Soon after they fell into sin Adam and Eve tried to hide their guilt behind coverings made of fig leaves. Later because of their sin they also vainly attempted to hide themselves from God. Adam and Eve’s son Cain thought he could hide the guilt of shedding his brother’s innocent blood by claiming that he was not his brother’s keeper. Joseph’s brothers attempted to cover their sin of selling him into slavery by staining his clothing with an animal’s blood and telling their father he had been devoured by a wild beast. Moses tried to bury his guilt in the sand after he killed an Egyptian. King David also tried to cover up his sin of adultery by having Bathsheba’s husband Uriah killed. For a short time it seemed as though he had successfully buried the truth about what he had done. But as we know God brought sin to light.
Time and time again God’s Word tells us about people who tried to cover up or bury their sins in one way or another. I have just given you a few examples of this but there are many more.
In this Old Testament Lesson we meet another person in a long line of sinners who thought they could hide their sins from those around them and even from God! In the story of Achan we hear how he literally tried to bury his sins in the ground under his tent.
But this is much more than history lesson. In the Word of God to which we will direct our attention for our sermon today we will see ourselves. We too have attempted to cover up our sins and bury them in the deep recesses of our hearts and minds. The devil has often led us to believe the delusion that we can cover up some pet sins or private guilt. Like Achan we may think our sin will not be uncovered. But we need to remember that nothing can be hidden from God and the guilt of our sins still stands. So today may God the Holy Spirit lead each of us to consider one question:
“WHAT’S BURIED UNDER YOUR TENT?”
I. Stop hiding your sins and confess them to God
II. Trust that Christ was punished for your sins
Disaster had descended upon the Israelites. After their spectacular victory at Jericho, where the walls came tumbling down, they were defeated by the people of Ai. From a human perspective it should have been an easy victory against an insignificant city. But the army that Joshua sent against the Aites was soundly beaten and thoroughly embarrassed. They were sent fleeing in retreat.
The Children of Israel were devastated by this defeat. We are told in the verses leading up to our Old Testament Lesson that the “hearts of the people melted and became like water.” Joshua was also left stunned and confused. With his face in the dirt he poured out his discouragement and disappointment to the LORD in prayer. The LORD then spoke to Joshua explaining what had happened. “Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions.” During the previous battle against Jericho somebody had taken some of the things that were devoted to the LORD. God had commanded that everything be destroyed. God went on to explain the result of this transgression. “That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.” Our Old Testament Lesson begins with the process that Joshua used to uncover the one who had sinned against the LORD.
I.
In order to reveal the guilty party all the Israelites were to appear before the LORD and he would start selecting one tribe, then one clan, then one family, and then finally one person. Our text tells us, “16 Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was taken. 17 The clans of Judah came forward, and he took the Zerahites. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward by families, and Zimri was taken. 18 Joshua had his family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.” Imagine what Achan was thinking as his guilt was slowly being revealed! He couldn’t run away and hide from what he had done. Although he had buried the evidence of his sin under his tent God knew it was there. And very soon all his fellow Israelites would also know what he had done. Like a runaway freight train God’s justice was bearing down on Achan.
It probably came as a relief to Achan when Joshua said, “My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and give him the praise. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.” Joshua asked Achan to confess the wicked thing he had done. Since God obviously knew what he had done and that he couldn’t hide it from God, Joshua encouraged Achan to give God glory and even praise as he confessed his sins. “20 Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: 21 When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” Just as he had tried to bury the evidence of his sin under his tent so too he had attempted to bury the guilt of his sin in his heart. In his confession Achan exhaled all guilt to Joshua. He breathed out the facts about how sin had taken hold of him and what he had done. He no longer tried to hide his sin. He confessed it fully to Joshua.
Once again so that Achan’s story means more to us than a Bible History lesson let’s get back to the question that these verses of Scripture set before us. “What’s buried under your tent?” Is it a craving of your body or a lust of your soul? Perhaps you have buried a guilty pleasure or a secret addiction that you believe is unknown to anyone but you. Are you being unfaithful in thoughts, words, or actions to your wedding vows? At your place of employment have you found a seemingly innocent way to cheat or steal? Are you living a lie at school or at church? As we answer the question, “What’s buried under your tent?” let’s be honest with ourselves and God. We know he sees all we do and he knows all we see. May we echo King David’s words recorded in Psalm 69:5, “You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you.” As Joshua encouraged Achan we are encouraged to stop hiding our sins and confess them to God.
About six years ago, when I was still living in Cincinnati I read a news story about a successful program in Ohio which encouraged fugitives from justice to turn themselves in at a local church. The program, known as “Fugitive Safe Surrender,” did not offer amnesty, but rather promised “favorable consideration” to those who turned themselves in. Over a four-day period, 844 criminals, including 271 felony fugitives, surrendered to authorities at Mount Sinai Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio. Only six were taken to jail immediately. The rest were ordered to appear in court. A similar program was used in Arizona, where there were 80,000 arrest warrants on file. Those who turned themselves in were assigned public defenders, and non-profit organizations were on hand to offer family counseling, child care and other services. The program turned out to be much safer for children who are sometimes injured or traumatized during typical warrant arrests at residences. One of the pastors at a church in Cleveland where the program was implemented had this to say about it, “The underlying thing was people were tired of running, tired of looking over their shoulders.”
Today God offers all of us who are tired of running away from our sins and guilt that accompanies them a chance to confess them to him. Like Achan let’s stop hiding our sins and confess them to God. What’s buried under your tent? What sins have you been hiding? Your best friend may not know about them, your family may be unaware of them but God sees all and knows all. Whatever sins you have tried to hide from God and from others will not stay hidden. Tell the truth to God. Make no excuses. Don’t blame others. Simply say, “God, for too long I have hidden these sins from you and others. I will no longer hide them from you. I confess the evil of have done.”
II.
So how did things end for Achan and the Israelites? I suppose the story doesn’t end the way we might expect nor with the outcome for which we might hope. The consequences for Achan’s sins fell on him and his family.
After Joshua sent men to retrieve the evidence of Achan’s guilt buried in the ground under his tent justice was carried out. “24 Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold wedge, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. 25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today.” Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. 26 Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.” Achan received the punishment that God had said would befall anyone who did what he had done.
If we are honest with each other we probably have to admit that we are left wondering why things ended this way. If Achan confessed his sin why was he still punished? His confession seems sincere. Isn’t the LORD a merciful and gracious God? Perhaps it would be best not to dig too deeply into the justice of a holy God. From Achan’s example the Israelites learned how serious God is about sin. If he doesn’t punish the guilty then he is not just. Achan received the consequences for his actions and all the Israelites learned a sobering lesson from it.
Now as we look at the sins we have tried to bury under our tents should we be afraid to confess them? If God is just won’t we be punished as Achan was? The consequences for our sins should be even worse than what Achan experienced. What do I mean by that? Sin brings eternal punishment. We should be removed from God’s presence forever in hell! We should die eternally.
Imagine if our secret sins were laid out today for everyone to see. And with God and everyone else looking at them we realized there is no escape—no place to hide. As the stones of God’s righteous anger are about to strike us, as they struck Achan, our Savior Jesus takes our place. Jesus takes our guilt and punishment upon himself.
That’s the truth we remember so vividly during Lent. We again follow Jesus to the cross to see his sacrifice for us. Our trust that Christ was punished for our sins is strengthened. God said to Adam and Eve, “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” (Genesis 2:17) God’s justice is stricter than any justice human courts have demanded. It is absolute and unbending. The LORD said, “The soul who sins is the one who will die.” (Ezekiel 18:4) In Romans 6:23 the Apostle Paul declared that “the wages of sin is death.” There is one demand under God’s justice--complete holiness. There is one sentence under God’s justice for not being holy. That is eternal death—eternal separation from God in hell. If we break God’s commandments only one time we must be condemned. James tells us, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” (James 2:10) Thank God that our Savior has kept the “whole law” of God in our place and suffered the consequences of our disobedience. He was punished in our place to that we can escape punishment.
Today we have the opportunity to walk away from the sins that control us. Unlike Achan we can live another day to serve God out of thankfulness and love. The power of forgiveness in the believer’s life was expressed well by an anonymous author in a poem called THERE’S FORGIVENESS. “Don’t struggle alone, in fear and distress / As if there’s no hope, just your ugliness. Our Lord offers grace, not judgment deserving, / He longs for your love and your soon returning. THERE’S FORGIVENESS. It's tough cutting through the darkness of sin / Striving for answers, His favor to win. He stands with His arms outstretched and extended / To hold and restore you, just mercy intended. THERE’S FORGIVENESS. Why search other places your answers to find / To fill the vast void and touch the divine. Lay down your excuses and learn to confess / Your sins and your shame to His holiness. THERE’S FORGIVENESS. His promise is certain, “I will forgive,” / Cleansing and freedom, it's yours to live. From no other source full joy will you find. / He is your victory, your peace so sublime. THERE’S FORGIVENESS. There's no one beyond the reach of His arm / To pick up and pardon, to rescue from harm. Return to the Master of your faith’s beginning. / Give Him your all, and you'll find yourself winning. THERE’S FORGIVENESS. Yes, friends in Jesus, there is forgiveness. For whatever you and I have buried under tents of our lives there is forgiveness because Christ was punished for our sins.
As we “look under our tent” so to speak we will find sins that we try to hide from God and perhaps others. Like Achan we are led to confess them and not to hide them any longer. And today our story has a different ending than Achan’s. The punishment for our sins fell on Jesus. We are able to live a new life as he empowers us to overcome our secret sins. Amen.
