January 29th, 2026
Read Joshua 7:16-26 NIV
16 Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was chosen. 17 The clans of Judah came forward, and the Zerahites were chosen. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward by families, and Zimri was chosen. 18 Joshua had his family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was chosen.
19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and honor him. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.”
20 Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: 21 When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”
22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. 23 They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the LORD.
24 Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. 25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today.”
Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. 26 Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.
Today’s passage shows us just how seriously God takes sin. Achan took things that were to be destroyed or given to God, and in doing so, he essentially stole from God and betrayed His trust. That’s a big deal! In the end, Achan confessed, but only after he was forced to do so because God had revealed his guilt. It appears that he might have been hoping all along to slip under the radar and not be found out.
That says a lot to me about the condition of Achan’s heart. His confession lacked repentance. There is a big difference between admitting to a wrong doing and being sorry about it. What God wants from us is a humble heart that seeks repentance and forgiveness. Spend some time today in prayer asking God to soften your heart and come to Him full of repentance for your sins. Acknowledge His holiness and justice and thank Him for His grace, His mercy, and His forgiveness.
