Joshua 7:17, commentary and pictures

The verse records the search narrowing from the tribe of Judah to the family of the Zarhites, then proceeding man by man until Zabdi was taken on the way to exposing Achan. The sifting was done publicly early in the morning after the defeat before Ai, with Israel brought forward by tribes and families as God Himself directed the search and fastened the guilt on the guilty man. One man's concealed covetous theft of what was dedicated to God brought guilt on all Israel, caused defeat with loss of life, and withheld God's blessing and presence until the accursed thing was taken away. Though Israel did not know what had been taken, God searched it out, proving He knows hidden dishonesty and greed and will bring them to light for judgment. Therefore Achans in the camp must be thoroughly cleansed and covetousness rooted out by sacrifice and self-denial, lest hidden sin hinder the progress of His people and bring sure destruction.

Investigation Narrows Step by Step

The verse records the investigation narrowing step by step from the tribe of Judah to the family of the Zarhites, then proceeding man by man until Zabdi was taken, and this process led on to the exposure of Achan as the one who had troubled Israel. The lot first identified Judah, then the Zarhite family, then selected Zabdi, and this public sifting exposed the person whose hidden and concealed sin had brought trouble, defeat, and suffering upon the whole camp while God withheld His blessing. The search for the guilty person narrowed from Judah to the Zarhite family and then proceeded man by man, with Zabdi identified in that stage before Achan was designated as the transgressor.

The sifting took place publicly early in the morning after the defeat before Ai, with Israel brought forward by tribes, then by families, then man by man, as God Himself directed the search and fastened the dishonesty upon the guilty man. Joshua brought Israel forward by tribes and the tribe of Judah was taken, then the family of Judah was brought and the family of the Zarhites was taken, then the Zarhites were brought man by man and Zabdi was taken, narrowing the guilt toward Achan and his household. The Lord directed the search from the family of Judah to the family of the Zarhites and then man by man until Zabdi was taken, singling out from family to family and man by man so the guilty could not stay hidden. By His Spirit He searched out what Israel did not know had been taken, proving He sees concealed selfishness, greed, and deceit and will bring them to light and judgment.

The guilty man was not named at once but identified through successive selections from tribe to clan to family to household, with Judah's families examined after Judah was identified and the Zarhites selected before Zabdi was identified. This delay left time for the people to recognize their shared responsibility and search their hearts before Achan was exposed. The identification happened on the plain of Gilgal, Israel's first encampment in the promised land reached after the overthrow of Jericho and in connection with the conquest of Ai, where Achan met the penalty for his sin. It was part of the lesson God desired to give Israel that they should never forget.

Achan watched his tribe, family, and household be taken yet remained silent and braved it out as though innocent, concealing his guilt and acting as if innocent even as the knot drew tighter around him. He refused to confess while God Himself was fastening his dishonesty upon him by this ordered sifting, remaining silent until God's finger pointed to him. When he finally acknowledged his guilt his confession came too late to benefit him and showed no genuine repentance, sorrow for sin, change of purpose, or hatred of evil.

Achan's Covetous Theft

Achan coveted forbidden goods dedicated to God — a wedge of gold and a Babylonish garment — and took what God had forbidden despite knowing His command, hiding them in secret and concealing his wrongdoing. His secretly kept gold and garment brought God's wrath, displeasure and suffering upon all Israel, so that Israel was driven before its enemies and defeated with loss, because one person's concealed sin was charged against the whole camp and brought harm beyond himself. Joshua's inquiry brought God's answer that an accursed thing was in the midst of Israel and Israel could not stand before enemies until it was taken away, requiring the people to sanctify themselves, and the guilt was traced step by step from Judah to the Zarhites to Zabdi until Achan was exposed and found, then punished and destroyed with all his household and all they possessed, so the curse was wiped from Israel. His dissembling concealment is the pattern by which other concealment that affects the cause and husbands is measured, and such influence reaching further is even more grievous.

His ruin came from covetousness gradually fostered until it became a binding habit that deadened his sense of right and wrong and ended in fall, disaster and ruin. His theft, embezzlement of what was dedicated to God, and concealment of sin were grievous offenses under God's judgment, bringing destruction on him and his household and defeat and the loss of thirty-six lives upon Israel. Cherished covetousness and greed, unless rooted out, lead to certain destruction as surely as with him.

While guilty he maintained an appearance of innocence and attacked those who reproved him, misleading others by false claims of being wronged. His case warns that temptation can bring a person down even when he thinks himself secure and feels safe, and he cannot resist it by his own strength. Reviewing past failures should humble him and teach him not to trust his own judgment or resist warnings.

One Sin Troubles Israel

One man's hidden wrong brought guilt upon all Israel, discomfited the entire army, and turned victory into defeat before enemies with the loss of thirty-six lives, while success, blessing and divine presence were withheld until the sin was searched out and put away. The sifting from Judah to the Zarhites to Zabdi man by man was the uncovering of the one who kept the devoted thing, showing that a single concealed transgression troubles the whole camp as long as it remains among the people. That disaster for the nation is a warning to the church that transgression hidden in the heart forfeits God's blessing, calls members to search their hearts, and requires tenderness, enlarged sympathy, disinterested benevolence and close self-examination after Isaiah's fast to see whether the principles for receiving the promised blessings are present. Achan and his household perished because he violated the divine command, and when he was found he was punished.

To Joshua's inquiry God answered that a devoted, accursed thing was in the midst of Israel and that Israel could not stand before enemies until it was taken away. Prayer alone was not enough; the people had to sanctify themselves and cleanse the camp, the guilt being traced step by step until Achan was exposed for coveting and hiding a wedge of gold and a Babylonish garment in secret against a jealous God with whom it is fearful to trifle. When he had sinned he and all his household with all they possessed were destroyed, his execution turned away wrath, and the curse was wiped from Israel.

What God had forbidden and was knowingly taken and concealed was charged against the whole camp, for He knew all about the sin committed in the midst and was offended by it. Though He had done a great and glorious work by mighty power, hidden sin in the midst barred His way so that He could not do what He would do for them, just as unbelief hindered Christ from doing many mighty works, and the way must be cleared by putting sin away.

A community becomes accountable when it knowingly makes light of defects of character and allows them to remain, for God declared He would no more be with His people unless the accursed thing was destroyed from among them. To place knowingly a man of weakness of character and moral darkness over the flock as minister is for the church to assume his defects and make them its own, so that the whole stands under divine rebuke. Such deliberate hiding of the eyes from known evil and walking contrary to the divine will is more grievous than the ancient case.

Hidden sin within the camp brings God's displeasure and hinders the progress of His people, as shown in the identifying of Achan's family unto Zabdi.

God Exposes Hidden Sin

Israel did not know what had been taken, but God's Spirit searched out the hidden theft, and that searching exposed why the army was defeated and why prayer alone was not enough until the camp was cleansed of the wrongdoing. The Lord identified the thief by a deliberate sifting, bringing Israel forward tribe by tribe, then taking Judah by its families, then bringing the Zarhites forward man by man until Zabdi was taken and the search pressed on through his household to Achan, even while Achan concealed his guilt and acted as though innocent. That successive identification from tribe to clan to family to household proves God sees concealed selfishness, greed, dishonesty and deceit and will bring them to light and judgment. It also belongs to the larger truth that God knows what men misunderstand or misinterpret and will vindicate those who trust Him.

The narrowing to Zabdi means God is in earnest, a jealous God who cannot look upon iniquity and cannot let it pass without exposure. By His Holy Spirit He points out the wrongdoer when those in trust do their duty, demonstrating that He will not tolerate sin. He is the same in the gospel as in ancient Israel, and He holds those who know the truth equally responsible with open transgressors if they let sin drift and fail to give the youth a right impression of what constitutes sin and uncleanness. The destruction of Achan was just, because the same principles that controlled him had been brought into his family, and that influence of falsehood, dissembling and dishonesty, terrible in God's sight, would have endangered all Israel.

The singling out family by family and man by man until Zabdi was taken shows the guilty cannot stay hidden, and it makes the exposure individual work, calling each person to have his case open with God, to seek God's glory and the success of His cause, to put away everything offensive to Him, to make straight paths, and to purify the soul temple by entire consecration of soul and body to God's will. That call belongs to a solemn time of opposition from principalities and powers and rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places, when everyone must hold the fort and not stop until any sin upon him is corrected and put away, lest truth lose its power and the enemy triumph. Applied to means withheld from the needy Southern field, the same uncovering means that taking money meant for that field and driving men in hard places is robbery in every sense, hated by God and rooted in lack of principle and perverted ideas that blind discernment of justice, mercy, equity and truth. It therefore requires full restitution of principal and interest, not half-hearted unwilling repayment that makes no effort to redeem the past, for those involved show insincerity, disappointment of others, and unwillingness to do the restitution that should be done.

Cleanse the Camp Today

The narrowing to Judah, to the Zarhites, and then man by man to Zabdi means the Achans in the camp must be thoroughly cleansed to preserve truth and purity. Sin and sinners in the church must be promptly dealt with, or others will be contaminated, and those in responsible positions must not suffer sin to remain in a brother but must show him that he must either put away his sins or be separated from the church. That cleansing is what truth and purity require so that others fear God, with less covering up and excusing of sin. Those who do wickedly and refuse to hear admonition and warning and refuse to repent are as Achan in the camp — deceived and deceiving — and must not be retained on the church books but must be disfellowshipped and separated from church fellowship. To retain those who do wickedly and refuse to repent holds the saints accountable for their evil deeds, is contrary to the will of God, and is an insult to the God of heaven.

Those in high positions of trust must guard righteousness and judgment, work diligently to separate wrongdoers from the camp, and not become careless and pass by sin in their midst or hold peace while God is dishonored by deception and moral corruption. God does not leave covered sin unknown but by His Holy Spirit points out the wrongdoer when those in trust do their duty, showing He will not tolerate sin and has not changed but is the same in the gospel as in ancient Israel. Those who know the truth are held equally responsible with open transgressors if they let sin drift and fail to give youth a right impression of what constitutes sin and uncleanness. Joshua's discreet, God-given, man-by-man searching work is the burden of reproving and correcting prevailing sins laid on those God calls to it, done so that God's frown may be turned away from His people. Those who do not have that discretion and duty must not hinder or stand in the way of those who do, nor accuse them of having a wicked, fault-finding spirit when they act the part of Joshua in searching out wrong.

God's people must elevate the standard far higher, choosing poverty, reproach, separation from friends, losses, or any suffering, and death before dishonor or transgression of God's law, rather than defile the soul with sin. All must strive to act at all times as in God's presence, realizing the eye of God is ever upon them and the most secret thought is known to Him, with character, motives, desires, and purposes as clear as sunlight to the Omniscient. Israel's remembered failure to detect hidden sin should teach vigilance and prompt earnest action against sin, for the incident rebuked Israel for failing to watch for sin among them. Yet concern to address wrongdoing must not become harsh judgment or groundless suspicion and censure of brethren before courteously learning the facts of what happened.

Personal Warning and Duty

Joshua 7:17 uncovers hidden covetousness and the sure destruction that follows it for the Israel of God today. Covetousness, selfishness, love of money and love of the world destroy the spirit of sacrifice, grow imperceptibly so that those who have it are not aware of it, and dry up kindly sympathy and tender thoughtful love for brethren until every virtue is corroded. Unless this evil is rooted out by renewing strength in God and keeping covenant with Him through sacrificing for God and denying self for truth's sake, destruction is as sure as Achan's. Those who love the world and its gain and increase and take the sacrifice from God's altar will, without entire change, perish with the world when the loftiness of man is brought down, the pride of man humbled, and the withering plagues fall on kings and nobles, rich and poor alike.

Means are only lent by God, and men are His stewards and not owners. To call means their own and hoard them up is to take what belongs to God and repeats Achan's sin. When the prospering hand of God is removed, all that was hoarded is snatched away in a moment.

Selfishly taking institutional means for personal use is the sin of Achan traced here from the families of Judah and the Zarhites to Zabdi's household. When a worker compares his wages with others, decides he should receive as much, becomes wise above what is written in the law, and appropriates treasury funds for his own use, he robs God's treasury through double-dealing, selfishness and covetousness. God regards this exactly as He regarded Achan's sin, sees every case, surrounds such a man with an atmosphere of unbelief, and will pass judgment on it. Such men are not with God, cannot give the right mold to the work, cannot supply the needs of laborers in hard fields, and are unfitted for God's work.

Taking money meant for the needy Southern field and driving men in hard places is robbery in every sense of the word, hated by God, rooted in lack of principle and perverted ideas and abuse of the Spirit of God. Those who figure in these things have blinded spiritual discernment until they have no real sense of what justice and mercy and equity and truth is. Full restitution is required of both principal and interest, and half-hearted, unwilling repayment that makes no effort to redeem the past will not meet the dishonest practices in sacred work that dishonor God.

Backbiting is worse than the sin of Achan in its influence. Cherishing envy and hatred, going up and down as talebearers, accusing and condemning, blackening character, inspiring hearts with maliciousness, and carrying false reports is not confined to those who cherish it but spreads as a root of bitterness whereby many are defiled. It defiles minds and spirits, causes hearers to lose the Spirit of God, and keeps God from blessing the church till it is purged by repentance and change of course. In the same way dissembling and concealment that affects the cause and others, as in a misleading influence upon husbands and the work, is comparable to Achan's secretly kept gold and garment that brought wrath on Israel, and is even more grievous because of its wider reach.

A wrong course pursued by one toward his brother turns the light of God from His people until the wrong is searched out and the cause of the oppressed is vindicated, as the sin of one man here discomfited the entire army. It calls for tenderness of feeling and discrimination, enlarged hearts, broad and deep feelings, noble sympathy, largeness of soul and disinterested benevolence. It calls for studying Isaiah's fast with close self-examination to see whether the principles required to receive the rich blessings promised are present. The singling out from family to family and man by man until Zabdi was taken is individual work, proving God is in earnest, a jealous God who cannot look upon iniquity or let it pass without exposure. In a solemn time of opposition from principalities and powers and rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places, it calls each person to have his case open with God, to seek the glory of God and the success of His cause, to put away everything offensive to Him, to make straight paths for the feet, and to purify the soul temple of defilement by entire consecration of soul and body to the will of God. Everyone must hold the fort and not stop until any sin upon him is corrected and put away, lest the truth lose its power and the enemy triumph, for Achan's destruction was just because the same principles that controlled him had entered his family and that influence of falsehood, dissembling and dishonesty, terrible in God's sight, would have endangered all Israel. The spirit of unrepented sin later found even among men in important positions must likewise be confessed and put away, with restoration made.