What's Hidden Hurts Everyone | Tim Leach

The account of Achan in Joshua 7-8 provides a sobering lesson about the far-reaching consequences of hidden sin. After Israel's victory at Jericho, Achan secretly disobeyed God's command by taking and hiding valuable items meant for destruction or dedication to God's treasury. This seemingly private act of disobedience resulted in Israel's unexpected defeat at Ai and the death of 36 soldiers. God revealed to Joshua that sin in the camp was the cause of their failure, and through a methodical process, Achan was identified as the guilty party. This narrative teaches several crucial lessons: first, that no sin is truly hidden from God; second, that individual sin affects the entire community; third, that secret sin creates vulnerability to spiritual attack; and fourth, that voluntary confession is always better than forced exposure. After Achan and his family received severe punishment, God restored His favor to Israel, enabling them to conquer Ai successfully. Ironically, God permitted Israel to keep the spoils from Ai—if only Achan had waited one more battle. While the punishment seems harsh to modern readers, it established the principle of God's holiness and the seriousness of sin. In contrast to Joshua's time, we now have Jesus who offers mercy and forgiveness when we voluntarily confess our sins rather than waiting for them to be exposed.

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