EFFECT OF SIN

By William R. Cunningham
December 14, 2003

INTRODUCTION

With so much teaching on the goodness of God and even the false teachings of prosperity it becomes easy to forget that God is against sin. The whole purpose of Jesus Christ is to free us from sin. We forget what sin means and what it can do to us. Ultimately sin brings us to death. Paul said, "the wages of sin is death" in Romans 6:23. Therefore we cannot overlook sin as though it has nothing to do with the Christian life, especially the prosperous life that is so errantly taught in the Christian community.

We are going to briefly look at the effect that sin has on our lives. What does sin do to us overall? We are going to examine the effects of sin by looking at a particular incident in the Old Testament. We are going to examine the sin of Achan to see how sin can affect us and those around us as well.

We are going to examine the following passages of scripture for this discussion.

1. Joshua 6:15-20 - The victory
2. Joshua 7:1 - The bad seed
3. Joshua 7:2-5 -- The Defeat
4. Joshua 7:6-9 - Cry out to God
5. Joshua 7:10-13 - What to do?
6. Joshua 7:20-21 - Sin revealed
7. Joshua 7:24-25 - Eliminate the transgression

From there we will move into a general discussion on sin.

SCRIPTURE LESSON

Read Joshua Chapters six and seven to get a complete context of our scripture lesson in this sermon.

The Victory

Joshua 6:15-20 (NKJV) But it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. On that day only they marched around the city seven times. And the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: "Shout, for the Lord has given you the city! Now the city shall be doomed by the Lord to destruction, it and all who are in it. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are consecrated to the Lord; they shall come into the treasury of the Lord." So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

The significant point that I would like to make here is that the Israelites had a great victory over the city of Jericho. They did what the LORD told them to do and were victorious. It is also important to note that their victory was in no way a result of their own strength or cunning in battle. Their victory was solely due to their obedience to the LORD. This is an important point to consider.

We experience victories in our lives as well. Consider the last time the mountain moved because of your faith in God. It wasn't your strength or your wisdom that caused victory. It was because you did what God told you to do and God remained faithful to his word. Obedience always brings victory.

The Bad Seed

Joshua 7:1 (NKJV) But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things; so the anger of the Lord burned against the children of Israel.

Achan took something from the spoils of Jericho that he was forbidden to take. He took the accursed things and committed a sin. This sin was attributed to the whole of Israel. We see right here that Achan's actions were like bad seed or a fungus that affected the whole nation. We see also that God was angry with the children of Israel because of Achan's sin.

We should therefore not think that our sins, which seem to be in secret, would not affect us or those around us. I consider infidelity in a marriage or the secret drug addiction of a parent. Those will eventually affect the family one way or another. This says nothing of God's condemnation of such things and what He may do about it. What secret sins are you committing now. Are you secretly seeing another women or man behind the back of your spouse? Are you secretly viewing pornography? Are you secretly taking drugs? Whatever the case may be, your sins will affect you and those around you. Your sinful acts are like seeds that will grow. First it will consume you and then it will poison those around you.

The Defeat

Joshua 7:2-5 (NKJV) Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, "Go up and spy out the country." So the men went up and spied out Ai. And they returned to Joshua and said to him, "Do not let all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not weary all the people there, for the people of Ai are few." So about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water.

This is a very interesting situation here. I already said that it was evident that the Israelite's victory over Jericho had nothing to do with their military might or the like. The situation in the above scripture reinforces that point.

Spies were sent to Ai and reported that only a few thousand at most would be needed to take the city. Ai was a small city as it was. So Joshua sent about three thousand men to take the city of Ai. However, the small army of Ai defeated the Israelite army, which was overall much more powerful. This was their first defeat and very surprising. This caused the people of Israel to become very distraught about what had happened and perhaps their fate.

If sin has sprouted in your life than it is very possible that things that you think should be easy to do are actually not accomplished. This could manifest itself in various forms depending on God's will. The Israelites should have been able to easily defeat Ai. However, they were defeated because sin was in the camp, which means that God was not with them.

Are you hindering the activities of the Holy Spirit in your life by sin? Are you secretly allowing sin to take over your life and hinder the blessing of God from flowing to and through you? It's not too late to repent of your sin so that you would be cleansed and continue down the path that God would have for you.

Cry Out to the LORD

Joshua 7-9 (NKJV) Then Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads. And Joshua said, "Alas, Lord GOD, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all-to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan! O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies? For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?"

Joshua expressed the general sentiments of the people. He went into mourning because of the defeat at Ai. Their actions were typical for mourning in the ancient Middle East at this time. Joshua complained about God brining them over the Jordan. He looked back to where they were just as the generation before him complained and looked back at Egypt. Of course he was very shortsighted because he hadn't too long defeated Jericho and subsequently rejoiced in that.

When things go awry then it should be natural to cry out to the Lord. This doesn't mean that every time something goes wrong that it is because of sin. Things go wrong merely as a consequence of living on the planet earth. However, if God is leading you someplace and all of a sudden things seem to fall apart then you should talk to God. Actually, you should probably consult God whenever things go wrong just to be sure there is nothing you have done to contribute to it. However, be careful about being paranoid about things.

What To Do

Joshua 7:7-13 (NKJV) And Joshua said, "Alas, Lord GOD, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all-to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan! O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies? For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?" So the Lord said to Joshua: "Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you. Get up, sanctify the people, and say, 'Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says the Lord God of Israel: "There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you."

Joshua wanted to know from God what they should do. Other nations would surely hear of their defeat and then attack them as well. God revealed to him that there was sin in the camp and that it was because of that sin that they were unable to stand against their enemies. The solution was simple. Remove the transgression from the camp. The accursed thing must be removed from the Israelite camp before they could have victory over their enemies.

If God says to do something then you should do it. If you don't do it then you will experience the consequences of your own actions. Note that this applies to disobedience in general and not in merely the matters of sin. However, any disobedience of God is sin.

Sometimes getting back on track might mean drastic actions have to be taken. Consider what Jesus said.

Matthew 5:27-30 (NKJV) "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery. 'But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Sometimes correcting the situation to eliminate the sin in one's life could mean very drastic actions has to be done to such an extent it's like plucking out your eye or cutting of your hand. The sin in your life could indeed have that kind of affect on you. It becomes a part of your life to such an extent that you can't see yourself without it.

Sin Revealed

Joshua 7:20-21 (NKJV) And Achan answered Joshua and said, "Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done: When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it."

Achan confessed of his sin to Joshua and therefore to God. He took of some items that he was forbidden to take and caused the anger of God to be directed at not only him, but also the entire Israelite nation. Achan took Joshua to his hidden treasure, i.e., the manifestation of his hidden sin.

Confession is the only cure. Consider Johan and the fish. Jonah had disobeyed God and ran from the command of God to go to Nineveh. His actions endangered all those who were on the ship with him. His confession was the only way to save himself and those with him. Is there anything that you should confess to the LORD?

The Transgression Removed

Joshua 7:24-25 (NKJV) Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Achor. And Joshua said, "Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day." So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones.

Now this is a very interesting and controversial thing that happens. First let's look at what happens. It appears from the text that Achan, his sons, daughters, and all that he had were taken out. He and his children were then stoned to death and they along with all of his possessions were burned. Then a heap of stones were put on top of them.

Now there are a few things that we should keep in mind here. First of all, the sin of Achan directly affected his family. Achan himself died because of his sin and it appears that his children died as well because of his sin. No mention is given of a wife so we are left to assume that she was already dead. So above all else Achan paid the penalty for his sin. He took those things that were consecrated to the LORD.

Now there appears to be a problem here. Were the children of Achan executed along with him? Did his children suffer death merely because they were his children? Well this is not likely the case. Consider the following scripture.

Deuteronomy 24:16 (NKJV) "Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; a person shall be put to death for his own sin.

Also if we consider other source text as noted by Adam Clarke's Commentary then we will see that there is doubt as to whether the children were executed. Other source text implies that only Achan was executed for the crime. Other translations, as the NKJV, imply that both Achan and his children were executed. The text does seem to lean towards the former more than the latter. This is of great importance because we are left to reconcile the justice of God himself. We do know that God is just so whatever happened here was just.

Another possibility is that the children were somehow accomplices either premeditatedly or after the fact. In other words, they knew of Achan's sin and perhaps participated in it. It is hard to believe that Achan could have dug a hole in his tent and no one knew about it. So this is a viable possibility as well. It could also be that the children found out about the crime after the fact and therefore became accomplices after the fact. In either case, they too would have died for their own sin and not that of their father.

DISCUSSION

Now let's talk about some points that we have gained from the scripture lesson. First we take special note of the fact that sin can affect more than just you. Your sin might have consequences that could extend to your family, company, church, or whomever you associate with.

Sin leads to death. Here I am referring to a spiritual death than mere physical death. Consider the following scripture.

Romans 1:18 (NKJV) "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness"

Sin Defined

Sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4). It is transgressing God's will, which is expressed in his law among other things. Sin is anything that is unrighteous (1 John 5:17).

We can sin in thought (1 John 3:15, Matthew 5:28) and in word (Matthew 5:22). Sin is more than an act. It originates from the heart and manifests itself in any number of ways.

Temptation leads us to sin. We are tempted because of our own lusts.

Achan was tempted by the riches that he saw. However, those items were forbidden to him because they were consecrated to the LORD.

All people sin. However, we should be quick to confess our sins to God and seek forgiveness. We should always repent not for the mere act of sinning, but of the heart condition that led us to sin in the first place.

It is important to realize that God is against sin. God will not condone sin nor will he overlook it. We have to do all that we can to remain true to God and not allow sin to cloud us and keep us from true intimate fellowship with God. We should also not allow sin to hinder the blessings of God on our lives. Amen.