July 20, 2023

Today's Reading: Joshua 7:1-26

Daily Lectionary: Joshua 7:1-26, Acts 10:34-48

“I beg you, give glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession to Him”  Joshua 7:19

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.  You can’t escape your sins for the as the Psalmist says you were born in sin.  “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me”  (Psalm 51.)  Through the Law of God you know your sins, but do you always know the ramifications of your sins?  How your sins might have affected others around you?  

In today’s reading we hear of one man’s sin and how it affected the entire nation of Israel.  Jeremiah chapter 6 tells us of the remarkable victory at Jericho. In their victory at Jericho the nation of Israel was  not to take for themselves anything of the ‘accursed’ things—that is, all that was under the ban and destined for destruction. The very beginning of Chapter 7, however, tells us of a sad failure. “But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things . . .” (v. 1a). The entire nation of Israel was declared guilty, but it was all at the hand of one man, Achan.  “for Achan…took off the accursed things; so the anger of the Lord burned against the children of Israel” (v. 1b). 

One person’s sin brought God’s anger upon the whole nation. Jeremiah seeks Achan out and asks him to make confession of his sin. Achan responds “Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done.”  However, Achan’s sin had deep consequences. 36 men died in the battle with Ai, and the people of Israel mourned their defeat.  Achan was not truly repentant, but rather sorry he was discovered.  The consequence was his own death at the hands of the nation of Israel.

This should show us the magnitude of sin in God’s sight, but also the deep and expansive ramifications your sins have against everyone around you.  You may not know how far those ramifications are, but your sins have certainly caused harm to yourself and others.  This is why we speak of the importance of Confession and Absolution in the life of a Christian.  As Proverbs 28:13 says, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” God’s attitude towards sin hasn’t changed (1 John 1:5-7). It’s as true today as it was in Joshua’s day—”If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear” (Psalm 66:18). Confess your sins to God, go to your pastor and bring the darkness of your sins and its ramifications on you and others into the light of Christ.   As King David wrote in Psalm 32:5, “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.” In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O God, You desire not the death of sinners, but rather that they turn from their wickedness and live. We implore You to have compassion on the frailty of our mortal nature, for we acknowledge that we are dust and to dust we shall return. Mercifully pardon our sins that we may obtain the promises You have laid up for those who are repentant; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

-Pastor Kent Schaaf is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Little Rock. AR.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey..

Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.