Shoving It Under the Rug

Recently I asked my grandson, who is three, to put his car away.  He responded promptly by shoving it under the rug!  A bit later I asked him to put away the toys he had in the kitchen.  He again responded promptly by shoving them under the island.  I laughed, of course!  What was funny in a three year old is not so funny when you and I shove things “under," but we do it anyway.  We hide things “under” so we don’t have to deal with them.  We hide our sins, our anger, our bitterness, our laziness, our unwillingness to obey, our reluctance to forgive.

 

Of course, the Bible addresses this behavior.  The most obvious is the story of Achan found in Joshua 6 and 7.  The people of Israel have been marching around the city of Jericho for six days.  The climax has come and they are to march around the city seven times and God will bring the walls of Jericho down.  Joshua has given his final instructions.

 

“As for you, only keep yourselves from the things under the ban, so that you do not covet them and take some of the things under the ban, and make the camp of Israel accursed and bring trouble on it.  But all the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.”

 

The walls of Jericho came down!  Perhaps the army became a bit over confident.  Joshua decided Ai would not be a problem, but God allowed the Israelites to be defeated and thirty-six men to die.  The people were disheartened, thinking God had deserted them.  Joshua felt betrayed.  What would the heathen nations around them think?

 

God’s response was “Israel has sinned, and they have transgressed My covenant which I commanded them.  And they have even taken some of the things under the ban and have both stolen and deceived.  Moreover, they have also put them among their own things.” So Joshua set out to discover who the thief was. God pointed the finger at Achan.

 

Listen to what Joshua says to Achan. “My son, I implore you, give glory to the Lord, the God Israel, and give praise to Him; and tell me now what you have done.  Do not hide it from me.” Confession of sin, admission of guilt brings glory to God. I have never thought of it that way. 

 

Achan’s confession was “Truly, I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle from Shinar and two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold fifty shekels in weight, then I coveted them and took them; and behold, they are concealed in the earth inside my tent with the silver underneath it.”

 

The consequences of his sin covered not only Achan, but also all of his family.  Were they directly involved in his sin?  Perhaps.  It would be hard to hide something in your tent without the other residents knowing it.  But whether they were directly involved or not, they paid the price. 

 

“Joshua and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garments, 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 had: and they brought them into the valley of Achor.  And Joshua said, why has thou troubled us? The Lord shall trouble thee this day.  And all Israel  stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.  And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day.  So the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger.”

 

This is a horrifying end of the story, but let’s think.  Sin affects others, not just the sinner.  Thirty-six men were killed in the battle for Ai.  Their families and friends were affected.  All of Israel was affected by the outcome of the battle.  They were frightened and sure that God had deserted them.  Joshua was challenged.  The nations around mocked.  Achan’s whole family died.

 

So how is your refusal to confess your sin affecting others?  Our sin, our anger, our bitterness, our failure to confess, our failure to take responsibility, our poor choices? Is there something you need to deal with?  Let’s not shove things under the rug or under the kitchen island.   

 

 

                                                                        ~~Faith Himes Lamb