Day 103 One-Year KJV Bible Reading - Joshua 7:16–9:2; Luke 16:1-18; Psalm 82:1-8; Proverbs 13:2-3
“I Saw Them, Coveted Them, Took Them, and Hid Them”
And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: when I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it. So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD. And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day. – Joshua 7:19-26
The children of Israel were defeated at Ai because a man named Achan had stolen plunder from Jericho, despite God’s command that everything be destroyed. Achan broke a covenant with God when he allowed lust for possessions to lead him to covet and take what he knew God had forbidden. Anything in our lives that we exalt above God and His commands will lead us further and further from God and our relationship with Him if left unchecked. Anything we have to work to hide lest someone finds out should be a big red flag that something isn’t quite right in our lives. Achan sure helped to teach some lessons today!
Help Us to Take Your Warnings Seriously, Father!
Jesus spoke of this also in Luke 16:13, No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
So, today in both the Old and New Testaments, we see this theme of obedience and faithfulness being irreplaceable qualities as we follow Jesus. This is our warning not to underestimate the consequences of this issue.
Continually, we ask God to give us what we want and need, but we too often want things without having to obey or be faithful. But God won’t usually provide us with something that will gain control over us and replace His sovereignty in our lives. He knows those are the things that are apt to destroy us. Not everything we want is truly best for us. As we petition the Lord for intervention in our lives, we must also consider our faithfulness to God? Can we truly handle what we’re asking for?
Father, Help all of my requests to be accompanied by the Words of Jesus flowing from my mouth and heart – Nevertheless, not my will, but Thy will be done.
He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own? – Luke 16:10-12
He is Our Defender and Judge!
Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.– Psalm 82:3-4
Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations. – Psalm 82:8
Guard Your Mouth!
A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence. – Proverbs 13:2
