The Acursed Thing (Part 7)

Joshua 7:10-13 reveals four steps that will lead to recovery from defeat. Today I focus on restoration and return.

In this case, restoration required that the accursed items be removed and Achan's entire family be punished.  They were stoned to death in the Valley of Achor.  By this judgment, the sin in Israel was eliminated.

You may question why the entire family was punished along with Achan.  They most likely knew and agreed with Achan's sin, as the items were hidden in their tent.  Deuteronomy 24:16 says that children are not accountable for the father's sins, so the family would not have been punished had they not been complicit in it.  Also, these were the days governed by the law, not by the grace and forgiveness for sin which is now available through Jesus Christ.  

This sad account serves as a classic example of how desperately men needed a Savior to die for sin once and for all so that they could be saved from death, the penalty of sin:

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Thank God, that through Jesus Christ, the penalty for sin was paid once and for all.  You need not die for your sin.  You need not die in your sin.

Be aware, however, that there is a point of sinning until there is no remedy.  That is the extent to which Achan and his family had gone.  They had crossed the line. 

Achan's story also reflects how what you do affects not only you personally, but also the Body of Christ at large, your family, and future generations.

So what does restoration mean in your life?  It means that when God reveals the reason for your failure and you have repented, then you must remove the "accursed thing" from your life.  You may need to forgive or ask forgiveness of others.  You may also need to correct a sinful situation that your disobedience has created.  Perhaps you must do a spiritual house cleaning, getting rid of sinful movies, music, video games, and literature. 

Revelation leads to repentance, repentance leads to restoration, and restoration often requires restitution for wrongs you have done.
 

When fellowship with God is broken by sin, recovery comes by returning to the point of failure. You must return to the battlefield and deal with your defeat.

When you have failed, the enemy will speak words of defeat to you:

 - "You might as well give up." 
- "Everyone has lost confidence in you." 
- "You are weak and good for nothing." 
- "You will just fail if you try again."

But you must return to the battlefield. You must face the enemy and emerge victorious!  There can be no truce and no neutrality with the enemy.  You can never move on to other battles until you win at "Ai,”  the point of your spiritual defeat.  

After the revelation of sin, repentance, and restoration, God's instructions to Israel were "Go up to Ai." Joshua 8 tells the story of Israel's return and subsequent victory at Ai.  This time Joshua took all the warriors of Israel. They were not defeated, and this time they did not flee.  They turned defeat into victory, changing their setback into a comeback.

Joshua chapter 7 opens with dark picture of Lord's anger kindled against His people in a place called "the valley of Achor", meaning "the valley of trouble."  In chapter 8, however, we find Israel again marching forward in victory.  When you follow God's remedy for recovery, He takes your valley of Achor (trouble) and turns it into a door of hope. God can turn your Valley of Achor into a pathway of hope that leads to your divine destiny.