By today's standards God's judgment on Israel seems harsh. They lose a battle for one man's rebellion. Achan suffers death, as does his entire family, even the children, and all because Achan took what was God's. People in our churches rob God every week. So, naturally, it is a shocking thing to see that such little rebellion offends God.

It is God who gets to decide what offends him. He decides what sin is. It wasn't about the money as seen in his granting Israel the spoils of war in the very next chapter; it was about disobedience. Rightly do the angels cry out day and night, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty."

Let us be thankful for God's grace. This little bit of history reminds us just how undeserved God's love is. May we have a healthy fear of the Lord. May we truly hunger and thirst for righteousness. Let's give whole-hearted obedience because of, not despite, God's grace.

"Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD" (Lamentations 3:40).

Russell Carle