Yet They Did

Yet They Did

11/13/21

How many of us have taken things and after a certain amount of time believes that we have gotten away with the thievery?  It is a common trait of humanity to follow through with something such as this, just for the sake of getting away with something just to add it to our property or self-worth.  At the end of the day, most of the time there is a trail that leads back to you or to one or more of your accomplices and the truth comes out in its own fashion.  The methods of finding out the truth may differ in many ways, but the process will conclude at some time and the guilty parties revealed. This process must not need to even be conducted if obedience to yourself and to your Higher Authority is kept clean at all times.  However, there are those who insist on becoming sly toward others and thus deem it necessary to test the system.  One common theme, there may be an admission of guilt but most of the time there is no apology or remorse for the wrongdoings.  this hurts God and those around us that are affected by such selfishness, but this course can be changed or even skipped totally, but it is up to you to make the choice.

There is not one of us on this earth that has not done something wrong and believed that we have gotten away with this bad thing or event of ours.  I have done my share of stupid things in my life and have hurt a few people during this march of mine.  I have learned so much over the past few decades about behavior and the choices that we make and how it affects not only me but others around me as well, involved or not.  During this younger period of time, I thought I was smarter than my parents and everyone else who might be involved in such activities.  As I look back and think upon some of those instances of ridiculousness that I was involved in, it amazes me how wrong I was to even think to participate in them much less actually be involved.  Now, do not get me wrong, these things I did were not in an illegal manner and I did not destroy any personal or business items either.  The things I did were of a personal matter but they hurt some people along the way and at that time I really did not care about my actions, I have never claimed to be a saint by any means and I shall never claim to be one down the road either.

Over the years, I have confessed all of my stupidity to God, at least those that He has reminded me of.  We all know that our human mind shall not work against what has been driven in the past, for it buries it instead, keeping the pain and agony hidden for as long as possible.  It is for this reason that we need to ask God to search our hearts and to show us our wicked and evil deeds so that we can be eternally free while walking this sod.  I have not gotten away with any of them for the actions of my youth still linger about and when the opportunity arises, God makes sure amends are made.  But even if these selfish deeds of mine would continue to be hidden I could not really be free with my life and live according to the Ways of God.  I am glad I did not get away with these things that I did, but I have to admit I did them and did my best to hide those deeds at the time, all in the name of fun and "living" as an American teenager.

When I look back on these times, I cannot help but ask myself why God allowed me to live?  I was an ornery little boy and one whose mind was constantly on the go, but at the same time, my heart becomes flooded with the Words of God that He loves me and that He has a plan for my life, and that I should always strive to deter temptation and sin with the correct direction that He has provided.  In our Scripture passage, we see that Israel believed they were battle-ready but it was one family that caused the defeat of God's army all because Achan went ahead and did what he knew was wrong.  God had set the standard high, separating the Children of Israel above every other tribe and nation, this standard had not changed since the fall of Jericho or even when the battle for Jericho was approached, commenced, and in the aftermath.  Everything and everyone was to be destroyed with a few of the rich metals consecrated before God and brought into the treasury of the Lord.

We now come to the present Scripture passage in Joshua 7 and we have the results of the heart that are now in question, God has already spoken to Joshua and told him once again what to do in order to correct the situation.  The passage is as follows:

Joshua 7:17-20

"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 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 I have done."

Now, in my experiences in life, I have noticed that for some reason the process of selection has a purpose no matter what that selection procedures and purpose might be.  I have served on a few jury selections over the years and as I have sat and watched the proceedings unfold it has become clear there is a real reason that the person in question is present in the courtroom.  I cannot explain this feeling but I know it is there and there is a reason I am in that place.  As we read the passage of our Scripture, it is clear that God is still giving Achan a chance to repent before things go down the formal path of judgment.  But he waits until each family above him is isolated and brought before Joshua.  Achan stands and allows the procession to be paraded in front of Joshua, knowing that as each family is called out of the line of his succession, one that should have made waves of anxiety flow outward from Achan because he knew that he made a gross error in believing that he could pull the wool over God's eyes, yet he did; he actions define the foundation of disobedience.

I remember during boot camp that someone had not cleaned up after himself after he had finished in the bathroom, and of course, we had a spot inspection that evening.  When it came time for the bathroom to be inspected, all of us were called into that small area and were asked who made the mess and did not clean it up.  Stupidly, all of us kept our mouths shut believing that if no one said anything the matter would go away.  Within a few seconds time, we were in front of our bunks standing there while our drill instructors tore apart every locker and bed in the bay.  It was only then that the culprit spoke up and said that he was responsible, it did not matter the entire flight was punished for this misdeed and untruth a pattern that we see here unfolding in the family of Achan.

In the waning verses of Joshua 6, we read that Jericho's walls fell down without a single fight for them just as God had said.  The army of Israel went into the city and completed the fight just as God had said.  It is true that if the army had not done exactly what God had said to do leading up to this victory, that the victory would have been had and that total defeat would have abounded.  The people knew this and saw what happened when obedience was followed, so why would anyone be selfish enough to think they could override the Word of God?  In theory, no one would have had the guts enough to try such a ridiculous thing, yet Achan did simply because God was not the centerpiece of Achan's heart, he was just following along for the journey and the spoils of God's victories.

Also, those who do disobedient things do not take into consideration that others will be included in this disobedient act, not just the single person or small group involved.  This type of behavior is the epitome of how one believes about himself when a deed is done in secret or for personal gain.  Achan's pride and knowledge of what he found during the cleanup of Jericho were rewarded with certain items that he knew should be destroyed.  God was not talking to a bunch of dummies when he gave specific instructions of what to destroy and what to get into the treasury.  What Achan did is a perfect example of how pride is allowed to cloud our decision-making and lean on the physical instead of the spiritual, a deadly intake that if not ignored and correctly pushed away will lead to destruction.

What do you believe Achan thought when he learned that Israel had been defeated even before they reached the gates of Ai?  Did he wonder and pretend along with others as to why this defeat had occurred?  Was he asked by other members of his tribe and family about the situation, because you know the news of such a defeat traveled quickly from tribe to tribe?  This is all part of the sequence of disobedience in that a deed was completed that was not in congruence with the instructions previously given; therefore, the caper had been noticed by the authorities and now the lines of questioning were about to begin.  Yet, Achan and by then everyone else who knew of the disobedient act kept silent, committing to the disobedient act instead of ending it before further actions transpired, which is why the entire family was included in this act and not just a single person; remember, God is a complete God on every level and all times.

How many of us do the exact same disobedient acts when it comes to doing what God says for us to do?  As stated at the beginning of this article, I did some stupid acts when I was younger, totally missing what God had planned for my life and why He had that plan in place.  It set me back many years until I was at the place of total submission to God and what He had for me to do.  We do not have to wait until our lives hit rock bottom, or we do some stupid act that costs us our lives to come out of disobedience to God.  As we have read here, Achan did not get another chance to redeem himself after the fact, he and his family were destroyed; another obedient act by Joshua.  

First, I am going speak to this nation concerning its disobedience, for it is grave and grossly evident in the eyes of God and while you play your games of deceit God is watching your hearts become darker and darker with sin.  He sees your sinful meetings and deceptive hiding methods, He sees and hears your words of rebellion against your own people and your God.  God sees and hears the desperate attempts from your actions with your enemies to conceal deals and agreements in order to continue the shadows of evil that you invite into your land.  Every deed that you make and complete is recorded and will take heaviness upon your land when God decides to enter His judgment against you.  Your vile words of religion disgust God because you placate His Word with sinful gestures flowing and exploding from your heart; wicked are your words and actions and your government shall be the stronghold that shall lead no more for it shall be in shambles and non-recognizable by any other country any longer.  You have turned my nation into a land of desolate virginity yet whored around your physical qualities like a common prostitute.  

You openly defy God in the name of equality and equity and dismiss His Ways as obsolete myths that should be shelved in some museum someplace and never to be restored as a guideline for common Truth and Life.  Your treasures have become the dominant source of inspiration and truth about you, you cannot function without such means God sees and knows this but  God says these stores shall be ruined in one day and shall never be returned to you in such an orderly fashion.  You have refused to return to your Creator, instead, you followed the god of this world and his lies, therefore, you shall reap what you have sown and you shall see God's Glory in all of its fullness.

Church, you do not escape this disobedient act either, for you have not heeded to the Word of God as being the eternal Standard and Light to the world.  You have failed at your mission through your own selfish desires of being selfishly correct and establishing your own religion within your heart.  I established one Church under My blood of Salvation and that message is the ONLY mission that is needed to secure people into My Kingdom, not yours.  You have grotesquely misguided many people in ways of the world and have placed them into a specific category of judgment, you have whored your hearts around within congregations for monetary and personal gain all under the guise of My name.  Many more truths about your behavior God can mention but He stops here, for there shall be a time in the VERY near future where all things in the Church shall be exposed without exception.

God has always placed His people above the world and He has always desired that they worship Him in spirit and in truth, but they have repented not and have lived in the confines of the world.  God says "Enough" and it is time for the shaking to begin.  With all of the examples in His Word we should have no doubt that judgment is coming for we have slapped God in the face just as the world has done.  You have shut your eyes to the footsteps that the world is taking to usher in the Antichrist and his beliefs, you have been silent as the blood of my babies has been shed all in the name of selfish pleasures and lack of responsibilities.  You have played games with my Word and have twisted and distorted its eternal meaning to prospect your own lusts and ways.  Why have you allowed such sin to darken every corner of your heart?  Why have you disobeyed every command that I have given you to do and to live by?

It is true, that our shaking shall be far greater than what the worlds shall be, and the world shall be an utter devastation zone.  God must judge according to His Standard and Church we are that Standard but it has been lowered to the level of the world's, a grave and purposeful act that shall cost us everything we know.  Church, you have brought treasure after treasure of the world into your tents trying to secure yourself if things go wrong.  God spews you out of His mouth for trusting the world first and not in Him.  Church, we deserve to be cut down to size because of our Achan-like activities.  We have placed the Church at risk due to these sinful deeds of ours and God wants each and every cell of the body to know that He has watched every detail of our activities and we shall be taken into His custody in His time.

For many years I would have not believed that a single event in the Bible would mean so much to the survival of the Church and to the life and existence of this country today.  Pray Church, pray, pray, and pray some more, and when you think you have prayed all you can pray even more. Achan, you have done your job and your spirit has lingered in our lives for generations now and even though your story occurred so long ago we have played the exact game you did way back when.  Yet they did!!  Prepare, for the Glory of God is upon us.

DLB