The Ripple Effect of Sin in the Camp - Pastor Stacey Shiflett

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The Ripple Effect of Sin in the Camp

Joshua 22:20 Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity.

(Expound Joshua 22:10-20 - the memory of Achan's sin and God's anger motivated the children of Israel to go to war with Reuben, Gad and Manassah for building an altar.) 

Turn to Joshua 7:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.

Intro: This message is about the simple truth that when we sin, it affects other people.

Paul said it like this: Romans 14:7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.

The statement in 7:1 has always troubled me.

One man sinned. But God didn’t look at it that way.

• 1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.

When there is sin in the camp, it affects everyone. There is a ripple effect that you and I cannot begin to imagine.

Let’s look at this story.

I. The Clear Instructions

Joshua 6

·        16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.

·        17 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.

·        18 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.

·        19 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.

II. The Carnal Inclinations

There is a sequence of events that almost every sinful decision follows.

·        Joshua 7:21 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.

A. I Saw – stop staring at the forbidden fruit!

B. I Coveted – the longer you look at it, but better it looks

C. I Took – Fantasies becomes Fulfilment. Dreams become Deeds.

D. I Hid

Genesis 3

·        8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

·        9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

·        10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

·        Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

James 1

·        13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

·        14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

·        15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

III. The Costly Implications

A. The Unexpected Defeat

Joshua 7

·        2 And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east side of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.

·        3 And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.

·        4 So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.

B. The Unnecessary Deaths

·        5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down:

Thirty-six men became casualties of Achan’s sin.

Thirty-six people he may not have even known were collateral damage to his sin.

People will always be affected by our sin; we may never even know who they are.

When we sin, we always leave a trail of victims behind that we never realized would be affected.

·        Joshua 22:20 Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity.

We are talking about the ripple effects of sin in the camp!

C. The Unbearable Demoralizing

·        5 …wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.

The people of God that had just experienced and unbelievable victory at Jericho are now utterly devastated.

They have no heart; they have no will; they have no power; they have no desire to go on.

They are weaker than ever before.

They feel more vulnerable than ever before.

The people of God that were just shouting and bringing down the walls are utterly demoralized.

Sin in the camp robs the people of God of their song.

Robs them of their confidence.

Robs them of their desire to fight.

We are talking about the ripple effects of sin in the camp!

D. The Unbiblical Discouragement

·        6 And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.

·        7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!

·        8 O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!

·        9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?

The ripple effect of sin in the camp is those moments when the pastor questions God’s will and God’s power.

The ripple effect of sin in the camp

E. The Unimaginable Destruction

·        22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, [it was] hid in his tent, and the silver under it.

·        23 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.

·        24 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.

·        25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.

·        26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day.

Conclusion: That day that Achan saw those accursed things, he could not imagine the outcome of his actions.

He never knew that he might take that gold and that silver, but he would never get to spend it.

He never dreamed that he might take that Babylonian garment, but he would never get a chance to wear it.

They piled that gold and silver and the garment on him and his family and then stoned them with stones and burned them with fire.

He died with the accursed things, but he never got to enjoy them.