Note: I use Max Lucado's book Glory Days as a reference for this message.
Title: What is hiding in your tent?
Theme: To reveal hidden things that we trust in or we
Text: Joshua 6:27 – 7
Joshua 6:27 So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout all the country.
This one verse says a lot. This was a day of victory. God had totally demolished the city of Jericho. Yes it was God. It was God who wrought fear in the Jerichoites. It was God who caused the walls to fall. It was God who used the walls to elevate the Israelites to victory.
Notice also. This victory did not go unnoticed. Joshua’s fame spread throughout all the country. The land of Canaan was there for the taking. It was as if the land of Canaan had put their best city forward. If you could defeat Jericho, you could take the land.
Don’t you love these moments of victory in your life? It is as if you could take on the whole world. No matter what you come up against nothing can stop you.
It would be great if we could stay here. Lets just end here. (“And they all lived happily every after”) Victory has been won. But there is a land to conquer. God doesn’t bring you to victory just to stay here. I hear a lot of people talking about yesterday’s battles and victories. God wants us to march forward and take this territory for Christ.
Sin of Achan – disobedience
Joshua 7:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi,* the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things; so the anger of the Lord burned against the children of Israel.
There are a few things I wanted to point out.
1. Notice who he says did this – the children of Israel. Why?
Because one sin affects everyone.
2. Notice where he is from – the tribe of Judah. The tribe of David, the tribe of Christ. He sold his whole family short for a few treasure/pleasure.
3. Achan means “troubler, to stir up trouble, afflict”
Joshua 7:11-12 Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff. (12) Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you.
God had Commanded
Joshua 6:18-19 And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. (19) But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are consecrated to the Lord; they shall come into the treasury of the Lord."
Accursed – that which has a curse on it.
This was the first city of the land and it belonged to God. One pastor I was listening to compared this land to the tithed. This was a tithed of the land.
Most importantly God had called this land/city a curse. God didn’t want his people living under a curse.
Side note: Living under the curse
Malachi 3:8-12 "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. (9) You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. (10) Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this," Says the Lord of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. (11) "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field," Says the Lord of hosts; (12) "And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land," Says the Lord of hosts.
What rings in my ears are the words “you are cursed with a curse”, “the devourer”.
Obedience is a must.
Some people may ask, what is the big deal? It was just a small thing. This was not about the object it was about obedience and trust.
It is such a small lie –
Just this one time won’t hurt
True freedom is following the commands of Christ
Some people are afraid to be a Christian they say that they enjoy their freedom. Yet Christ says, “ If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36)
Earlier he said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32 AV)
Paul put it this way, “Stand fast therefore in the freedom wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” (Galatians 5:1 AV)
For some it is hard to grasp but true freedom comes from following the ways of God. Why? Because it sets us free from the passions that want to control us. It releases us from the sins that want to rule us. We know what it is like to have this battle of the flesh and to give into things that we know is just plain wrong yet the allurement just entices us.
God’s Revelation
I want you to notice how God showed to Joshua who the person was. He did not directly tell him that it was Achan but he went through a process. A process of elimination.
Many times the sin in our life is just a symptom of a bigger issue. Maybe it is not pornography maybe it is lust, etc. We need to get to the root of the sin and deal with it, not just deal with the symptom.
Achan’s Confession
Joshua 7:20-21 And Achan answered Joshua and said, "Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done: (21) "When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it."
He was allured by the beauty of the treasure. Maybe he thought that this would be his “nest egg”. This was the just in case. Just in case he got captured he had a bargaining chip. Just in case they didn’t finish the journey, he had back up.
Why did Achan take the spoils?
1. Maybe in case things didn’t work out he was taking back up.
God had provided them with everything they needed
Deuteronomy 8:4 Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years.
2. Maybe for savings in the future. You never know what would happen?
3. Maybe a bargaining chip, just in case they got captured.
Principles of Sin
1. Sin affects others
Achan’s sin caused 36 people to die on the battlefield in defeat and a whole nation to lose faith. Our sin may not have this great affect on others but there are many people who is affected. Whether it is that father who has a drug or alcohol problem or that temper problem. Don’t think it don’t rub off because it does.
Sin affects the church. It happened in the church of Corinth when they gave into the sins of those in the church. Paul rebuked them.
2. All sin will be uncovered
All sin will be uncovered by God. As Numbers 32:23 tells us, ““be sure your sin will find you out.”
It will happen sooner or later. You can’t hide forever.
Proverbs 28:13 He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. (grace).
3. Sin is alluring
Third principle that we learn about sin is that sin is alluring. I am not going to stand here and tell you that if you are having fun you are in sin. I believe that you can have fun as a Christian but I do know that in the moment sin can seem like a lot of fun.
4. Sin has its consequences
Sin has its consequences. Paul said, “For the wages of sin is death.” The penalty for sin is death.
5. Sin is bondage
Sin is bondage. Achan was under bondage. You know he was looking over his shoulders in fear wondering if people would find out.
Defeat of Ai
God will even use your mistakes to defeat your enemy.
Joshua 8:3-7 So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai; and Joshua chose thirty thousand mighty men of valor and sent them away by night. (4) And he commanded them, saying: "Behold, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready. (5) Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city; and it will come about, when they come out against us as at the first, that we shall flee before them. (6) For they will come out after us till we have drawn them from the city, for they will say, 'They are fleeing before us as at the first.' Therefore we will flee before them. (7) Then you shall rise from the ambush and seize the city, for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand.
Acts 5 Ananias and Sapphira
Conclusion
What would a search of your tent reveal?
What are you hiding? – sin in the closet
What are you trusting in? – the treasure to keep you safe in the future.
“A cabinet full of faith or a closet piled with ambition? A pantry of hope or a storage bin of ‘trophies’”
1 Timothy 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
I closed with this illustration:
(I had a few trophies on the stage) These are some trophies that I collected. This one is from my daughter who played ball. This one is from a contest that she won. Yet this nice trophy here is different. It is nice and it is heavy. If you look at it is has no name on the front. You see I bought this trophy at a thrift store for $2.79. It was something that someone had earned. You could tell that it was worth a lot and probably when they got it, it was worth a lot to them.
More than likely they put a lot into it. Yet I bought it for $2.79. So what is important that we earn here on earth will one day be bought by someone else. It is only what we lay up in heaven that will last.
