Jos 7:24-26 | KingComments | STEP | All of Israel is defiled and must now purify itself. That can only happen when all exercise judgment. In the same way, the removal of the evil from the midst of the church is a matter for the whole church ( ). All are responsible for it; each must act accordingly after personal exercise before God and ask Him how to do things as to their own mind and their own life. It is good to keep in mind the difference between discipline in Israel and Christian discipline. Christian discipline always has the recovery of the soul in mind. Even if the evil person is to be delivered to satan by Paul, it is “for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus“ ( ). This is a powerful reason to exercise discipline according to the measure of our spiritual strength because we cannot go beyond that. We always have to humble ourselves before God, before and so that evil is removed. Achan has the stolen stuff concealed in his tent. Because all his family members have to die with him, they will have known about it and therefore become co-responsible. Everything that is connected with Achan is judged. The execution of judgment takes place in the valley of Achor, which is named after this event. Achor means ‘misery’. This is what Achan brought among the people. Achan means ‘he who brings confusion, restlessness’. He was “the troubler of Israel” and brought misery upon the people ( ). But in Hosea the LORD speaks about how He will give “the valley of Achor as a door of hope” where the people will sing “as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt” ( ). Where judgment has been exercised, the door is opened to a hopeful future. In the future God will spiritually bring His people back to that valley. The people will judge themselves, acknowledge their sins and be accepted again by God as His people. Hope is always present where people are aware of their misery and take refuge in the Lord Jesus. We must fear sin, but let us never fear the bitterness of its discovery, nor the discipline, for from that moment on, God wants to make His blessing flow to us again. If there is faithfulness and obedience, God will never fail to reveal and take away what prevents the blessing of His people.

‏ Joshua 7:24-26

Achan Judged

All of Israel is defiled and must now purify itself. That can only happen when all exercise judgment. In the same way, the removal of the evil from the midst of the church is a matter for the whole church (2Cor 2:6 ; 2Cor 7:11b). All are responsible for it; each must act accordingly after personal exercise before God and ask Him how to do things as to their own mind and their own life.

It is good to keep in mind the difference between discipline in Israel and Christian discipline. Christian discipline always has the recovery of the soul in mind. Even if the evil person is to be delivered to satan by Paul, it is “for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus“ (1Cor 5:5). This is a powerful reason to exercise discipline according to the measure of our spiritual strength because we cannot go beyond that. We always have to humble ourselves before God, before and so that evil is removed.

Achan has the stolen stuff concealed in his tent. Because all his family members have to die with him, they will have known about it and therefore become co-responsible. Everything that is connected with Achan is judged. The execution of judgment takes place in the valley of Achor, which is named after this event. Achor means ‘misery’. This is what Achan brought among the people. Achan means ‘he who brings confusion, restlessness’. He was “the troubler of Israel” and brought misery upon the people (1Chr 2:7).

But in Hosea the LORD speaks about how He will give “the valley of Achor as a door of hope” where the people will sing “as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt” (Hos 2:15). Where judgment has been exercised, the door is opened to a hopeful future. In the future God will spiritually bring His people back to that valley. The people will judge themselves, acknowledge their sins and be accepted again by God as His people. Hope is always present where people are aware of their misery and take refuge in the Lord Jesus.

We must fear sin, but let us never fear the bitterness of its discovery, nor the discipline, for from that moment on, God wants to make His blessing flow to us again. If there is faithfulness and obedience, God will never fail to reveal and take away what prevents the blessing of His people.