Joshua 7:1-26
Commission and Fruition
In 'Commission and Fruition,' Pastor Albert N. Martin expounds Joshua 6-8, focusing on Achan's sin as an illustration of 'a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump' (1 Corinthians 5). He details the commission of Achan's sin—seeing, coveting, taking, and hiding forbidden items—and its devastating fruition: corporate guilt and impotence for all Israel. Martin applies this narrative to the New Testament church, urging believers to mortify 'Babylonish garments' (worldly sins) and consecrate 'gold and silver' (time, energy, substance) to God, warning that unconfessed, willful sin cripples the entire congregation and provokes God's anger.
Primary Texts
Topics
Outline 7 sections · 57 min
- Review: The Purpose of Old Testament History and the Setting of Achan's Sin 0:05
- The Substance of Achan's Sin: Its Commission 9:00
- Reliving Achan's Sin: A Sanctified Imagination 17:44
- New Testament Application: Babylonish Garments and Consecrated Gold 22:56
- The Fruition of Achan's Sin: Corporate Guilt and Impotence 35:27
- Corporate Impact of Individual Sin in the New Testament Church 41:21
- The Seriousness of Willful, Covered Sin and Its Consequences 45:46
Key Quotes
“Therefore, we do not rightly read the Old Testament narrative when we simply see it as the history of redemption and admire the wisdom and power of God in that history. We must also ask, Lord, what does this portion say to me, where I live, and where I seek to glorify You in my generation.”
“There was this inordinate, forbidden desire to lay hold of that which was accursed and that which was devoted to God.”
“That was his downfall. For if the torch is there, if the torch had consumed it immediately, there would have been no garment to see, hence no garment to covet, hence no garment to take, and no garment to hide. And it was the pausing of the torch of destruction that opened the door.”
“You see God's list of Babylonish garments. Those things that are devoted to destruction God says they are to be put to death not tolerated. They are to be put off all of them no exception the torch of New Testament mortification is to touch all of them without exception.”
“God distinguishes between the personal guilt of the actual sin of Achan for which he alone is responsible and the corporate guilt of the nation of Israel for which they as a nation are responsible.”
“The sin of one individual in covenant relationship to God and his people radically affects the whole body of which that individual is a part.”
“No no we're dealing with deliberate calculated willful sin sin committed sin covered and sin resolutely and continually buried that's what we're talking about there's a qualitative difference between the sin of Achan and that common measure of sin that adheres to all the people of God.”
“The one thing on earth that is to reflect the glory of his name now becoming the occasion of the reproach of his name I ask you this morning to pray to face the fact that Jerichos are nothing before the God of Israel when Israel is obeying that God.”
Applications
All listeners
- Ask, 'Lord, what does this portion say to me, where I live, and where I seek to glorify You in my generation?' when reading Old Testament narrative.
- Examine whether you are an 'Achan' in the church, refusing to deal with things devoted to destruction or to consecrate what belongs to God.
- Put to death all 'Babylonish garments' (sins like fornication, uncleanness, anger, malice, lying) without exception, applying the 'torch of New Testament mortification' to them.
- Deal with any cherished spirit of bitterness or unforgiveness, recognizing it as a 'Babylonish garment' that must be done away with.
- Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, consecrating your redeemed humanity and all its faculties to God.
- Do not withhold your time, energy, faculties, abilities, talents, tithes, and offerings from God, recognizing them as His possession.
- Recognize that your sin, as a member of God's visible community, is serious because it affects the entire body and can cause God to withhold His blessings.
- Examine what forbidden things you have looked upon, coveted, taken, and hidden in your heart, and give glory to God by making full confession.
- Pray for God to show you your 'Babylonish garments' that need the torch of mortification, confession, and resolute forsaking, and the 'shekels of silver and wedges of gold' you are withholding.
- Elders are determined to address unconfessed 'Babylonish garments' and withheld 'property of God' in the flock, even through personal confrontation if general preaching is not sufficient.
- Be gripped with the soberness of these days and pray, 'Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts; see if there be any Babylonish garment in me, any wedges of gold or shekels of silver in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.'
A full transcript is available on the tab. 75 paragraphs, roughly 57 minutes.
Review: The Purpose of Old Testament History and the Setting of Achan's Sin
We come today to the second in our series of studies on Joshua's chapter 6 and 7, and then spilling over a little bit into chapter 8. These chapters, which deal specifically with the sin of Achan, which in turn is an extended illustration of the statement in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. In our introductory study last Lord's Day, I sought to do several things as we approached this passage of Scripture. First of all, I gave you just a general background of the purpose of Old Testament history. Since the portion we are studying is a historical portion, it is historical narrative, it is essential for us to understand the purpose of God in giving us the narrative sections of the Old Testament. And I suggested that this was unique narrative in that it is the history of redemption. It is giving to us a record of God's purposes of redemption as they unfold in promise and fulfillment through the nation of Israel.
And then we... We spent a few moments considering the purpose of this narrative.
And its purpose is twofold. Not only that we might admire the wisdom and grace of God in the unfolding history of redemption, that is a true purpose, Romans 11.36, of Him, through Him, unto Him are all things to whom be glory. So when you read the Old Testament history, you are to see that it is of Him, it is through Him, it is unto Him, and then glorify Him, for the disciples, for the display of His grace and His power.
But there is a second purpose of Old Testament history. And that purpose is stated in passages such as 1 Corinthians 10.11 and 2 Timothy 3.16.
These things were written for our example and for our admonition. The Old Testament history is to be the basis of present admonition. Or in the words of 2 Timothy 3.16, it is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in the way of righteousness.
Therefore, we do not rightly read the Old Testament narrative when we simply see it as the history of redemption and admire the wisdom and power of God in that history. We must also ask, Lord, what does this portion say to me, where I live, and where I seek to glorify You in my generation. Then with that general background, we then began our study proper of the sin of Achan, which I suggested could be broken down into three divisions. You have the setting of the history of Achan's sin, the substance of the history of Achan's sin, and the sequel to the history of Achan's sin. All we covered last Lord's Day was the setting of the story of Achan's sin. This story of the sin of Achan does not come to us in a haphazard way, nor does it come to us arbitrarily as to its point in the book of Joshua. We saw that at the outset of the conquest of Canaan, God was concerned to teach two fundamental lessons to His people.
And the lessons simply stated are these. Everything that would happen in the conquest of Achan, of Canaan, was to happen by the putting forth of divine power on God's part, and secondly, by the putting forth of faith and obedience on the part of His people. Those two principles are what we might call the reinforced structural undergirding of the whole conquest of the land of Canaan. So God teaches, right at this point in their history, that if they are to conquer Canaan, they will conquer by His power.
The first thing to face them is Jericho, the most formidable of all the cities, the most difficult to conquer. And God says, Jericho and everything that follows Jericho will be conquered by the arm of My own power. So He gives to Joshua the revelation of the man with the drawn sword, as Joshua, a military man reconnoiters and surveys Jericho. We read in chapter 5 and verse 13 as he stands by Jericho, there appears to him the man with the drawn sword.
And the message of that revelation of the man with the drawn sword is this, I will conquer as captain of the Lord's host. I will put forth my power to be victor on Bethlehem. I will put forth my power to be victor on behalf of Israel. And then he taught that first lesson.
Secondly, by the very directives he gave for the conquest of Jericho. The conquest was a conquest to be accomplished not by military cunning. God does not direct them to the setting of an ambush. God does not tell them how to line up the soldiers and to break through the walls.
God says, march around the walls, shout, blow the trumpets, and I will give you the city. Jericho then becomes symbolic of the fact that Canaan is to be conquered by the power of God and by the power of God alone. And then the second great lesson God teaches them by the very directives he gives them. Those directives to conquer Jericho demanded faith in the living God.
For they were foolish from a military standpoint. They cut across, crossed every dictate of carnal wisdom, carnal confidence, carnal methodology. God says walk around the walls, blow your trumpets and shout and Jericho will be yours. And then secondly he taught that lesson by that peculiar requirement in chapter 6 verses 17 to 19 in which he says everything in Jericho is devoted, that is accursed, it is to be destroyed except.
Rehab, Rehab and her family all of the gold and the silver and the precious metals which are to be brought back for the sanctuary and service of God. Now the whole point of this background, this setting of the narrative of Achan's sin as it applies to us is this and with this we end our review as we as a congregation have come to this point in God's dealings with us. And we face a whole new dimension of responsibility and ministry as we contemplate the purchase of land and the construction of a building that unlike this it has already had 50 years service in various functions all the way from preserving Hungarian traditions by the Hungarian American society and perpetrating the goals and aims of the Elks Club for 10 years which were its previous functions. We are thinking about that which will be we trust the place where men will gather to worship for years to come and the perspectives of what New Testament worship and ministry are and what they should be will be reflected in the decisions made over the coming weeks
and months and as we stand at this critical point as a church our Jericho in that sense is before us. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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The Substance of Achan's Sin: Its Commission
has a very peculiar and pointed message to us. So much then for the setting of the story and this review, now we come this morning to the substance of the history of Achan's sin. This brings us, of course, into chapter 7 itself. You will find that the substance of this story can be divided into three very natural divisions.
First of all, we have the sin, its commission. Verse 1, But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the devoted thing. Then, beginning with verse 2, we have the sin in its fruition. What were the immediate results of this sin?
Verses 2 through 5 tell us those results. So you have the sin, its commission. Verse 1, the sin, its fruition. Verses 2 to 5.
And then, thirdly, you have the sin, its purgation. How did God root this sin out of Israel? Verses 6 through to the end of the chapter, verse 26. The sin, its commission.
The sin, its fruition. The sin, its purgation. First, first of all, then, the sin, its commission. Look closely at verse 1.
But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the devoted thing. For Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, the tribe of Judah, took of the devoted thing, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel. Here we have, in verse 1, a condensed statement of the actual commission of the sin. It is described in these words, Achan took of the devoted thing.
That is, an item which was destined to destruction. This was, of course, a clear, deliberate, high-handed violation of the command of God in verse 18, of chapter 6. But as for you, keep yourselves from the devoted thing. Lest when ye have devoted it, ye take of the devoted thing, so would you make the camp of Israel accursed and trouble it.
Now, in verses 20 and 21 of this same chapter, we have a more detailed description of the commission of this sin. Let us look at it. And Achan answered Joshua and said, Of a truth I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, and thus, and thus have I done. When I saw among the spoil a goodly Babylonish mantle, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them, and behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of the temple, and the silver under it. Here the commission of the sin can be kept very clearly in our minds by circling the verbs that Achan uses in his confession. I saw, and then he mentions the items, I coveted, they are hid. I saw, I coveted, I took, and they are hid.
What was it that he saw? Well, first of all, he says, I saw a Babylonish mantle, or as you have it in the margin of the ASV, a mantle of Shinar. Now, Shinar is the word used to describe the large region of which the city of Babylon was a part, much as we might say New England, and then mention Boston as a part of New England. And one of the things for which this area was noted was its costly, beautiful, ornamented garments.
One of the great commodities for international trade for this section of the world was its garments. These garments were ornate. They were oft times ornamented with pictures and distributed far and wide by the medium of commerce and of trade. And Achan saw one of these goodly, Babylonish garments.
Also, he says that he saw 200 shekels of silver and a wedge of gold of 50 shekels. Now, trying to work out the rate of exchange from shekels into English money or into American money is difficult, especially these days. The difficulty is amplified if you even use a Bible dictionary that was printed five years ago. But suffice it to say, this was not, not peanuts.
It wasn't as though he saw a handful of chains that someone had dumped out of his pocket as he was running out of his house to flee from the advancing army. This was a substantial amount of money. The substantial medium of exchange, gold and silver then as it is now. And so he saw this substantial amount of money.
Now, notice the two things. There's the Babylonish garment, that which had been devoted to destruction, that upon which God had pronounced his curse that was to be consumed with fire, and secondly, that which was precious metal and was to be brought into the sanctuary of God. Those were the two items that he saw. Now, what did he do with them?
The next verb. I coveted them. That is, as my eyes rested upon them, I began to have burning within my bosom, a desire to possess them, and a desire to possess them at any cost. For since the directives of Joshua were fresh in his mind, the moment the affections of Achan began to be set upon these items, the word of God through Joshua came, as it were, rushing into his consciousness, devoted to destruction, was written over the Babylonish garment, and brought, up to the sanctuary of God, was written over the gold and the silver. But as he began to think of what the garment would mean as he would wear it, as he began to think of what the silver and gold could bring to him as a medium of exchange, he coveted. There was this inordinate, forbidden desire to lay hold of that which was accursed and that which was devoted to God. Then he says, I took them.
Here's the progression. He sees the organ of the eye coveting an activity of the heart, and it wasn't long before what the eye saw and the heart desired, the hand took. And so he says, I took them. Instead of placing the torch to the garment to consume it, instead of taking the gold and silver with the intent of bringing it to those appointed to gather it and return it to the house, to the house of God, I took them.
And then furthermore, he says, conscious that I was wrong, conscious that I had no right to have possession of a Babylonish garment, nor the gold nor silver, I deliberately and willfully hid them in my tent, probably implicating his own family, because there isn't that much privacy in a tent that you can hide something sufficiently from the eyes of the other members. And so he says, I took them. Instead of placing the torch to the garment, he says, I took them. Instead of placing the torch to the garment, I deliberately and willfully hid them in my tent, because there isn't that much privacy in a tent that you can hide something sufficiently from the eyes of the other members without implicating them in the act of duplicity.
Reliving Achan's Sin: A Sanctified Imagination
Now, these are just the facts. I've not used an ounce of imagination. I've simply given to you the words as they stand describing the sin of Achan in its commission. But will you try to relive it with me?
that all of the children of Israel were in their proper ranks. The priests were in their appointed place, the trumpeters in their place, and all the others in strict rank as they marched around the walls for six days, four six days, once a day, and seven times on the last day. But God had directed them that when the walls fell flat, every man was to go up straight before Him. And we read in verse 20 that they shouted with a great shout of chapter 6, the wall fell flat, so the people went up into the city, every man straight before Him.
That is, they broke rank, and they went out as it were, individually straight ahead of them, and began the work of destruction. So we can well imagine that each man had his own torch. He would enter into one house and set the torch to the necessary items to begin the conflagration that would consume that household. He'd run out of the burning house, and he'd touch the torch to all that he saw that everything might be devoted to destruction.
When he saw some of the precious metals, he would take them and bring them probably to an appointed place from whence they would be gathered and brought back to the camp of Israel. Achan, we have every right to assume what's doing as all the others did. Every man straight before Him. The torch to consume, and then the desire to gather the precious metals.
But now picture Achan. His torch is already consumed, three or four homes. And now he comes to a home which as he begins to enter it has the marks of affluence and wealth that the other homes did not have. And as he enters that home, having gone straight before Him, he has no companions with him.
And as his torch is there and he's about to set fire to the contents of that home, his eye spies that beautiful Babylonish garment hanging in the place where people hung their garments in Jericho. And rather than just working out with unquestioned obedience the command of God, everything shall be devoted to destruction. He pauses for a moment with his torch.
That was his downfall. For if the torch is there, if the torch had consumed it immediately, there would have been no garment to see, hence no garment to covet, hence no garment to take, and no garment to hide. And it was the pausing of the torch of destruction that opened the door. And the more he looks upon it, he then begins to rationalize, well, that's a lovely garment.
And I've already consumed the entire contents of three or four houses with my torches. This is just one garment. One garment. One garment amongst the many that I have destroyed and shall yet destroy.
And it is such a beautiful thing. And he imagines how he will look when dressed in that garment. He imagines how it will be if in the history of Israel down the road a few months when people forget the conquest of Jericho and will not question where he obtained it when he walks out amongst his peers cloaked in this beautiful garment of Shinar. And as he thinks upon it, his torch bears that garment.
And he takes it from the rack upon which it hangs and he folds it neatly and lays it to the side. And as he's about to set his torch to the rest of the household, he sees the other mark of wealth, the silver and the gold. And making sure that none of his patriots, his compatriots are near him, he begins to contemplate what that gold and silver will mean. And he begins to think about all of the gold and all of the silver that is being brought from Jerusalem.
From Jericho, by all of the other men. And begins to rationalize, well, what does this little wedge of gold mean? Amongst so much. I mean, God is not unreasonable.
Certainly God is not a miser. And I can well, God can well afford the loss of this gold and silver. And the loss to Him will be nowhere near as great as the gain to me. And he rationalizes and then ultimately folds the gold and silver in the garment and finds, in some place to stick it amidst the folds of his own garments.
And then he sets the torch to the rest of the contents and stealthily leaves the house. And his fellow Israelites look behind and they see another house going up in smoke and consumed with fire. And they say to him, Akin, you've destroyed and devoted another house, haven't you? Oh, yes, I have.
Yes, yes. And on to another. I took. I hid.
And therein, in my tent.
New Testament Application: Babylonish Garments and Consecrated Gold
Now that's what we have in the way of the facts of Akin's sin. This is what we have in terms of a little sanctified imagination that tells us what the process could actually have been in the history of Akin. By way of application, let me say, is Akin only in the narrative of Joshua?
Or is he sitting here in the Trinity Baptist Church today? Upstairs in this auditorium? Downstairs in the overflow room? Am I speaking to a member of the covenant community of God?
A child of God who knows the will of God concerning those things that are devoted to destruction and those things that are to be consecrated to God yet who refuses to deal with those items devoted to destruction, who refuses to render to God that which is His?
Let me amplify. What I believe to be the New Testament application of the Babylonish garment and the wedge of gold and the shekels of silver. The Babylonish garment was an item devoted to destruction. An Israelite and a Babylonish garment incompatible.
For it was devoted to destruction. It could not be brought into the service of God. It could only come under the fire of God. Under the fire of judgment.
And I see in this God's pointing to those things that are woven from the raw materials of the world, the flesh and the devil which are in themselves offensive to God and concerning which God says there is to be but one disposition putting the torch of mortification to them until they are consumed by the fire the fire of the Spirit of God. Listen to the New Testament description of those Babylonish garments. I read from Colossians chapter 3 and verse 5. Colossians chapter 3 and verse 5. Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth fornication uncleanness passion evil desire and covetousness which is idolatry for which things say cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience wherein ye once walked when ye lived in these things but now do ye also put them all away.
They are devoted to destruction every one of them. What are they?
Anger wrath malice rage anger anger wailing shameful speaking out of your mouth lie not one to another seeing that ye have put off the old man with his doings and have put on the new man which is being renewed unto knowledge after the image of him that created him. You see God's list of Babylonish garments. Those things that are devoted to destruction God says they are to be put to death not tolerated. They are to be put off all of them no exception the torch of New Testament mortification is to touch all of them without exception.
We are not to reason well by the grace of God the torch has gone to my anger and the torch has gone to my lying and the torch is being applied to this and to that but I will spare the Babylonish garment of my covetousness I will spare the Babylonish garment of my uncleanness I will hide to adorn with some Babylonish garment strived by Paul as that which is to be put to death again in Ephesians chapter 4 we have a whole rack of Babylonish garments verse 25 wherefore putting away falsehood speak ye truth each one with his neighbor for we are members one of another be ye faithful be angry and sin not let not the sun go down upon your wrath let him that stole steal no more but rather let him labor working with his hands the thing that is good that he may have whereof to give to him that hath need let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth but such as is good for edifying as the need may be that it may give grace to them that hear and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God in whom ye were sealed
unto the day of redemption let not the sun go down let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and railing be put away from you with all malice and be ye kind one to another tender hearted forgiving one another even as God for Christ hath sake hath forgiven you verse 3 of chapter 5 but fornication and all cleanliness every form of sexual behavior in my day from you or covetousness let it not be named among let no Babylon in your midst nor filthiness nor foolish talking or jesting which are not befitting that's ribald jesting double innuendo rather giving of thanks this is God's list of Babylonish garments we could go on into other portions of the New Testament but do you see what we're confronting in this passage it is one thing to be humbled in the presence of the awareness or to be humbled in the presence of God at the awareness of my sin it is one thing to face that there are Babylonish garments that I have as it were not been able to put off and I'm crying to God for deliverance
I'm pleading that the tort of mortification may consume them my disposition is set against them I'm using every means at my disposal in the will of God to see them consumed that's one thing but it's quite another to have the Babylonish garment that we have seen that we have coveted that we have taken that we have heaped that is found flat of our hearts today excused not being consumed by the torch of biblical mortification what is your Babylonish garment my friend that devoted to destruction all all , all bitterness there's some cherished spirit of bitterness in your heart this morning someone ignored you someone overlooked you someone didn't do right by you and there is nursing within your spirit of bitterness Babylonish garment let all be done away with unforgiveness be done away with all wrath
all anger now what of the wedge of gold and the shekels of silver are you going to do well you see that which that was the thing that was to be consecrated to God these were the things that were to be given unto him things which were his by right of creation and then by his sovereign decree were to be brought into the service of the sanctuary Joshua 6 19 the New Testament application is clear I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice that's the gold and the shekels of silver my redeemed humanity and all of its faculties is to be presented unto him as a reasonable or spiritual service and sacrifice all the words of 1 Corinthians 6 19 and 20 what know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which ye have of God and ye are not your own ye are bought with a price therefore glorify God in your body which is his my time is his possession my energies are his possession my substance is his possession and the application of the wedge of gold and the shekels of silver zeroes in upon those areas of God's possession which I am knowingly and willfully withholding from
am I speaking to some this morning who are withholding those wedges of that gold which no other gold can purchase called time and you live as though time were your own property your own possession when in reality it is that most valuable commodity which God has purchased to himself through the death of his son so that we do not regard our time as our own to be squandered upon our own interest but in the words of our Lord Jesus we seek to lose our life that in losing it we may save it and advance the gospel our energy our faculties of mind and our abilities and talents whatever they be is there the withholding of that which is rightfully God's what about our tithes and our offerings does the indictment of Malachi come home to us will a man rob God where in God and the answer is in tithes and in offerings the tithe is God's right it predates the law Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek and he did so because he addressed God as possessor of heaven and earth and the tithe is the tangible and sacramental expression that everything I have
is God's speaking to the decadent Pharisees says in Matthew 23 of their tithing these all he had done tithing to man is in coming honoring God with the first fruits of all their increase but not to have left the wavier things undone perhaps some of us have the impression that the liberty and freedom of New Testament worship somehow allows us the indulgence of indifference to God's right some of you are robbing God in your tithes and offerings that which is to be brought into the sanctuary of God as is your energy and time and abilities for the advancement of the kingdom this I say is a little idea of what I believe to be the valid application of the message of Achan's sin in its commission and now if you will please consider with me the sin of Achan in its fruition what made the sin of Achan so serious what makes your sin and my sin so serious if we are members of the visible community of God's people well will you notice that there are two distinct things revealed about the fruition of Achan's sin first of all
The Fruition of Achan's Sin: Corporate Guilt and Impotence
all Israel is rendered guilty before God chapter 7 verse 1 but the children of Israel plural committed a trespass in the devoted thing for Achan singular individual the children of Israel committed a sin for Achan all Israel is rendered guilty before God verse 11 hath sinned they plural have transgressed my covenant yea they have taken of the devoted thing and they have put it among their own stuff you say wait a minute I don't like this why should the sin of one be reckoned the sin of the whole congregation of God put your hand upon your mouth and remember who you are does the scripture say that God held all Israel guilty yes or no then remember you're a student of scripture not a judge hath sinned hath transgressed my covenant in our day of crass individualism in our cry for personal liberty we do not like
this teaching in the passage before us and it's simply one more illustration of that which is taught from the early chapters of Genesis to the last chapter of Revelation God deals with men in community he deals with men in solidarity our father Adam stood or fell for the whole human race that was in him and on whose behalf he was representative that's the explicit teaching of Romans chapter 5 and 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and forms the very framework within which redemption comes to men we have the first Adam the second Adam it's taught again and again throughout the scriptures let me make this statement very clear God distinguishes between the personal guilt of the actual sin of Achan for which he alone is responsible and the corporate guilt of the nation of Israel for which they as a nation are responsible notice now this distinction in chapter 7 and verse 15 and it shall be that he that is taken with the devoted thing shall be burnt with fire he and all that he hath because he hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord and because he hath wrought folly in Israel there is that responsibility which no one
shares with Achan but Achan himself and all who complied with him in his sin likewise there are sins for which Adam is responsible that only Adam will answer for in the day of judgment granted that he will but we must not deny this which is clear in the rest of the passage that all Israel is rendered guilty in some sense before God all Israel partakes of the pollution with which she as a nation is infected when one in her ranks has taken a Babylonish garment and retained gold and silver that belong to God all Israel is rendered guilty before God and the second thing we see as the fruition of Achan's sin all Israel is rendered impotent and unable to advance verse 1 having said that the children of Israel sin notice the last phrase and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel now how did God display his anger verses 2 to 5 tell us look at the account Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai they spied out the land they came back and said ah that's a pushover we've taken Jericho they forgot who took Jericho
we can take Ai just need 3,000 men and you know the story they flee before the men of Ai 36 of their number are killed and Joshua is broken along with the elders of Israel as he sees the name of God in jeopardy all Israel is rendered impotent and unable to advance because the anger of God turns against them notice the specific results now of Achan's sin Israel is rendered impotent because she has given over to the sin of presumption we took Jericho we can take Ai secondly the leaders come under the influence of false counsel the spies came back and said send 3,000 Joshua the general is obeying some privates thirdly men are killed and Israel is defeated verses 4 and 5 fourthly all Israel becomes faint fearful and discouraged look at the vivid description in the hearts of the people melted and became as water then the name of God is about to be reproached verse 9 the Canaanites will hear of this and what will thou do to thy great name that's the fruition of Achan's sin all Israel rendered guilty all Israel
Corporate Impact of Individual Sin in the New Testament Church
rendered impotent and unable to advance by application I must pause to lay before you the fact that these two tragic fruitions contain principles as relevant now as they did then and it can be stated in one simple sentence and here it is the sin of one individual in covenant relationship to God and his people radically affects the whole body of which that individual is a part the sin of one individual in covenant relationship to God and his people radically affects the whole body of which he is a part and it does so particularly in causing an offended God to withhold his blessings needed for spiritual conquests now do you see how relevant this whole passage is to us as a church at this point in our history it is not five or ten deacons who are purchasing land and building a building and setting the direction of the witness and testimony of a church for the next twenty years it is not a few spiritual mature
Trinity Baptists no no the progression and advancement of the cause of Christ through this congregation is the progression and advancement of the congregation as the conquest of Jericho and Ai and the other cities of Canaan were the conquest of the nation of Israel one agent made the nation guilty one agent a nation one agent in Trinity Baptist Church can make us all guilty one agent this entire congregation ah but someone says that's peculiar to the Old Testament is it is there some kind of a dispensational out from the pressure of this text no no my friend listen I quote from the New Testament 1 Corinthians 12 26 when one member of the body suffers all suffer with it 1 Corinthians 5 6 and 7 what know ye not Paul says then leaven it for whole context he's talking
about one incestuous man and his one sin of incest and he says purge that leaven because that one man will influence the whole the whole teaching of Matthew 18 15 and following here's a man in the church and someone sins against him and he says now brother you've sinned will you own your sin and the man says no the Lord says take two witnesses if he won't own his sin bring it to the church if he won't own his sin let him be as heathen in public and why why if the sin was not public it was a private sin one individual to another why be so concerned that one private sin against one man be dealt with even on occasion because one Achan one Achan one Achan with his Babylon his garment with his wedges of gold and his shackles of silver can cripple the whole church of Christ read Revelation 2 and 3 and the messages to the seven churches and you have to same emphasis there was the toleration of one false teacher one area of error but the Lord calls upon the whole church deal with it or I'll take away your candlestick no no my friend this is no arbitrary application of the history of Achan's sin it is simply reading the Old Testament
The Seriousness of Willful, Covered Sin and Its Consequences
in the full blazing light of the new and laying it close upon your conscience now realizing that we have some of this in the Bible and that we have some of this in the Bible and that we have some of this in the Bible and that we have some of this in the Bible ready to halt let me emphasize what should be clear by now when we talk about the sin of Achan the Babylonish garment the wedge of gold and the shackles of silver we are not talking about that common measure of sin that adheres to the best of us James as an apostle had to say in many things we offend all it's significant that Joshua even when he's praying he's praying that God will deal with this sin in the camp it says he was on his face until the evening and some commentators take from this and I believe it's a legitimate inference that he was probably before the offering of the evening sacrifice confessing his own personal sins coming as it were in the New Testament language for that daily cleansing of his feet we are not dealing here dear fellow Christians with that common measure of sin that adheres to all of us which I trust daily we confess and cry to God for cleansing no no we're dealing with deliberate calculated willful sin sin committed sin covered and sin resolutely
and continually buried that's what we're talking about there's a qualitative difference between the sin of Achan and that common measure of sin that adheres to all the people of God do you see the tragic tragic possibility that is before us if Achan is not exposed when Achan's sin is not judged and purged from our midst you know what God will do he'll turn in anger against us you know how to show his anger he'll let us be given up to presumption he'll let us be given over to false counsel he'll let us be given over to false counsel over to death not necessarily physical death but something far worse spiritual death the life of his presence gone from our gatherings he'll give us up so we'll fear before our enemies and we'll see that which needs to be done and needs to be conquered and like Israel our hearts will melt with water we'll no longer be able to face our Jerichos and our AIs and say in the name of our own sword even Jesus we shall conquer no no we'll tremble before our enemies and worst of all instead of being a vehicle through which the praise of God
is known amongst the nations will become a byword in the mouth of God's enemies beloved when that day happens I want God to take me home the one thing on earth that is to reflect the glory of his name now becoming the occasion of the reproach of his name I ask you this morning to pray to face the fact that Jerichos are nothing before the God of Israel when Israel is obeying that God Jerichos God says little thing for me toot your horn and march around and watch me work watch me work Jerichos nothing for me what about AI oh when my people are obeying me AI is nothing for me you read chapter 8 and God even gave him some military plans and AI was conquered you see what God's doing God says to us Trinity Baptist Church members listen people of God at Trinity listen listen all the Jerichos all the AI's are nothing before me all the obstacles that stand in the way of this next advance in my purposes through you are nothing if you will obey me if you will trust me but oh listen to the negative message little AI's a city of a few thousand are too much for you
when you are when Israel's God is offended and grieved because of Achan's sin beloved if God turns in anger against us we couldn't build a cheese box to sit six dogs we couldn't purchase enough land to play marbles on if God turns in anger against us AI's will conquer us now do you see the seriousness of being part of the visible community of God's people maybe some of you want to rethink the whole matter of your membership maybe some of you now that's an out so you can still spare your Babylonish garment and your wedges of gold beloved you're part of God's visible community you've identified yourself with his people and God says to us as his people let all wrath and anger and bitterness and fornication and uncleanness be put away let him not once be named Babylonish garment devoted to destruction wedges of gold and shekels of silver brought to the sanctuary of God my friend what have you looked upon that is forbidden what have you coveted and taken and now hidden
within the deep recesses of your own heart awaken give glory to God in the words of Joshua and make full confession today the call of God to us at this point is not a call to pray primarily it's not a call to open your pockets and to give it's not a call to come forth with the labor of your hands to serve it's a call to say oh God show me my Babylonish garments which need the torch of mortification and confession and resolute forsaking oh God show me the shekels of silver and the wedges of gold that I'm withholding from the service of the sanctuary now I'm dead in earnest I'm not just talking preachers talk we as elders are determined that at this time by God's grace we're going to give the leadership to this assembly that is needed and in our counseling and dealings with you as a flock some of you aren't aware that we know of some Babylonish garments that are being spared in our midst some property of God that's being withhold and we're mercifully praying that the general preaching will be used to bring you into such living sense of the Bible the presence of God that you'll deal with those Babylonish garments
and those wedges of gold and shekels of silver but if we don't see that they're dealt with we're coming to you personally and that's not a threat that is simply a bold honest statement of our determination that like Joshua though it was distasteful work when God said get off your face and stop praying and bring the children of Israel tribe by tribe it says he rose early in the morning it was distasteful work but he rolled up his sleeves and said it's going to be done and there's nothing I have greater revulsion against by nature than the work of facing an Achan and saying look I'm not God but I know your sin because God has providentially made it known give glory to God and own up to it but my friend even in those cases where we're not where we are aware there may be many other areas where we're not aware but there is one who does know and what shall you say to him if in that day you give account not only for the sin that you willfully and deliberately cover but the crippling to the people of God which that sin brought may God have mercy upon us and grip us with a sense of the soberness of these days
and shall find us all upon our faces praying search me oh God and know my heart try me and know my thoughts see if there be any Babylonish garment in me any wedges of gold or shekels of silver in me and lead me in the way everlasting let us pray oh God our Father there are portions of your word which cause us to shout for joy others which cause us to cry with the sense of our own unworthiness others that make us tremble and oh Father we've come this morning to one of those trembling portions we've seen the awesomeness of our responsibility as your people and we pray that we may be those described by the prophet Isaiah when he said to this man will I look even to him who trembleth at my word oh God seal this word move upon us bring the Babylonish garments to light bring them to the consuming power of the cross of Christ
and the spirit of Christ and oh we ask that the wedges of gold and the shekels of silver that are your possession may be acknowledged as such oh God hear us in our cry and seal the word to our hearts Lord we sense so much our need of help at this critical time leave us not nor forsake us lest we flee before our enemies and your name be brought to reproach oh God hear us hear us and be merciful to us we plead for Jesus sake Amen
This transcript was generated by automated speech recognition and may contain errors. It is provided for study and reference only; the audio recording is the authoritative source.
Passages Expounded
This chapter is the primary text, detailing the commission, fruition, and purgation of Achan's sin, forming the core of the sermon's exposition and application.
Texts Expounded
Also Referenced
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