Jesus Equals Everything
Opening Prayer
Holy Spirit, reveal more of Jesus to me today through your Word.
Read Joshua 7:10-26
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
[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: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them. [14] “‘In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe the LORD chooses shall come forward clan by clan; the clan the LORD chooses shall come forward family by family; and the family the LORD chooses shall come forward man by man. [15] Whoever is caught with the devoted things shall be destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to him. He has violated the covenant of the LORD and has done an outrageous thing in Israel!'” [16] Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was chosen. [17] The clans of Judah came forward, and the Zerahites were chosen. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward by families, and Zimri was chosen. [18] Joshua had his family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was chosen. [19] Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and honor him. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.” [20] Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: [21] When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” [22] So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. [23] They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the LORD. [24] Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. [25] Joshua said, “Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today.” Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. [26] Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
How does God respond to Joshua’s reaction?“I coveted them and took them” (21): a Babylonian robe, 200 shekels of silver and a bar of gold. A lifetime’s worth of wealth to Achan, which cost him his life (25). What a terrible price. What a tragic end for this man. What can we learn from such a stark and shocking passage?Achan made himself liable to the same treatment reserved for the “devoted things” – everything that was to be destroyed. He knew God’s command not to take these things, yet he chose to steal them from God. He knew what he was doing was wrong, and yet he still did it. If we’re honest, we know that not a single one of us can take the moral high ground over Achan. We may not have stolen items like these and hidden them in our homes, but we have each knowingly disobeyed God’s clear commands at points in our lives. Most often, this will have been because in that moment we valued something (possession, experience, pleasure, person, idea, fill the gap) more than we valued God.What drives our decisions is what we believe to be true. If we truly believe that in Jesus we have all things (1 Corinthians 3:21) we won’t steal, manipulate or covet. If we truly believe that only Jesus truly satisfies, we will not make idols of people, things or pleasures.
Apply
Be aware that sometimes it is not time for prayer, but obedient action.
Closing prayer
Jesus, give me greater, deeper faith to know and trust that you are everything I need.
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