The Tale of Achan: A Wedge in the Camp of God
The story of Achan in the Book of Joshua, chapter 7, is a pivotal and sobering account of corporate responsibility and the devastating impact of individual sin on an entire community. Coming immediately after the miraculous victory at Jericho, it provides a dramatic demonstration that God’s covenant blessings are contingent upon total, consecrated obedience.
1. The Command: The Principle of the Cherem (Joshua 6:18-19)
Before the Israelites conquered the fortified city of Jericho, the LORD issued a strict command regarding the spoils of war, an instruction known as the cherem or “devoted thing.” Everything in the city was to be consecrated to God—destroyed or put into the treasury—and absolutely nothing was to be taken by the soldiers for personal gain:
“And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.”
— Joshua 6:18-19 (KJV)
The command was clear: disobedience would not be an isolated, individual sin, but a corporate curse upon the entire camp.
2. The Transgression: The Hidden Wedge (Joshua 7:1-5)
Achan, of the tribe of Judah, deliberately chose to violate this command. Driven by covetousness, he took what was “accursed,” or devoted to destruction/consecration:
“But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.”
— Joshua 7:1 (KJV)
The consequence was immediate and tragic. The next military campaign against the small, seemingly insignificant city of Ai resulted in a crushing defeat, with thirty-six Israelite soldiers killed.
The Prophetic Hotspot: Corporate Censure
Joshua, unaware of the hidden sin, was bewildered by the defeat. The LORD’s response was direct: “Israel hath sinned” (Joshua 7:11). This highlights a profound and challenging aspect of God’s governance: the sin of one member can break the covenant and incur the wrath of God upon the entire body. The trouble in the camp was caused by a single, hidden man who took a few items:
“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.”
— Joshua 7:21 (KJV)
3. The Resolution: Cleansing the Camp (Joshua 7:22-26)
To remove the curse, the sin had to be exposed and purged. Achan was identified by lot, he confessed his sin, and the stolen items were recovered from his tent. The judgment was carried out by the entire community, signifying the severity of the corporate offense.
“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. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.”
— Joshua 7:25-26 (KJV)
The place was named Achor, meaning “Trouble,” permanently memorializing the event and the principle that sin, particularly covetousness, introduces division and failure into the consecrated community.
The Return Question: Consecration in the Last Days
The Lord’s Return will be heralded by a final judgment that separates the righteous from the wicked. How does the judgment of Achan—where a single act of covetousness brought ruin upon the community until it was purged—serve as a crucial lesson for the faithful regarding the absolute necessity of personal and corporate consecration in preparation for Christ’s appearance?
The narrative of Achan teaches that success in the spiritual battles of the last days is directly tied to purity within the church. The secret sin of a few can weaken the defense and halt the advance of the entire body. The pursuit of “Babylonish garments” and “wedges of gold”—the things of this world—is a fatal distraction that must be relentlessly purged if the community is to remain un-troubled and ready for the Lord’s glorious appearing.