Tuesday: Fateful Choices
Daily Lesson for Tuesday 4th of November 2025
Read Joshua 7:19-21. What is Joshua asking Achan to do? What is the significance of such a request? How do we understand his confession?
Joshua asks Achan to do two things: First, to give glory to God and honor Him. Second, to confess what he had done without concealing it. Achan was supposed to give glory to God by admitting what he had done. The term used here (todah) can refer to thanksgiving (Psalms 26:7, Isaiah 51:3, Jeremiah 17:26) but also to the confession of sin (Ezra 10:11).
Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com
Unfortunately, the biblical text gives no indication that Achan showed any sign of real repentance. He hoped until the end to remain hidden. His defiant attitude qualified him to be regarded as a high-handed offender, for whom there was no atonement according to the law of Moses (compare with Numbers 15:27-31).
The words of Achan in Joshua 7:21 are reminiscent of the fall of Adam and Eve. Eve saw (ra’ah) that the tree was desirable (kḥamad) and finally took (laqakḥ) from its fruit (Genesis 3:6). In his confession, Achan admits that he saw (ra’ah) in the plunder a beautiful mantle of Shinar, 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold. He then coveted (kḥamad) and took (laqakḥ) them. Just as in the case of Adam and Eve, the choice of Achan reveals that the sin of covetousness is the sin of unbelief. It suspects God of not wanting the best for His creatures and of hiding some exquisite pleasures from them, which belong to the realm of divinity only.
Besides the allusion to the primordial human fall, the text highlights a stark contrast between the attitudes of Rahab (compare with Joshua 2:1-13) and that of Achan. The one took the spies to the roof and hid them from the soldiers; the other took forbidden things and hid them from Joshua. The one showed kindness to the Israelite spies and helped them secure victory; the other brought trouble on Israel by his greed and secured defeat. The one made a covenant with the Israelites; the other broke the covenant with Yahweh. Rahab saved herself and her family, and they became respected citizens in Israel; Achan doomed himself and his family to death and became an example of ignominy.
|
Think about the sin of covetousness. How can we avoid succumbing to it, no matter how much we have or don’t have? (Compare with Luke 12:15.) |
(11)
“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty... I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.”(Philippians 4:11–13).
Covetousness can cause multiple of other sins - idolatry, theft, adultery, deceit, and murder (James 1:14–15). The words of Paul in the above text are truly profound. Paul says that contentment is the remedy to combat covetousness. Where covetousness says, “I must have more to be happy,” contentment says, “Christ is enough”. When covetousness says, “I need more to be satisfied”, contentment says, “what I have today is enough because God has provided it”. When covetousness says, “I deserve what others have”, contentment says, “God’s plan for me is unique; I trust His wisdom”. When covetousness says, “I will take shortcuts to get ahead”, contentment says, I will wait on God’s timing and work with integrity”. When covetousness says, “If only I had more, I would be happy”, contentment says, “joy is rooted in Christ, not possessions”.
“Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil”(Proverbs 15:16). When covetousness whispers to a young professional who is struggling financially, “you are falling behind”, contentment says, “I will live within my means and trust God’s timing”. Covetousness ruins marriages, “If I only had a partner like that…”, but contentment will say, “God’s plan for me is good and I will love and cherish my partner”. Covetousness is ravenous evil.
Contentment does not kill ambition or hard work or industry, but it directs craving for things to longing for God who provides all things. Contentment deepens trust in God. Contentment promotes sense of gratitude and focus from what I lack to what I have. Contentment nurtures the sweet spirit of generosity. Contentment is not complacency; it is spiritual stability. ”Godliness with contentment is great gain”(1 Timothy 6:6)
I love this wisdom. God bless you!
“One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words. It is expressed in the choices one makes.....the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.” — Eleanor Roosevelt. Achan's philosophy was not revealed by what he said, but by what he chose to do. When God commanded the Israelites not to take any of the devoted things from Jericho, Achan chose to disobey, hiding gold and silver for himself. His actions revealed a heart driven by greed rather than obedience. Joshua 7:1 says, “But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi... took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel.” Because of that single choice, Achan brought defeat upon his people and death upon his household. His story clearly shows that our choices, whether made in secret or in public, express who we truly are and what we believe.
Achan’s downfall clearly is a story of living with the consequences of our decisions. Galatians 6:7 warns, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” Every choice we make carries weight not only in shaping our lives, but also influencing those around us. Like Achan, we are responsible for the outcomes of our actions. Yet the Bible also offers hope: when we choose obedience, repentance, and faithfulness, God can redeem our paths. Ultimately, our lives become the sum of our choices, and through them, we continually shape who we are before both God and others.
Rahab’s faith saved not only herself but also her whole family. Her trust in God brought life, protection, and a fresh beginning.
Achan’s disbelief and greed, however, brought death and destruction upon himself and his household. His sin was hidden, but its results were openly tragic reminding us that no action is truly private.
Spiritual and Health Truth:
Just as faith and obedience bring life, while sin and disobedience bring death, the same principle applies to our health.
What we choose to eat, drink, or practice daily affects not only us but also our families and community.
Healthy choices strengthen the immune system to fight disease while unhealthy habits can destroy both body and spirit.
Just as Achan’s sin weakened Israel, poor health habits weaken our body’s defenses.
And just as Rahab’s faith brought life to her home, our obedience to God’s health principles brings life and strength to our families.
We are one body in Christ. When one part suffers, the whole body feels the pain. Likewise, when one member is spiritually or physically weak, it affects the strength and health of the whole community.
Our choices, whether of faith or neglect, create ripples that touch everyone around us.
“None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.” — Romans 14:7
“If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” — 1 Corinthians 12:26
It is probably useful, in the context of the story of Achan, to discuss the relationship of individuals to the corporate body of the church. Our lesson discussions tend to be rather cerebral, focusing on spiritual themes, but Christianity must be in touch with reality. As I mentioned yesterday, we no longer cast lots to determine who is at fault, nor do we use stoning as a punishment for individuals whose sins have damaged the corporate body of the church. We don’t have the Urim and Thummim to light up our decisions for us.
We do hear calls to be led by the Holy Spirit, but we often differ in how we think the Holy Spirit is leading and it often reduces to a battle between your perception of the Holy Spirit’s leading and mine.
The story of Achan is clear cut. His sin of greed, covered up by lies had seriously affected the corporate body to the extent that quite a few people had been killed in battle. He, and his presumably complicit family, were found out and punished consistent with the “eye for an eye” judgement of those times.
In our modern world, individual sins that affect the body of the church are often difficult to prove. And worse, sometimes the Church body gets it wrong.
Paul said:
Our prayer is for wisdom in our interaction with others that we put their salvation first.
You wrote:
....And it is so true. Achan's story, though tragic, is so relevant to our personal relationship with God and to God's mission.
Over this period, in many Seventh-day Adventist Churches around the world, nominations have been ongoing; "strangely" lobbying and campaigning are ongoing for these positions. Most are eyeing the role of elder, treasurer, and many more. I know we know what I'm talking about.
Have we ever asked ourselves: what are we doing? Is it for a name for ourselves or for God's sake? It might not be a beautiful Babylonian garment, silver, and gold, but -all the same- could the lobbying (even bribery) have introduced an "accursed" element into the church community, which will manifest during the year of service? I have seen churches struggling through the years because of what the nominations bring.
I am struggling a bit with today's lesson and the comments from the author.
Achan stole the items and hid them. He was identified and he was asked to repent, which he did, but he and his family were executed.
Aaron led Israel into sinning when he built a calf and led the congregation in worshipping it. When he was confronted by Moses about his actions, Aaron blamed the fire and the people, but never accepted responsibility. Yet, he was not executed. Please, please, please, can somebody help me understand this!
I think this is a valid question. I would like to hear more comments on this too.
You are not alone Melvin. I mentioned right at
the beginning of this study of Joshua that Carmel and I had read the book as part of our daily worship, and we reached the stage some evenings where we could no longer read because there was just so much death and destruction.
The issue for us is that as Bible-believing Seventh-day Adventists, we have a very Adventist lens when we read the Bible and try and get everything to fit our picture. It doesn't.
Here are a couple of things that I keep in mind when I read Joshua. I am not putting these up as "the truth" but rather as just other ways to think about what we read.
I suspect that we may never have all the answers that we would like to have. I don't pretend to have all the answers myself and am quite happy to say I do not know. One thing I have learned from reading the Bible from cover to cover is that God does not give up and has consistently hammered away at us with the idea that He is good and does care about us. I can live with the inconsistencies with that hope.
You wrote
Can we be sure that our ideas about God are more mature? I read that one of the Israelites, born in a slave home, Moses by name, talked with God face to face. I don't know of anyone that has had that experience. The closest we can come in modern times is the visions of Ellen White, and even she did not claim to talk with God "face to face."
I recommend a book by one of my favorite authors, Philip Yancey. He wrote The Bible Jesus Read. It's been a while since I read it, but I remember it as an eye opener. (I must reread it!)
While it is true that Moses spoke face-to-face with God, we know that for reportedly about a million people, the voice of God was probably not well understood.
... and about 6 weeks later they were worshiping a golden calf.
I am not saying we do not have a lot to learn about God, but for many of the Israelites, what they were witnessing was a paradigm shift and getting an explanation was much harder in those days.
First if all, it helps to recognize that God judges by a man's heart, not outward appearance.
That said, let's begin with your impression that Achan "repented." How did you get that impression?
What I see is that he acknowledged his sin - only after he was found out. If he had really been repentant, I would have expected him to come forward to confess at the first mention of what had caused the disastrous defeat at Ai. Even when the lot fell on him, he called part of his theft from the Lord a "goodly" Babylonish garment. ("Can you really blame me? It was such a goodly garment!)
That is not what I understand repentance to be. What do you see as repentance?
Aaron is another matter. He showed weakness, rather than strength, when he gave in to the pressure from the people. I can't say I "understand" God's judgment, but I trust Him to know the state of a man's heart.
understand your confusion—this is a question that has puzzled many readers of the Bible. The two situations you’re talking about—Achan in Joshua 7 and Aaron in Exodus 32—involve sin, leadership, and consequences, but the outcomes were very different. Aaron was a leader, but the people were actively rebelling. God’s anger focused primarily on the nation as a whole, not only on Aaron.Achan’s sin was personal greed that violated a direct divine command. Aaron’s sin, while severe, was part of an outburst of a nation in crisis, and God allowed mercy after intercession.
Melvin, Debbie et al,
The question you're asking is valid and on many readers' minds. The answer isn't straightforward but requires careful examination and handling to avoid further confusion. There is a hymn (SDAH 82) with these lyrics, "Before Jehovah's awful throne, ye nations, bow with sacred joy; Know that the Lord is God alone; He can create, and He can destroy". This song's wording arw essential in understanding your question.
One danger of approaching anything with preconceptions, defense, or prejudice is changing the story into our version. The Bible, God's story to us, has been subjected to this approach many times. As we internalize your question, consider these texts: Deuteronomy 29:29, Exodus 33:19, and Romans 9:20-33. You're not alone in struggling with these questions; Moses, Joshua, and the prophets have too (Isaiah 45:1-7, the entire book of Habakkuk). Habakkuk's conclusion is lovely: "God is good, and the just shall live by faith" (Habakkuk 2:4).
Now, back to the question: why was Aaron pardoned while Achan was condemned? Both broke serious parts of God's covenants, having been consecrated. Aaron listened to the people, while Achan listened to his lust - both wrong. Achan admitted liability after a long process, while Aaron made a quasi-admission, shifting blame (Exodus 32:21-24). However, something saved Aaron: God's promise to use him as Moses' mouthpiece (Exodus 7:1) and Moses' great intercession (Deuteronomy 9:20). Take note, that two of Aaron's sons did not escape God's wrath. However, Achan's fate serves as an example of the consequences of betraying God and His judgment (Joshua 7) - check also Acts 5:1-11, Annanais and Saphira's judgement by the Holy Spirit . God's decisions to save or punish are mysterious, yet He remains the loving and merciful God. This might need a topic on its own, but continue studying - God has your answers right there.
I don't think Achan truly repented. It was like Judas - he was sorry for the consequences but not the actions.
He had a lot of time to genuinely repent - after the defeat, when Joshua called for the purification the day before, and each step as the lots were taken. It doesn't seem that he felt enough repentence to recognize how his actions hurt others. He also doesn't seem to think God actually knew it was him.
I don't have an answer for Aaron. God obviously knew his heart and saw his repentance.
Aaron was spared because God showed mercy, due to Moses’ intercession (Deut. 9:20). Though Aaron’s sin was serious, his role as priest was part of God’s larger plan, and God chose to discipline him through shame and loss of honor rather than death. It highlights God’s justice balanced with grace.
We can definitely get it wrong, though I think these days, at least where I live, there is virtually no discipline at all. I'm not saying we should go back to a harsh way of dealing with things, but I wonder if ignoring sins is really in tune with God's ways.
I don't think that wilfully ignoring sins is right but on the other hand, I have also seen suspicious minds at work in a way that has ruined the lives of innocent people. Jesus said:
I know what Jesus meant - Sometimes it is a tough call!
God will never overlook or ignore sins. Many times the way God dealt with sins does seem harsh but He does things to show us that we shouldn't take sin lightly and that He is a Holy God. He admonishes us to Be ye Holy for I am Holy. If we have the desire to see Him as He is (Holy )then He says we will purify ourselves just as He is pure or holy. 1John 3;1-3.
“We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt…” Joshua 2:10
In Rahab’s time, news traveled through people merchants, travelers, and strangers passing through. In those days, word of mouth was powerful much like “viral” news today, but spread through conversations rather than screens. What made Rahab different was how she responded. While others heard the same stories and ignored them, she believed and acted in faith.
Today, we also receive and share “news” constantly through our phones, conversations, and daily interactions. The question is: what kind of news do we pass on?
Rahab used the little information she heard to believe in God and act on that faith. But many around her heard the same stories and did nothing. Likewise, in our time, we meet people every day at work, in school, on the street, even online and each moment is a chance either to spread hope or fear, truth or rumor, grace or gossip.
Our homes, like Rahab’s, can be places of refuge where people encounter the presence of God. Yet sometimes, instead of opening our doors in love, we lock our gates and hang signs that say, “Beware of the dog” not just literally, but symbolically. We protect our comfort, our privacy, and forget that our lives are meant to be channels of good news.
Rahab’s home became a place of salvation because she welcomed the spies and believed God’s promise. What if our homes, too, became known not for their tall fences or security systems but for the peace, kindness, and faith that flow from them?
“Every home and every heart is a Jericho house waiting to become a place of salvation if only we open the door to faith and share the good news that has reached us.”
Is our faith sincere enough to take God by His Word? By going against the explicit requirement not to do something, Achan dared God – he chose to do that which he knew not to do. What about us – do we act in the same manner but expect a different outcome?
The lesson writer states: “Achan reveals that the sin of covetousness is the sin of unbelief.” I agree. He had a choice and decided not to believe. He and we know that there are consequences for the believer and the unbeliever
Do we take God's Word and Way for establishing His Righteousness ‘serious' enough and refrain from acts leading to death? The judgement of Achan and many others before him serve as an early example to show us to take God's Way serious; that disobeying Him should not be trifled with.
All believers need to learn to take God by His Word! Only the sincere, genuine act of confessing our shortcomings and failings to our God can lead to forgiveness of the consequences of the sinful act. Insincere, or non-confession, hiding or harboring sin is evidence of unbelieve and the rejection of His authority as the Creator of all that is - 1 John 1:9; Psalm 103:12; James 5:16; Isaiah 1:17-18.
It is not a sin in itself "To covet." For even the Apostle Paul counsels to "Covet the best gifts." And the 10th commandment does not stop at just "Thou shalt not covet..." It goes on to say what we are not to covet---somenone elses spouse, cattle, or anything that belongs to our neighbor. Essentially, we are not to covet what belongs to someone else. Therefore, I would say that Coveting in itself is not a sin, until, what we are coveting is something that belongs to someone else. And even then, it probably is not a sin until we start to think about how to make the item that belongs to someone else, our own possession,.
It has been said that to covet is Idolatry. We see that our neighbors have two new vehicles in the driveway and wish that we just had a better vehicle.
The person at work takes a two week family vacation and flies off to a famous resort. We wonder how they can afford it because we can't.
Have we learned to be content with what we have?
Does your neighbor's finances compare with yours or is he living with almost uncontrollable debt?
Does your neighbor feed the hungry and give away clothes to the needy?
Contentment is GREAT gain!
A lot of more modern Bibles use "eagerly desire" rather than covet. And what we are to covet is actually love - that is the best gift.
You are right that the ten commandments refer to objects, but I think coveting the talents or skills of others to the point of jealousy is equally wrong.
I think we know the difference between wishing we had something and coveting. You can go on a tour of fancy houses and appreciate them and enjoy seeing how nice they are. Nothing wrong with that. What is wrong is being bitter because you don't have a house like that and resenting those who do. The same is true for anything someone has that you wish you had.
Covetousness may be related to many things — desire for material or the position of others. A lack of self-contentment may generate it. God has the answer for that:
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Heb 13:5)
But godliness with contentment is a significant gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. (I Tim 6:6-8)
I'm just asking, why didn't Adam and Eve meet the same doom as Achan for their sin of obstinance is the same though they're different, the same, wanted to evade responsibility?
How do we preach to the poor to avoid the spirit of covetousness?
I find it difficult myself. I'd like to get opinions on it