ESOCS Devotional 3 March 2025 – A New Covenant
MEMORY VERSE:“Then it shall be that he who is taken with the accursed thing shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he has done a disgraceful thing in Israel …” Joshua 7:15 NKJV
TEXT: JOSHUA 7:15–26
Then it shall be that he who is taken with the accursed thing shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he has done a disgraceful thing in Israel.’ ”
16 So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17 He brought the clan of Judah, and he took the family of the Zarhites; and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man, and Zabdi was taken. 18 Then he brought his household man by man, and Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.
19 Now Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I beg you, give glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession to Him, and tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.”
20 And Achan answered Joshua and said, “Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done: 21 When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.”
22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver under it. 23 And they took them from the midst of the tent, brought them to Joshua and to all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the Lord. 24 Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day.” So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones.
26 Then they raised over him a great heap of stones, still there to this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Achor to this day.
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The accursed things are that which were set apart and devoted to the God of Israel, whether for special ceremonial use or destruction (Leviticus 27: 28; Deuteronomy 2:34).
The first thing we observe from Achan taking the accursed things is God’s attitude toward sin. The Lord was angry over Achan’s disobedience, but His anger burned not just against the one man but against all the children of Israel. God held the nation responsible as one whole people, including Joshua and the elders of Israel. Why would God do this? Because Israel was one people—one family—under God (Exodus 19: 5-6; Ecclesiastes 9:18). The whole family was in a covenant relationship with God. When one member breaks the covenant, the entire family’s relationship with the Lord was broken. A similar bond exists among believers today. Together we form one body, and Jesus Christ is the Head (I Corinthians 12:12-13). When one member sins, the consequences extend beyond just that one person. In the case of Achan, thirty-six soldiers who had no part in his rebellion had died in the battle of Ai.
Achan’s fate illustrates the truth of James 1:14-15: “Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” ((NKJV),). We discover from Achan taking the accursed things that sin corrupts and destroys people’s lives. In His holiness, God won’t tolerate sin among His people. But in His Love He calls us to repentance and forgiveness so that our relationship with Him can be restored. There are some who claim that God is love and thus will not curse His own. These do not understand the principle of the accursed thing. God does not have to curse a man for a man to be cursed, as seen in the case of Achan. You touch it, you get cursed; it’s a system, it’s a principle.
Are you touching what is separated unto God or what is separated for destruction? Cease from it and repent today. God loves you and doesn’t want you to walk in error or perish like Achan and his entire household.
CHALLENGES
- Are you still rejecting God’s word, warning, way and will?
PRAYER POINT
- Oh Lord, help me to not reject your Word, warning, ways and touch the accursed thing.
FURTHER READING: Hebrews 9:1–28; Joshua 8:1–20
ESOCS Devotional 4 March 2025
