The Ripple Effect
Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Joshua 7:11
And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, 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 my tent, and the silver under it. Joshua 7:20-21
And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. Joshua 7: 24-25
The battle should have been an easy one. However, it ended badly for Joshua and the Israelites. The reason, sin. The sin of greed brought pain and death to God's people.
God was very clear in His instructions - do not take anything from the land you conquer. It is cursed and could corrupt your spirit.
It's very saddening to hear someone say, "My sin doesn't affect anyone else." We often attempt to justify our sins and lessen their impact on those around us. We think that we can minimize God's wrath with these foolish thoughts. However, this chapter in Joshua proves this is not correct. Not only did Achan die for his sin, but so did his family, his livestock, and 36 soldiers sent into battle with Ai. After they were stoned, they, along with all that he had, including the corrupted items he stole, were burned to atone for his sin. The families of the soldiers as well as friends of Achan and his family were devastated because of the choice Achan made to ignore God's command and turn his eyes toward the sinful pleasures offered by Israel's enemies. (We saw this in Lot's life as well, didn't we?)
Our sins, whether we want them to or not, affect others. We see this in our families, our churches, and even in our communities. Just as a stone tossed into a pond causes ripples to spread, our sins touch the lives of many others.
Think about how sin has affected your life whether directly or indirectly, and the pain it brought. This may give us pause next time we consider ignoring God's commands.
And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, 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 my tent, and the silver under it. Joshua 7:20-21
And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. Joshua 7: 24-25
The battle should have been an easy one. However, it ended badly for Joshua and the Israelites. The reason, sin. The sin of greed brought pain and death to God's people.
God was very clear in His instructions - do not take anything from the land you conquer. It is cursed and could corrupt your spirit.
It's very saddening to hear someone say, "My sin doesn't affect anyone else." We often attempt to justify our sins and lessen their impact on those around us. We think that we can minimize God's wrath with these foolish thoughts. However, this chapter in Joshua proves this is not correct. Not only did Achan die for his sin, but so did his family, his livestock, and 36 soldiers sent into battle with Ai. After they were stoned, they, along with all that he had, including the corrupted items he stole, were burned to atone for his sin. The families of the soldiers as well as friends of Achan and his family were devastated because of the choice Achan made to ignore God's command and turn his eyes toward the sinful pleasures offered by Israel's enemies. (We saw this in Lot's life as well, didn't we?)
Our sins, whether we want them to or not, affect others. We see this in our families, our churches, and even in our communities. Just as a stone tossed into a pond causes ripples to spread, our sins touch the lives of many others.
Think about how sin has affected your life whether directly or indirectly, and the pain it brought. This may give us pause next time we consider ignoring God's commands.
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1 Comment
This is so true! Things we do or don't do affect so many people besides ourselves. When someone says, "It's my life and I will do what I want too," that seems selfish. First of all, they would not have life if God hadn't given it to them. It belongs to Him and he loves them. Second, the choices they make does affect not only them but their family, their church, etc. My mom used to say you are born with one thing, your name. If you ever lose that, you're lost everything. Sad but true.