Property Crime

The story of Achan in Joshua 7 is very disturbing. During the battle for Jericho, Achan steals an ornate robe along with a hoard of silver and gold. Knowing he has committed a serious sin, Achan buries the stolen goods under his tent. Achan’s wrongdoing highlights the truth that the cost of breaking the eighth commandment —“You shall not steal”—can be enormous.

Achan cheated God, who had commanded the Israelites to take no plunder for themselves at the battle of Jericho.

But Achan wasn’t the first person to cheat God. That started when our first parents took fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). In stealing from God, Adam, Eve, and many others revealed their dishonesty and a lack of trust in God’s promises to provide for all their needs. God hates our dishonesty and our failure to trust in his assured provision. In Achan’s case, not only did he and his family suffer the most drastic consequences, but the whole nation of Israel suffered also. The consequences of Adam and Eve’s theft were even more dire, affecting all of their descendants, including each of us. Yet even in their sin, we see God’s goodness toward the guilty. Right at the scene of their crime, God promises a Savior to crush the devil who tempted them to sin (Genesis 3:15), and Jesus’ finished work provides forgiveness for all who believe in him.