"It just doesn't seem so bad. Not like other people's sins." Have you ever heard that? Maybe you've said it, at least to yourself. Not uncommon. In fact, probably everyone reading this can make a very valid comparison to others. Look around at our world. There are people who do much more societal harm than you do.
Achan's sin didn't seem to be a big thing. He saw some stuff that he liked, grabbed it while plundering, and hid it away. This isn't that unusual. In Britain after World War 2 there were countless unregistered, illegal German pistols, knives, and other pieces of military equipment, quietly pilfered from the battlefield and taken home. What was a big thing was God's specific command. He had directed the people of Israel to treat their battle in Jericho as different from all their other battles. They were to take nothing. Zero. Nada. No plunder was allowed. God spoke and he expected his people to obey his command.
What is the penalty for Achan's breach of God's command? He is picked out and killed along with his family, in a public cermony. They are stoned, then burned, then a heap of stones is built over them as a memorial. It is obvious to everybody what happens when you transgress against God.
What hope do we have? We find great hope. First, God knows all that his people do and endure. He knows how to care for them. Second, we see that in fact the Lord is the one who fought the battles his people were engaged in. Third, we see that in Christ there is forgiveness. For whose sins did Christ die? He died for the sins of all those who are in rebellion against God. He died as the substitute for all those sinners who would ever live. And his death is applied to all who believe he died for them.
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