We must thus examine ourselves and carefully review the records of conscience, that we may find out the accursed thing, and pray earnestly with holy Job, Lord, show me wherefore thou contendest with me. (2.) How much it is our concern, when God is contending with us, to find out what the cause of action is, what the particular sin is, that, like Achan, troubles our camp. A bird of the air, when God pleases, shall carry the voice. We may well imagine how his countenance changed, and what horror and confusion seized him when he was singled out as the delinquent, when the eyes of all Israel were fastened upon him, and every one was ready to say, Have we found thee, O our enemy? See here, (1.) The folly of those that promise themselves secrecy in sin: the righteous God has many ways of bringing to light the hidden works of darkness, and so bringing to shame and ruin those that continue their fellowship with those unfruitful works. It was strange that Achan, being conscious to himself of guilt, when he saw the lot come nearer and nearer to him, had not either the wit to make an escape or the grace to make a confession but his heart was hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, and it proved to be to his own destruction. That the guilty person was at length fastened upon, and the language of the lot was, Thou art the man. The Jews' tradition is that when the tribe of Judah was taken the valiant men of that tribe drew their swords, and professed they would not sheathe them again till they saw the criminal punished and themselves cleared who knew their own innocency. Judah was to have the first and largest lot in Canaan the more inexcusable is one of that tribe it, not content to wait for his own share, he break in upon God's property. Let not the best families think it strange if there be those found in them, and descending from them, that prove their grief and shame. That the guilty tribe was that of Judah, which was, and was to be, of all the tribes, the most honourable and illustrious this was an alloy to their dignity, and might serve as a check to their pride: many there were who were its glories, but here was one that was its reproach. We have found Joshua upon other occasions an early riser here it shows his zeal and vehement desire to see Israel restored to the divine favour. Though we may suppose that Joshua slept the better, and with more ease and satisfaction, when he knew the worst of the disease of that body of which, under God, he was the head, and was put into a certain method of cure, yet he rose up early in the morning ( ), so much was his heart upon it, to put away the accursed thing. The discovery of Achan by the lot, which proved a perfect lot, though it proceeded gradually. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day. So the L ORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. 26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. 25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the L ORD shall trouble thee this day. 24 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. 23 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 L ORD. 22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. 20 And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the L ORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: 21 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, and the silver under it.
19 And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the L ORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him and tell me now what thou hast done hide it not from me. 16 So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes and the tribe of Judah was taken: 17 And he brought the family of Judah and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man and Zabdi was taken: 18 And he brought his household man by man and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. Jos 7:25 | MHC | STEP | Achan's Arraignment Achan's Confession The Execution of Achan.
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