THE SIN OF ACHAN: THE ACCURSED THING

Joshua 6: 15-27 and 7:1-26

by: Sis. Marlene Barcial

 

 

Have you ever ask yourself …why are so many Christians living in defeat today? Many of us are struggling with sickness, depression, marriage problems, rebellious children, and so on. If God is for us, why there are moments in our life that it seems God is not fighting for our battle. Have you ever thought about “accursed" items in our homes that are hindering the presence and works of almighty God? Could it be that we are giving Satan a foothold in our homes unknowingly to come in an opened door?

 

Throughout the Old Testament God told His people the Israelites many times to put away the strange and accursed things and return to Him. God fought the battle for His people when they put their trust in Him and served Him only. “The sin committed by Achan” is a story full of lessons for modern day Christians and we will find out how God is seriously desires sanctification among His people throughout history.

We had read from the passage that after an incredible victory over Jericho, Achan, an Israelite soldier, secretly disobey the clear directives regarding the accursed thing and treasures taken in war. Joshua told his men that all the spoils taken from Jericho were to be considered: “devoted things” belonging in God’s treasure and warned Israel to get rid of the accursed thing belong to that city. In the story, Achan secretly challenged Joshua’s orders by taking valuables and hiding them under his family’s tent.

In Joshua 6: 15-27 and 7:1-26, we can find these words repeating themselves:

Accursed/curse                                - 12 times mentioned (the repetition is a form of emphasis)

Stones                                  -5 times

Destroy/destruction       -5 times

Trouble/d                            -3 times

 

A. The Accursed thing had clearly defined or identified.   -  Joshua 6:17-26

Joshua 6: 17-19

 Now the city shall be doomed by the Lord to destruction, it and all who are in it. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.¹⁸ And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. ¹⁹ But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are consecrated to the Lord; they shall come into the treasury of the Lord.”

The phrase “Accursed thing”  is the Hebrew word  H2764 חרם   חרם chêrem  (khay'-rem, kheh'-rem) that means “dedicated thing/s which should have been utterly destroyed, (appointed to) utter destruction, devoted thing.”

1. The “accursed thing” meant something “under the ban” and marked for utter destruction.

Jericho, the city had been placed under the ban by the Lord an expression which comes from the Hebrew word, herem which means “a devoted thing.” The verb form, haram, means “to ban, devote, or destroy utterly.” In this case, the accursed thing was the city of Jericho itself, with all its possessions and inhabitants, animal and humans. However, Rahab and her family were to be spared, because of her kindness to the two spies (Joshua 6:17).

It is related to an Arabic root meaning “to prohibit, especially to ordinary use.” The “harem,” (Arabic “haram” -“prohibited”) meaning the special quarters for Muslim wives, comes from this word. So, to surrender something to God meant devoting it to the service of God or putting it under a ban for total destruction.

The Dake’s Annonated Referrence Bible supports this meaning: “The accursed thing is anything that is devoted to destruction. It could be something consecrated to the sanctuary and if taken by anyone unlawfully, it would become the accursed thing to the sinner.” This was the same sin that Ananias and Saphira committed as in Acts 5:1-3. Tithes and offerings mentioned in Malachi 3: 8-12

Malachi 3:8, 9   

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

To understand this further: Basically, for something to be under the ban meant one of two things:  

a. Everything living was to be completely destroyed.

You may say, this has been called cruel and primitive—nothing less than the murder of innocent lives, but the Canaanites were by no means innocent. They were abominable people who practiced the dishonorable forms of immorality including child sacrifice (Deuteronomy 18). God had given the Canaanites over 400 years to repent, but now their iniquity had become full (see Gen. 15:16; Lev. 18:24-28).  And only one family who did turn to the Lord (Rahab and her family) was spared. Note Norman Geisler’s comment: “the battle threatening Israel was not simply a religious war; it was a theocratic war.”Meaning that Israel was directly governed by God and “the extermination” was God’s direct command. Exod. 23:27-30; Deut. 7:3-6; Josh. 8:24-26). Remember that No other nation either before or after Israel has been a theocracy. Thus, those commands were unique. Israel as a theocracy was an instrument of judgment in the hands of God.

Secondly, something to be under the ban that

b. All the valuable objects like gold and silver were to be dedicated to the Lord’s treasury.

 

This was evidently to be done as a kind of first fruits of the land and an evidence of the people’s trust in the Lord’s supply for the future.  Let us be warned!

2. The accursed thing is serious/ grievous sin that will cause trouble!  Joshua 7:1-9

¹ But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi,[a] the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things; so the anger of the Lord burned against the children of Israel.

The word Trespass in Hebrew  H4604      מעל       ma‛al    mah'-al  means treachery, that is, sin: - falsehood, grievously, sore, or transgression.

The truths about committing accursed thing are: How serious it is even until today.

1. The Lord held the whole camp of Israel accountable for the act of one man and He withheld His blessing as long as this is practiced and until the matter was dealt with.

a. God viewed the nation as a unit.

Notice how the Lord did not mention “Achan” but referred to the sin as being ISRAEL’S SIN.  Because of the sin of ONE the whole camp suffered UNTIL the evil thing was removed from them!  The Lord did not view them individually, but as a WHOLE when it came to the breaking of HIS commandment.

b. One believer’s sin impacts everyone.

Achan’s behavior also illustrates how one believer commit such sins negatively impacts and creates trouble for an entire group or nation. Achan’s name, the Hebrew, akan, is a play on the word akor, which means “trouble.” Achan in Hebrew H5912 עכן ‛âkân means “to trouble; troublesome.” So Joshua would declare that the Lord would bring trouble (akor) on Achan who had become a “troubler” to the nation because of his sin (cf. 7:24-25). Thus, the location of Achan’s death and grave was called, “the valley of Achor” (Hebrew, akor, “disturbance, trouble”).

Though the crime was committed by one person, the whole nation was considered guilty.

The Apostle Paul saw the same principle of unity at work in the church (1 Cor. 5:6-13). The Unjudged sin contaminated the whole assembly—“Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?” (1 Cor. 5: 6) Warning also for us!

2. Sin never escapes God’s watchful eye

We must be reminded that nothing escapes from the eyes of omniscience God (Psa. 139:1f). We can fool ourselves and others, but never the Lord. God sees the sin in our lives and desires us to deal with it, and not to hide it.  Hiding it only hinders our progress in God’s will and plan (Prov. 28:13) and creates trouble for others. In Numbers 32:23 reminds us, “be sure your sin will find you out.” This is similar to the idea of reaping what we sow because of the natural consequences of God’s spiritual and moral laws.

3. Sin is no small matter to God.

The words, “therefore the anger of the Lord burned against the sons of Israel,” intensely call our attention to the holiness of God and the fact that sin is no small matter with Him because it is rebellion and rebellion is as the sin of divination (1 Sam. 15:23). Even though the Lord died for our sins and stands at God’s right hand as our advocate and intercessor, God does not and cannot treat sin in our lives lightly. It is against His holy character (His holiness, righteousness, love, etc.) and against His holy purposes for us since it hinders His control and ability to lead us. Bottom line is: One sin has brought all the nations to defeat and caused God to stop His blessing.

4. The accursed thing brings defeat (failure) and disappointment Joshua 7:5-11

⁵ And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water. ⁶ Then Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads.

The price they have to pay for their defeat: One man’s trespass caused this defeat and the loss of 36 mighty men of war. The defeat at Ai demoralized the people. This created misgivings (doubts) and a lack of hope or confidence in the Lord.

⁷ And Joshua said, “Alas, Lord God, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all—to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan! ⁸ O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies?

In our sinful human nature, we are typically just like that. We are so quick to become depressed, discouraged, and disoriented and to look in every direction for a reason for defeat, except ourselves. We blame, we make excuses, we hide and shy, but we so often fail to honestly examine our own lives. We assume that the problem could not possibly be us. Rather than examine their own lives as the source of their defeat, they began to doubt the Lord and wonder if He had changed His mind or if they had misread His directions. (https://bible.org/article/agony-defeat-joshua-71-26)

On the other hand, in the defeat at Ai we see a real test of Joshua’s leadership.  Someone remarks, “There are tests to leadership as well as tests of leadership.” One of those tests is the test of failure. Failure, like all testing’s’, is common to all men (1 Cor. 10:13) and the manner in which a leader handles his failures will have a powerful impact on his growth and future leadership. (http://bible.org/seriespage/defeat-ai-and-sin-achan-joshua-71-26)

It was a comfort to know that despite of our own failures we realized that God can greatly use us if we will trust Him. Failure is not the end. In fact, failure can be the back door to success; it may be just the beginning depending on how we respond. Of course, it is always better to make a few new mistakes and learn from them than to repeat old ones. Or else, our defeats have no life-changing value.  A leader must learn to be realistic and prepared to realize that he cannot be right all the time. There is no such a thing as a perfect or infallible leader.

4. The accursed thing brings grievous consequences to a leader/nation Joshua 7: 11-12

A.      The Lord revealed the consequences of committing this grievous sin

¹¹ Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it 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 have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you.

 Defeated by enemies - The children of Israel could not stand before their enemies

Destroyed by sin -The children of Israel have become doomed to destruction

Deserted by God -God will not be with the children of Israel anymore

The solution to the problem:  Destroy the accursed thing from among them.

B.       The Lord revealed the manner of destroying the accursed thing:

Joshua 7: 13-26

¹³ Get up, sanctify the people, and say, ‘sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says the Lord God of Israel: “There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you.”

The commands that dealt with sin: Get up, sanctify the people, and say, ‘sanctify yourselves 13-15. Assemble the people according to their tribes- these specific instructions were given for purging out this sin from their midst. First, there is to be examination of the people tribe by tribe, family by family, and finally man by man. Note also how the men (the fathers) are the ones held responsible for their families. The examination would reveal the guilty party. God gave divine direction and Achan was discovered by supernatural means. Amazingly, He did not come forth voluntarily to confess or repent and throw himself on the mercy of God. His failure to do so stands in contrast with the attitude of the prodigal and the publican of the New Testament. (http://bible.org/article/agony-defeat-joshua-71-26).

C.      The verdict of the Lord

This describes the punishment that was to be carried out on the guilty party with the reason given for the severity of the punishment. The person who took the accursed thing should be burned with fire and all that he has because he transgressed the covenant of the Lord and has done a disgraceful thing in Israel. the beautiful Babylonian Garment, 200 shekels of sliver, the wedge of gold weighing 50 shekels (stolen things) his sons and daughters (family) his oxen, donkeys and sheep (Profession or Job; Livelihood) his tents and all that he had (all his possessions) Savings, House and Lot, furniture. His life. The terrible penalty of committing disobedience in regards to accursed things. The heaviest penalty was death, burning and destruction of all he owned by fire, as a shadow of the eternal death penalty in eternal fire. To burn refers to burning after being stoned to death, not burning alive.

(http://bible.org/seriespage/defeat-ai-and-sin-achan-joshua-71-26).

Conclusion:  The Lesson From Achan’s Sin    Joshua 7: 20-24

1.       The process (pattern) to Achan’s sin was a familiar one.

²⁰ And Achan answered Joshua and said, “Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done: ²¹ When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.”

The process (pattern) to Achan’s sin was a familiar one. He saw, he coveted, and he took and hide. It was the same with Eve (Gen. 3:6) and with David (2 Sam. 11:2-4) and it is the same with us.

2.         The Death of Achan Settled (7:22-26) SOLID or never change…verdict has been done.

²⁵ 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.²⁶ Then they raised over him a great heap of stones, still there to this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Achor to this day.

Pastor Clay Ritter commented on this incidence:

Joshua’s approach was tender, yet firm. He hated the sin, but loved the sinner. Achan’s confession while honest, was too late and the product of discovery. He only did so when forced to by the circumstances. It was not an act of repentance. (Godly sorrow that leads to repentance) (2 Cor. 7:8-11). If he had voluntarily cast himself on the mercy of God, his life might have been spared, as in the case of David and his sin.

The story of Achan illustrates the principle that leaders may become vulnerable following major success. Although it can be very difficult, leaders must take the appropriate step, to remove those who block God’s blessing and work. When a team member compromises a core value, the ripple effect of his or her action can hurt many others. Godly leaders must stop the trickle (drip) before it becomes a flood.
 

I want to emphasize that nothing is ever accomplished with our eyes when we always focus on our failures and problems. First, we must confess our failures and the things that caused them once determined. Then we must seek to learn from them. Finally, we need to know that God’s will is immediate recovery and faith in the grace of God. God’s will for us is to get up and move on.

We are also right to forget or minimize the holiness of God. God is described as holy more than by any of His other attributes—more than even His love, mercy, and grace. As a holy God, God is perfect righteousness and justice, and, because of His justice, He must deal with sin (cf. Psa. 50:21; Eccl. 8:11-12). http://bible.org/article/agony-defeat-joshua-71-26     2008 Calvary Chapel Wilmington – Pastor Clay Ritter The Agony of Defeat (Joshua 7:1-26)Study By: J. Hampton Keathley, III   by Kathy A. Smith

Deu 7:25, 26 "You shall burn the carved images of their gods with fire; you shall not covet the silver or gold [that is] on them, nor take [it] for yourselves, lest you be snared by it; for it [is] an abomination to the LORD your God.  ²⁶ "Nor shall you bring an abomination into your house, lest you be doomed to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest it and utterly abhor it, for it [is] an accursed thing.

HOW TO PASS THE TEST OF FORGIVENESS

Matthew 18:21-35

By Sis. Bing Domingo

 Chuck Swindoll reported that a seminary student in Chicago faced a forgiveness test. Although he preferred to work in some kind of ministry, the only job he could find was driving a bus on Chicago's south side. One day a gang of tough teens got on board and refused to pay the fare. After a few days of this, the seminarian spotted a policeman on the corner, stopped the bus, and reported them. The officer made them pay, but then he got off. When the bus rounded a corner, the gang robbed the seminarian and beat him severely. He pressed charges and the gang was rounded up. They were found guilty. But as soon as the jail sentence was given, the young Christian saw their spiritual need and felt pity for them. So he asked the judge if he could serve their sentences for them. The gang members and the judge were dumbfounded. "It's because I forgive you," he explained. His request was denied, but he visited the young men in jail and led several of them to faith in Christ. (http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/f/forgiveness.htm)      

Did this seminary student pass the forgiveness test? Obviously he did! Just like this student, I’m sure that many of us are undergoing some kind of forgiveness test. How often have we encountered people who offend or hurt us? If they are just but tests of forgiveness for us, how do we score? It is my prayer that this message will help us pass the forgiveness test every time we face it.

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Unforgiving Servant)

Matt 18:21-35 (NASB)

Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" ²² Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. ²³ "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. ²⁴ When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. ²⁵ But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. ²⁶ So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.' ²⁷ And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. ²⁸ But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, 'Pay back what you owe.' ²⁹ So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you.' ³⁰ But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. ³¹So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. ³² Then summoning him, his lord said to him, 'You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ³³ ' Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?' ³⁴ And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. ³⁵ My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."

In the beginning of Matthew 18, Jesus was teaching His disciples about humility and offenses, and then He goes on and warned them against temptation, against looking down on others. He expressed His concern about every human being He created as He told the parable of the lost sheep and then laid down guidelines for dealing with those who sin against us. At this point, Peter asked, “Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me, up to seven times?” Peter thought that he was already more generous because many Jewish rabbis taught that three times were enough. But Jesus answered him, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven”.  Jesus’ reply to Peter should not to be taken literally. What He really wanted Peter to know is that we should not even keep track of how many times we forgive someone. To further illustrate His point that we should forgive as many times as necessary, Jesus tells the parable of the unmerciful servant.

From this parable we should remember three things in order for us to pass the forgiveness test.

 

1.    God’s Mercy and Forgiveness towards you.

 

v.27 "And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. 

 A slave owed the king a debt of Ten Thousand Talents. How large is ten thousand talents? Since a talent was worth more than 15 years’ worth of wages for an average worker, it is at least 150,000 years’ worth of money! Indeed it was a very huge amount that it was impossible for him to pay his master. Yet, the king showed compassion on him and in his mercy has cancelled his debt.

 

We are all like that slave who owed God a debt we could not pay. Every sin we commit is a debt to God. The Bible says that we are all God’s debtors and the wages of sin is death. But because of God’s mercy and compassion towards us, He forgave our sins through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ. Let us be thankful to God and focus on His mercy towards us.  Freely we have received His forgiveness, freely we must also forgive.

 

2.    The Sins of others against you are so tiny compared to your sins against God.

 

v.28 "But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii.

 

The debt of the second slave is just about 100 days’ worth of money, (a denarius was a day’s wage) which is significantly smaller debt compared to the first servant. When someone sins against us, remember that it is nothing compared to the enormous sins we have committed against God. Out of our thankful hearts and appreciation, we are to forgive the much smaller debts of others. It is easy to forgive others, for what we owe God is infinitely more than what others owe us.

 

3.    God will not forgive you if you don’t forgive others of their sins against you.

 

³⁴ "And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.  ³⁵ " My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."

 

The forgiveness of God is conditional. He will only forgive those who choose to forgive others.  

 

Matt 6:14-15 

If you forgive others for the wrongs they do to you, your Father in heaven will forgive you. But if you don't forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

When we refuse to let go and release others from their sins toward us then our heavenly Father will not forgive us, instead, He will hand us over to the torturers. That’s why unforgiveness not only gives demons the right or the ability to torment us, but also prevents God from forgiving our sins. This is a strong warning to all who refuse to forgive: People can fall into the hands of demonic spirits for torment and harassment if they are unforgiving and bitter inside.

 

Conclusion:

 

God wants us to forgive the way He has forgiven us.  He never keeps a record of our mistakes and His forgiveness is without limit. Our Lord Jesus chose to carry upon Himself the consequence of our sins. He paid the price of the debt that was impossible for us to pay. He did it when He died on the cross for you and me. Jesus has set us free from our debt but He did not release us from our obligation to obey His command to forgive others the way He does.

 

Colossians 3:13 (NIV)

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

 

Indeed offenses are inevitable.  God sometimes allows people in our lives to offend and hurt us so that by them we can exercise the love and forgiveness we have received from Him. If we really love God, we believe that He will work all things for our good.  He desires to see in us the character of our Lord Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit, He wants this to be displayed in us so that the world will know that we are His children and truly His disciples!

 

So the next time you are faced with the test of forgiveness, remember these 3 things:

 

1. BE FOCUSED       : Meditate on God’s mercy and forgiveness towards you

2. BE GRATEFUL     : The Sins of others against you are so tiny compared to your sins                against God

3. BE WARNED         : God will not forgive you if you don’t forgive others of their sins against you

DON’T QUIT -  DO_{N’T QU}IT!

 

Romans 12:11-12 (The Message Bible)

Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, 12 cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder.

 

My family and I would like to congratulate Bro. Teody Galit and the WIN – Al Ain Men in Ministry in their 15^th anniversary. May the Lord of Glory that raised up the Man Christ Jesus also raise up men of power and faith until the Lord Jesus’ return.   God bless us all today with men who are willing to stand in righteousness and holiness.

 

Men as well as women and children are also discouraged from time to time.  They are just as human as everybody else.  Even Jesus’ own disciples came to a point of fear and doubt many times in the Gospels.  Nevertheless the Lord had chosen them to preach the gospel.  Nobody is perfect except God.  He is the one who calls us who also will DO IT!

 

1 Thessalonians 5:24 (NKJV)    He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

 

The Men in Ministry has chosen the theme of “DON’T QUIT.”  The only place in the Bible that allows men to quit is in the King James Version of 1 Corinthians 16:13 :

 

1 Corinthians  16:13 (KJV)     Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

 

However in more modern translations it actually means to be brave or have courage!

 

1 Corinthians  16:13 (NKJV)   Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong

1 Corinthians 16:13 (NIV)  Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.

 

Being brave and courageous has nothing to do with strong emotions.  It is by Doing IT!  Do what?  Do the will of God!  Some of us fell into a habit of waiting for an emotion to overcome our lack of faith or courage. Fear or discouragements are both emotions.  But in order to overcome emotions you don’t need another emotion or else you will still end up emotional. Instead, exercise your WILL (the power of choice) to overcome all emotions. If we choose to obey God’s word regardless of what we feel, we will become champions for Christ!

 

How do we understand the phrase, DON’T QUIT? Remove the letters N’T QU and you’ll end up with DO IT!

 

In the movie, the Princess Diaries, Amelia was reading her father’s letter as she was unsure of taking her place as the next ruler of his father’s home country.  Her father said, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all. From now on you'll be travelling the road between who you think you are and who you can be. The key is to allow yourself to make the journey."

 

The Bible tells us that brave men who choose to obey God will live forever!

 

1 John 2:17 (NIV)   The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

 

DON’T QUIT is stated in the negative tense. DO IT is in the positive.  You have to move forward and not stay still or retreat.  The children of Israel were trapped in the wilderness and fearful of their lives as the Egyptian army was in hot pursuit.

 

Ex 14:10-15 (NKJV)

And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord.11 Then they said to Moses, "Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? 12 Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, 'Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians?' For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness." 13 And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace." 15 And the Lord said to Moses, "Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.

 

At this point of the story the Red Sea was not divided yet.  The reason for this is that they refuse to move forward. Are we still waiting for God to do a miracle before we walk in faith?  As we walk in faith and not by sight then the impossible will happen. JUST DO IT! Do the will of God and godly emotions of joy and peace will arise.

 

May the Lord bless our ministry with men of faith who will choose to DO IT by faith and not by feelings. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder.

 

God bless

 

Ps Edward, Sis. Marlene, David John and Sally Joy