On Track - Achan

The LORD said to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this? Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me.”

Joshua 7:10-11

In December 2004, the world looked on in horror at news reports of a giant tsunami. It was triggered by a powerful earthquake in the Indian Ocean off the northwest coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The tsunami devastated the coastal areas of the region and killed nearly three hundred thousand people. The whole world felt its effects.

Though most observers found it incredible that a relatively localized underwater earthquake could cause such destruction and death, scientists had known for decades that such a catastrophe was not only possible but probably inevitable. As soon as a mountainous underwater shelf gave way and crashed to the ocean bottom, havoc would follow on the surface.

This tragic event dramatically illustrates the terrible ripple effect of sin. We must stay on track with the Lord lest some mountainous part of our lives gives way and devastates others. The story of Achan illustrates such a tsunami of sin.

God gave crystal-clear instructions for the invasion of Jericho. He promised to give the Israelites a miraculous, crushing victory over the city. In return, he told the people to put aside for him all the gold, silver, and other valuables they would seize during their raid.

Achan paid no attention to God’s instructions. He secretly kept some choice loot for himself, and just like that, a mountainous shelf broke loose and crashed into the ocean floor. A spiritual tsunami immediately followed.

Israel should easily have conquered the little hamlet of Ai, their next target, but the Hebrew attack ended in humiliating defeat. Achan’s sin had removed God’s hand of blessing from the Israelite army, and three dozen innocent soldiers died in the resulting upheaval.

Even sin that you might regard as secret affects you and those closest to you, including your family. When you feel tempted to stray, remember that those you love most depend on you to stay on track.

Where do you most feel the tug to stray? Where in your life does it feel toughest right now to stay on track? Take these concerns specifically to God in prayer, and enlist the help of a faithful friend to encourage you to stay the course.