“But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan, the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah of the tribe of Judah took some of the devoted things and the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel.”
– Joshua 7:1
So if you’re not familiar with the story of Joshua 7:1 and Achan, here’s the summary. God had commanded his people in Joshua 6 when they entered into Jericho to get rid of the devoted things. And basically, the picture is things that were devoted to idolatry and immorality in Jericho that were displeasing to God and warranted his judgment. God said, “Don’t go in to Jericho and then keep those kinds of things for yourself, destroy them.” But what’s being revealed here in Joshua chapter seven, verse one, is that Achan has taken some of these devoted things and he’s hidden them for himself and his family.
God, help each of us to guard against sin in our lives.
Don’t Fall For Sinful Temptations
What happens as a result after that is God’s people go into battle and are struck down by a much smaller army and Joshua pleads before God, “Why did this happen?” God says, “Because you have disobeyed me.” And the key, what I want us to think about today and pray according to, is this was one person in the entire people of God, one person who kept devoted things.
And as a result of one person’s sin, it affected not just that person’s family, but it affected the entire people of God and the Bible is teaching us here, very clearly, don’t underestimate the effect, the impact of one sin in our lives, not just on our lives, yes, on our lives, but on the lives of others around us. The lives of those who are closest to us and maybe even far from us. Think about one sin that affected the entire people of God. People died in a battle against a much smaller army because of one sin in one man.
Joshua 7:1 Prays To Keep Us From Sin
And so, we pray, God, help us. God help us each, all of us, to guard against sin in our lives. God, I pray for this in my life. I pray this over every single person listening right now. God, help us not to be casual with sin, help us to hate sin, to run from it for so many reasons. Ultimately, because of the offense, it is to you and also because of the destruction sin brings in our lives. And not just our lives, but in the lives of people around us. People close to us. People far from us.
So God, we pray that you would keep us from sin today. We pray you help us to walk in righteousness, help us to run from sin, help us to flee immorality, to flee idolatry. God, help us to glorify you, to honor you, to trust you, to do all that you have called us to do in your word.
Joshua 7:1 Prays For God’s Spirit
Even as we pray that God, we say, we need your help. We need your spirit to help us. Jesus, we need your help to turn from sin today. So God, we pray that if we do sin, you to help us to be quick, to confess it and to run from it, to repent of it. God, we pray that you would keep us from sin that brings harm in our lives, that brings harm to other’s lives. God, help us not to have a self-centered picture of sin, thinking, “Well, it’s only going to affect me.”
So God, we pray that you would help us to run from sin and to experience your blessing, and to be a blessing to others as we walk in righteousness. God, I pray for this for my life. I pray for this for everybody who’s listening right now based on Joshua chapter seven. In Jesus’ name, the only one who is perfect without sin, who’s conquered sin, completely died for our sins. Jesus, we need your help. We pray this in your name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
