July 24, 2025
Modern readers of today’s text can be excused for feeling a little queasy. It’s the sad story of a man whose greed got the better of him, leading to many unfortunate, needless, and perhaps innocent deaths. This is one of those stories most Christians don’t quite know what to do with.
A little background is in order. The Israelites, after their 40-year wandering in the wilderness, have just taken Jericho. As was a common practice at that time, everything in Jericho (with the exception of Rahab and her family who had helped the Israelites) was to be devoted to destruction. Every man, woman, child, animal, house, garment, blanket, grain – everything was to be killed/destroyed. Nothing was to be left but rubble. The land was not big enough for two peoples. There was only space for one God.
The capture had gone easily, and the destruction duly carried out.
Except for one man, Achan, who got greedy. He spotted a beautiful robe as well as some silver and gold and spirited them away to hide them under his tent. Did he not think God would notice? Did he not believe Joshua when he gave the command to utterly destroy everything? Did anyone in his family (since they lived in close quarters it’s hard not to think someone didn’t notice) tell him this was a bad idea? Threaten to turn him in? We don’t know.
What we do know is that the next time the Israelites go out to do battle they are utterly routed. Their hearts melt like water. They flee the battle like rabbits. It is a horrible, horrible day.
Joshua and the leadership are utterly amazed. They can’t for the life of them figure it out. God must have turned against them! They prostrate themselves in the dirt before the Ark of the Covenant until God speaks to them. God gives them the news that someone has sinned. Someone has stolen what was meant to be destroyed.
Joshua and the leaders do what they must. They go through the people, first by tribes, then by clans, then by households, until they come to Achan. Sure enough, Achan confesses and soon the stolen property is found in his tent.
Again, Joshua and the leaders do what they must. First, ‘all Israel’ stones Achan to death. Then, they stone his family to death. Next, they kill all his livestock. Finally, his tent and all his possessions are burned, and a heap of rocks are placed over the spot.
Did the Israelites go too far? Did God demand too much? How about the families of the men who were killed after Achan stole his loot. Did they feel a sense of closure? After the Achan’s death, the Israelites again go out to do battle and this time they win. Is assuring victory worth this much killing?
These are hard questions, and we don’t have room to solve them here. What we can say is that individual sins will eventually be exposed, and when they do, they can bring down an entire organization. (Our nation’s political history has some sadly excellent examples.)
Perhaps the message to take away is a warning to all of us, in leadership positions or not, that our sins don’t just affect us. They affect our family and friends, and even our church as well.
Let Achan be a warning to us all.
God’s peace,
Pastor Ken.
