Wayne’s two cents worth
Achan: a’-kan (`akhan (in 1 Chronicles 2:7 Achar, `akhar, "troubler"):
Romans 6:12
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
1 John 2:16
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
The Father, The Son, The Holy Ghost: The most Holy trinity. Spirit, Soul and Body: Man in three parts. A couple of notable ‘three’s’ in Scripture. I point this out because there is a notable ‘three’ in this account of Achan: A gold wedge, 200 shekels of silver and a Babylonian robe. All devoted to God, purposed for destruction, but stolen by Achan. What purpose a wedge? To wedge a door open or closed. To keep an access way open or to deny access to. Which was Achan guilty of? A little of both. In holding onto the devoted thing, he placed a wedge between God and Israel, between God and himself that God would not breach. A wedge. When used to keep an access way open, it normally represents a path backwards, a ‘way back’. Back to what? Back to a way of life that we should have completely abandoned when Jesus came. A wedge. Trouble.
Two hundred shekels of silver. That would have immediately made Achan a player wouldn’t it? How many ‘get rich quick’ schemes are out there these days? A lot of money quickly will get you a lot of attention quickly. Ask any lottery winner. While your at it, ask them how all that turned out for them. Achan had dreams, all of us do. Every one of us dreams of a life of no worries, no problems. Money can get us that, can’t it. Trouble.
A robe. Not just any robe, but a Babylonian robe, a robe representative of the pleasure and allure the ‘world’ has to offer. The yacht, the limo, the penthouse, the country club, the luxury suite; you know, the very, very, very best that the world has to offer. Why not you? Why not now? After all, Jesus just knocked down the walls didn’t He? You just got saved. ‘Hey God, turn on that Blessing Machine quick”. “I’m saved now, let’s get those Blessings flowing”. Real trouble.
Doesn’t work like that, does it? It’s not supposed to. When we get saved, we say” God, come on in.” “Yes Jesus, come into my heart.” :Clean me up”. There it is, right there. Jesus does not save us to leave us like we are. In our carnal, unsaved state, we’re not worthy of eternity. God, who is Mercy, would not damn us to an eternity staying the way we are: our own worst enemy. He loves us too much for that.
Achan had all this ‘stuff’ in his tent. He was holding on to a future of his own design, not God’s. He was exchanging a royal inheritance for… disaster and didn’t even know it. He was trading relationship with God for a few silver shekels and some shiny clothes. Treasure will rust or the moths will eat it. Achan traded real treasure, God’s treasure for ….trouble.
What about you beloved? What have you hidden in your tent? What are you holding on to that puts a wedge, a barrier between you and a deeper, closer walk with the Lord? At the end of the day, all that is temporal will be burned in the fire. All that will remain will be that that God desires: a faithful people. Let me leave you with this: Whether in this life or the next, God fully intends to bless you beyond all that you can ever ask or even imagine to ask. He promises us this in is Word. All of earth’s treasure pale in comparison to the riches God has awaiting us in eternity. God seeks Relationship….with you…above all else. Devote yourself to Him fully. God is Jealous for you. Rejoice in that.
Shalom,
.wb
Romans 8:10
And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
John 4:23
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
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