Joshua 7:1-5
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.
Indeed, the riches that the Israelites were supposed to destroy in Jericho seemed too much to be a sensible move, such that Achan became the one who was tempted and eventually acted unfaithfully. We see here that because of this single act, God burned His anger against the people of Israel. What does this mean for us? Before that, I was drawn to another passage being written in Our Daily Bread, from Genesis 39 it says:
How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?"
These were the words of Joseph when he was tempted by Pontiphar's wife. Though he was persecuted, God blessed him in the end. Achan's sin here teaches us a similar lesson, that there would be negative consequences for disobeying God. When tempted, do we ask the question asked by Joseph? Do we ask ourselves: 'how could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?' I myself am guilty of not asking that question at times. But the bible does teach that the sin of one person has consequences on a larger group of people. Achan's sin affected the whole of Israel and likewise, our every individual sin can affect our cg and our church. I think about the recent happenings in the Hope movement and saw for myself that how the sin of one can affect the entire church.
So are we hating sin? As Christ believers, I think this is one crucial question that we need to be constantly asking ourselves. So are we hating sin? Not the sinners but the sins. Are we falling into temptation to sin? I will end this post with what the Daily Bread wrote about temptations and sin:
The stories of Judah and Joseph, presented back-to-back in the midst of “the history of Jacob” (37:2), show us that temptation itself is not the problem. Everybody faces temptation, even Jesus did (Matt. 4:1-11). But how do we face temptation? Do we demonstrate that faith in God can shield us from giving in to sin?
Joseph gave us one way of escape: Recognize sin as an affront to God and run from it. Jesus gave another: Answer temptation with truth from God’s Word.
Facing temptation? See it as an opportunity to make God and His Word real in your life. Then run!
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.
Indeed, the riches that the Israelites were supposed to destroy in Jericho seemed too much to be a sensible move, such that Achan became the one who was tempted and eventually acted unfaithfully. We see here that because of this single act, God burned His anger against the people of Israel. What does this mean for us? Before that, I was drawn to another passage being written in Our Daily Bread, from Genesis 39 it says:
How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?"
These were the words of Joseph when he was tempted by Pontiphar's wife. Though he was persecuted, God blessed him in the end. Achan's sin here teaches us a similar lesson, that there would be negative consequences for disobeying God. When tempted, do we ask the question asked by Joseph? Do we ask ourselves: 'how could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?' I myself am guilty of not asking that question at times. But the bible does teach that the sin of one person has consequences on a larger group of people. Achan's sin affected the whole of Israel and likewise, our every individual sin can affect our cg and our church. I think about the recent happenings in the Hope movement and saw for myself that how the sin of one can affect the entire church.
So are we hating sin? As Christ believers, I think this is one crucial question that we need to be constantly asking ourselves. So are we hating sin? Not the sinners but the sins. Are we falling into temptation to sin? I will end this post with what the Daily Bread wrote about temptations and sin:
The stories of Judah and Joseph, presented back-to-back in the midst of “the history of Jacob” (37:2), show us that temptation itself is not the problem. Everybody faces temptation, even Jesus did (Matt. 4:1-11). But how do we face temptation? Do we demonstrate that faith in God can shield us from giving in to sin?
Joseph gave us one way of escape: Recognize sin as an affront to God and run from it. Jesus gave another: Answer temptation with truth from God’s Word.
Facing temptation? See it as an opportunity to make God and His Word real in your life. Then run!
Comments
Post a Comment