Tuesday: Fateful Choices
Daily Lesson for Tuesday 4th of November 2025
Read Joshua 7:19-21. What is Joshua asking Achan to do? What is the significance of such a request? How do we understand his confession?
Joshua asks Achan to do two things: First, to give glory to God and honor Him. Second, to confess what he had done without concealing it. Achan was supposed to give glory to God by admitting what he had done. The term used here (todah) can refer to thanksgiving (Psalms 26:7, Isaiah 51:3, Jeremiah 17:26) but also to the confession of sin (Ezra 10:11).
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Unfortunately, the biblical text gives no indication that Achan showed any sign of real repentance. He hoped until the end to remain hidden. His defiant attitude qualified him to be regarded as a high-handed offender, for whom there was no atonement according to the law of Moses (compare with Numbers 15:27-31).
The words of Achan in Joshua 7:21 are reminiscent of the fall of Adam and Eve. Eve saw (ra’ah) that the tree was desirable (kḥamad) and finally took (laqakḥ) from its fruit (Genesis 3:6). In his confession, Achan admits that he saw (ra’ah) in the plunder a beautiful mantle of Shinar, 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold. He then coveted (kḥamad) and took (laqakḥ) them. Just as in the case of Adam and Eve, the choice of Achan reveals that the sin of covetousness is the sin of unbelief. It suspects God of not wanting the best for His creatures and of hiding some exquisite pleasures from them, which belong to the realm of divinity only.
Besides the allusion to the primordial human fall, the text highlights a stark contrast between the attitudes of Rahab (compare with Joshua 2:1-13) and that of Achan. The one took the spies to the roof and hid them from the soldiers; the other took forbidden things and hid them from Joshua. The one showed kindness to the Israelite spies and helped them secure victory; the other brought trouble on Israel by his greed and secured defeat. The one made a covenant with the Israelites; the other broke the covenant with Yahweh. Rahab saved herself and her family, and they became respected citizens in Israel; Achan doomed himself and his family to death and became an example of ignominy.
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Think about the sin of covetousness. How can we avoid succumbing to it, no matter how much we have or don’t have? (Compare with Luke 12:15.) |
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“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty... I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.”(Philippians 4:11–13).
Covetousness can cause multiple of other sins - idolatry, theft, adultery, deceit, and murder (James 1:14–15). The words of Paul in the above text are truly profound. Paul says that contentment is the remedy to combat covetousness. Where covetousness says, “I must have more to be happy,” contentment says, “Christ is enough”. When covetousness says, “I need more to be satisfied”, contentment says, “what I have today is enough because God has provided it”. When covetousness says, “I deserve what others have”, contentment says, “God’s plan for me is unique; I trust His wisdom”. When covetousness says, “I will take shortcuts to get ahead”, contentment says, I will wait on God’s timing and work with integrity”. When covetousness says, “If only I had more, I would be happy”, contentment says, “joy is rooted in Christ, not possessions”.
“Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil”(Proverbs 15:16). When covetousness whispers to a young professional who is struggling financially, “you are falling behind”, contentment says, “I will live within my means and trust God’s timing”. Covetousness ruins marriages, “If I only had a partner like that…”, but contentment will say, “God’s plan for me is good and I will love and cherish my partner”. Covetousness is ravenous evil.
Contentment does not kill ambition or hard work or industry, but it directs craving for things to longing for God who provides all things. Contentment deepens trust in God. Contentment promotes sense of gratitude and focus from what I lack to what I have. Contentment nurtures the sweet spirit of generosity. Contentment is not complacency; it is spiritual stability. ”Godliness with contentment is great gain”(1 Timothy 6:6)
“One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words. It is expressed in the choices one makes.....the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.” — Eleanor Roosevelt. Achan's philosophy was not revealed by what he said, but by what he chose to do. When God commanded the Israelites not to take any of the devoted things from Jericho, Achan chose to disobey, hiding gold and silver for himself. His actions revealed a heart driven by greed rather than obedience. Joshua 7:1 says, “But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi... took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel.” Because of that single choice, Achan brought defeat upon his people and death upon his household. His story clearly shows that our choices, whether made in secret or in public, express who we truly are and what we believe.
Achan’s downfall clearly is a story of living with the consequences of our decisions. Galatians 6:7 warns, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” Every choice we make carries weight not only in shaping our lives, but also influencing those around us. Like Achan, we are responsible for the outcomes of our actions. Yet the Bible also offers hope: when we choose obedience, repentance, and faithfulness, God can redeem our paths. Ultimately, our lives become the sum of our choices, and through them, we continually shape who we are before both God and others.
It is probably useful, in the context of the story of Achan, to discuss the relationship of individuals to the corporate body of the church. Our lesson discussions tend to be rather cerebral, focusing on spiritual themes, but Christianity must be in touch with reality. As I mentioned yesterday, we no longer cast lots to determine who is at fault, nor do we use stoning as a punishment for individuals whose sins have damaged the corporate body of the church. We don’t have the Urim and Thummim to light up our decisions for us.
We do hear calls to be led by the Holy Spirit, but we often differ in how we think the Holy Spirit is leading and it often reduces to a battle between your perception of the Holy Spirit’s leading and mine.
The story of Achan is clear cut. His sin of greed, covered up by lies had seriously affected the corporate body to the extent that quite a few people had been killed in battle. He, and his presumably complicit family, were found out and punished consistent with the “eye for an eye” judgement of those times.
In our modern world, individual sins that affect the body of the church are often difficult to prove. And worse, sometimes the Church body gets it wrong.
Paul said:
Our prayer is for wisdom in our interaction with others that we put their salvation first.