One Who Chose

03.20.12

Joshua 7.1 1 But the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully in regard to the things under the ban, for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, took some of the things under the ban, therefore the anger of the LORD burned against the sons of Israel. NASB

You know, the writer of Joshua may have made a mistake: he said the ‘sons’ of Israel acted unfaithfully in regard to the things under the ban… It was only Achan wasn’t it? I mean, he was the one who did the deed, not the sons of Israel. So why would the writer make it all-inclusive like the whole bunch sinned? Let’s get back to that in a minute…

If we spin forward to the New Testament and read in 1 Corinthians 5 we see: It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife. You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst. (Vv.1,2) One guy made the whole bunch guilty because they wouldn’t deal with his sin. Maybe they didn’t know how… or maybe they didn’t think it was such a big deal.

Sin spoils the whole recipe. Sin makes the extraordinary picture mundane. Sin makes the attractive person appear common. Achan’s sin stained all of Israel because Achan took it upon himself to disobey orders; and not just Joshua’s orders, but more importantly, God’s.

And it’s not because God is a spoil-sport, but because God knows the ripple effect of sin in a person’s life – in a family’s life – in a church’s life – in a community’s life – in a state’s life – in a nation’s life – in a globe’s life. Adam was one man, but from him and his one act, all of humanity is judged as sinful. A little leaven leavens the entire batch, not just a small portion.

The lesson for me today is to consider the ripple effect of my choices and live in great respect of what they’ll do. The lesson for me today is to remember that I don’t live isolated in a vacuum and what I choose to do or not to do has an effect on the people around me – my family, my church, my city, state, and nation – and yes, even the world. I can be part of the problem or part of the solution.

And I can be part of the redemptive process as well: in my home, my church and wherever I find myself these days. The world needs those who will step up and live responsibly before their God. That is the calling of the church. And that makes the calling on our lives to live responsibly and accountably even more important: for what we do affects the whole whether we like it, or believe it, or not.

So, the call for me again today is to remember the story of Achan: one who chose. And to remember the story of the Corinthian Church: a church who chose. If we chose to ignore our actions and choose to ignore our responsibility in dealing with the choices of others, we do ourselves a great disservice and perpetuate the vile notion that it’s no big deal. I don’t want to be party to that. Scripture is filled with the repercussions and rewards of those who chose to go one way or the other…