Secret Sins - Joshua 7:19

 Now Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I beg you, give glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession to Him, and tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.”. - Joshua 7:19

    Following their astounding victory over Jericho the Israelites were poised to strike at the insignificant town of Ai. And what did they have to fear: God had been with them during the seven days they marched around Jericho and finally delivered the town into their hands. But then the inexplicable happened - the Israelites lost 36 men and were routed in their attempt to conquer Ai. But how could this be?
    Joshua was beside himself. His very confidence was shaken to the core. Why? How could God have allowed this tragedy to take place? God responded - “So the Lord said to Joshua: ‘Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them.’” - Joshua 7:10-11. It suddenly became clear to Joshua why the battle had been lost. Because of unconfessed and hidden sin in the camp.
    How many of us remain with hidden sin in our lives? How many of us have sewn fig-leaves together to cover the nakedness of our sins? How many of our heart aches, failures, and defeats have come to us because of undisclosed and unconfessed sin? Can we even admit to the reality, the truth, of our hidden iniquities? Mind you - it is not simply sin in our lives; we all have sin in our lives. It is the sin within. It is the unconfessed secret sins that we fail to disclose. These are the sins in our camp. These are the sins that bring us defeat!
    We must realize that God truly knows all our secrets . . . nothing eludes Him. All our thoughts, words, and deeds come into the clarity of His holy light.  “You have set our iniquities before You, Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.” - Psalm 90:8.
    In Achan’s case he had no idea that he, his family, the tribe of Judah, indeed all of Israel would suffer because of his sin. This is a common effect of undisclosed sin in our lives. Those we least expect to suffer will often suffer greatly upon the revelation of such hidden sins. Our spouses, our children, our family and friends often suffer because of the sins we believe are secret . . . known only to ourselves.  “But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.” - Numbers 32:23.
    There will always be a price to pay for our sins. Even confessed sin will reap its own consequences. None are spared some payment for their sins. “Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Achor. And Joshua said, ‘Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day.’ So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones.” - Joshua 7:24-25.
    Had Achan but confessed readily and openly to his sin how much pain and suffering would have been prevented? His family and tribe would have been spared the embarrassment; Joshua would have been spared the rebuke of the Lord; Israel would have been spared the disillusionment brought on by their defeat. By virtue of Achan’s forthright confession the whole of Israel would have seen the reason for their humiliation at the hands of the warriors of Ai. No one would have questioned the motives of God! But Achan, having been given opportunity after opportunity to come forward and confess his sin doubled-down and sat pat until the lot came down to him. His “confession” was not one of repentant sorrow; he confessed only when he had been discovered. How many of us are holding out? How many of us are dreadfully awaiting the discovery of our own secret sin?
    Would all of us not benefit from confession to our sovereign Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? How much pain and consternation could we spare those around us if we were but to confess our secret sins, now before the light of God’s omniscience falls on us? “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9 Yes, God is faithful to forgive us all our trespasses if we but come to him with a repentant heart. “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.” - Psalm 32:5.  May we all lay our sins at the Lord’s feet and pray for His forgiveness.