Daily Devotional · Joshua 7:1–13
The Hidden Thing
Reflection
The victory at Jericho was total. But God had commanded: all the silver and gold belong to the Lord's treasury; take nothing for yourselves. One man disobeyed. Achan took a beautiful robe from Babylon, 200 shekels of silver, and a gold wedge — and buried them in the ground inside his tent. Israel then attacked Ai — a much smaller city. They sent only 3,000 soldiers, thinking it would be easy. They were routed. Thirty-six men died. The hearts of the people melted in fear. Joshua fell facedown before God. "Sovereign Lord, why did you bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us?" God's response was striking: "Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned." God did not join Joshua in lamenting the defeat. He redirected his attention to the cause. Something had been violated; something was hidden. Achan's sin contaminated the whole community's military success. One person's private compromise affected everyone. This is the theology of covenant community: we are not isolated individuals whose private choices affect only ourselves. What is hidden in one tent can affect the whole camp. Achan eventually confessed: "I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent."
Background
The concept of "devoted things" (Hebrew: herem) was a form of total consecration — enemy spoils given entirely to God as an act of dedication. Taking herem items was not just theft; it was a desecration of what had been set apart for God. The contamination was spiritual: Israel was treating God's holiness as negotiable.
Truth
There is no such thing as a truly private sin within the body of Christ. What is buried in your tent affects the whole camp. Confession is not just personal hygiene — it is community health. The hidden thing does not stay hidden; it shows up as unexplained defeat.
Application
Is there something hidden in your "tent" — a secret sin, a compromise you have been burying? Ask God to reveal it today and give you the courage to confess it. The defeat you cannot explain may have a hidden cause that confession will remove.