“But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things; so the anger of the Lord burned against the children of Israel” (Joshua‬ ‭7‬:‭1‬).

In Joshua chapter 6, Isreal defeated Jericho, destroyed their city and took possession of the territory. God was with Joshua and his fame spread throughout all the country. The very next chapter 7, starts out by saying that the children of Isreal committed sin regarding the accursed things. This was because Achan from the tribe of Judah took the accursed things so the anger of the Lord burned against the children of Israel. On the back of a successful expedition in Jericho, Joshua sent men to Ai to spy on the land. The men went up to spy and came back and told Joshua, that he did not need to send the entire army. They suggested that he send a few thousand men to take possession of the land as the people were small number. To Joshua’s surprise and the surprise of the people, the men who went to Ai were struck down and chased out of the city. Joshua was distressed and tore his clothes, put ashes on his head and laid before the Ark of the Lord.

“And Joshua said, “Alas, Lord God, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all—to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan” ‭‭(Joshua‬ ‭7‬:‭7‬)! He asked God what would happen now that Israel had to turn their back on their enemies. He lamented that the Canaanites and the other surrounding cities would hear about their defeat and surround them and cut them off. God told Joshua to get up from where he was lying and told him that Isreal had sinned and went against his covenant. They had stolen what was accursed and hidden it among their things. This was why Isreal was defeated by their enemies, therefore they needed to get rid of what was accursed among them. Joshua was told to get up and sanctify himself and to also sanctify the people the next day and remove what was accursed from among them. 

Joshua was instructed to call all of the people together and God would separate the tribe where the sin was committed. From the tribe he would separate them by families and then by households and then single out the man who had stolen the cursed item. “Then it shall be that he who is taken with the accursed thing shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he has done a disgraceful thing in Israel ” ‭‭(Joshua‬ ‭7‬:‭15‬). Joshua gathered all of the people together the next day and the tribe of Judah was selected. He singled out the family of the Zarhites and then selected Zabdi and then his son Achan was selected. Joshua pleaded with Achan to confess what he had done and asked him not to hide anything from him. Achan confessed that he had sinned against the Lord and against Isreal. He had stolen a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels. He admitted that he had coveted them so he took them and hid them in his tent. 

Joshua sent men to Achan’s tent to retrieve the stolen items and they brought the items back to Joshua. Achan and all of his belongings and his entire family were taken to the valley of Achor and stoned and then burnt. Once this was done, the anger of the Lord was turned away from Isreal and the favour of God was restored. This is a difficult story and the end result for Achan was harsh and severe. We’re unlikely to see anyone stoned and their family and possessions burnt in any modern law abiding society. The essence of the story is appreciating the consequences of an association, with someone who was out of alignment or living in direct disobedience to God. Ideas, values, beliefs and attitudes are contagious and our close affiliations or alliances with people often determines our values and beliefs. Spirits are also easily transferred from one person to another. Our relationships and associations can affect our spiritual maturity and our relationship with God. We have to assess if our relationships draw us closer to God or pull us away from God. 

“As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend (Proverbs‬ ‭27‬:‭17‬).

Anneta Pinto-Young

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Published by Anneta Pinto-Young

I am a trained Social Worker who currently provides professional leadership on a programme to support Social Work students and Newly Qualified Social Workers entering the Social Work Profession. Born and raised in Jamaica in a Christian family where my father is an ordained Pastor and Deacon who has served for over 50 years in the ministry. My father is also a trained musician and our family can be described as a musical family. I grew up in a small farming community in St. Peter’s, St. Andrew and my parents also have a small farm. I credit my gift of writing to my father who I watched and listened to over the years as he wrote sermons, poems and other recitals in his capacity in ministry. English has always been an easy subject for me and over the years I have developed an increased interest in writing. I am a Trainer, I sing and have a passion for worship, the spoken word and the free flow of the prophetic anointing. I am married to my best friend Andrew Christopher Young who is an advanced Musician and whose music you can find on YouTube and Facebook. I am a trained Coach and Mentor and I love experimenting with food so I love cooking. I enjoy trying cultural dishes from across the world and I view food as an entry into cultures and languages.

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