A nation was going to war with a formidable enemy. On their own, their arsenals were insufficient to defeat the enemy because the enemy was advanced in their combat strategies and defense systems. Access to the heart of that nation was a very big challenge. Nothing they did was potent enough to penetrate the defense system. When we meet great battles like this one, we need the help of a superior host to launch a successful attack on that enemy. Approaching such a foe with inferior strategies is an automatic defeat.
Israel saw that they couldn’t make headway with all the war strategies they knew. But they had the help of a Superior host. They had the help of the host of heaven. The Commander-in-Chief of that host gave instructions about how to access and defeat the enemy. God gives battle strategies. Part of the instructions was to not take anything from the city for personal gain after the city had been overthrown. With the help of God, Israel overthrew Jericho. However, Achan, one of the Israelite forces saw the instruction not to amass personal wealth from that war differently. He saw some things which his greed and covetous appetite could not allow him to disregard and he took them for Himself
I think that man thought that God is another man somewhere. We do not understand the reality and essence of God so we arrogate human qualities to Him. Else, how do we explain our lackadaisical attitude to His expectations and instructions? How do we explain the way that we approach His worship unprepared? We think that He is just another man – a higher man somewhere! Achan transgressed in the matter of Israel versus Jericho.
Achan was later executed alongside his family members and property. Consequences attend to our disobedience of God’s instructions and revealed will. God is not another man! He is the great creator that inhabits eternity. He is to be feared. He blesses and punishes.
God has revealed that it is not His will that anyone should perish so He commands everyone everywhere to repent. Have you obeyed that command? Have you repented? Repentance means to turn away from sin and the world to God and holy living. If you haven’t already done so, today is the day to repent. Don’t be like Achan. Don’t allow your appetite for unholy things to drag your soul to destruction. Come to God in repentance asking Him to forgive all your sins, failures, and shortcomings and invite Jesus into your life.