Joshua 6-10
If Cain's sin affected his descendants indirectly, today's reading shows a much more direct impact on the father's family. When Israel attacked Jericho God directed that they destroy all of the people (except Rahab and her family) and all of the animals and bring the sacred objects into the Lord's treasury. The Israelites destroyed all of the people (except Rahab and her family)... they destroyed all of the animals... and they brought all of the sacred objects into the Lord's treasury (except one beautiful robe, some silver coins, and a bar of gold).
Sin might be described as an exception to God's standard. So Achan's exceptions... keeping one beautiful robe, some silver coins, and a bar of gold... were sin. God condemned all of Israel for the sin and allowed the small town of Ai to defeat Israel. Joshua and the leaders went before the Lord after the defeat and God told them what had happened. As a result, they took Achan, the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons, daughters, cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats, tent, and everything he had and stoned and burned them.
Perhaps I need to take a new view of sin from the perspective of Achan's example and the breadth of its impact.
No comments:
Post a Comment