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First of all, I want you to seriously consider a
few questions. Is your prayer unanswered? Have
you experienced barriers to being successful or
prosperous in life, work, education, marriage or
family? Are you experiencing a lack of being
healed wholly or a chronic sickness? Perhaps you
may have noticed yourself having many problems,
but not yet found the solution or broken through –
like
a vicious cycle with no end.
It is God’s highest will, desire and intention
that every one of you be blessed, whole, well, and
restored. If you answer ‘yes’ to one or more of
the above questions, the reason may be related to
the story of Achan, found in
Joshua 7:1-26. Read it carefully and
prayerfully.
In Joshua 7:1-5,
Achan lustfully and covetously took some of the
spoils of the city of Jericho. This symbolises
the love of the world, the root of bitterness,
which of all others is hardest to be rooted up.
We should take heed of sin ourselves, lest by it
many be defiled or disquieted – Hebrews 12:15, “See
to it that no one fail to obtain the grace of God;
that no "root of bitterness" spring up and
cause trouble, and by it the many become
defiled.”
As well, we take heed of having fellowship with
sinners, lest we share their guilt. It concerns
us to watch over one another to prevent sin,
because 1others' sins may be to our
damage. The easy conquest of Jericho excited
contempt of the enemy and 2a
disposition to expect the Lord to do all for them
without their using proper means. Thus men
abuse the doctrines of Divine grace and the
promises of God, making excuses for their own
sloth and self-indulgence. We are to work out our
own salvation, though it is God that works in us.
It was a dear victory to the Canaanites, whereby
Israel was awakened and reformed and reconciled to
their God and the people of Canaan hardened to
their own ruin.
-
Be careful of where you are going and what you
are doing with sinners, even backslidden
Christians 1 (Corinthians
5:11) for they can mislead you or cause
you trouble or problem. You are an innocent and
have not committed any crime but others will
think that you are also involved in their
(sinners’) crime or trouble.
-
God says, “No, don’t go to the bar!” but you
think, “It is ok to go there with a ‘good’
friend or perhaps go with a ‘lukewarm’
Christian, because God will still take care of
it. I am a child of God and He is always
protecting me anyway!” But when a problem or
trouble happens, you are confused and blame God,
asking, “Why?” It is because of your
disobedience, and abuse of the grace of God. Do
not take advantage of God and trust God that He
will always do His part; it is not wise.
A cursed or
accursed thing is an idol, any demonic symbol, any
tale-relating fib (fairy, wizard, elf, etc), witch
doctor’s stuffs, tribal charms or statues, or even
any picture, poster, or little object of a film
star, hero or a sports hero. An idol is an image,
form or representation, usually of a man or
animal, consecrated as an object of worship; a
pagan deity (usually statues or images, carved out
of wood or stone, or formed of metals,
particularly silver or gold), anything that brings
a state of “safety” or “protection,” anything that
makes you feel for or brings you closer to God,
anger or temper easily over a thing or an
important event, a person loved and honored to
adoration, any thing on which we set our
affections; that to which we indulge an excessive
and sinful attachment, any thing which usurps the
place of God in the hearts of his rational
creatures.
Why did God
punish the whole society for this one
man's sin? All of them were punished for
their own sins, of which each had a sufficient
proportion; but God took this occasion to inflict
the punishment upon the society; 1partly
because divers of them might be guilty of this sin,
either by coveting what he actually did, or by
concealing his fault, which it is probable could
not be unknown to others; or by not sorrowing for
it and endeavoring to purge themselves from it:
2partly to make sin the more hateful;
as being the cause of such dreadful judgments: and
3partly to oblige all the members of
every society to be more circumspect
(cautious) in ordering their own actions and more
diligent to prevent the miscarriages of their
brethren, which is a great benefit to them and to
the whole society.
-
Many of the
others might have similar sins but was unknown
to others
-
Because of
God’s severe punishment by death causing the
people be more aware of how serious the sin is
and making them disgust on sins itself.
-
It will
make people be more careful with their
behaviour
or their action and be more cautious to protect
on others in the whole group of the people. If
one willfully commits a sin in any Christian
fellowship shows no respect and caring
for the Body of Christ within the church.
Read the
particular verse in Joshua
6:18, “And you surely shall keep
clear of the cursed thing, lest you make
yourselves cursed when you take of the cursed
things and make the camp of Israel a curse and
trouble it.” It was clearly stated beforehand
that God wants to destroy all and every
cursed thing. Re-read thoroughly in
Joshua 7:13c,
“…You
cannot stand before your enemies (Satan or demonic
forces or strongholds) until you take away
the cursed thing from among you.” (Verse
paraphrased mine)
In
Joshua 7:10-15, God
awakens Joshua to inquiry, by telling him that
when this accursed thing was put away, all
would be well.
Times of
danger and trouble should be times of
reformation. We should look at home, into our own
hearts, into our own houses and make diligent
search to find out if there be not some accursed
thing there, which God sees and abhors; some
secret lust, some unlawful gain, some undue
withholding from God or from others. We cannot
prosper, until the accursed thing be destroyed out
of our hearts and put out of our
habitations (dwelling house) and our
families and forsaken in our lives.
After this cursed thing was found among the
Israel, everything that
Achan owns
and him were destroyed, then Joshua’s army
defeated victoriously over Ai near Beth Aven, east
of Bethel. So your life, marriage, work, family,
health, etc will be restored wholly and healed
completely through the grace, love and suffering
of Jesus’ powerful cross. Even many months or
many years that you have unconsciously suffered or
suffered loss in vain yet Jesus, with His greatest
out-pouring love and gentle compassion, will
restore you by His great power, “I
will restore to you the years which the swarming
locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and
the cutter, my great army...”
Joel
2:25a
 Not
only all cursed things must be confessed, but as
well these things must be burnt too,
Act 19:18-19, “Many
also of those who were now believers came,
confessing and divulging their practices. And a
number of those who practiced magic arts brought
their books together and burned them in the sight
of all; and they counted the value of them and
found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.”
My prayer is
this simple sermon will spur you in truth and
expose the secretive and cunning deceptions you
may be willfully or ignorantly doing and be set
free through the name of Jesus and His cross
today.
Written by
Paulo Pinto (D), Johannesburg – 28 July 2003 |
