What Was Achan’s Sin? by George B. Starr

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Michigan · Apr 8, 1902

What Was Achan’s Sin?

By George B. Starr

GEO. B. STARR

The city of Jericho and everything in it were devoted unto the Lord, and by the Lord,—the city to destruction; the harlot Rahab and all her family to salvation. The silver and gold and all the vessels of brass and iron were consecrated unto the Lord. They were to be brought into the treasury of the Lord.

So Joshua told all the people plainly, the very day that the city was overthrown: “And the city shall be devoted [margin], even it, and all that are therein, to the Lord: . . . and ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the devoted thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the devoted thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the Lord: they shall come into the treasury of the Lord.” Joshua 6:17–19.

All Israel heard this plain instruction, and shouted their approval. Verse 20.

The spoils of battle belong to the conqueror. God was leading the armies of Israel. He overthrew the walls of Jericho, and gained the victory by his own power. To him belonged the spoils and the disposition of them.

Now every devoted thing is most holy, even if devoted by man. A sheep selected from the flock and devoted to God, suddenly becomes of priceless value. Its worth now could not be estimated in money. It is beyond market value. It would be sacrilege to withdraw it, or sell it. And so with any other gift. Once devoted to God, it becomes most holy and of priceless value. The altar sanctifies the gift, and gives it its great value. “No devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the Lord of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the Lord.” Lev. 27:28.

This being true of what man may devote of his own free action, how much more sacred is that which God himself devotes to a specific purpose?

All the gold and silver of Jericho were to be brought into the treasury of the Lord, and so support the proclamation of the gospel as presented in their sanctuary service. This very gold thus appropriated to a sacred and holy purpose, Achan coveted for his own use, and took it, and hid it among his own stuff, in his own tent. This he confessed, when his sin had fully found him out.

But when one member of the body sins, all the members suffer with it. Israel was defeated at Ai, and fled before their enemies; and when Joshua rent his clothing, and cried unto the Lord to know the cause, the Lord said unto him: “Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the devoted thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, . . . because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you. Up, sanctify the people.”

A “devoted thing” misappropriated becomes an accursed thing. All Israel had suffered in the wrong action of one member of the body, and so all Israel must unite in disowning and putting away the sacrilegious theft. See Joshua 7. The casting of lots to find the guilty one was to give Achan an opportunity to make a voluntary confession of his wrong, and right it; but instead, he, like the majority of criminals, braved it out to the last, when the forced confession came too late to avail for him, or to lead to true repentance.

Stoned with stones! Burned in the fire with all that he had! This was the Lord’s expression of his abhorrence of Achan’s sin, and of all similar sins.

Every devoted thing is most holy, and every devoted thing misappropriated becomes most accursed. Devoted things brought into the Lord’s treasury bring his special blessing upon his people; misappropriated, they bring his special curse.

“All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord. . . . The tenth shall be holy unto the Lord.” Lev. 27:30–33.

God has reserved to himself the tenth of all man’s increase, as a test of loyal obedience, and a constant recognition of God’s ownership,—an acknowledgment that God is God. Just as he reserved one tree in the garden from Adam and Eve, so has he reserved a tenth from us. The nine tenths we may freely use, but the tithe we may not use; it is his, and is devoted by him to a specific purpose, and must not be diverted from that purpose. It is all to be brought into the Lord’s appointed storehouse, and used solely for the proclamation of the gospel.

“And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. . . . The tithes of the children of Israel . . . I have given to the Levites.” A person can give away only that which belongs to him. God gave all the tithes to his ministers. After receiving the tithe from the people, God’s ministers are to pay their tithe also. Num. 18:20–31.

Thus the Lord tests the whole human family, making them his stewards; telling them specifically what to do with his portion, and leaving them to separate the holy from the common, and to apply it to its appointed purpose. His command is, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house.”

But, like Achan, God’s professed people have sinned, and coveted the Lord’s portion and stolen it, and hidden it in their tents, among their own stuff, or placed it in banks under their own names; and so he protests against us:—“Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return

unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” Mal. 3:7–12.

God changes not. He put it into the hearts of Abraham and of Jacob to pay the tithe to him. Abraham paid tithe to Melchisedec. Melchisedec represented Jesus Christ, and Abraham is the father of all them that believe. “If ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed.” See Hebrews 7.

As God planned that the temple service should be supported, even so has he appointed that the gospel work shall be carried forward. “Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.” 1 Cor. 9:13, 14.

How is it with you, dear reader? Have you any of the Lord’s devoted things among your stuff? hid away in your tent? or in the bank to your credit? or in your business? If so, then for your own sake and the sake of God’s people, and the sake of those who could have the gospel carried to them if more laborers could be sent into the harvest field, separate God’s portion, and bring it into the storehouse. A blessing will overtake you in so doing, and a curse will be removed.