A. Achan’s Sin and Judgment (7:1-26)

The sin of one man and its consequences for the nation demonstrate how seriously God viewed the ban (herem) placed upon Jericho. Of all that had been in Jericho, Achan took only a small amount of gold and silver and one imported garment. But sometimes an action is more than it seems on the surface, more than its perpetrator realizes.

Achan’s action caused the deaths of thirty-six Israelite soldiers. God’s response to Joshua’s lament over this defeat suggests that it might have been avoided had Joshua not been overconfident, had he consulted God before sending the small force to attack Ai. Still, the reason for Israel’s defeat was Achan’s sin. The fate of Ananias and Sapphira comes to mind (Ac 5:1-11).

This suggests another aspect of the ban. Anything placed under the ban was considered so completely to belong to God that it could not be redeemed. It must be destroyed so there never would be any possibility of its reverting to profane, or common, use. Jericho, dedicated to God in this way, was a sort of firstfruits of the Conquest of the land. This understanding of the ban, of which Achan must have been aware, increased the seriousness of his transgression.

Any sin affects more than the perpetrator. Not only did the thirty-six men die unnecessarily in battle, Achan’s family perished with him as punishment for his sin. We are not told the ages of Achan’s children. However, it is reasonable to assume they were old enough to share in their father’s guilt. Though he, not they, had taken the goods, they became accessories after the fact, if they knew about his theft from God and did not reveal it. Since Achan hid the treasures under the earthen floor of his tent, it would have been difficult for his family not to know about them.

This sin, its consequences for Israel, and the punishment for Achan and his family, underscore in a somber way that God’s people must be holy. To trifle with things that clearly belong to God is dangerous because it really is rebellion against God. Such sin always brings trouble (achor) upon God’s people.