So Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and make a confession to Him. I urge you to tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me." So Joshua said to Achan,Joshua, as the leader of Israel, addresses Achan directly. This moment follows the defeat at Ai, where Israel's failure is attributed to sin within the camp. Joshua's role as a leader is to maintain the covenant relationship with God, ensuring the community's purity. Achan, from the tribe of Judah, is identified as the transgressor who took forbidden items from Jericho, violating God's command. “My son,
Joshua's use of "my son" indicates a pastoral and compassionate approach, despite the gravity of Achan's sin. This term reflects a familial relationship within the community of Israel, emphasizing the seriousness of Achan's actions not just as a legal issue but as a breach of trust within the family of God. give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel,
Giving glory to God in this context means acknowledging His sovereignty and righteousness. It is a call for Achan to honor God by confessing the truth. This phrase underscores the importance of God's holiness and the need for His people to reflect that holiness. It also highlights the covenantal relationship, where God's glory is paramount. and make a confession to Him.
Confession is a critical aspect of repentance and restoration. In the Old Testament, confession involves acknowledging one's sin before God and the community. This act is necessary for reconciliation with God and the removal of divine judgment. It reflects the biblical principle that sin must be exposed and dealt with openly. I urge you to tell me what you have done;
Joshua's urging indicates the necessity of transparency and truthfulness. The community's well-being depends on Achan's confession, as hidden sin affects the entire nation. This reflects the biblical theme that individual sin can have corporate consequences, as seen in other instances like the sin of David with Bathsheba. do not hide it from me.”
The command not to hide sin emphasizes the need for honesty before God and His appointed leaders. Hidden sin is a recurring theme in Scripture, often leading to further consequences. This phrase echoes the biblical truth that God sees all, and nothing is hidden from His sight, as seen in Hebrews 4:13. Persons / Places / Events 1. JoshuaThe leader of Israel after Moses, tasked with leading the Israelites into the Promised Land. In this passage, he is confronting Achan about his sin. 2. AchanA member of the tribe of Judah who disobeyed God's command by taking forbidden items from Jericho, leading to Israel's defeat at Ai. 3. The LORD, the God of IsraelThe covenant God of Israel, who demands holiness and obedience from His people. 4. JerichoThe first city conquered by the Israelites in the Promised Land, where Achan took the forbidden items. 5. AiThe city where Israel faced defeat due to Achan's sin, highlighting the consequences of disobedience. Teaching Points The Importance of ConfessionConfession is a crucial step in restoring our relationship with God. Joshua's call to Achan to confess highlights the need for transparency before God. Consequences of SinAchan's account reminds us that sin has communal consequences. Our actions can affect not only ourselves but also those around us. Giving Glory to GodTrue confession involves giving glory to God by acknowledging His righteousness and our wrongdoing. God's Holiness and JusticeGod's demand for holiness is non-negotiable. Achan's sin and its consequences underscore God's justice and the seriousness of sin. Restoration through RepentanceWhile Achan faced severe consequences, the broader biblical account shows that repentance leads to restoration and forgiveness. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Achan's account illustrate the communal impact of individual sin, and how can this understanding affect our actions within our communities? 2. In what ways does confessing our sins give glory to God, and how can we practice this in our daily lives? 3. Reflect on a time when you experienced the consequences of hidden sin. How did confession and repentance bring about change? 4. How can the principles of confession and repentance in Joshua 7:19 be applied in a modern Christian context, especially in light of 1 John 1:9? 5. What steps can we take to ensure that we are living in obedience to God, avoiding the pitfalls of Achan's disobedience? Connections to Other Scriptures Leviticus 5:1This verse discusses the responsibility to confess sin, which parallels Joshua's call for Achan to confess. Proverbs 28:13This verse emphasizes the importance of confessing and renouncing sin to receive mercy, similar to Joshua's instruction to Achan. 1 John 1:9This New Testament verse speaks about confessing sins and receiving forgiveness, echoing the need for confession seen in Joshua 7:19. People Achan, Amorites, Canaanites, Carmi, Israelites, Joshua, Zabdi, Zarhites, Zerah, Zerahites, ZimriPlaces Ai, Beth-aven, Bethel, Jericho, Jordan River, Shebarim, Shinar, Valley of AchorTopics Achan, Confession, Declare, Glory, Hast, Hide, Honour, Implore, Joshua, Nothing, Please, Praise, Render, ThanksDictionary of Bible Themes Joshua 7:1-26 6173 guilt, and God
8479 self-examination, examples Joshua 7:11-26 8716 dishonesty, examples Library Achan's Sin, Israel's Defeat
'But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel. 2. And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-ei, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai. 3. And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureWhether one Can, Without a Mortal Sin, Deny the Truth which Would Lead to One's Condemnation?
Objection 1: It would seem one can, without a mortal sin, deny the truth which would lead to one's condemnation. For Chrysostom says (Hom. xxxi super Ep. ad Heb.): "I do not say that you should lay bare your guilt publicly, nor accuse yourself before others." Now if the accused were to confess the truth in court, he would lay bare his guilt and be his own accuser. Therefore he is not bound to tell the truth: and so he does not sin mortally if he tell a lie in court. Objection 2: Further, just as …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica Contention Over the Man Born Blind.
(Jerusalem.) ^D John IX. 1-41. [Some look upon the events in this and the next section as occurring at the Feast of Tabernacles in October, others think they occurred at the Feast of Dedication in December, deriving their point of time from John x. 22.] ^d 1 And as he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. [The man probably sought to waken compassion by repeatedly stating this fact to passers-by.] 2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel The Eighth Commandment
Thou shalt not steal.' Exod 20: 15. AS the holiness of God sets him against uncleanness, in the command Thou shalt not commit adultery;' so the justice of God sets him against rapine and robbery, in the command, Thou shalt not steal.' The thing forbidden in this commandment, is meddling with another man's property. The civil lawyers define furtum, stealth or theft to be the laying hands unjustly on that which is another's;' the invading another's right. I. The causes of theft. [1] The internal causes …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments Confession of Sin --A Sermon with Seven Texts
The Hardened Sinner. PHARAOH--"I have sinned."--Exodus 9:27. I. The first case I shall bring before you is that of the HARDENED SINNER, who, when under terror, says, "I have sinned." And you will find the text in the book of Exodus, the 9th chap. and 27th verse: "And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked." But why this confession from the lips of the haughty tyrant? He was not often wont to …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 3: 1857 Restraining Prayer: is it Sin?
"Thou restrainest prayer before God."--JOB xv. 4. "What profit should we have, if we pray unto Him?"--JOB xxi. 15. "God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you."--1 SAM. xii. 23. "Neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you."--JOSH. vii. 12. Any deep quickening of the spiritual life of the Church will always be accompanied by a deeper sense of sin. This will not begin with theology; that can only give expression to what God works …
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession The Practice of Piety in Glorifying God in the Time of Sickness, and when Thou Art Called to Die in the Lord.
As soon as thou perceivest thyself to be visited with any sickness, meditate with thyself: 1. That "misery cometh not forth of the dust; neither doth affliction spring out of the earth." Sickness comes not by hap or chance (as the Philistines supposed that their mice and emrods came, 1 Sam. vi. 9), but from man's wickedness, which, as sparkles, breaketh out. "Man suffereth," saith Jeremiah, "for his sins." "Fools," saith David, "by reason of their transgressions, and because of their iniquities, …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety Exposition of the Moral Law.
1. The Law was committed to writing, in order that it might teach more fully and perfectly that knowledge, both of God and of ourselves, which the law of nature teaches meagrely and obscurely. Proof of this, from an enumeration of the principal parts of the Moral Law; and also from the dictate of natural law, written on the hearts of all, and, in a manner, effaced by sin. 2. Certain general maxims. 1. From the knowledge of God, furnished by the Law, we learn that God is our Father and Ruler. Righteousness …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion Of a Private Fast.
That we may rightly perform a private fast, four things are to be observed:--First, The author; Secondly, The time and occasion; Thirdly, The manner; Fourthly, The ends of private fasting. 1. Of the Author. The first that ordained fasting was God himself in paradise; and it was the first law that God made, in commanding Adam to abstain from eating the forbidden fruit. God would not pronounce nor write his law without fasting (Lev. xxiii), and in his law commands all his people to fast. So does our …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety The Knowledge of God
'The Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.' I Sam 2:2. Glorious things are spoken of God; he transcends our thoughts, and the praises of angels. God's glory lies chiefly in his attributes, which are the several beams by which the divine nature shines forth. Among other of his orient excellencies, this is not the least, The Lord is a God of knowledge; or as the Hebrew word is, A God of knowledges.' Through the bright mirror of his own essence, he has a full idea and cognisance …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Beth-El. Beth-Aven.
Josephus thus describes the land of Benjamin; "The Benjamites' portion of land was from the river Jordan to the sea, in length: in breadth, it was bounded by Jerusalem and Beth-el." Let these last words be marked, "The breadth of the land of Benjamin was bounded by Jerusalem and Beth-el." May we not justly conclude, from these words, that Jerusalem and Beth-el were opposite, as it were, in a right line? But if you look upon the maps, there are some that separate these by a very large tract of land, …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica The Covenant of Works
Q-12: I proceed to the next question, WHAT SPECIAL ACT OF PROVIDENCE DID GOD EXERCISE TOWARDS MAN IN THE ESTATE WHEREIN HE WAS CREATED? A: When God had created man, he entered into a covenant of life with him upon condition of perfect obedience, forbidding him to eat of the tree of knowledge upon pain of death. For this, consult with Gen 2:16, 17: And the Lord commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity The Holiness of God
The next attribute is God's holiness. Exod 15:51. Glorious in holiness.' Holiness is the most sparkling jewel of his crown; it is the name by which God is known. Psa 111:1. Holy and reverend is his name.' He is the holy One.' Job 6:60. Seraphims cry, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory.' Isa 6:6. His power makes him mighty, his holiness makes him glorious. God's holiness consists in his perfect love of righteousness, and abhorrence of evil. Of purer eyes than …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Second Great Group of Parables.
(Probably in Peræa.) Subdivision F. Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. ^C Luke XVI. 19-31. [The parable we are about to study is a direct advance upon the thoughts in the previous section. We may say generally that if the parable of the unjust steward teaches how riches are to be used, this parable sets forth the terrible consequences of a failure to so use them. Each point of the previous discourse is covered in detail, as will be shown by the references in the discussion of the parable.] …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Joshua
The book of Joshua is the natural complement of the Pentateuch. Moses is dead, but the people are on the verge of the promised land, and the story of early Israel would be incomplete, did it not record the conquest of that land and her establishment upon it. The divine purpose moves restlessly on, until it is accomplished; so "after the death of Moses, Jehovah spake to Joshua," i. 1. The book falls naturally into three divisions: (a) the conquest of Canaan (i.-xii.), (b) the settlement of the …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Joshua 7:19 NIVJoshua 7:19 NLTJoshua 7:19 ESVJoshua 7:19 NASBJoshua 7:19 KJV
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