Autonomy: The Deadly Lie - Joshua 7

 

📖 Scripture:
“It is true,” Achan replied, “I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I did: When I saw among the plunder a beautiful cloak from Shinar, two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are now hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”
– Joshua 7:20–21

🔎 Examination:
When we read Scripture, it’s important to recognize that stories, like the one we find in Joshua chapter 7, isn’t fiction or mythology. This story is a spotlight on the depraved human heart in full-blown rebellion against God. Look at the pattern: Achan saw, he wanted, he took. Sound familiar? That’s Genesis 3 all over again. The real problem isn’t ignorance—it’s the stubborn urge to call our own shots and ignore what God says. Achan knew exactly what God commanded. He didn’t accidentally stumble into sin. He flirted with it. He contemplated it. Eventually, he chose it because Achan wanted to be his own boss.

Here’s what should shake us: Achan’s sin wasn’t just his personal problem. He thought he could hide it, but the ENTIRE nation paid the price. Thirty-six men died. Israel lost at Ai. All because one guy thought his private, personal, autonomous, secret decision didn’t matter. That’s the lie of our age—believing there’s such a thing as “private sin.” God says otherwise. In His eyes, all of humanity is connected. It ABSOLUTELY matters what we do behind closed doors. It absolutely is everyone else’s business. What we do in the dark always spills out and either builds others up or tears them down.

This blows up the myth/lie of personal autonomy—especially in the Church. The world says, “Do what you want, it’s your business.” God says, “No way.” Like toxic sludge in TEMU barrels, sin ALWAYS leaks out. It wrecks unity, kills our witness, and brings divine discipline. Paul nailed it: “A little leaven works through the whole batch.” One person’s compromise poisons the whole church.

Achan probably told himself he had pure motives, the best intentions, and good reasons. Maybe he thought he could use the stuff for something useful. That’s exactly how self-justification works—we warp, twist, and pervert God’s explicit commands into something that sounds reasonable... especially if we can get consensus. It’s the same garbage thinking that’s wrecking progressive cults today: redefining sin, watering down God’s commands, putting our own ideas above what God says. “Lean not on your own understanding” isn’t a suggestion. It’s a warning sign flashing: “Danger ahead!”

God’s response (the stoning of Achan, his family, flocks, and everything he owned) makes a lot of people uncomfortable. But that just shows how NUMB we’ve become to His holiness. God wasn’t overreacting with Achan—He was being compassionate, merciful, and just before the community. God said the things devoted for destruction were off limits. Achan spit in God’s face, crossed a divine boundary, and took them anyway. God’s word and holiness aren’t up for debate, and His commands aren’t suggestions we get to conveniently edit however we see fit.

This story screams the need for corporate holiness. Israel couldn’t win with hidden sin in the camp. The Church can’t be God’s house while we turn a blind eye to rebellion. That’s why God commands us to hold each other accountable, to discipline, to restore. It’s not harsh—it’s what faithfulness looks like.

Dig deeper and you’ll see Achan’s real problem: he didn’t trust God to provide. He acted as if God’s command was holding him back, not protecting him. That’s the same old lie the crafty serpent sold Eve in Eden—God’s holding out on you! But the truth is, obedience ALWAYS leads to life. Doing whatever you see fit to do in your own eyes ALWAYS leads to death.

If we’re in Christ, this story is both a warning and a wake-up call. The old self—the one that always wants its own way—has been nailed to the cross. Now, real life means trusting, submitting, and obeying by the power of the Spirit in COMMUNITY. It’s not about going to church and checking boxes. It’s about God changing you from the inside out by grafting you into a local church where there is devotion, accountability, and gutsy humility.

Autonomy always is truly tempting. The real question is, will you call it what it is—sinful rebellion—and turn from it? Achan’s story is a permanent warning: going our own way is never harmless. It always leaves a path of death and destruction in its wake.

🤺 Action:

• Expose hidden sin – “Nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed.” (Luke 8:17) Are you harboring secret disobedience under the illusion it affects no one else?
• Reject self-justification – “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (Prov 14:12) Where are you redefining sin to fit your preferences?
• Embrace accountability – “Confess your sins to one another…” (James 5:16) Are you living transparently within the Body of Christ?
• Trust God’s commands – “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.” (Ps 19:7) Do you view His Word as life-giving or restrictive?
• Pursue corporate holiness – “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Pet 1:16) Are you contributing to the purity and unity of your local church?

🧠 Reflection:
Autonomy promises you safety and control, but it always ends in death and disaster. Achan thought he could hide his sin, but God saw it and judged it. There isn’t a different standard today. But here’s the hope: in Christ, the old rebel is dead, and you can actually live free—by obeying, not by making up your own rules. There is no growth, maturity, or sanctification in an autonomous spiritual vacuum. Don’t play God. Submit to Him in and through a solid, faithful, and legit local church that reveres the sanctity and sufficiency of GOD’s WORD above all else.

✝️ Study:
Q1: What specific actions did Achan confess in Joshua 7:20–21?
Q2: How did Achan’s sin affect the rest of Israel?
Q3: How does Achan’s pattern of sin reflect the events of Genesis 3?
Q4: What does this passage reveal about corporate identity and covenantal responsibility in redemptive history?
Q5: Why is the belief that “my sin only affects me” and “what you do in the privacy of your own home is your business” contrary to biblical teaching?

Blessings & love,

Kevin M. Kelley
Pastor

BigIslandChristianChurch.com

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