THE ACCURSED THING
THE ACCURSED THING
Joshua chapter 6 is the well known account of the Lord’s miraculous victory over the city of Jericho for the Isrealites, and a great application for the life of members of the Christian Church today.
But Chapter7 shows a much different experience for the chosen people of God,and also for application to the people of God today.
God had made it clear, repeating a couple times, the command that the warriors were not to take any of the spoil for themselves from Jericho. The people and cattle were to be killed and all property burned except the silver and gold, which was to be an offering to the Lord God.
When they were ready for the next battle with Ai, Joshua sent scouts ahead. They reported back that it would be an easy victory and they didn’t need the whole army, just a few men. So that’s what they did.
It was hardly worth thinking about—just go ahead and clean up.
But the few men of Ai chased the Israelites back in humiliation and great loss of life. This, of course, had a darkening affect on the peoples’ faith in God. Joshua and the other leaders were on their faces before the Lord in sackcloth and ashes, when the Lord told Joshua why it happened.
The Lord pointed out Achan of the tribe of Judah, and he confessed that he had taken a beautiful Babylonian garment, 200 shekels of silver, and a small wedge of gold weighing 50 shekels, and buried it all under the ground in his tent.
As the Lord commanded, he and his family were stoned, and all his posessions destroyed, because they had to free the congregation of the accursed things, which were used by people who had worshipped demonic gods. Demons can and do possess material objects.
Just as the battle of Jericho has a direct parallel with us today, so does the battle of Ai. In fact, I believe that everything in the Word of God, right down to the details of Levitical Law, has parallel meanings for the believer today, even though we are under a New Covenant. There is an old saying, “the Old is the New foretold, and the New is the Old fulfilled.” The Word of God is as amazing as God Himself!
We are battling in Ai today. The world today is like that city that worshipped demonic gods. I don’t need to point out the details of a society that is waging war against children, women, families, accountability, honesty, patriotism, motherhood, modesty, manhood, womanhood, criminal control, and of course, Truth itself. The level of evil we are seeing in society around the world, and in government “leaders”, is nothing less than demonic.
And we are outsiders, like the Israelite troops moving into Ai. We are merely sojourners in this world, and looked upon with disdain. But, like God’s chosen men who went to Ai, we represent the Living God in this world, and we fight, not with swords, but with the Word of God and prayer.
Achan, whether he was in the group that went to fight at Ai or not, affected that battle greatly, as each of us affects the Body of Christ in our fight for Truth and to win souls for the Kingdom.
Yes, our society is headed for the battle at AI. This generation of Christians are a very important group for the Kingdom of God—perhaps it will become THE most important, as satan works harder, and faster, while we speed down the track of the end times race.
In preparation for the battle of Jericho, God said:
“Joshua, Chapter 6, 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.”
Note, taking the accursed thing, makes not only the taker, but the entire camp, a curse. That hasn’t changed. The devil is the devil, and he’s working hard now because he knows his time is short. We need to take these commands concerning the Old Testament battles seriously, for this is a repeat of the same. What happened materially then, happens spiritually now. (“for our battle is not against flesh and blood…..”)
Achan took a beautiful Babylonian garment. How many symbolic Babylonian garments are worn by Christians today? Babylon is all around us. It is what we see, work with and deal with daily. How many try to fit in with this world? Sometimes its difficult to separate the Christians from the Babylonians. Its easy to be in a group and just ignore the talk, the ridicule of other Christians, and the ridicule of God’s Word or Truth itself, and just remain silent, as Achan did about his Babylonian garment.
Are we shedding the garment, putting on the robe of righteousness, and standing up against the slaughter of the unborn, and now, even the newborn? They are trying to make laws to legalize the killing of the elderly and mentally challenged! Are we speaking up against the lies on the media, the double standard of justice, and the mutilation of God’s plan of the family—of one man and one woman raising families to love God? Or are we remaining silent when the perverted, twisted men and women mutilate their bodies and those of innocent children for a hideous demonic drama designed to steal souls from their Redeemer?
Sadly, many Christians ARE taking the “accursed thing” to their tents and burying it there. They are wearing the Babylonian garment, while they think within themselves that the little wedge of gold won’t be noticed, and it will allow them to live like the rest of the world.
That little wedge of gold, that silver, that garment, can be just thoughts within ourselves. It can be compromise or a little slippage in obedience. It can be a little doubt that Jesus really will help us do whatever He asks us to. There are millions of variations of the little wedges of gold, but they all do the same things:
They will make us accursed, by greatly affecting our relationship with Our Lord, and make the camp accursed, by setting a bad example for others of not obeying the Lord. They may be responsible for another lost soul not knowing the loving grace of his Redeemer.
Lets not let Ai happen again. Only the Lord knows the timing of the End Times progression. With whatever time remains, the Church must “put away the accursed thing” and stand up for the Kingdom of God in whatever capacity He chooses to put each of us. Speak up, write letters, make phone calls, and most of all PRAY! But we must NEVER, NEVER compromise!!!
Live in the Light of Our Lord 