For the last week I’ve been spending time in the story of Achan. You might remember him, found in the book of Joshua right after the “battle” of Jericho. Jericho wasn’t much of a battle, but more like a set of instructions to be obeyed by God’s people. March around the city every day for six days, make sure you don’t say or yell anything, and on the seventh day watch how God will bring about the victory with just a shout from the people. The only real instructions the people had to do (besides walking alot) was to devote everything to destruction, as a first fruit to the Lord.
Don’t take anything here, this one is all to the Lord.
And less that command seems stifling and unfair, in the very next city the Israelites fight (Ai), they were instructed to take all the spoils of the city they wanted.
But not Achan. The narrative says Achan didn’t just see something he wanted, he desired it. Then he took it, and last of all he hid it.
Achan didn’t see God’s Word as good. He felt it as oppressive and unfair. It wasn’t enough to satisfy the desires of his heart. What started as a “Achan-only” sin quickly escalated to involve an entire family (the Israelites were a nomadic tribe, still living in tents. It would have been impossible for his family not to have seen him enter the tent with the goods and make an effort to hide them.)
Achan’s choice leads to the death of 36 men of war and his entire family when he continues to refuse to confess and repent. If you think that’s too hard, watch how long the process took for Joshua to find Achan. He calls tribes, clans, families, and eventually individuals. At no point does Achan come forward to confess his sin as this process starts. He waits until at last he stands before Joshua and is forced to face his rebellion and sin.
If there’s one thing we can see in the narrative of Scripture, it is that personal sin always has ramifications far beyond ourselves. For every choice a person makes that feels so private, it has rippling effects seen in generation after generation.
But just like Achan’s sin had results, so personal obedience has collateral that we often significantly underestimate.
Let me say that again.
Today’s obedience has collateral.
Your obedience is never just about you. It is always, always affecting others around you.
Your decision to wake up another morning and open your Bible matters.
Your commitment to pray for that person, again, matters.
Your choice to forgive, matters.
Your choice to ask for help and accountability, matters.
Your effort to confess and repent, matters.
This summer I’ve been inspired by some real life personal obedience examples I’ve read, like this one. What is it for you?
What is the one area of obedience God is calling you to either continue walking in or to begin?
Little Roots Co. 
Leave a comment