The chapter of Joshua 7 tells the account of the Israelites going up against the men of Ai in battle. It starts out with a very interesting sentence.
"But the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully regarding the things designated for destruction, for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, took some of the designated things; therefore the anger of the Lord burned against the sons of Israel. (verse 1)
It is interesting because it was a single man, Achan, that acted unfaithfully, but by God the sin was aaccounted as "the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully". We live in a culture that very much looks at sin as an individual thing. Yet, most accounts of sin in the Bible, look at the sin of one and the impact of many.
It is likely that Joshua, nor any of the men of Israel knew that Achan had been unfaithful to the instructions of the Lord. Joshua asked the men to go and spy out the land, just as they had Jericho. When they came back with a favorable report, saying only two to three thousand people were needed, Joshua sent them out to claim the land. Joshua knew God had promised them the land 40 years before.
What should have been an easy battle left the Israelites running for their lives. Thirty-six men lost their lives in battle because of the sin of Achan.
The men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of their men, and pursued them from the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them down on the descent, so the hearts of the people melted and became as water. (verse 5)
When they came back Joshua was of course upset. He and the elders cried out to God because they didn't understand why He would bring them across the Jordan only to have them defeated by a small community. God replied quickly to their plea.
So the Lord said to Joshua, "Rise up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face? Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things under the ban and have both stolen and deceived. Moreover, they have also put them among their own things. Therefore the sons of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, for they have become accursed. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from your midst. (Verses 10-12)
Again, note that God says "Israel sinned. They transgressed. They took. They placed." Because of the actions of one man, Achan, God's punishment was poured out on all of Israel. "The sons of Israel cannot stand before their enemy. They have become accursed." Then God turns His attention back to Joshua letting him know that Joshua would be included, despite not even knowing what sin had really been committed. "I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from your midst."
God gave Joshua instructions of what needed to happen next.
Stand up! Consecrate the people and say, 'Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, because the Lord, the God of Israel, has said this: "There are things designated for destruction in your midst, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you have removed the designated things from your midst." (verse 13)
Only if Joshua was willing to obey God's commands would God's reproach be removed from Israel and be placed on the party that was guilty of the action.
It shall be that the one who is taken with the things under the ban shall be burned with fire, he and all that belongs to him, because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he has committed a disgraceful thing in Israel. (verse 15)
Joshua did was he was commanded. Lots were cast, first amongst the twelve tribes, and then their sons families, and then the families of their sons, on down the line until Achan was selected. At any time, Achan could have stood up and admitted his sin, instead humiliation for the sin was brought on the tribe of Judah, the family of Zerahites, the family of Zabdi, the family of Carmi until his son Achan was left standing. This was done publicly before all of Israel. Maybe he was sitting there hoping someone else had sinned as well.
Only when Joshua confronted him, commanding "tell me what you did" did Achan admit his sin.
So Achan answered Joshua and said, "Truly, I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I saw among the spoils a beautiful robe from Shinar, two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold fifty shekels in weight, then I wanted them and took them; and behold, they are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath." (verses 20-22)
Messengers went to collect what Achan had stolen. They brought it to Joshua who laid it out before the Lord.
Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that belonged to him; and they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. And Joshua said, "Why have you brought disaster on us? The Lord will bring disaster on you this day." And all Israel stoned them with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones. Then they erected over him a large heap of stones that stands to this day, and the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Achor to this day." (verses 24-26)
In the end, Achan's sin cost him his life, but it also cost the life of thirty-six soldiers, his sons and daughters and all his possessions. The soldiers were killed in battle, his family was stoned and burned with fire. For the sin of one man, the impact of many.
It is easy to want to look as this passage and say "It is Old Testament. I am under a new covenant with grace." However, as New Testament Believers we are:
- Held to a higher standard (see Matthew 5, especially especially verses 21-48)
- Empowered by Holy Spirit to walk in Christ's standard (Romans 6, especially verses 12-14).
- Called to live by the Spirit and not by the flesh (Romans 8, especially verses 9-14).
- Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19),
- The Body of Christ (Romans 12:4-6).
Don't misunderstand, God will forgive our sins when we confess them to Him (Proverbs 28:13, Romans 10:9 and I John 1:9), we are healed when we confess to others (James 5:16).
Our sin impacts more than just our individual selves and even our immediate family. When necessary, they must also be removed from the congregation. A few examples from New Testament passages include:
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. ... 1 Corinthians 5:1-13
As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned. Titus 3:10-11
"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Matthew 18:15-17
Just as Joshua had a duty to take care of the sin in the Israelite camp, so church leaders have a responsibility to address the sin in the church, specifically among believers. It is for the good of the flock or congregation that things are addressed, no matter how difficult.
For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Acts 20:27-30
John Bevere warns in Killing Kryptonite :
Let's be candid—we view calling men and women to repentance as a lack of compassion, tenderness, kindness, and love. Yet consider this: If I see a blind man heading straight for a cliff that will cause him to fall to certain death, love demands that I call him to change course!
In our society, and with many in the church, such genuine love that calls for repentance is perceived as bigoted and hateful. This stronghold has emerged because many are only considering their life on earth, and not eternity.
It is not just the eternity of the one practicing sin, it is the eternity of everyone around. Jesus tells His disciples many times to guard against the yeast.
"When the disciples crossed over to the other side of the lake, they forgot to take any bread. Jesus said to them, "Take care; be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." They started discussing among themselves, "He says this because we didn't bring any bread." Jesus knew what they were saying, so he asked them, "Why are you discussing among yourselves about not having any bread? What little faith you have! Don't you understand yet? Don't you remember when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand men? How many baskets did you fill? And what about the seven loaves for the four thousand men? How many baskets did you fill? How is it that you don't understand that I was not talking to you about bread? Guard yourselves from the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!" Then the disciples understood that he was not warning them to guard themselves from the yeast used in bread but from the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.". Matthew 16:5-12
"As thousands of people crowded together, so that they were stepping on each other, Jesus said first to his disciples, "Be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees—I mean their hypocrisy. Whatever is covered up will be uncovered, and every secret will be made known. So then, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in broad daylight, and whatever you have whispered in private in a closed room will be shouted from the housetops." Luke 12:1-3
"Again Jesus asked, "What shall I compare the Kingdom of God with? It is like this. A woman takes some yeast and mixes it with a bushel of flour until the whole batch of dough rises." Jesus went through towns and villages, teaching the people and making his way toward Jerusalem. Someone asked him, "Sir, will just a few people be saved?" Jesus answered them, "Do your best to go in through the narrow door; because many people will surely try to go in but will not be able. The master of the house will get up and close the door; then when you stand outside and begin to knock on the door and say, 'Open the door for us, sir!' he will answer you, 'I don't know where you come from!' Then you will answer, 'We ate and drank with you; you taught in our town!' But he will say again, 'I don't know where you come from. Get away from me, all you wicked people!' How you will cry and gnash your teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, while you are thrown out! People will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down at the feast in the Kingdom of God. Then those who are now last will be first, and those who are now first will be last."". Luke 13:20-30
Jesus knew that there would be followers of Him that would be yeast, even people who followed Him closely. Judas was on of the twelve, and yet He led in Christ's betrayal. Paul following the description of sin in the congregation shares this warning:
"It is not right for you to be proud! You know the saying, "A little bit of yeast makes the whole batch of dough rise." You must remove the old yeast of sin so that you will be entirely pure. Then you will be like a new batch of dough without any yeast, as indeed I know you actually are. For our Passover Festival is ready, now that Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us celebrate our Passover, then, not with bread having the old yeast of sin and wickedness, but with the bread that has no yeast, the bread of purity and truth." 1 Corinthians 5:6-8
He continues:
"In the letter that I wrote you I told you not to associate with immoral people. Now I did not mean pagans who are immoral or greedy or are thieves, or who worship idols. To avoid them you would have to get out of the world completely. What I meant was that you should not associate with a person who calls himself a believer but is immoral or greedy or worships idols or is a slanderer or a drunkard or a thief. Don't even sit down to eat with such a person. After all, it is none of my business to judge outsiders. God will judge them. But should you not judge the members of your own fellowship? As the scripture says, "Remove the evil person from your group."". 1 Corinthians 5:9-13
And also warns
"You were doing so well! Who made you stop obeying the truth? How did he persuade you? It was not done by God, who calls you. "It takes only a little yeast to make the whole batch of dough rise," as they say. But I still feel confident about you. Our life in union with the Lord makes me confident that you will not take a different view and that whoever is upsetting you will be punished by God." Galatians 5:7-10
Scriptures are clear. The sin of one can impact many. It must be addressed within the body of Christ. We need to take inventory of our life and deal with our sin privately before becomes necessary to be addressed publicly. If sin is not addressed it can impact the entire body, just as sickness spreads, or yeast causes bread to rise. God sets forth in His Word how to handle sin that is addressed publicly which can ultimately lead to being put out of a congregation until the person is repentant. We have a responsibility to each other to live by the Spirit and not allow ourselves to be controlled by the flesh.
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