Obedience

In Joshua chapter 6, we read of the fall of Jericho..."and the walls came tumbling down." Used to sing that song many years ago. Any way, the people have to follow God's battle plan to take the city. March around it with trumpets and the Ark...everyday for a week. The people obeyed God and the walls DID fall down and the people conquered the city.

BUT one man had a covetous heart and was not obedient. He kept some of the plunder for himself after God said don't do it. The next battle, which should have been an easy victory, was lost and Israelites died.

When Joshua confronted God about it, God revealed the sin in the camp. So Joshua again obeyed God and called all the tribes to come by so that God could reveal to him who the culprit was. Even though I've read this story many times, this morning I read this verse and realized the impact on Joshua of this man's sin. After all the tribes and men came by, the man who was causing all the problems was part of Joshua's family, his household.

I imagine Joshua's heart was grieved, as it would have been for anyone who sinned against God, but his own family! That must have cut him to the core. Especially the punishment that God had commanded. But Joshua was obedient still. Achan and all his family, all his belongings, all his livestock was taken outside the camp, stoned to death, then burned.

Obedience can be very difficult especially if it involves those I love, those who are family. But I need to look carefully at my relationships to see if I am doing anything or enabling anyone by my actions of love that might cause me actually to disobey God.