TEXT: Joshua 7:10-12; 16-26
TITLE: BEING A CLOG IN THE PIPE
Have you ever had a clog in your pipes that stops up all the water from draining out into the septic tank? If you have then you know the problems of stopped up pipes. Achan was a clog in the pipes that stopped the blessing of God from not only flowing out into his life but also from flowing out into the children of Israel.
Let me ask you a question. Could you or I possibly be the clog in the pipe that is preventing the outflow of God’s Spirit in our church? Could you or I be the one holding back the great blessings of God?
Even with some clogs the water will eventually drain out, slowly but surely. You or I may not be able to totally prevent the blessing from coming but if we would get thing right the blessings might come sooner. Then there are also clogs that have the way so blocked that the water want flow down the drain at all.
Now let’s look back at the context of all that is going on here. Moses is now in heaven and Joshua is in charge of the Children of Israel. The first obstacle that faces Joshua as they enter into the Promised Land is Jericho. The Lord told Joshua in chapter 6 verse 2: “I have given Jericho into your hand…” Then the Lord gave Joshua orders on how to proceed in defeating the people of Jericho. Notice 6:20 – “The people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.”
What a great victory they won that day. They probably felt like there was nothing that could now stand in their way. They should have felt that way. As long as they would obey the Lord there would be nothing that could stop them from taking possession of all that God said they could have. The only thing that could stop them would be themselves. The enemy wasn’t strong enough to stop them if they would walk in obedience to God.
Achan became an obstruction of a clog in the pipe that stopped the flow of God’s blessings. It stopped Israel from receiving the victory at Ai. In Chapter 7 Israel was defeated before Ai.
They thought that everything was ok; that everything was the same as when they defeated Jericho. Let’s look back at chapter 6 verses 18 and 19. They were supposed to leave certain things alone when they went in to destroy Jericho. Unknowingly to anybody except God, Achan took of the accursed thing.
You will notice in chapter 7 verse 11 that Israel was accused of the sin but one man was responsible. One man’s sin kept Israel from receiving the victory that day. One man became a clog in the pipe that prevented victory from flowing from God to Israel.
God instructed Joshua how to go about finding the problem. They cast lots until Achan was chosen. Achan would not admit that he was the cause of this defeat. He waited until he was revealed to be the one. This shows the hardness of his heart thus the severe penalty. Maybe if he had gone ahead and admitted what he had done that God would have dealt with him in a different way.
In order for victory to return to the camp of Israel the clog had to be removed. Repentance is one of the main ways to remove clogs in our lives.
Verse 18 – The lot fell on Achan. As the lot came nearer and nearer he had the opportunity to repent but didn’t.
If God were to cast a spiritual lot in our midst today would it fall on us? Would we be the one guilty of causing our people, our church from experiencing the victory God had for us? Would we harden our hearts and refuse to repent?
But you may say, “nobody knows it is me. I have kept my sin hidden.” But God knows – nothing can be hidden from Him.
Ecclesiastes 10:20 – “Do not curse the king, even in your thought; Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom; For a bird of the air may carry your voice. And a bird in flight may tell the matter.”
I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be a clog in the pipe! I don’t want to be the one who is blocking the flow of the Holy Spirit.
I would hate to know that I was the one responsible for the church not having victory.
Achan was guilty of covetousness or greed. In Ephesians 5:3 it says, “But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints.” Covetousness and fornication are named together. That should tell us how bad the sin of covetousness is.
In Colossians 3:5 covetousness is called idolatry. “Therefore put to death you members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”
Sin separates us from God and if it separates us from God then it separates us from His blessings.
2 Chronicles 24:20b – “…Thus says God: Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He also has forsaken you.”
Isaiah 59:2 – “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not fear you.”
Micah 3:4 – “Then they will cry to the LORD, but He will not hear them; He will even hide His face from them at that time, because they have been evil in their deeds.”
Achan or Achar means “troubler”. The stem of this word in Hebrew denotes trouble of the most serious kind.
1 Chronicles 2:7 – “The son of Carmi was Achar (Achan), the troubler of Israel, who transgressed the accursed thing.” What a terrible title to carry, “troubler of Israel.” Who would like to have the title “troubler of Israel”?
Listen to the conversation between Elijah & Ahab in 1 Kings 18:17-18 – “(17) Then is happened, when Ahab say Elijah, that Ahab said to him, ‘Is that you, O troubler of Israel?’ (18) And he answered, ‘I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals.’” Elijah was not the trouble as to why there was a drought in the land, Ahab and his disobedience was responsible. If he had stood up to his wife Jezebel and followed the commands of God the drought would not have happened.
Let’s determine today that we will not be the clog in the pipe that will prevent the blessings of God from coming; that will prevent the victory of the Lord from coming.
