I’m a shoe girl.
Can’t be helped. I’m convinced it’s genetic. My grandma worked at a local thrift store and for her payment for volunteering, she was allowed to take items home, here and there. Inevitably, she always chose shoes.
Shoes complete an outfit (like the runners I wore at my wedding). They make a statement. (Like my commando hiking boots I wear to intimidate the spiders and mice in my garden). They soften the edges of my church-wear (like my trusty Crocs).
My brother got new shoes the other day. I was so proud of him for carrying on the family tradition. He said he tried them on and checked the length to ensure proper fit. I believe him. This would be along the lines of his truth-telling life. However, there was a problem. He wore them for his 3 mile walk and by the end his feet were pinching all over the place and were highly uncomfortable.
The first thought is to bring them back and exchange them for a larger size.
No-can-do. They pinched and scrapped unbelievably so. He bled in the shoes and I seriously doubt that blood samples are acceptable in a return… sigh.
For all the good planning that was done… sigh
Those shoes held secrets we couldn’t have even hoped to know. They started out great… but something shifted. Something unknown. Something in the construction or size became apparent over time.
The Back Story
Joshua sent 3000 men to fight 12000 men in the battle of Ai. It wasn’t that Israel didn’t have enough fighting men to join the battle. In Joshua 8:3, it states that Joshua CHOSE 30, 000 men that were battle hardened to fight in the Ai-2.0 battle. If these men were chosen, that means there were some that were.. ahem…NOT chosen. Needless to stay, there was a stack of good, solid fighting-men options.
Joshua (and the spies that suggested the original small army of 3000) were so confident in their win, because of the favor of God, that they figured 3000 was enough. Granted, they aren’t wrong. Truth is, 1 + God is more than enough to route an army. However, sadly, they were wrong in THIS case.
Why?
Because some rules weren’t adhered to in a recent battle they had at Jericho. They won with great victory with hardly a massive effort on their part, which rightly increased their trust in God. BUT, the deal was that they were to bring ALL the plunder to God and keep none for themselves.
Achan did.
But nobody knew.
Except God.
Based on the terms and conditions of their I-AM-Your-God-You-are-my-people agreement, His favor would rest upon them when obeyed wholeheartedly. (Take a moment and make a calculated assumption what would happen if they did NOT obey whole-heartedly).
Exactly.
The men of Ai trounced the men of Israel, killing 36 people. Ok, not a lot. They lost 1.2 % of their fighting men that day. Those odds aren’t so bad, when you consider what war REALLY is. But those 1.2% represent 36 families that are now widowed and fatherless. They were expecting 0 casualties.
Joshua tore his clothes (probably perfectly pristine clothes that he brought out of Egypt that had the will-not-wear-out guarantee from God, some 40 years back) and fell on his face asking God, “What happened”.
God,
- Seemed put off by Joshua on his face, asking him, “Stand up, what are you doing down on your face?”, or another version says, ““Get up. Why are you groveling?”. I’m not getting a great sympathy-vibe from the beginning of this conversation with God.
- Reveals that there was sin in the camp of Israel, but doesn’t tell Joshua specifically. He just gives him instructions as to how to find out.
- Lays out the consequences of coming into agreement with that sin, if it is left as it is. God would remove his blessing because the covenant, or promise was broken between the Israelites and God. And Joshua knew that without God, all would be lost. “I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.” (Joshua 6:12b NIV)
God spoke about the covenant breaking in legal terms. He used the word “liable” to denote the legal responsibility the nation of Israel had to uphold their end of the agreed upon terms. This was more than a mere passing agreement over coffee (although those should be kept if you have given your word). This was a document that was written up in the Courts of Heaven, and signed by God himself. He does not take this lightly.
Long story, short, Joshua complied with God’s process to find out who had stolen the items from the last battle. He made a decision to eliminate the man, his family and dispose of all his belongings and livestock.
The result was coming back into right relationship with God.
Thoughts
OBJECTIONS
This story is SOOO uncomfortable. In our western way of thinking we tend to object. We:
- Don’t believe it’s fair that 36 men died because of some unknown sin. (To put it in context, talk to a mother whose child has died because of a car crash with the driver under the influence)
- Don’t believe it’s fair that Joshua, as a leader, could possibly be responsible for something he did not know about. (The head of companies often have to answer for less-than-adept employees)
- That even with a humble and sincere confession, Achan had to die. (Take time to watch court proceedings, sincere people that are sorry still have consequences)
- Are upset that Achan’s wife and kids had to die. (We tend to be a product of those we associate with. How many of them knew about the stolen goods? We don’t know… but it’s highly possible that at least some knew, if not all, but said nothing.)
- That innocent animals had to die. (Those in our care, reap our life choices, check out countless animal shelter stories.)
- That valuable stuff had to be disposed of, when it could have been useful.
- We believe that somehow God enjoyed this process, like a cosmic bully ready to take on the little guy and crush him. (Do we actually know His character?)
I don’t think He did.
His Holiness demanded it.
But there was no pleasure in the process.
We have become so individualistic in Western society we don’t know how to work as a community anymore and we don’t know how to honor our word and keep our promises, it seems.
ACHAN’S LIES
- Achan saw himself as an individual without the connection to community of those around him. He believed that his actions would have no consequences for himself or anyone.
- Achan and the army was clearly given instructions and an outline of the consequences. (Joshua 5:15-19) He saw himself beyond those and came into agreement with the lie that through deception there would be an abolishment of consequences. Basically, he came into the agreement with the lie that the rules did not apply to him.
There’s more going on than meets the eye. Here’s the truth:
INDICATORS (to answer the OBJECTION LIST)
- People, even ones we don’t know, can be deeply affected by our sin, even if the sin and the effect seem utterly unconnected. That’s super sobering. So, how ’bout we start with these simpler questions: What sin are we doing in secret and what lies are connected with that? Ask Jesus. What things are going wrong (relational trouble? financial difficulty?) or struggles that we can’t seem to shake (anger? secret sin? private gluttony?) Perhaps lies/struggles are more intertwined that you think. Ask Jesus.
- “With great power comes great responsibility” – Spiderman. Making a promise to God, matters. Coming into agreement with the Living God, is a Spiritually Legal agreement. It’s the kind that’s made of eternity. Dear One, you need to know, that if you have given your life to Christ, THAT is a Spiritually Legal agreement, that comes with benefits (like a Loving Heavenly Father, and the Promise of Always being in His care, and life-forever, later). With those benefits also comes the responsibility to live rightfully, under the terms of that Spiritual Agreement. (ie. obedience John 14:15 )If you have not given your life to Christ, then there is a Spiritual agreement as well. You agree that you don’t want his care, and don’t want his life-forever, later. You’d rather do it yourself. Please choose wisely.
- In the Canadian schools that I have seen, I have noticed that kids are being passed on to the next grade without doing the ACTUAL work to get there. This is not how God sees things. There is sin, there is consequences. I get it, we may be tempted to think, “Achan confessed, and should be let go, why add another death to the 36″… tell THAT to one of the grieving widows and see their reaction… Achan’s sin was DE-LIB-ER-ATE! Knowingly, He chose death, unfortunately.
- Our sin affects others, literally. We are responsible for others in our life (even if you are not married or have kids) Yes, secret porn affects the marriage. Yes, secret online shopping affects the finances. Yes, closet drinking affects the co-workers and neighbours. Our rebellion as kids, if not confessed and changed, affects how we relate to our boss as an adult. WE ARE MADE FOR COMMUNITY and as such, our actions benefit or hurt the same community and ultimately us.
- Part of our community is our pets and the natural world around us. Yes, we affect that too, because we are responsible for them. The spiritual affects go far and wide.
- God is not nearly as concerned about stuff as we are. He can make a star from a single word. The Message says it well in Ps. 33:6, “The skies were made by GOD’s command; he breathed the word and the stars popped out.” We have to have God’s perspective on all that we own and touch and do.
- God could not have enjoyed this encounter. He is a God that put celebrations scattered all over the Christian calendar. He wants to party with His people. II Peter 3:9 MSG “God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change.” Achan did not take the time between the battle of Jericho and the battle of Ai to report what he had done. He was given time. He chose not to use it wisely. We have to come into agreement with God’s plan with submission, to reap His benefits.
Reflect
There’s a lot of unknowns when we buy a pair of shoes. We THINK we know what we want, what we need, and what this particular shoe product is going to deliver, but sometimes it leaves us unexpectedly bleeding. Just like ill-fitting shoes become abundantly apparent over time, so do our own personal assumptions, even assumptions about God.
Achan thought he knew what he wanted, I’m sure if he understood the ACTUAL cost, he would have never, ever have taken those things. Sadly, the simple thing would have been obedience.
This is a lot to take in, Dear One.
- Look at the Objection list. Which ones affect you the most. (Tell God, He knows anyway, but let’s start that honest conversation, right here, right now…) Allow God the opportunity to tell you about what character trait He is
- Look at Achan’s Lies List. Which one do you relate to the most? Confess to Jesus.
- Look at the Indicators List and see which point you relate to the most. What aspect of Himself does He want you to know about as it relates to you.
- Ask God where you are obeying well.
When we come into agreement with God we come into agreement with the God of Life. Achan came into agreement with a broken legal and spiritual agreement, and thus took decisions into his own hands. Death was the consequence. Death of the 36 warriors, their families as they knew it and ultimately himself. We can come out of agreement with the spirit of death and destruction in our lives by placing our trust in God. As we do that, we come out of agreement with the patterns and habits of our life that are set against the righteousness of God and His abundance for us. Trade those broken down shoes, called habits and patterns of thinking, that cause pain and bleeding for ones that God has designed for you.