The Price of Hidden Sin

(#26, ?)

Read Joshua 7.

The children of Israel were in the progress of conquering the land of Canaan ... Everything had gone smoothly and they had succeeded in taking Jericho without any trouble.  But when Joshua sent some men up to Ai to view the land, they were driven out, losing 36 men.  Joshua was troubled over this, for the Lord had promised the Land of Canaan to Israel, so he went to the Lord for the cause of this failure.  Joshua found that Achan had taken garments, silver and gold and hidden them in the earth in his tent. 

But sin cannot be hidden.  Adam tried to hide from God but couldn't.  Cain tried to hide the murder of Abel but couldn't.  There is only one place that we can hide our sin and that is in the shadow of the cross of Christ.

Sin has to be paid for.  18 billion dollars are spent annually on preventing, correcting and punishing crime.  It is estimated that sixty cents of every tax dollar pays past, present and future wars.  But as we see from Achan, money is not the only, nor is it the greatest, cost.

ƒ    Defeat.  Achan's sin caused the defeat of Israel's army.  Sin will cause our spiritual defeat.  Sin causes a defeat of God's purpose in our lives as it did in the life of Israel. 

ƒ    Alienation.  Sin alienates us from God (Joshua 7:12).  Like a cloud that hides the sun, so sin hides us from God (Isa. 59:1-2).  Sin also alienates us from society.

ƒ    Death.  "Separation from our God."  Of those not directly responsible for the crime, 36 were killed at Ai.  Seldom does the sinner suffer alone.  And of course death comes to the one who sins (Ezek. 18:4; Rom. 6:23; James 1:15).

Sin requires no small price for it's wage.  None are exempt, for all have sinned.  But there is hope for the price of sin has already been paid.  "Who His own self bare our sins in His body on the tree, that we having died unto sins might live unto righteousness; by whose stripes we are healed." (I Pt. 2:24)

Christ has borne our sins on the tree that we might have life.