The Folly of Hiding Sin

Background Scripture: Joshua 7
Lesson Scripture: Joshua 7:1, 4-6, 10-12, 19-20, 22-23, 25-26

Introduction

“Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off” (Rom. 11:22).

While we appreciate the grace and goodness of the Lord, we must remember that He is a jealous God who requires our total allegiance. The Lord is gracious and full of mercy, yet His Spirit will not always strive with us if we insist on our own way. Let us not be found with sin on our soul at the last judgment when all will be exposed to the Light. Today is the day of repentance and the time of spiritual renewal.

Key Verse

For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known (Luke 12:2).

Lesson Scripture

Studying the Lesson

Achan saw the miracles God wrought in crossing the mighty Jordan River. He was present when the Lord, through Joshua, commanded the conquering army of Israel to destroy everything in the wicked town of Jericho. He was there when the whole assembly marched around Jericho without making a sound. Achan was there on the last day of the conquest when the command was given that they should march around the city seven times and, on the last turn, a trumpet would sound, and they were to overthrow the city. He witnessed and heard the great crashing of the walls as they tumbled down, and he was with the army that ran in upon the inhabitants to destroy all their possessions. There were many faithful, sincere soldiers who took part in all the carnage, and perhaps some of them thought some of the spoils could be put to good use. However, God had forbidden them to take anything.

Achan, no doubt, weighed all this in his mind as he worked alongside his comrades. At some point, he saw some gold, silver, and a garment that he coveted. Obviously, he knew better, because he concealed his pillage all the way to his tent and buried it without anyone’s knowledge.

Achan’s sin resulted in many casualties in Israel’s next battle. Joshua, after falling on his face before the Lord, was led to Achan as the reason for their defeat. God punished Achan for his sin by commanding the Israelites to stone him and his family. A large pile of stones was heaped over Achan, his family, and all his possessions as a sign of God’s wrath on sin.

Practical Truths for Today

We may not fully understand God’s wrath on sin until we catch a glimpse of Jesus suffering on the cross. He took the punishment that we deserved. Isaiah wrote that God’s wrath on sin was appeased when He saw the travail of His only Son as He was brutally tortured and finally left to die like a common criminal. This price that was paid for our transgressions gives us the opportunity to find grace and forgiveness when we repent of our sins.

We should tremble to think of not keeping our commitments to God to be faithful and our promises to Him to deny ourselves of worldliness and carnal pursuits. The tendency to become lax in our Christian lives is ever present. When we backslide, we expose ourselves to many temptations and tend to think that we can be lukewarm and suffer no ill effects.

Half-hearted Christians soon find themselves in sin and, consequently, become ashamed of themselves. Then we either flee to the Lord, find repentance and deliverance, or we cover our sin and try to mimic Christian life. We may be able to do this for a while, but once we are slipping from grace, we cannot maintain a pure heart and godly conviction. We may try to appear godly on the outside, but discouragement, lack of self-discipline, lapses in child nurture, lack of godly leadership, or some other aspect of our depraved nature becomes apparent. We gradually fall from grace by grieving the Holy Spirit until He is no longer welcome in our hearts. The spirits of unforgiveness, covetousness, and worldly lusts soon take root. Sin always leads to defeat, and hiding it prolongs the overthrow.

There are some commands of God that, if unheeded, will promptly cause spiritual death. The Word says that if we sin willfully, we count the blood of the Son of God an unholy thing (Heb. 10:26). There are sins of lust, deceit, or covetousness that if willfully committed cause God’s grace to be immediately withdrawn.

The Bible says that a little leaven leavens the whole lump (1 Cor. 5:6). It is very sad that because of Achan’s sin many lost their lives in the battle of Ai, as well as Achan’s family, who perished without mercy because of their father’s sin. God may have granted mercy had Achan confessed his sin before he was caught, but once he was discovered, his whole family came under the same awful punishment of stoning. Our loved ones in our homes and congregations are often affected adversely if we harbor sin in our lives. What a tragedy! Would to God we could catch a vision of the great fallacy of covering sin and would keep our hearts open to the Lord and our brethren as we journey through life. May we repent when we commit sin, and may we praise God for His deliverance. Our repentance and resulting freedom can have a positive effect on others who may be harboring sin—an incentive for them to take hope, reveal their sin, and find forgiveness.

Someone has defined grace as receiving what we do not deserve, and mercy as withholding the punishment we have earned. True followers of Christ are blood-washed pilgrims who have thoroughly repented of their transgressions. They have been delivered from the bondage of sin and live in the freedom and liberty of the Holy Ghost. They have a clear conscience, an open expression, and a heart full of love. May the Lord impress our minds of the great danger for those who harbor and cover their sin. All those who confess and forsake their sins reap great rewards, both in this life and the life to come.

Questions

1. What was Achan’s basic sin?
2. There are sins of commission and omission. Discuss which are more enticing and prevalent.
3. What are ways to guard against covetousness?
4. God’s greatest commandment for man is to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and the second is to love our neighbor as ourselves. Is this the way to overcome temptations like Achan encountered?
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Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).