Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105

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Sweatin’ the “Small” Stuff Joshua 7 Promised Land Living in Problematic World Sermon #11 One of the recent best sellers was Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff...and it’s all small stuff by Dr. Richard Carlson. His premise is that too many of us let the little things in life drive us crazy and we need to put things into perspective. Many of us get all stressed out over things that are rather minuscule in the grand scheme of things. But is it all "small stuff?" At first glance it appears that this view of life would make it a lot simpler but would it? Would you want a mechanic overhauling your engine who had a "Don’t sweat the small stuff" philosophy? What’s a small spring here or there, or a couple of bolts left off, or just forgetting to tighten a few screws. Is that the guy you want to work on your car? Would you want a heart surgeon operating on your heart who had a "Don’t sweat the small stuff" philosophy? Can you imagine him repairing critical parts of your heart all the while thinking, "Don't sweat the small stuff. Everything is small stuff"? Too often we learn of surgeons who’ve left a sponge or a clamp inside a patient, and later have to redo the job. Would you want a boss who had that attitude toward your pay check? Maybe he’s not careful about decimal points and instead of writing you a check for $900.00, he puts the decimal point after the first zero and makes it $90.00. (Perhaps in a previous life he was a CPA for Arthur Anderson.) Maybe a better philosophy would be, "Little Things Mean A Lot". Let me be very candid, I don’t like Joshua 7. I really don’t want to preach this message. If God had decided to skip this chapter and had never made it part of Scripture, I wouldn’t have batted an eye. Because when it comes to sin I have a "Don’t sweat the small stuff" philosophy. But God doesn’t. This is an uncomfortable chapter. It’s like finding the snake in the Garden of Eden. Things have been going so well and this chapter just seems to ruin everything. Finding Achan in Israel is like discovering Judas among the disciples. It reminds us of how serious sin is. It also teaches us that sin has both personal and corporate consequences. When it comes to sin, we must Sweat the "small" stuff. This chapter unfolds like a good mystery. One device that master story tellers use to gain interest is to get the listeners on the inside of the story, so that they know what’s going on while the characters in the story do not. If you’ve ever watched Columbo, you’ll recall that sometimes the writers will show you the crime taking place, so that you know who the culprit is. But Columbo doesn’t know; he sort of blunders his way through. But you know who did it and you watch as Columbo puts the clues together and figures out who did it. That’s what the writer of Joshua 7 does. He begins by letting us in on something that Joshua and most of the Israelites do not know: Who done it? who the real culprit is. He’s named in verse 1, "But the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully in regard to the things under the ban, for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, took some of the things under the ban, therefore the anger of the LORD burned against the sons of Israel" (NASV). Achan is the guilty one. He disobeyed God by taking things from Jericho that were forbidden, in direct disobedience to God’s command, Joshua 6:18. If they took any of the riches from Jericho, furniture, clothes, or precious metals that belonged to the Canaanites, instead of devoting these things to the ban, then Israel itself would be under the ban. The nation would be devoted to destruction. And Achan defied this command. Israel was warned that there would be trouble if this occurred, and, in defiance of even that consequence, Achan took some things which were under the ban, hiding them in his tent. The whole nation suffered because of his sin. Joshua 7 reminds us that when it comes to obeying God – we must "sweat the small stuff," because when it comes to sin, there is no small stuff. Let me suggest Three Insights from this chapter. 1. It is unwise to make decisions based on assumptions. A professional carpet-layer stepped back to survey a newly installed carpet. Reaching into his shirt pocket for a cigarette, he realized the pack was missing. At the same time he noticed a lump under the carpet in the middle of the room, about the size of the missing cigarette pack. There was no way to retrieve his cigarette pack from under the attached carpet without ripping everything up and starting over. Finally, he decided to beat the object flat, thereby destroying any evidence of his mistake. Gathering his tools, the carpet layer walked out to his truck. There on the seat of his truck was the mislaid pack of cigarette. As he lit one up, the homeowner hurried out of the house and asked, "Hey, have you seen my son’s gerbil?" There are several sad assumptions made in Joshua 7. A. Joshua assumes that past success guarantees future success, vss 2-5. Joshua learned a hard lesson, "Yesterday’s victory does not make us immune from today’s defeat." A. W. Pink wisely writes, "the people of God are never in greater danger of giving place to pride and presumption than when God has signally blessed and prospered them." We must not be too critical of Joshua. After all, he is unaware of what we already know, namely that Achan has violated the covenant. In naivete Joshua sends out a small force to take Ai. Israel's first attempt at conventional warfare ends in failure. Appropriately, the word Ai means "the ruin." What a terrible ruin came upon Israel at Ai. Though Joshua and the leaders of Israel did not sin in sending up a small force to take Ai after their stunning victory over Jericho, they were presumptuous. Joshua forgot that this was a holy war and violated God’s instructions by initiating conflict without consulting the Lord (Num 27:21). Joshua was supposed to stand before the priest, who would inquire of the Lord for him. What a contrast to the victory over Jericho. In the conquest of Jericho Joshua walked by faith and not by sight. After that victory though he walks by sight and not by faith. We must constantly seek the Lord’s face and direction to determine His will for each new challenge. Had Joshua held a prayer meeting, rather than a military council, the Lord would have no doubt informed him that there was sin in the camp, and Joshua could have dealt with it. This would have saved the lives of thirty-six men and spared Israel a humiliating defeat. Joshua makes a very human mistake. He assumed that since they had conquered Jericho, and Jericho was a big city, little Ai should just be a mop-up campaign. I’m like that, I’ve done that. I easily go to the Lord with the big problems but I find myself relying on my own strength for the little stuff. Joshua’s blunder reminds us of our need for complete dependence on the Lord, for the big and the small stuff. We need Him every hour...every minute! We are the most vulnerable to great defeat after a great success because we so easily succumb to overconfidence. Someone wisely warned, "The reason we Christians are in trouble so much is that this is the only time God hears from us." Yesterday’s victories do not guarantee victories today. And it’s not usually the big Jerichos that cause us to stumble, it’s the little Ai’s. "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" (Prov. 16:18). B. Achan assumes that private sin only affected him, vs 1. A commonly accepted lie about sin is that "it’s okay if I sin if the only one I hurt is myself." Thirty-six families lost a husband, a father or a son because of Achan’s sin. Thirty-six families conducted a funeral. Jericho was a stronger city but no one died. Thirty-six men died because of sin. Sin is always horribly costly. While it is noteworthy that only one of Joshua’s soldiers yielded to the temptation of stealing from the riches of Jericho, the whole nation suffered. Even one act did not escape God’s notice. Sin never escapes His watchful eye. No one ever gets away with anything. Rabbi A.J. Heschel wrote, "An individual’s misdeed can be the beginning of a nation’s disaster. The sun goes down, but the deed goes on...Even a single deed generating an endless set of effects...may place the lives of countless men in the chains of its unpredictable effects." Though Joshua acted presumptuously in attacking Ai without first seeking the mind of God, it would not have mattered if he had sent three thousand or thirty thousand, Israel was not going to win as long as there was sin in the camp. Calvin suggests that God allowed the poor advice from the spies to encourage Joshua to send up a small force so that the loss would be less. But we’re flabbergasted that because of one man’s iniquity the whole nation suffers. It doesn’t seem "fair." The reason the whole nation suffered is because a small part can contaminate the whole. Have you ever been drinking something and noticed that your glass is chipped? Did you finish your beverage even though you knew that there was a small chip of glass in it? The part contaminated the whole. Would you finish a glass of water if you noticed a small gnat doing the back stroke in your water? Have you ever asked for a new salad because you discovered one of the cook’s hairs had fallen in your bowl? A small part contaminates the whole. There are two Latin legal terms that assist us in understanding what is taking place. The guilt of Achan’s sin was not imputed to the nation because of imputatio moralis, which would mean that the whole nation had shared in Achan’s evil desires and were accomplices to his crime. Instead this is imputatio civilis, which means that because Achan as a member of the nation had sinned, his single act robbed the whole nation of its purity and holiness. The whole body of the nation of Israel was contaminated by the single act of one part. That’s why verse one says, "But the Israelites acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things." Although Achan’s sin was the act of one individual, the consequences for the nation were enormous. God regarded them as a unit, thus, the sin of the one is regarded as the sin of all. Never underestimated the amount of damage one person can do outside the will of God. King David’s disobedience in taking an unauthorized census caused the deaths of 70, 000 people (2 Sam. 24). What a powerful warning for us! This church is considered one body in Christ. Consequently, we belong to each other, we need each other and we affect each other. Any infection in one part of the human body contributes to the weakness and infection in the other parts. That’s the way it is with the Body of Christ, which is why church discipline is so important. It’s dealing with spiritual disease in one part so that the whole body is not contaminated. Paul warned the church at Corinth, "Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?" (1 Cor. 5:6). Everything we do affects others in the Body. "Do your own thing – you’re just hurting yourself" is a Satanic lie. Directly or indirectly each of us influences others for good or for evil. It’s important that we live pure and holy lives, not just for ourselves but for the whole church family. C. Joshua and the elders of Israel assume that failure is a bad reflection on God, vs. 6-9. Something more devastating than the defeat and loss of life happens because of Achan’s sin. Joshua and the leaders of Israel are suddenly filled with misgivings. Unaware of Achan’s sin and what is really going on, they second-guess themselves and begin to second-guess God. From their perspective God’s hand of assistance has been withdrawn and they don’t know why. Achan’s sin not only brought defeat but despair. The leaders of Israel are stunned by the defeat. Mourners today wear black during times of grieving. In keeping with the customs of ancient mourning, they tore their clothes, put dust on their heads and fell on their faces before the Ark of the Covenant. "Why?" is ever the question of the suffering believer. C. S. Lewis insightfully suggested that only we human beings spell pain the way we do. His contention was that we do not merely posit the reality of pain; rather, we position the question in a decidedly moral context, specifically the morality of justice: Why? Why? Why? Doesn’t Joshua sound like us? He begins by blaming the Lord: "It's all your fault! You're the One who brought us over the Jordan!" Then he gives in to self-pity: "Oh, if we'd only stayed on the other side of the Jordan!" Of course, his memory was short, because things were grim on the other side of Jordan, but he had forgotten that. Joshua’s reactions reveal that he’s still just a "man." It’s encouraging to know that even spiritual giants like Joshua make this mistake. I’ve done it and I’ve seen many other believers question God. Disaster strikes, we’re struggling and we think, "I was much happier as an unbeliever. Things were much better then. I didn't have the guilt, I didn't have the pressure, I didn't have the demands." Our memories are so short. We forget the guilt, the pain, the pressure and the death in our lives. We think it was better back there. It is too easy to forget in the dark what God has revealed to us in the light. Though Joshua questions God, he ends on a high note, "What then will you do for your own great name?" He is primarily concerned about God’s reputation. It is natural, when going through periods of great suffering, to question God, to vent our feelings. Job did that. God does not expect us to be stoic or pretend that we are not in pain. What is unacceptable though is to accuse God. Joshua does not do that. Children will often question their parents. That is not the same as accusing their parents of wrong doing or foul motives. If you have never questioned God, you are highly unusual. Wiersbe though makes a powerful point, "Had Joshua humbled himself before the battle, the situation would have been different after the battle." 2. When we spend time with God, we are able to solve root problems, vss. 10-15. God’s response to Joshua in his state of discouragement and defeat is to shock him into action – stop praying and crying – start sorting out and solving the problem. Joshua is worried about the military problem, God is concerned about a greater problem, the spiritual problem. Prayer is unacceptable until the sin issue has been resolved. God commands for the Israelites to be gathered together to determine the guilty party. We’re not sure if they cast lots or utilized the Urim and Thummim employed by the high priest, but the guilty party would be disclosed. What must catch our attention should be the seriousness of God’s outlook on what Achan had done. Look at verse 11. Achan took what was to be devoted to God. This is a reminder to us that it is very serious to take what belongs to God. Yet this is one of the "vanilla" sins in the church today. Believers keep what is rightfully God’s, forgetting that we are stewards of God’s property. Friend, if you are hoarding and keeping for yourself what rightly belongs to God – God calls you a thief. The two areas that many believers hide from God are time and money. This is serious stuff. If you are not faithfully worshiping God with your time and money. Be warned! Achan is a chilling reminder to us of how serious this is. God knew what Achan had done, so why this extra process. It brought home the seriousness of what Achan had done to the nation as each lot fell. It also gave Achan opportunity to repent and come clean on his own, which he fails to do. Had Achan immediately repented and confessed, I believe that God would have shown mercy. That would be consistent with God’s nature. But Achan waits until the lot falls on him before he comes clean. Only when his back is against the wall, does his confession come out. 3. The pleasure of sin is never worth the price, vss. 16-26. The loot that Achan buried would be worth about $25,000 today. Do you think that it was worth it? Don’t you think that Achan had a sleepless night when he knew what Joshua was going to do? Don’t you think that he felt nauseous as he saw the lot fall closer and closer to his name? In Russia, during the time of Czars, they had a noble order of merit, which was very coveted by the princes and nobles. It was conferred by the czar only on his favorites or on distinguished heroes of the kingdom. But another group shared its honor in a very dubious form. Those nobles who became a burden to the czar, or stood in his way, received the decoration only to die. The pin point was tipped with poison, and when the decoration was being fastened on the chest by the imperial messenger, the flesh of the person was accidentally pricked. The following morning the individual who had received the coveted honor was dead. The very thing that Achan so coveted brought his death. James 1:15 says, "Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." Achan’s sin followed the same steps that most sin takes "I saw...I coveted... I took" (v. 21). Eve followed that pattern when she listened to Satan in the Garden. That was David’s model as he committed adultery with Bathsheeba. It is not a sin to be tempted. Achan was hooked when he took the second look. We can’t help what we see but we can control the second look. This is why Scripture commands us to flee temptation. There are some important warnings for us here. A. We rationalize away guilt and think of some sins as "small sins." You cannot reason with temptation. If you do, you will always lose. Don’t you think Achan thought "what’s the big deal? It’s just a few things. Who’s going to miss it anyway?" He probably pictured what he would look like in his new Babylonian robe or perhaps spending his gold down at the local store. Perhaps he hid his treasures under some rubble and came back later. We know that it was not a need. The text is clear that Achan was a wealthy man. He already had "cattle, donkeys and sheep" (v. 24). The equivalent today would be tractors, trucks and marketable goods. This was greed, not need. Achan was a materialist. Friend, what little sins are you rationalizing? Does God see them the same way that you do? Achan thought it was merely taking what no one would miss. God saw it as stealing, coveting and even idolatry. B. We actually believe that we can hide our sins. Achan said, "They are hidden in the ground inside my tent" (v. 21). Last year fireworks hidden in one Kansas City man's oven turned out to be a recipe for disaster when the man attempted to heat up some food but instead blew his kitchen to bits. The explosion occurred early on the 4th of July, at the home of a 28-year-old man who had spent the night celebrating with a group of friends. The group had been drinking heavily, shooting fireworks off for several hours, disturbing neighbors who finally called police. Someone in the group attempting to hide a stash of fireworks from the police, stuffed them into the oven and then forgot about them. About 3 a.m. the homeowner decided to bake some lasagna and turned the oven on. It blew his kitchen all apart. The walls were all blown out and the oven flew right through one of the walls. Flying glass caused some slight injuries, but otherwise no one was hurt. Numbers 32:23 warns, "be sure that your sin will find you out." As William Hendriksen says, "the truth will come out, perhaps in this life but if not then certainly on the day of judgement...the Revealer of the secrets of men’s hearts will experience no difficulty in bringing out into the open whatever men...have done or said in secret." Achan forgot that nothing can be hidden from God. The moral tragedy in the Roman Catholic Church is a reminder of the price of external, overt sins. Yet we often fail to consider the affect of "hidden sins." Hidden sins lead to a deterioration of character and spiritual life, reducing the ring of truth and reality of what we say and do. For example, I may give assent to the doctrines of the church. I may even teach them. I also may not be committing any outward sins that others can see. But if I am inwardly a sensualist, or a thief, or a bigot, or a gossip, then who and what I am will suffer a reduction in authenticity. Any reduction in my authenticity will have a telling effect on the church. The hidden sins of God’s people are what destroy so many today. The mental adulterer, the secret gossiper, the covertly angry or hateful, the covetous reduce themselves and thereby bring defeat and discouragement to the church. Often their children fall away, and their business acquaintances and neighbors have no desire for their Christianity. How we live inwardly, how we conduct ourselves when no one we know is around, brings either victory and enthusiasm, or defeat and discouragement to the church. God does not bless the life in which there is hidden sin; and God does not bless the church in which there is hidden sin. Achan’s hidden sin was not hidden to God. His sin brought defeat and discouragement to God’s people. C. We do not realize the extreme cost of sin. Over forty individuals died because of Achan’s sin. Thirty-six men in battle and now his sons and daughters. Since Israel’s law prohibited innocent family members from being punished for the sins of relatives (Deut. 24:16), somehow Achan had made them accomplices of his sin. Rahab was the source of salvation for her whole family; Achan was the source of judgement for his. As Achan’s sin had brought judgement upon the whole nation, so the whole nation was involved in his judgement. God does not just want the leaders to deal with sin in the Body. It is the responsibility of the whole Body to deal with sin. The pile of stones would continually serve as a gruesome reminder of the high price of sin. One the most foolish of all human attitudes is to think that sin does not make any difference. You and I struggle with sin today because Adam and Eve did not realize the high price of sin. What a high price for one piece of fruit! There are no little sins. All sin has a high price. In 2002 we are astonished at such a severe response toward sin. We really cannot understand God’s wrath because sin does not bother us all that much. To see the extreme cost of sin we must look to the Cross where God’s wrath was poured out on His only Son because of our sin. One of the sadder parts of this account is the knowledge that after Jericho, the nation was allowed to take the spoils of war. If Achan had only waited on God’s timing, he would have had all that he wanted. Oftentimes, we sin because we get impatient with God’s time table. Conclusion: The testimony of Joshua 7 is that sin is serious. It’s not small stuff. We are fools if we treat the cancer of sin with vitamin pills; it requires radical surgery. Achan and his family were executed in the Valley of Achor. The word "Achor" means "trouble." Interestingly, in the Greek translation of this passage, Achan is continually referred to as "Achor." He was trouble and brought trouble upon his family and the entire nation. Sin always bring trouble. Is there sin in your life that is bringing trouble on your life, upon your family, upon your church family? Have you been rationalizing like Achan, thinking that it’s not really a big deal? The people of Colorado will never forget the name of Terry Barton. If you’ve kept up with the news, you know that Terry Barton is the U.S. Forest Service worker who set the blaze in what is now the largest wildfire in Colorado’s history. That little fire has burned nearly 150,000 acres, destroyed at least 133 homes and cost more than $29 million to fight. But it was just a little fire... Do you have sin in your life that you been telling yourself is just a "little sin"? You don’t want to "sweat the small stuff." My friend, there are no little sins. The best way to deal with sin is to never do it. But if you have sinned, then the next best choice is to deal with it quickly and decisively. Cut it off and confess it to God, and if need be the community of believers. Repentance and confession will always bring restoration and reconciliation. God will always forgive and restore but we must first repent and confess.