p. 8 | Why They Failed by G. B. Thompson

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D.C. · Oct 1, 1903

Why They Failed

By G. B. Thompson

G. B. THOMPSON

Soon after the fall of Jericho, Joshua decided to capture Ai, a small town a few miles distant. Having taken the great, walled city of Jericho, it seemed an easy matter to capture Ai. A force sufficiently large to take the village was sent against it, but they were utterly routed, and a number of them slain.

As Joshua and the elders of Israel saw God’s people fleeing before their enemies, they fell upon their faces in agony before the Lord. They rent their clothes, and put dust upon their heads in humiliation of heart before God. Why had this defeat befallen them? Why must they flee before their enemies? The reason was given, “Israel hath sinned; yea, they have even transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: yea, they have even taken of the devoted thing; and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have even put it among their own stuff.” Joshua 7:11, R. V. Here was the secret of their weakness plainly revealed. God had said that the first fruits of Canaan were his. “And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the devoted thing, lest when ye have devoted it, ye take of the devoted thing; so should ye make the camp of Israel accursed, and trouble it. But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are holy unto the Lord: they shall come into the treasury of the Lord.”

How plain and clear was this command of the Lord. The silver and gold, brass and iron, were holy, and belonged in his treasury. Who dared to transgress this decree of the Lord?—O, Achan did. He saw a certain goodly garment and a wedge of gold, coveted them, took them, and hid them among his stuff in his tent. Not a single person in all the camp saw the deed. Only one man! Surely one transgression of one man among so many would make no difference! But it did. Israel was weakened, and must flee before their enemies, and nearly twoscore of Achan’s brethren lost their lives because of his transgression. A sinner in the church is an awful thing. “For one man’s sin, the displeasure of God will rest upon his church till the transgression is searched out and put away.”—“Patriarchs and Prophets,” page 497.

But this is history. How is it to-day? Is not the church of God weak, and compelled at times to flee before the terrible tide of sin and iniquity? Is she not hopelessly weak, and unable to cope with the vast work to be done? Churches everywhere are weak. They do about all the missionary work they are able to do, it seems. Many have no strength, and are not able to do much. The church can hardly be said to be as “fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners.” Have you wondered why? Here is the answer:—

“I saw that many who profess to be keeping the commandments of God are appropriating to their own use the means which the Lord has entrusted to them, and which should come into his treasury. They rob God in tithes and in offerings. They dissemble, and withhold from him to their own hurt. They bring leanness and poverty upon themselves, and darkness upon the church, because of their covetousness, their dissemblings, and their robbing God in tithes and in offerings. I saw that many souls will sink in darkness because of their covetousness. The plain, straight testimony must live in the church, or the curse of God will rest upon his people as surely as it did upon ancient Israel because of their sins.”—“Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. III, page 269.

The same thing which brought darkness and weakness upon the church anciently is practised to-day. Achan took something that was holy, devoted to the Lord, belonged in his treasury, and put it among his own stuff. The spirit of prophecy, as quoted above, tells us that many to-day have among their own stuff that which belongs to God in tithes and offerings, and as a result they are spiritually lean, and the church is shrouded in darkness. It is covetousness which leads individuals to withhold their tithe, which is holy, and belongs in the treasury of the Lord. This sin is making the army of the living God weak. Shall we not, brethren and sisters, search among our stuff and see if we have any of God’s holy money there? Shall we not make a thorough investigation now? Remember Achan.