Analysis of Achan's Sin in Joshua

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.

And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside

Beth-aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spake unto them,

saying, Go up and view the country.

And the men went up and viewed Ai.

And they returned to Joshua and said unto him,

Let not all the people go up,

but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai.

And make not all the people to labor thither, for they are but few.

So they went up thither of the people about three thousand men, and

they fled before the men of Ai.

And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men.

For they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and

smote them in the going down, wherefore the hearts of the people melted

and became

as water. And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the

earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the

elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.

And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou

at all brought this people over Jordan to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites

to destroy us?

Would to God we had been content and dwelt on the other side Jordan.

O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turneth their backs before

their enemies?

For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall

hear of it, and shall

environ us round and cut off our name from the earth.

And what will thou do unto thy great name?

And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up.

Wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?

Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my

covenant which I

commanded them. For they have even taken of the accursed

thing, and have

also stolen, and assembled also, and they have put it even among

their own stuff.

Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned

their backs before their enemies because they were accursed.

Neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among

you.

Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against

tomorrow. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel,

There is an

accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel.

Thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the

accursed thing from among you.

And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee,

glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto

him, and tell me now what thou hast done.

Hide it not from me.

And Achan answered Joshua, and said,

Indeed,

I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel,

and thus and thus have I done.

When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish

garment, and two hundred shekels of silver,

and a wedge of gold

of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them, and

behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of

my tent.

So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran into the tent, and behold,

it was

hid in his tent, and the silver under it.

And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua,

and unto all the children of Israel,

and laid them out before the Lord. And Joshua, and

all Israel with him, took Achan, the son of Zerah, and the

silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and

his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep,

and his tent,

and all that he had.

And they brought them unto the valley of Achor.

And Joshua said,

Why hast thou troubled us? The Lord shall trouble thee this day.

And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire,

after they had stoned them with stones.

It is a fearful thing

to fall into the hands of the living God.