Tuesday 04 September 2018

Psalm: Psalm 131

Background

This passage is tough to read. Achan is confronted with his sin. He confesses that he kept some of the plunder from Jericho that should have gone to the Lord’s treasury. The result? Achan and his family are killed. There isn’t much forgiveness being exampled. No second chance for Achan, nor any redemption for his family, some of whom may have had no awareness of what was going on. And all that had happened to the stolen plunder was that it was buried by Achan’s tents. It can be argued that Achan’s sin lead to military defeat and the deaths of Israelite soldiers (v. 5), and so the death penalty wasn’t just for a bit of pilfering. But, even so, this is an extreme punishment.

We are in the Old Testament, and we are gaining a partial understanding of who God is. The God who orders the death of Achan is demonstrating the need for full devotion and full obedience, albeit in a way we struggle to recognise today as just. Consecration to God is not a trivial or partial thing.

But in the midst of this there is foreshadowing of compassion shown. Joshua is not the judge. Indeed his leadership is being judged in this incident. And Joshua recognises his relationship with Achan is not one of a master to a disobedient servant, but a father to an erring son (v. 19). This doesn’t mitigate the extreme punishment. Perhaps it makes the lack of redemption the harder to take. In the New Testament the full revelation of God demonstrates the Father waiting each day to forgive and welcome the Prodigal Son.

To Ponder

• In what ways do we revert at times to a legalist understanding of justice and neglect mercy?
• What sins or crimes do you feel cannot be forgiven?
• What is the depth of our consecration to God?