Profit and Loss - Deadweight
Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath” (Joshua 7:20-21).
Our heavenly Father, You are Jehovah Jireh, the God of provision. The sons of Korah sang of Your kindness, the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless (Psalm 84:11).
You demonstrated Your power, Your provision, and Your presence to Your people as You led them out of slavery to a place You had promised by covenant. You desired to give them all they needed—to have victory over their enemies, to have divine help against their foes, to be fed with the finest of wheat, to be satisfied with honey from the rock—if [they] would only listen, if [they] would only follow Your ways... (Psalm 81:13-16).
As they came up against Jericho, You promised that victory was theirs, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands..." (Joshua 6:2). But You gave them express instructions for the battle, and for the aftermath of the battle: "keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it” (Joshua 6:18-19). Yet, Achan did exactly what You had commanded them not to do (Joshua 7:20-21), and did indeed bring trouble on the camp (Joshua 7:4-12).
Lord, it is easy to wonder at Achan's disobedience from the vantage point of time, space, and personal distancing. But help us to search our own hearts. Help us to confront the things we appropriate, and hide in the ground inside our tents because we refuse to trust You, or refuse to accept the parameters You set for our safety, and for our victory.
Show us Lord, where we might be keeping for ourselves things that are sacred to the Lord and must go into His treasury—the devoted treasures of time, study, service, love of God, and love of others. Help us not to grab or hoard what is not ours to take.
Thank You for Your promise of provision, deliverance, victory. As You challenged Your ancient people, so You challenge us to trust You each step of the way: I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it (Psalm 81:10). Help us to receive with gratitude what You allocate to us.
Help us not to evaluate profit and loss with eyes and hearts full of greed, idolatry, and covetousness. Your word tells us that The greedy bring ruin to their households (Proverbs 15:27). We see that Achan also brought trouble to his community, his entire nation.
Loving Father, help us to fully obey and honor You, lest we become buried in the Valley of Trouble, crushed by the weight of own disobedience.
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