The Sin (Josh. 7:20-21)

9/8/2009 8:16 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                 Focus:  The sin

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                  Reference:  Joshua 7:20-21

 

            Message of the verses:  “20  So Achan answered Joshua and said, ‘Truly, I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel, and this is what I did: 21  when I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle from Shinar and two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold fifty shekels in weight, then I coveted them and took them; and behold, they are concealed in the earth inside my tent with the silver underneath it.’”

            There were four steps of this sin and so I will go over these steps and give Scripture to show these wrong steps that Achan had taken.

            Step one:  Achan look a second time at these spoils and that was his first mistake.  The same can be said when a man looks at an attractive woman, but then he looks a second time with the intention of lusting.  Jesus said during His sermon on the mount that if a man looks at a woman to lust after her it was the same as committing adultery with her.  Proverbs 4:20-25 “20 ¶  My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. 21  Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart. 22  For they are life to those who find them And health to all their body. 23  Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. 24  Put away from you a deceitful mouth And put devious speech far from you. 25  Let your eyes look directly ahead And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.”

            Achan’s second step to sin was to reclassify the treasures and call them spoils.  Achan did this in verse twenty-one of Joshua seven when he was describing his sin to Joshua.  The command was to give all of the treasures to the Lord for His treasury, and when Achan called them spoils he was claiming them to be his.

            Achan’s third step to sin was to covet which he says that “I coveted them” in verse twenty-one of Joshua seven.  James 1:14 says “14  But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.”

            The forth step to sin from Achan was to think that he could get away with his sin, and that God would not see his sin.  Achan buried his “spoils” or he covered his sin in a similar way that Adam and Eve tried to cover their sin by putting on leaves to cover their nakedness and then running from the Lord.  David tried to cover his sin with Bathsheba by first getting her husband drunk so he would think the baby was his, and then by having her husband killed to cover his sin.  Neither case worked for the Word of God says “Be sure your sin will find you out.” 

            All Achan would have to do was wait for the next battle and then he could have had all the spoils he wanted, but the first fruits belonged to the Lord.  “But seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you.”  (Matthew 6:33)

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I believe that I can say that since the Lord saved me in Jan. of 1974 that whenever I have sinned against the Lord that I never thought that I was getting away with it for I know that the Lord sees all that I do, the good fruit along with the sin in my life.  I know that the Lord has given me every good thing and that the things that I sometimes desire in this life I do not need and only want them for the flesh and of course this is wrong.  I also realize that there are times when I think more of the gifts that the Giver has given me than the Giver of the gifts.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Romans 12:1-2  “1 ¶  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
    
2. Proverbs 3:5-6  “5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”   
3. Psalm 139:23-24  “23  Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; 24  And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”
4. Philippians 4:11  “11  Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.”
5. Ephesians 6:14-18  “14  Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15  and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; 16  in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17  And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18  With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.”
6. Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3  For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

 

 

9/8/2009 9:17 AM