanded them about this:
- But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it.
- All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury."
Why would Achan be so careless? Reading the following verses will give us a hint.
Joshua sent some men to survey Ai, which is the next city to be conquered. When these men returned, they recommended that there's no need to send all the fighting men, just send two to three thousand men because Ai was such a small city.
Can you sense some pride? Notice that there was no mention of seeking the Lord's guidance, or prayer. They just did what they thought was right. And this resulted to a very discouraging defeat.
I personally believe that as far as Achan was concern, the success in Jericho brought some overconfidence or pride. The feeling that he can do something wrong and get away with it and thinking that he knew what was right for him without listening to God were sure manifestations of pride. Well, King Solomon provided a warning for this behavior:
25) There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
We have to watch out for pride or the spirit that says we can make it through this life even if we don't take God seriously because it can lead us into a life of sin. This will surely lead to a life of misery and heartache.
II DECIPHER THE DECEPTION:
Despite his knowledge of the prohibition concerning the devoted things, Achan willfully disobeyed. Evidently, he was deceived by sin on the following areas:
A. Sin could make him happier/better: (vs. 20-21)
Listen to Achan talked about why he took what God has forbidden:
- Achan replied, "It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done:
- When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath."
According to some studies, the loot of Achan would roughly amount to $25, 000 today (Philip Keller, Joshua Mighty Warrior and Man of Faith).
With these riches, he probably thought life would be better and he could be happier. It is true that some sins may bring happiness, but they are always short-lived.
He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.
B. Sin could be hidden:
When Achan buried his loot, he thought no one would know. He forgot the fact that God was watching.
"But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.
There is no such thing as "a secret sin" because nothing escapes God's watchful eye. We can fool ourselves and others, but never the Lord.
C. Sin would never hurt:
The most tragic of all is the fact that Achan underestimated the consequences of sin. This sin resulted to the following:
- The defeat of Israel in Ai (vs. 4-5) - Israel was routed out from Ai and thirty six of their fighting men died.
- The depreciation of God's name (v. 9) - Their defeat brought shame on the name of God.
- The death of Achan and his family:
- Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold wedge, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor.
- Joshua said, "Why have you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today." Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them.
- Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.
Sin's consequences should never be taken lightly. Achan was not the only one who suffered, but his whole family and the entire nation of Israel as well. I hope none of us will fall into Satan's traps by believing his lies concerning sin. Sin will absolutely destroy us and sometimes even the people close to us.
III DEAL VIGOROUSLY WITH IT: (vs. 10- 13)
Instead of hiding our sins, we must deal with it vigorously. After the defeat in Ai, Joshua cried out to the Lord and inquired why it had happened. Then, the Lord exposed the sin in the camp and instructed them to deal with it by removing it.
"Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, 'Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: That which is devoted is among you, O Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove it.
Sin should never be ignored or tolerated. It must be removed. Notice also the last part of the verse, God also said that they cannot win against their enemies without dealing with Achan's sin. The Bible reminds us in Proverbs 28:13:
He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
There is a big relationship between the way we deal with our sins and our blessings. God prospers us when we confess our sins. Joshua told Achan to give glory to God by confessing his sins:
Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and give him the praise. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me."
Indeed, we glorify God when we confess our sins. And for sure we will abound in His blessings when we do our best to live righteously before Him.