#the sin of Achan

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

In this episode of Bible Talk, Alex Duke chats with Jim Hamilton and Sam Emadi about Joshua 7–8. They discuss the sin of Achan, the fall of Ai, and the “death and resurrection” of Israel.

[granonine]

Justice

Joshua 7: 23-26. And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD. And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he…

[gressacht]

is mise an vaimpír sa ghaeltacht agus níl mo sháith fola ólta agam

[ultrachoppedpenguinbouquet]

Ai

[preacherpollard]

How One Man Was Conquered By Sin

Neal Pollard He’s introduced to us right after the end of the stunning victory at Jericho (Josh. 7:1). He is from the same tribe that the Messiah would hail from. Three other ancestors besides Judah are named, and they are roughly laid out for us in 1 Chronicles 2:3-7. Achan lives in infamy as “the troubler of Israel” (1 Chron. 2:7). A man who stood shoulder to shoulder with the conquerors of…

[kdmiller55]

Sin in the Camp

13 “If the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they do any one of the things that by the Lord‘s commandments ought not to be done, and they realize their guilt, 14 when the sin which they have committed becomes known, the assembly shall offer a bull from the herd for a sin offering and bring it in front of the tent of…

[scribeforchrist-blog]

Slowing Down The Flow

MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK

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+ 1 Corinthians 6:14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.

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VERSE OF THE DAY

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+ Joshua 7:20 Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done:

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SUBJECT: Slowing Down The Flow

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** SAY THIS BEFORE YOU READ; HERE’S SOME CHRISTIAN TRUTHS **

I AM LISTENING TO GOD

I AM HEARING HIS VOICE

I AM OBEYING GOD

I AM CONTENT

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READ TIME : 8 Minutes & 6 Seconds

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THOUGHTS:

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  The power of God will stop moving in our lives when we don’t let go of the sin we are participating in; sometimes, even a person we have in our life can cut the flow of the anointing. I have seen it with my own eyes. God has told some of us to get rid of someone or stop hanging out with this group or stop doing this particular sin.

   When this happens, we need to remove them from our lives with great haste because if not, the anointing flowing will start to move slowly or not at all; sometimes, it's hard to let go of people in our lives. Still, I have noticed that if we keep nurturing the very people in our lives or the sin, we will start losing more of his anointing. Some of us try to make people stay who don’t want to stay because we feel this great attachment to them, BUT LET THEM GO !

    Those very people will cause us trouble, friends; I had to cut people off that I knew weren’t good for me, and I thought they meant no harm, but the Holy Spirit was saying they were ; we have to understand when God says move that means move not for us to drag our feet but to move immediately.

 God had shown me twice this individual not to trust, and each time, I would beg for this person to stay or to come back and while I was trying to keep someone in my life God was removing them, but I kept putting them back in my life , see the world isn’t going to talk about the judgment of God or the unrighteous living or even about what God has asked us not to do because people want to keep everything hidden away but friends the more we hide what we are doing, the more we hide what we shouldn’t have the more we are injuring ourselves in the spirit. It doesn’t matter if it’s a person or a sin; he said to let go of whatever he’s saying to remove it and do it now.

 We are going to look at this chapter backward, but it's going to make sense once you see it

    Joshua 7:20-21  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, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

  Achan was hiding a simple robe, two hundred shekels, and a bar of gold under the ground of his tent, and not only that, with the silver underneath. See earlier in this story, he was told not to take anything. Verse 11: “Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, and they have put them with their possessions. “

   They were told not to take anything, and not only did they take and hide it, but they also lied; God said they violated the covenant; the only way this was found out was Joshua went to the lord in prayer, that’s why every day we must ask God what am I doing that’s not of you, what am I doing that’s not pleasing to you, and he will let you know.

 Verse 6: Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there until evening. The elders of Israel did the same and sprinkled dust on their heads.

  But look at what happened to them, and this is all because of one thing, verse 4-5 So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this, the people's hearts melted in fear and became like water.”

    This is what the Holy Spirit is trying to show us today when we meddle in things we shouldn't. Judgment will come when we do things he tells us not to do, and some people say, "Oh, the judgment of God isn’t real today. It is my friends; it's not so quick because of grace, and we better thank God for it every day, but the things that God is asking you not to do, don’t do it, friends, step away and leave it alone.

   I can say I spend a lot of time by myself alone because that’s where God has me right now. God isn’t asking us to do anything we can't do; he's not asking us to do anything too hard; he's asking us to do something that he told us not to do, but when we dwell in the presence of God, we must understand that the requirements for our lives are stricter than anyone else's. Do you see what happened ? They were told not to, and because of the Achan's great sin, look at what it cost them.

   Sometimes, we lose more than we gain when we stay in sin or keep people and things in our life that God is saying no to , and all this happen because of one man's sin; many lost their lives in this story ; and it so many people's hands are tied to our lives, and how we act and what we do means a lot, we have to stop thinking that we can do whatever we like with our lives when we want to live under open heaven ,when we want to live in the presence of God or when we want to live a holy life sometimes we must walk away from what we want for God.

  Matthew 4:4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

  We can try to live by our ways or the ways of this world, but friends, God is calling us to something higher than this. If God asks you to stop talking to someone to remove people and things from your lives, people of God, friends, we must do it; we can’t say we follow God and are constantly doing the opposite of what he asked of us.

  ***Today, we learned about what happened to Achan and the Israelites, and a lot of this could been avoided if he had not hidden the robes and other things under the ground of his tent. We might say this wasn’t worth it, we might shame Achan for what he did, but we can’t shame him when we do the same thing we disobey because we feel it won’t harm anyone or anything, but friends what we do that’s disobedient to God is a major deal.

  What are you hiding? What are you doing that’s the opposite of what God is saying to you. God is asking us to be obedient even if it’s hard, even if it doesn’t make sense, and even if the world is saying it’s okay, we must learn to hear the voice of God and obey him!

©Seer~ Prophetess Lee

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PRAYER

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Heavenly Father, we thank you for the life you gave us and for never leaving or forsaking us; lord, please forgive us if we aren’t obedient. Forgive us if we choose the wrong things or people to listen to. Lord, help us hear you when you speak and help us be honorable to you. And obedient. Lord, we thank you for everything,and ask you to help us hear your voice when you speak in Jesus' Name. Amen

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REFERENCES

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+ 1 John 2:20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all know.

 

+ 1 Timothy 6:1 Let all under a yoke as bondservants regard their masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled.

 

+ 2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

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FURTHER READINGS

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Proverbs 8

Leviticus 8

Habakkuk 1

Esther 6

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[smaointebeagacreatlach]

Ólta (30/03/24)

Bhí mé ag suí in aice leis an tine, bhí mé in ann an teas a mhothú air mo phluca. Bhí gloine phlaisteach i mo lámh agus bhí an teas ag déanamh baile dó féin faoi m'easnacha le achan slog. Bhí ceol ar siúil, rud éigin mall le rifeanna glioscarnach. 

Is maith liom seo. 

Tá sé níos fusa caidreamh a dhéanamh nuair atá achan duine sásta leo féin agus ag mothú cineál amaideach. Ach chan sin an cineál oíche a bhí ann - ní raibh ach cúpla duine ann, daoine a raibh aithne mhaith agam orthu uilig cibé. 

Bhí comhrá mór againn faoi achan rud - an cheoil, an saol, caidé a chuaigh citeach dúinn nuair a bhí muid óg. 

Ní maith liom an dóigh a thiteann focail as mo bhéal nuair atá mé mar seo. Bhí an  t-ádh orm gur na daoine a bhí ansin a bhí ann, mar bhí siadsin ábalta achan rud a tomhais cibé, sílim. Ach thiocfadh le sin beidh dainséarach. Caithfidh mé bheith cúramach sa todhchaí. 

Thit mé i mo luí thart faoi dó ar maidin, agus mhúscail mé suas ag a cúig ar an urlár crua le pian i mo chromán agus an domhain ag tiontaigh thart ‘s thart, ach sin an praghas fa choinne oíche dheas. 

An mhaidin dár gcionn, nuair a d’éirigh mé don dara huair, bhí scannán uafais ar siúil. Ní maith liom iad sin, ach bhí sé furasta le bheith ag magadh faoi nuair a bhí mé clúdaithe le pluideanna agus gáire thart orm. 

Is maith liom óicheanna mar sin. Tchíom cén fáth a ndéanann na halcóiligh é. Ach chan fadhb é sin go dtí go bhfuil tú i do thríochaidí, mar sin de tá cúpla bhliain mhaith fágtha agam.

[pugzman3]

Joshua 6:10-13 KJV

10 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?

11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.

12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.

13 Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.

Context.....the children of Israel had just got stomped in a battle at Ai. They lost 36,000 men, because one man had taken an accursed thing from a previous defeat. Achan had taken an onject the LORD said not to, hid it within his possessions, and the LORD removed his protection, and they took a beat down and had to retreat. Look around today. How many accursed things do we see? We are a nation of idolatry. We are so deep in it we don't even recognize it in plain sight. Statues, objects, money, celebrations.... vanity upon vanity, celebrities, politicians, entertainers, ourselves.... vanity upon vanity. No one is going to stop this as a whole, but you can remove the accursed things from your own life, your children's life.

[joseph4inspiration]

(Joshua 7: 10-12)

There will be times in life when God will want us to learn things the hard way so we can understand just how serious He is about it.

Joshua and the children of Israel had just experienced a great victory in the town of Jericho as God gave them the victory. But before God gave them victory He gave them instructions, which was everything in the town must be completely destroyed as an offering to God (Joshua 6:17). But a man named Achan decided to take something for himself anyway, but at the time no one knew it except for him and God. As Joshua was leading the people into the next battle in the town of Ai, they were defeated and chased back to the town's gate. When Joshua and the elders saw what was happening they ripped their clothes and feel to the ground. But it was then Joshua learned the reason for the defeat - some idiot from one of the tribes stole something! Joshua probably thought to himself, well God, why didn't You make that known from the get-go? But God wanted the people, as well as Joshua, to know just how serious He was about them obeying His commands. Sin committed by one person put all the tribes in jeopardy of divine anger. This was something they had to experience for themselves not just hear about.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Israel Defeated at Ai

1 But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel.

2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the region.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.

3 When they returned to Joshua, they said, “Not all the army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there.” 4 So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, 5 who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water.

6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! 8 Pardon your servant, Lord. What can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? 9 The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?”

10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. 12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.

13 “Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.

14 “‘In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe the Lord chooses shall come forward clan by clan; the clan the Lord chooses shall come forward family by family; and the family the Lord chooses shall come forward man by man. 15 Whoever is caught with the devoted things shall be destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to him. He has violated the covenant of the Lord and has done an outrageous thing in Israel!’”

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. — Joshua 7 | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide. Cross References: Genesis 34:7; Genesis 34:30; Exodus 32:12; Leviticus 10:6; Leviticus 26:17; Leviticus 26:36; Numbers 14:16; Numbers 14:39; Numbers 26:13; Joshua 3:5; Joshua 6:18-19; Joshua 15:7; Joshua 18:12; 1 Samuel 4:3; Hosea 2:15; Jonah 1:7; John 9:24; Acts 5:1; Ephesians 5:5; Revelation 18:19

[granonine]

Confession

Joshua 7: 20-23. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under…

[gressacht]

tuigim go hiomlán nuair atá díomá ar daoine faoina téarma críostaí sa ghaeilge mar is deacair gan creideamh sna rudaí sin nó whatever ach ní mhaith liom nuair atá daoine ag tabhairt amach faoi sin mar toradh choilínithe agus ag caint faoina seantéarma, caillte de dheasca coilíniú críostaí. like bhí an teanga difriúil go hiomlán ag an am sin. ní raibh siad ag labhairt i nua-ghaeilge. ní raibh siad ag úsáid sean-ghaeilge fosta. bhí an teanga níos sine fiú ná sin táimid ag caint faoin 1500+ bliain ó shin. mar sin bhí téarma difriúla ann, go cinnte, ach ní raibh siad sa frásaí cosúil leis na frásaí seo, bhí achan rud difriúil agus ní bheadh a lán cosúlachtaí idir an teanga sin agus an nua-ghaeilge in aon cás

[hiswordsarekisses]

God’s Word says that we are not controlled by the sinful nature, but that is only when we are actively being led by the spirit and not our flesh. This takes abiding in the Word and in prayer.

The following is from Leroy Eims and it is so good - this is how to handle temptation: handle it BEFORE it is a temptation!!!

“There isn’t a person on earth who doesn’t experience temptation with fleshly lust at some time during life.

I recall being on a panel to discuss this in a high school class at a local church. The man who spoke before me was a local pastor, and since I was fairly new in my ministry with The Navigators, I was looking forward to what he would say. But when he began to speak, I couldn’t believe my ears. He told these kids, “Sure, it’s okay to park in a car on a dark, deserted country road. Just make sure you stay within the bounds of proper behavior.” Then it was my turn.

“Okay,” I said, “if you follow this man’s advice, make sure that when you park that car and turn off the lights on that dark, deserted country road that you both get out of the car, kneel down, and earnestly plead with the Lord in prayer that He will give you the strength and wisdom to stay within the bounds of proper behavior.”

The Bible tells the story of Achan, who stole something that didn’t belong to him. Listen to his explanation: “When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath” (Joshua 7:21).

Notice the progression. He saw it, he lusted after it, he took it, and then he tried to cover up his sin. Friend, is there a temptation you’re flirting with today that looks innocent on the surface? Yield yourself immediately in prayer to the power of Christ.

~ Leroy Eims

Lord, thank You for Your victory over sin through Your saving power in my life. Amen.

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 1Corinthians 10:13

[womanwarriorofgodww59]

`Joshua 7:19 (KJV) And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.

We are saddened to learn someone has been keeping a secret; and disappointed if we need to confront them regarding the truth. When the Israelites conquered Jericho, they received direct instruction to keep no treasure for themself; all riches went to the treasury of the Lord. Achan did not follow directions. He took goods for himself, and Joshua requested a confession. When we need to confront our brothers and sisters in Christ regarding sinful actions, we must maintain merciful hearts and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance in our wording. We must discipline one another with mercy and kindness, remaining a witness of God.

Dear Lord, we do not enjoy confronting one another regarding sin. Help us discipline each other spiritually with loving, merciful hearts that reflect Your nature. In Jesus' Name, Amen. ☆

[kevinharrispastor]

God is Holy

By Kevin is pastor of Illawarra Community Baptist Church, a suburb of Wollongong, NSW.

God is holy.

Habakkuk 1:13 says,‘Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity...”

Ezekiel 18:4 states, ‘. . . the soul that sinneth, it shall die.’ Why? Because God is absolutely holy!

Exodus 34:7 declares that God ‘. . . will by no means clear the guilty...’ There is only one reason God does not overlook our sin – He is holy!

Zechariah 8:17 says, ‘And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD.’ Hatred against sin is part of what it is to be holy.

Do you know that God is holy?Psalm 113:5-6 asks,‘Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high,  Whohumbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!’

God is incredibly holy!

Many of God’s choice servants were confronted with a holy God at the beginning of their ministries.    

Moses encountered a holy God when he came across a burning bush one day.  God said in Exodus 3:5 ‘. . . Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.’

One day, the Lord Jesus performed a miracle that astounded Peter so much that we read in Luke 5:8,‘When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’

And in Isaiah chapter six, Isaiah stands before a thrice-holy God and trembles. 

God’s holiness is the one characteristic above all of God’s other attributes that the angels of heaven choose to exclaim over!  He’s holy!

God is so holy that when Nadab and Abihu, Aaron’s sons, offered strange fire, God immediately struck them dead.

He is so holy that when the Israelites murmured and complained, God wouldn’t overlook it. Thousands were destroyed in judgment from the Lord.

He is so holy that in the book of Joshuawhen Achan disobeyed God and stole, he was stoned to death.

He is so holy that when Ananias and Sapphira lied in Acts chapter 5, God struck them dead.

I believe we need a fresh picture of the holiness of God in our city of Wollongong and in the nation of Australia.  If we could just get a good understanding of God’s holiness, it would dramatically reduce the pleasure we find in wickedness.

God said in Psalm 50:21,‘These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.’

When I see that God is not sinful like me, but that He hates sin, and when I realise that I will stand before Him someday in judgment for my sin, I’ll be careful how I live. 

You see, sin will not go unpunished.

Let me illustrate it with Australia’s justice system.  It is the responsibility of our nation’s courts to pursue justice, not to be merciful.

Have you ever heard anyone say, ‘I could never live in a country that would build places to punish people — some for the rest of their lives — just because they raped a girl and murdered her’?  Not very likely!  It is obvious that a government is within its bounds when it dispenses justice.  ‘You do the crime, you do the time,’ is a saying almost everyone agrees with.

What many people do not understand, however, is that God is perfectly just in sending those who break His laws to a place of punishment.  Yet a popular argument for those who deny the God of the Bible is that a loving God would never punish anyone in hell.   God has a system of justice too, and it is of the purest form.  He has a set of guidelines that must be obeyed.  If they aren’t followed exactly, punishment eventually results.  And since none of us is perfect, we all deserve that punishment.

But God is not a God of justice only.  We can be pardoned from our sin because Christ paid our debt when He died on the cross.  By receiving Him as our Saviour, we escape eternal punishment because Christ has already been punished for us. 

God’s holiness demands justice, but He also offers mercy.  That’s a loving God in action.

Let’s bow before Him, worshipping Him for being both holy and merciful.

Kevin is pastor of the Illawarra Community Baptist Church in Dapto, located approximately 15 minutes south of Wollongong, NSW.