The Achan Family

Why... did God command Joshua to stone Achan's entire family to death, including his animals, and then burn their bodies because of Achan's sole, individual sin (Joshua 7:19 26)? In the book preceding Joshua (Deuteronomy 24:16), God told Moses that "Father's are not to be put to death for their sins of their sons, nor are sons to be put to death for the sins of their fathers; each man will be executed for his own crime." Didn't Joshua break the Mosaic law -- at God's request? First off, what was God's specific commandment to Israel just before attacking Jericho that would have been fresh on the people's minds? "Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city. And the city shall be ACCURSED, even IT, AND ALL THAT ARE THEREIN, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. And YE, IN ANY WISE KEEP YOURSELVES FROM THE ACCURSED THING, LEST YE MAKE YOURSELVES ACCURSED, WHEN YE TAKE OF THE ACCURSED 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 6:16-19. The sin committed by Achan was a sin that polluted the whole camp of Israel. God gave them clear and timely warning. So God, being a God of His word, was obligated to keep that word. (Even today's psychiatrists acknowledge that if you are going to threaten children with punishment, it better be a punishment that you are able and willing to carry out. For inconsistency is worse than withholding punishment. In respect to God, mankind are like children). So what did God say and do? "Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for THEY have even taken of the accursed 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, but turned their backs 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, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you" Joshua 7:11-13.

So who was punished for this transgression against God? "So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken: And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken: And he brought his household man by man; and ACHAN, THE SON OF CARMI, THE SON OF ZABDI, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, THEN I COVETED THEM, AND TOOK THEM; AND, BEHOLD, THEY ARE HID IN THE EARTH IN THE MIDST OF MY TENT, and the silver under it. So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD. And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor" -Joshua 7:16-24. Achan's father Carmi was not punished, nor his grandfather Zabdi. But only those IN Achan's household. That is, more specifically, ONLY THOSE LIVING IN ACHAN'S TENT. The "accursed thing" was hid in the middle of the tent, dug into the ground. Therefore, everyone in the tent had to have been aware of, and therefore partakers (referring to our last conversation) of Achan's sin. The family was not guiltless. The crime that Achan's family committed, according to God, was the sin of "dissembling" which means "to deal falsely or deceitfully". As God said- "Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, AND DISSEMBLED ALSO, AND THEY HAVE PUT IT EVEN AMONG THEIR OWN STUFF" -Joshua 7:11. Therefore, God did not punish these people merely for the sin of the father. He destroyed the whole family because- "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump" -Galatians 5:19. The "whole lump" being Israel, and the "little leaven" being the "household" of Achan. In case anyone thinks God is different in this dispensation of grace, let them consider this fact. "But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? THOU HAST NOT LIED UNTO MEN, BUT UNTO GOD. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him" -Acts

5:1-6. "For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. IT IS A FEARFUL THING TO FALL INTO THE HANDS OF THE LIVING GOD" Hebrews 10:26-31. In fact, that principle of a little leaven works in reverse also, for consider Rahab the harlot: "The city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, SHE AND ALL THAT ARE WITH HER in the house, BECAUSE SHE hid the messengers that we sent... And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel" Joshua 6:17-23. So then, God did not destroy any innocent member of the household of Achan, but He did spare Rahab's whole family for her righteousness. Isn't it interesting how human nature tends to zero in on, and enlarge bad news, but tends to de-glorify good news? Here are more examples of God's commandments for genocide: "And the Lord said... "Go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling." 1 Samuel 15:3. "REMEMBER WHAT AMALEK DID unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God. Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it" Deuteronomy 25:17-19. Why did God destroy nations at the hand of Israel? "When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one THAT MAKETH HIS SON OR HIS DAUGHTER TO PASS THROUGH THE FIRE, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: AND BECAUSE OF THESE ABOMINATIONS THE LORD THY GOD DOTH DRIVE THEM OUT from before thee" -Deuteronomy 18:9-12. Do you know what that means to make the children "pass through the fire?" "The LORD said moreover unto me... declare unto them their abominations; THAT THEY HAVE COMMITTED ADULTERY, and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery, AND HAVE ALSO CAUSED THEIR SONS, WHOM THEY BARE UNTO ME, TO PASS FOR THEM THROUGH THE FIRE, TO DEVOUR THEM. Moreover this they have done unto me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my sabbaths. For when THEY HAD SLAIN THEIR CHILDREN TO THEIR IDOLS, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it; and, lo, thus have they done in the midst of mine house" Ezekiel 23:36-39. These heathens that the Lord were having the people of Israel destroy (and the Israelites that did like them) were people who rejected the true God (which, did have a choice to turn their trust toward Him like Rahab did), and chose rather to hold to their idolatries (man-made falsehoods). Such idolatries included sacrificing their first born children by fire to their gods. These were evil people. "Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man... But we are sure that THE JUDGMENT OF GOD IS ACCORDING TO TRUTH against them which commit such things... Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness

of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds: TO THEM WHO BY PATIENT CONTINUANCE IN WELL DOING SEEK FOR GLORY AND HONOUR AND IMMORTALITY, ETERNAL LIFE: BUT UNTO THEM THAT ARE CONTENTIOUS, AND DO NOT OBEY THE TRUTH, BUT OBEY UNRIGHTEOUSNESS, INDIGNATION AND WRATH, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: FOR THERE IS NO RESPECT OF PERSONS WITH GOD. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel" Romans 1:32 2:16.