20Achan replied, "It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done - P114
24Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor.
25Joshua said, "Why have you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today." Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them.
- P115
26Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.
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Joshua has Israel come forward by tribe, clan, and family. Achan is identified;he admits he took a robe, silver, and gold and hid them in his tent. The itemsare recovered. Joshua and Israel stone and burn Achan and his family. Theyheap rocks over him and call the place the Valley of Achor. Then the Lord turnsfrom His fierce anger. - P115
When God reveals that Achan is the sinner among the tribes, Joshua addresses Achan as his son and calls him to give glory and honor to God. Then, Achan is to confess what he has done - P116
. Many of us do not enjoy confronting others. It can be uncomfortable, especially in community settings. However, ignoring sin is costly. Sin can spread like a disease, causing even more corruption. - P116
Today, when people encounter sin in the church, they might join a different church that seems to have less trouble or avoid churches altogether. But this passage reminds us that we should not be reluctant to confront those whose lifestyles are undermining the holiness to which we are called. We cannot afford to look the other way. - P116
In this story, we see the insidious and pervasive nature of sin and its severeconsequences. Some may consider the capital punishment of Achan and hisfamily too severe. However, we must remember that the sin of Achan hadalready affected more than one person. His greed had cascading effects. Itnot only affected him and his family but also caused the death of thirty-sixpeople at the battle of Ai. The Israelites died in what should have been aneasy victory for God‘s people. - P116
We should remember this story when we aretempted to sin. We may think that our sins only affect one person, should recognize that they can also negatively impact our families, church-es, and even our possessions. but we - P116
Heavenly Father, I pray that You would grant wisdom to Your people. I pray that church leaders would shepherd their communities with grace and integrity. - P116
Give them the discernment and courage to recognize and confront the sins that threaten to harm Your people. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen. - P116
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