Joshua

Three Myths about Sin

Joshua 7:1-13

 

Opening Words: During this summer we are looking at the story of Joshua. When we last left Joshua everything looked good. The people of Joshua’s generation had been faithful to God so they had only known victory. They had followed their leader into the Promised Land. They had built an alter to God so the generations to come would not forget that day. They rededicated themselves to God and they tasted victory at Jericho. They had done everything just has God desired so you know something had to go wrong. Have you ever waited for something to go wrong? Everything in your life was going too smoothly? Perhaps, that is how Joshua felt? He knew something would go wrong and it did.

 

The one individual who changed the positive momentum of the story was a man by the name of Achan. It is he who dominates this week’s message. From his story we can learn three things about sin:

 

1. One sin does matter.

 

2. Sin effects everyone.

 

3. Sin can not be hidden.

 

It is my sincere prayer that we can learn from his mistake. However, today I want to be more basic. I want to look at the very nature of sin. May God give you ears to hear from this weekend’s scripture lesson, Joshua 7:1-13. Let me call this message What is Sin?

 

Joshua 7:1-13 1 But the Israelites acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the LORD's anger burned against Israel.

2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, "Go up and spy out the region." So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 When they returned to Joshua, they said, "Not all the people will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary all the people, for only a few men are there." 4 So about three thousand men went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, 5 who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted and became like water. 6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the LORD, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, "Ah, Sovereign LORD, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? 9 The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?" 10 The LORD said to Joshua, "Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. 12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction. 13 "Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, 'Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: That which is devoted is among you, O Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove it.

 

Relationships are complex. If you don’t believe me then ask Bill Baker. When he was 76 years old he married a woman by the name of Edna Harvey. She happened to be his granddaughter's husband's mother. That's where the confusion began, according to Baker's granddaughter, Lynn. She said, "My mother-in-law is now my step-grandmother. My grandfather is now my stepfather-in-law. My mom is my sister-in-law and my brother is my nephew. But even crazier is that I'm now married to my uncle and my own children are my cousins." Relationships are complex. How complex are the relationships in your life? Relationships are at the very heart of this weekend’s scripture text. Let us look at that text together.

 

It should have been a simple victory. When we last left the Israelites their spirits were high. They had defeated their enemy at Jericho. You remember the story. With some divine help the walls came tumbling down and the people claimed the city as their own. They thought the worst was over and the rest should be easy. Perhaps, that is why they tried to defeat the city of Ai without consulting God. They were completely relying on their own resources. That was their first mistake. They took matters into their own hands. There is no mention in the story about the Israelites consulting God.

 

What does the text say? According to verse two Joshua sends spies to the city of Ai. They report back that the city is weak and victory should come easily. It will be such an easy victory that not all the troops will be needed. Two or three thousand troops will be enough. Let me say this clearly. The spies were wrong. On their advice, Joshua sent three thousand men to that city and they were defeated soundly. They were pushed back from the city and ran to a safe distance. By the end of that day the death toll had climbed by thirty-six. Joshua did not take the news well. He became the picture of a grieving leader. He tares his clothes and fell facedown on the ground. He turns to God and asks that question that we have all ask when life offers us a negative surprise, “Why?” God answers that question in verse eleven. Why did God let the people of Israel taste defeat? Because they had sinned. They had stolen and they had lied. They had broken the covenant. They had broken their relationship with him. In short, people died because people sinned. This Old Testament story acts out that New Testament verse, “The wages of sin is death.“ The sinner is held accountable. Beyond our reading we are told that the thief, Achan, was singled out and stoned. He paid for his sin with his own life. Old Testament people knew what we often forget. Sin is serious business. How serious do you take the sin in your life?

 

The one question I have struggled with all week in my time of sermon preparation is this one. WHAT IS SIN? There is no simple answer to this question. I have asked several people this week that question, what is sin? Everyone gave me a different answer. One honest person answered the question, “I don’t know!” How would you answer the question, what is sin? If you think of sin as simply rule breaking then you are wrong. There are examples in the Bible of how people broke the rules but did not sin. The disciples harvested wheat with their hands on the Sabbath but Jesus didn’t reprimand them. Jesus, himself, healed people on the Sabbath breaking the law yet we consider him the sinless one. Sin can’t simply be breaking the rules. So what is sin? This is my answer.

 

Sin has more to do with damaging relationships then breaking rules. Just think how complex sin becomes if you use my definition. Sin not having a cold one on a hot day. Sin is not using an ugly word in front of the preacher. Sin is not running in the sanctuary. Sin is not damaging a copy of the Bible. What is sin? In the simplest form those things really don’t damage relationships. We sin when we damage the relationships in our lives.

 

Consider these things with me. Adam and Eve ate the apple and sinned. Why? Because fruit eating broke the rules? No! They sinned because they damaged their relationship with God? Sin is damaging relationships. We sin when we haven’t talk to our brother or sister in years. Are you really sure what happened that day? Get over it! We sin when we have an affair. That is a relationship killer. We sin when we drink and drive because people could die. We sin when we don’t take the time to learn someone name. How can you have a relationship with someone if you don’t know their name? When was the last time you learned a child’s name? We sin when you care more about the family pet then people in the world who are starving. How much money have you spent on your pet? How much money have you given to help feed to the starving in our world? Using my definition of sin means there are sins of commission, things we do. And there are sins of omission, things we don’t do. Consider this: you can keep all the rules and damage every relationship in your life.

 

How many relationships do you hold in your life? There is the relationship you have with your spouse, children, parents, a family member, friend or a co-worker. There is your relationship with God. When was the last time you damaged one of those relationships? If you can name that moment then you can name the last time you sinned. In the Old Testament sin is simple. You broke the rules. In the New Testament sin is more complex. You damaged relationships.

 

Last weekend my nephew, Jon, got marriage. He married a wonderful young woman by the name of Stacey. She has really been part of the family for years. The wedding just made it official. The entire weekend was a family reunion. My family is small but everyone attended. Kathryn and I were there. Our children, Sarah and Anna, were there. The girls brought their boyfriends, Vic and Eric. It is fun introducing them to the family. There was my sister and brother-n-law, Susan and Allan. There were there three children. The groom and his brother and sister, Emily and Jeff. There were their spouse’s Peter and Jen, who will be having her first baby in December. Emily and Peter have three children: Luke, Lilly and Ella, who was born on July 4^th. There was my sister Janet and her husband, Chris, who live in Colorado. They traveled with their daughter, Sarah, who brought her infant daughter, Isabelle. We were sad her husband, Dan, had to stay home will their other two other children, Madelyn and Will. We were all excited to be with my father’s sister, Aunt Phyllis, from New York. She is 78 years young and we have a hard time keeping up with her.

 

It was a great weekend because we were all together. It wasn’t a great weekend because the food was great. It wasn‘t a great weekend because the gift bag was perfect. It was a great weekend because there was an open bar. It was a great weekend because we were all together. I don’t want to shock anyone but everyone in my family gets along. We enjoy being with one another. We all celebrated Jon and Stacey union together as a family. It was as close to perfect as you can find in this world.

 

I am back home again this week and have recalled the wedding countless times. I didn’t see it then but I can see it clearly now. Maybe heaven will be like a Jon’s wedding? My family is like your family. We have all had our share of struggles and disappointments. But what we haven’t had is conflict between us. We are family and our relationships are strong. We get along. In heaven everyone will get along because there won’t be any sinning. There won’t be damaged relationships.

 

My prayer for you is that your relationships in your life are strong. Achan died because he sinned. He sinned not just because he broke the rules. He sinned because he damaged his relationship with God. How strong is your relationship with God?

 

Let us pray …