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sermons by IVOR POWELL

ACHAN . . . who paralysed an Army

(Joshua 7:1-26)

The children of Israel were jubilant; the crashing of

Jericho's walls still sounded in their ears. Some of the

people had been a little anxious, for the Canaanite strong-

hold had seemed to be impregnable. When Israel marched

around the city, their actions bordered on the ludicrous;

yet the face of the young leader shone with the light of

absolute assurance. He had bowed before the Captain

of the Lord's hosts, and had received his orders. His

faith had been rewarded when the piercing notes of the

trumpeters were drowned in the thunderous collapse of

the walls. Then the people had taken the city, and their

last vestiges of doubt completely vanished. Their God

was truly omnipotent. When they had finally consolidated

their position, they prepared for a further advance and,

behold, the little town of Ai stood in their path. It was

insignificant; it was beneath their dignity to devote their

newly acquired strength to the elimination of such a

midget!

A Startling Defeat

"So there went up thither of the people about three

thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai. And

the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men,

for they chased them from before the gate even unto

Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore

the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.

And Joshua rent his clothes, and . . . said, Alas, 0 Lord

God (vv. 4-7). And in the hours that followed, the

nation's joys were turned to mourning, and the pessimistic

people forgot their earlier victory and longed to be "back

on the other side of Jordan." "And the Lord said unto

Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy

face? Israel hath sinned . . ." (vv. 10, 11). God is no

respecter of persons. Sin is still sin, even when it is found

in the hearts of God's own people. No man can be sure

of victory in spiritual warfare unless he maintains the

purity of his own soul. One Achan can ruin the greatest

spiritual enterprise.

A Surprising Discovery

And the Lord said, "Up, sanctify the people, and say,

Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow: for thus saith the

Lord God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst

of thee, 0 Israel" (v. 13). When the lots were cast,

"Achan . . . was taken. And Joshua said, My son, give,

I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make

confession unto him, and tell me now what thou hast

done; hide it not from me. And Achan answered Joshua,

and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God"

(vv. 18-20). Then followed the account of his confiscating

some of the prohibited things of Jericho. A beautiful

Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and

a wedge of gold had been hidden in his tent. He had

looked all around before he hid the treasures, to make

sure that no one was watching; but alas, he forgot to look

up. Achan's sin had paralysed the army, and divine

blessing had been withheld from the nation. (i) God's

people are ONE people. As individual members we are

united in the fellowship of one body. Achan's personal

sin affected the entire nation. (ii) God's perception is

intensely keen. He hates sin, particularly when it is hidden.

Achan sinned when he took the articles, but he became

a hypocrite when he buried them. (iii) God's pleasure is

discriminative. With Him we succeed; without Him we

fail.

A Sad Death

"And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan .

and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold

And all Israel stoned him with stones" (vv. 24, 25).

Poor man! Are we being too sentimental when we feel

sorry for him? He lived in an age of law, when men had

to be taught the hatefulness of sin; and alas, his secret

sin had already sent thirty-six Israelites to their graves.

Judgment removed him from the camp of Israel. How

thankful we should be that, in the fullness of time, God

found another way of removing iniquity. The Lord Jesus

made Himself personally responsible for the sins of in-

numerable Achans-He died that they might be forgiven.

Gratitude should prevent any Achan-like sins remaining

in our hearts. No Ai will thwart us, and no enemy over-

come us if we keep our hands and hearts clean.

"Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord" (Isa.

 52:11).