Sincere Milk

Key Verse

“And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done.” Joshua 7:20

Text — Joshua 7:20-25

Message

The city of Jericho laid in ruins! Joshua had told the people of Israel not to take anything from the city: they were not to keep a single thing for themselves. However, one man disobeyed the Lord’s instruction. He secretly took a beautiful coat, some silver and wedge of gold and buried them in his tent. Joshua did not know that Achan had taken the treasures and hidden them. He sent some soldiers to the nearby city of Ai to fight it. Yet even though it was only a small city, the Israelite army was defeated and chased back. The people lost their courage and were afraid. When Joshua prayed and asked the Lord why He had let them be defeated, God told him that Israel had sinned.

Sometimes, the whole class could be punished for making a noise and you weren’t even talking. This is what happened to Israel. God had given His people a strict order not to take anything from the city. To Achan, it seemed such a waste to leave the gold and silver behind yet, his disobedience cost him his life and the lives of many Israelites who were killed in the battle.

Because God is absolutely holy, He cannot just overlook sin as though it doesn’t matter. He also cannot bless His people in a powerful way when there is sin in their lives; and where God’s power cannot work, there is defeat! The solutions to such a problem are genuine repentance, prayer for forgiveness and cleansing of sin. When sin is taken away then there will be victory.

Further Reading

Psalm 139:23,24

Prayer for today

Lord, I repent and turn away from all sins.