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Introduction

The conjunction is an important part of speech in our language. If it has been too long since your days of English class, then the very word conjunction may contort your face as you try to remember that word. A conjunction is a word that connects parts of a sentence. The more common conjunctions all have less than four letters. Little words with big meaning.

All conjunctions can be used in a variety of ways, but let’s look at just a few. “And” connects two parts of a sentence and can mean additionally. For example, Jim and I will lift the box—I will not do it by myself, Jim will not do it by himself, but together we will lift the box. “Or,” when used, usually carries the idea of a choice. For example, you may have either cake or pie for dessert. “Nor,” not used as often any longer, usually carries the idea of negation. For example, Jim nor I will lift the box—neither of us is going to lift the box.

There is one conjunction used that has as one of its uses a negative quality. That which precedes it is set in contrast to that which follows. It is the little word “but.” A dreaded word indeed. Sometimes we use it when wanting to temper critical remarks. For example, you are wonderful at so many things, but… Ouch! That little three-letter word signals that what is coming next isn’t pleasing. For example, I will let you go to the game, but you must replace the gas in the car. The joy of going to the game may be lost on the additional cost of gas. Such a powerful word. It has the ability to negate all the positives before it.

Joshua 7:1 begins with those fateful words: “But the Israelites acted unfaithfully…” From victory to defeat. From excitement to deflation. From joy to loss. What happened? One moment we are reading about Israel’s conquest at Jericho and then comes that little three-letter conjunction “but” and suddenly we know that we are getting ready to forget the victory because it is negated by the defeat. And we don’t have to read very far before we discover the source of the defeat. Achan, one of Israel’s fighting men, took some of the plunder from Jericho after everyone had been explicitly told not to take anything (6:18).

Just as the three-letter word “but” is able to negate, there is another three-letter word that also profoundly challenges us—“sin.” Achan’s sin is real and has real consequences. So does ours, but we serve a God who is greater than all our sin. Let’s celebrate him today.

The Sin

After the victory at Jericho, Israel is ready to go to the next city. It is a smaller city than Jericho. Ai is at the top of a mountain. Jericho, at the base of that mountainous area, was the first line of defense. Ai, being smaller, certainly knew what had happened to Jericho and were preparing for the Israelite army. The military strategy is clear: capture the hill country and then spread out from there. Ai is a small city but it occupies the high ground.

Spies are sent and return with a favorable report. A small city would not require the full army. A token group of 3,000 could do the job. And thus they are sent, fully expecting to win at Ai as they did at Jericho. Relaxed. Fearless. Ready for victory. But something else happened. Do you think that the first man whose chest was ripped open by a thrown spear from the walls of Ai knew in his final dying breaths that something was terribly wrong? Thirty-six men die. No victory. No shouting. Defeat. Screams of horror.

What does Joshua do? He accuses God of failing to carry through with his promises. He blames God for not being faithful. He takes the defeat and magnifies it. It is merely a matter of time before we are completely wiped out because you have failed us, God. We are like Joshua when things do not go well. We want to blame someone else. We want to blame God for failing us. We run with the defeat to a conclusion that isn’t real. We magnify the defeat so that we can never see any possibility of victory. But God answers Joshua with the truth: “The problem isn’t with me, but with you. Sin exists and needs to be dealt with.”

The rest of the story is about the process of discovering Achan and ridding Israel of the sin. Achan, his family, and his belongings are all destroyed. So what are we to learn from this section? There are several potential lessons but I want to focus on two.

Application

First, one person’s sin affects the whole group. Our culture endorses individuality. Each person is encouraged to think about what is best for self. But such a view goes against scripture. Paul will say in 1 Corinthians that we are all parts of one body. That it is our interdependence that results in God being honored. When one person has a victory we all share in that, and when a person has sin we all share in the consequences. Living in the “it’s my life, I’ll live it the way I want to” world, we lose the connection that God wants us to have. Notice 7:1: “Israel acted unfaithfully.” And 7:11: “Israel has sinned.” We say it was Achan. God says it was the entire community.

We are a family. We are God’s people in this place. Good or ill affects us all. We do not operate in isolation. The 36 men were mourned not just by their immediate families but by the entire nation. Achan’s sin didn’t affect only his family but the entire nation. His sin didn’t just result in death to 36; it brought uncertainty to a nation. It resulted in faith being questioned. This is what sin does. It divides. It kills. It challenges faith in unhealthy ways. Your sin affects us all. It keeps us from enjoying the fullness of your faith. Perhaps it keeps you from being a faithful witness to your family or coworkers. Perhaps it heaps huge amounts of guilt in your heart and stifles the joy that God wants to give.

Second, repentance comes sooner or later. Have you ever wondered why Achan didn’t come forward and admit his sin? After the defeat at Ai and God’s pronouncement that he would make it obvious whose sin was hidden, why didn’t Achan stand up and confess? You know why. Same reasons that we don’t. We hope that no one will notice. We hope that maybe it will go away. We are embarrassed. We are afraid of what people will think about us. Lots of reasons but none of those reasons changes the final result. Repentance comes sooner or later.

It would be wrong to speculate if God would have relented against Achan and his family if he had confessed, but Achan’s story reminds us that sin is so strong that confessing it is the last thing we want to do. It is also going to be the last thing that we do. Just as every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, so we will admit our sin. God’s promise throughout scripture is that confessed sin is forgiven. Unconfessed sin will be confessed.

Douglas Fortner is a Catholic priest. He wrote this story submitting it to Reader’s Digest several years ago: “Because the younger children at our parochial school often forgot their sins when they entered my confessional, I suggested that teachers have the students make lists. The next week when one child came to confession, I could hear him unfolding paper. The youngster began, ‘I lied to my parents. I disobeyed my mom. I fought with my brothers and…’ There was a long pause. Then a small angry voice said, ‘Hey, this isn’t my list!’”

I want to end by quoting the words of David Roper: “God doesn’t look for perfection; He knows the miserable stuff of which we’re made. The godly will surely sin and just as certainly their sins will be found out. God reveals our waywardness to heal us. We will notice defilement because He will show it to us. And when that sin is faced and repented of, it is forgiven. Then we can go on. And going on, after all, is what matters. God doesn’t require perfection, only progress.”

There will be no doubt that our sin will be confessed. Will you progress through confession?

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