Sin deceives and destroys.

And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

Joshua 7:20-21

Sin does a deceptive thing to our hearts... it makes us think we are all alone, above notice by God or by other people. Achan’s account of his disobedience to the command to take nothing from Jericho and destroy it all is actually very typical for how sin always works destruction in us. The progress is simple, but insidiously slippery in manipulating human nature: “I saw” —> “I coveted”—> “I took” —> “I hid”.

The four part transgression began with “I saw”. Achan was tempted by his own desire... in this case what the New Testament calls the lust of the eyes (1 John 2:16). And what Achan saw, he wanted, leading to the first sin of coveting what he was not to have. But this was a worship issue as well, because since the war spoils were devoted to destruction by God’s own command, they belonged solely to God. But this wanting moved Achan to steal what was to be destroyed for God’s glory. He stole them for himself, but since all the nation knew this was wrong, he could not flaunt his stolen wealth. His sin had to be hidden in the desert under his tent, never to bring him pleasure again.

The result of Achan’s sin was catastrophic. Israel was defeated in Ai and many soldiers died. Achan and his household were given the death penalty as a result... showing how the sin cycle ends in a final result: death (James 1:14-15). Sin always ends in a death... either our death, or in Jesus’ death. Our desires can lead to our destruction. This is why we need the gospel. We need Jesus to deliver us from the vicious cycle of sin and death. I am so glad He did so and that this deliverance is offered to all who believe. I need Jesus because my heart is as easily deceived and potentially destroyed as Achan’s was!