"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.
Joshua 6:18
Joshua chapter six is about the destruction of the city of
Jericho. Remember Joshua was told by the LORD
to march around the city once a day for six days, and then
on the seventh day to march around it seven times,
and the priests shall blow trumpets and all the men shall
shout on the seventh day when Joshua tells them to, and the walls shall come crashing down?
Well concerning Jericho the LORD warned them about taking
of accursed things, and that all the silver and gold, and vessels
of bronze and iron, are to be consecrated to the LORD.
(Joshua 6:19)
However, we read in chapter 7 that apparently someone didn't
listen to this warning. A'chan the son of Carmi of the tribe of Judah
took of the accursed things; so the anger of the LORD burned
against the children of Israel. (Joshua 7:1)
Accursed in hebrew is-
"Cherem"
1. a thing devoted, thing dedicated, ban, devotion
2. a net, thing perforated(Obviously not the meaning in this chapter)
3. have been utterly destroyed, (appointed to) utter destruction.
Now, The LORD accursed Jericho I.E appointed it to utter
destruction and everyone in it(besides Rahab "the Harlot")
and the Silver and Gold as it said in verse 6:19 were suppose to be consecrated to the LORD.
A'chan out of selfishness brought a curse upon Israel,
The LORD GOD Almighty gave a warning that A'chan ignored.
After taking Jericho, Joshua sent about three thousand men to attack the city of Ai to destroy it like Jericho. However Ai ran the three thousand men off and killed 36 of them, 36 men died because A'chan. (Joshua 7:4-5)
Then Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until evening, he and the elders of Israel;
and they put dust on their heads.
And Joshua said, "Alas, Lord GOD, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all--to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us?
Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan! "O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies? "For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear [it], and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?"
Joshua 7:6-9
So the LORD said to Joshua: "Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face?
"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.
"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.
Joshua 7:10-12
You see, not only did A'chan take accursed things(things meant
for destruction) but he stole from the LORD what was suppose to
be consecrated to the LORD, remember the Silver and Gold?
In (Joshua 7:20) A'Chan admits his wrong doing
And Achan answered Joshua and said, "Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I have done:
"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."
Joshua 7:20-21
Babylonian garment accursed thing meant for destruction, silver
and gold meant to be consecrated to THE LORD. A'chan brought
a curse killing 36 men, and in the end suffered death, him and his family for what he had done(Joshua 7:24-25)
The LORD GOD is righteous and just in His actions, all Power
Knowledge and Glory be to Him. A'chan chose to ignore
Gods word, and out of selfishness sought worldly pleasure for
himself, A'chan was a man seeking his own glory not Gods
and paid the price for it in the end, just like everyone who chooses such a path will. A'chan had everything he would ever need, and God was fulfilling His promise by establishing Israel for His chosen people, giving them this land and it's cities which they did not build, a land fertile with abundance which they didn't toil to produce. That wasn't enough for A'chan apparently.
Let A'chan's selfishness be a lesson to you, are you seeking after
God's glory? or are you seeking after your own glory? Is God who you ultimately rely on? or is it blessings from Him? Is it prosperity, wealth and worldly happiness that motivates you to give God His JUST glory?
God should be your ultimate end, no matter what.
Sick, tired, and poor OR healthy, rested, and rich
all that matters is GOD, He better have priority number 1 in your life and He deserves all praise and glory no matter what has happened or is happening in your life.
Like A'chan who I'm sure would claim God was number one in his life, many claim such today. If God is only first when you are prospering, you're quite frankly lying to yourself…because what's important to you is your well being and prosperity, you put that above God everyday of the week while still claiming to give Him all honor and praise.
You know what is interesting? Ever read Joshua chapter 8?
After A'chan gets his just do, and the accursed is destroyed
as it should of been in the first place, The LORD turns from his anger (Joshua 7:26) and in chapter 8 The LORD says,
Now the LORD said to Joshua: "Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.
"And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its cattle you shall take as booty for yourselves. Lay an ambush for the city behind it."
Joshua 8:1-2
The LORD GOD gives the city of Ai and all it's spoils to
the Israelites. You see God Himself will provide your needs,
He wants to provide and take care of you, and He is absolutely
all we will ever need, Gods grace and mercy to begin with
is incomparable and unfathomable if we honestly think about it,
anything else in our life he provides is just more Blessing
we ultimately don't deserve.
All Glory to you Father God!
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