The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua — Section 179

II. THE EXCEEDING SINFULNESS OF ~IN. It was ruin to the Isrnelites' campaign} It hrOl\;:;ht ~1sgrace, not only to the s~nner, but to the cause. So now, (1) the sin of the mcln,dual foils on the commu1?-1~Y- Religion suffers severely for the short- commgs .of its 1,rofessors. Every religious community is cruelly mjured by the faults of its members. E,·en the gi·eat conflict against evil itself has failed of com- plete success as yet, solely from the sins of those who have been c11rrying it on. The ~efeats of the army o_f t]1e Lord in the great struggle against Satan are to be exp.lamed on the same prmc1ple as the defeat before Ai. There needs a humilia- tion, an awakening, a casting-out of the offending member, beforn any new success can Le nchieved. And (2) the conflict against sin within is subject to the same laws .. "\Ye cannot subdu~ our evil passions, or tempers, or habits. It is because there 1s some ludden sm mdulged secretly, which mars all our efforts. We have some Achan within, some master passion which hugs a secret unlawful indulgence to itself, perhaps nnperceived even by ourselves. Our defeats ought to teach us to institute the inquiry, bring the offender to light, and cast him out without mercy. II I. THE DANGER OF DISOBEDIENCE AND COVETOUSNESS. God had given no reasons for His command about Jericho and its spoils. It is true that they were obvious enough to an inquiring mind. But some minds will not inquire, except to find reasons for disobedience. Of such a disposition was Achan. Why should such a command be gi.en ? " To what purpose is this waste ? " What is the good of it all ? And the promptings of self-interest are sufficient to outweigh the obvious reason that this solemn ban upon Jericho and all that was therein was to impress upon the minds of the Israelites the awful and irrevocable nature of the sentence God had prononnced against the inhabitants of the land. Such abstract considerations had little weight besides the concrete fact of a wedge of gold and a Babylonish garment. The welfare of society, the necessity to its well-being of God's moral laws, are cobwebs easily brushed aside when interest or J>assion impel us to break those laws. We look at the temptation and look agam. We let the idea gain possession of our minds. "Where is the harm?'' we cry, and then we commit the sin, and involve ourselves in its terrible, and even upon repentance, to a certain extent, iITemediable consequences. Though our Joshua has redeemed us from the extremest penalty of His outraged law, yet must He bring us to detection and shame, and consequent punishment. " The valley of Achor" may be given us " for a door of hope,'' but the angiiish must come before the peace, to which, by His mercy, it is destined to lead. One lesson from Achan's sin is that no one can disobey God's Jaws and come off scathless. Not for nought does He say, "Thou shalt not do thi£ thing." He who in wilful folly transgresses His co=ands must bear his burden, whosoever he be. IV. THE DECEITFULNESS OF SIN. It seemed a light thing to Achan when he did it. "I did but taste a little honey "-a little of the sweetness of forbidden pleasure- " and lo, I must die." So almost all sin seems light when committed. A little deceit or lying, a little indulgence in impure imaginations or actions, a littl~ com- pliance with the customs of an evil world, a little yielding to- the promptmg~ of anger or avarice, seem slight matters when they occur. But. they often. bnng serious consequences in their train. Repeated acts become habits, and habits are not easily broken off. We are their captives before we are aware, and then we wish, and wish in vain, that we had never made ourselves their slave. " 'Twae but one little sin We saw at morning enter in, And lo I at eventide the world iB drowned." Keble, 'Chriatian Year,' Septuageaima Sunday. OH, VII, 1-15.) 'i'IIE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 117