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.
God saw Achan’s sin as a national disobedience to a national law. The entire nation of Israel needed to be committed to conquer the land, so when one person failed, everyone failed. The whole nation had to take responsibility. God did allow in some cases to keep captured goods, this was disobedience to God’s explicit command to destroy everything connected to Jericho. There would be no protection of Israel’s army until the sin was removed. Do you do what is right most of the time? Are there times you do what is wrong? God is not content with you doing what is right part of the time. He want you to choose right all of the time. As a Christian, we are to eliminate any thoughts, practices, or possessions that hinder devotion to him. Choose to do right all of the time. If you mess up, stop, recognize you did wrong, ask for forgiveness, and change your behavior. Put God first and keep your eyes on Jesus. Invite the Holy Spirit to help you, and he will. Devotion to God brings peace, life, and joy to your life.
