If you don’t think sin is serious then read (Joshua 7). According to the website GotQuestions.org: “Achan was an Israelite who fought the battle of Jericho with Joshua. God had commanded the Israelites to destroy the entire city of Jericho because of its great sin. Only Rahab the harlot and her household were spared because she had hidden the Israelite spies (Joshua 6:17). God further commanded that, unlike most victories when soldiers were allowed to take the spoils, the Israelites were to take nothing from Jericho. Everything in it was “accursed” or “devoted to destruction.” God warned that anyone taking spoils from Jericho would “make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it” (Joshua 6:18-19). The Israelites obeyed, except for Achan, who stole a beautiful robe and some gold and silver and hid these things in his tent.”1
Achan’s sin was disobedience and covetousness. All the spoils of Jericho had to be dedicated to the Lord and therefore destroyed, except for the gold and silver which was to be taken and added to the treasury of the Lord. The people were to make no profit from this victory; it was wholly through the Lord.
We read in (Joshua 7) that after their great victory over the city of Jericho (Joshua 6) the Israelites were soundly defeated in their subsequent battle against the city of Ai. Even though only Achan had sinned because of the covenant relationship God had with Israel it was as if all of Israel had sinned. This can be seen plainly in (Joshua 7:11-12): “Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff. Therefore, the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you.”
While some may complain that why should the innocent suffer for another man’s sin we all understand that disobedience brings ruin even upon the innocent. We see this in the family setting where innocent children suffer when parents use drugs and alcohol. We even see this in a societal setting where bad decisions from our political leaders can effect an entire nation. And the most far reaching impact on the whole of mankind can be seen through the sin of Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God; which destroyed the wonderful communion all of could have enjoyed with the Lord.
The story of Achan, however, is one of punishment and restoration. As a result of Achan’s sin, he, his entire family, and all of his possessions were destroyed but afterwards God allowed Israel to now defeat Ai and be restored into right standing with the Lord.
Achan, like many of us, allow the pull of material possessions to become so great that they take our allegiance away from Jesus. I believe that if we could only develop a healthy reverence for God this would go a long way to preventing us from sinning. (Proverbs 16:6) speaks to this when it says: “In mercy and truth atonement is provided for iniquity; And by the fear of the Lord, one departs from evil.” The greater our reverence for Jesus the less likely we will allow sin to get a stronghold in our lives. One other way to help us to stop sinning is to realize that when we sin, we can often impact our family, and friends negatively. We need to consider the high cost of sinning before we commit the act, since disobedience to God (sin) can bring with it dire consequences.
If I can leave you with one verse to help you conquer sin it would be (Psalm 119:11): “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”
1 Why did God judge the sin of Achan so severely? | GotQuestions.org