Joshua 7:22-26
The Sinner Is Condemned – These verses give us a sad conclusion to this tragic tale. Achan and all that he had were taken out and stoned to death by the people of Israel. The tower of stones stood as a reminder to all who passed by that a criminal was buried there. It was as common as late as the 1800s for passersby to throw stones on the graves of criminals, adding continually to the heap of stones over the grave!
The name of the valley was called “Achor.” This word means “trouble.” And that was what God said would happen to the person who took any of Jericho’s “spoils.” Joshua 6:18. If you are going to sin, you need to know that you are heading for trouble (Proverbs 13:13,15). It did not have to end this way! Yet, these verses demonstrate that all sinners who refuse to repent will experience a horrific end. By the way, that heap of stones stood as a warning to everyone who passed that way. It was a vivid reminder of the high cost of sin and the terrible wrath of God.
Q: According to Proverbs 29:1, what is the consequence of stubbornly refusing God’s instruction?
If you are God’s child and have sin in your life and do not confess and repent of it, you need to know that your life is a hindrance to your family and this church. You also need to know that God will chasten you to bring you back in line with His will, Rev. 3:19. He will do whatever He has to do to get your attention! My advice to you is to get right with God today! God knows what it will take to touch your heart, and He is not afraid to touch that heartstring if He knows it will bring you to repentance.
If you are lost today, you need to come to Jesus for salvation. If you die without Him, you will wind up in Hell, lost forever, and in the flames of torment. Revelation 21:8 Is that what you want? Is that where you want to end up? If not, then come to Jesus.
You will notice that verses 24-25 tell us that Achan’s whole family suffered the same fate that he did. Why? They probably knew about his sin, and they helped him hide his secret. They were just as guilty as he was. When Achan brought that sin into his tent, he brought suffering and affliction upon the people he loved the most in this world.
However, the reason Achan did this was that he loved himself more than he loved his family.
I remind you again that none of us sin in a vacuum. The things we do affect us and all those around us. Our children are shaped by the things they observe in our lives. That is the essence of Deut. 5:9, which says, “…I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the fathers’ iniquity upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.“
Q: According to 2 Kings 15:8-9 why does God visit the fathers’ iniquity upon the children?
Conclusion:
Years later, the prophet Hosea mentioned this same valley. Hosea 2:15, “And I will give her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.” The promise is that this place of trouble could become a door of hope. It will be when Israel returns to the Promised Land during the reign of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The same is true concerning us. If we come to the Lord in humble repentance, those sins that cause us so much trouble can be taken care of today. This Bible Study can become a door of hope for you if you come to Jesus for the cleansing you need. Some Things Can’t Be Hidden! If you have an Achan heart, God has the cure. If you have sin hidden in your life, the Lord can forgive you and restore you. Come to Him while there is time. Come before judgment falls. Come so that renewal and revival can come to your family and your church!
ARE YOU WASHED IN THE BLOOD
Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power?
Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?
Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?
Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?
Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin
And be washed in the Blood of the Lamb
There’s a fountain flowing for the soul unclean
O, be washed in the Blood of the Lamb
Are you washed in the Blood
In the soul-cleansing Blood of the Lamb?
Are your garments spotless?
Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?
Add Your Comment