In Joshua, chapter seven, verses one to twenty-six, is about the sin of Achan. The consequence within Israel and the severe penalty upon him and his family reveal several principles of judgment when God’s people flagrantly sin. When there is a sin or the toleration of sin among God’s people, it diminishes, hinders, or altogether loses the blessing of God. God will not bless people who refuse to remove sin from their midst. Open sin within the congregation of God’s people exposes its members to the destructive influence of the enemy like Satan and the world. If such immoral activity is tolerated and not corrected, it will result in eventual judgment.
If sin is exposed, confessed, and removed, God’s blessing, presence, and grace return. The immoral activity among the people of God must mark with the utmost seriousness. Purity we must guard, and obedience demanded. Otherwise, the development of the congregation spiritually will either be stunted or cease altogether. ‘God is a spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth,” described in John four verse four.
To understand the sin of Achan and the anger of God begins with the flesh. Achan has a spirit, but he operates in the flesh. God is a Spirit and to be in unison with God depends on whether we walk in it or not to connect with Him. The devil uses the flesh to disconnect God’s people from Him. The enemy does this by tempting us to do things contrary to God’s Word.
What did Achan do to get God angry? The man secretly took something that had evil on it that did not resonate with God. The accursed thing Achan committed was an act of the flesh. God’s people are supposed to be led by the Spirit, which keeps us close to God. However, when we do not pay close attention to our thoughts, actions, and the things we say, we only open the opportunity for our flesh to potential failure.