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Sin in the Camp - Big Deal?
Sin in the Camp – Big Deal?
The Lord gave Israel a great victory over Jericho when Israel by faith did just as the Lord commanded. But all was not well with Israel after destroying that city. There was sin in the camp of Israel: “But the children of Israel committed a trespass concerning the accursed things, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, 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” (Josh 7:1).
Joshua had commanded Israel not to take of the accursed thing: “And you, by all means keep yourselves 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. 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” (Josh 6:18-19).
The record in 1 Chronicles 2:7 that includes Achan’s genealogy calls him “the troubler of Israel”. The courageous prophet Elijah was falsely called a troubler of Israel by wicked King Ahab, but the label was fitting for Achan.
What was the consequence of his sin? The whole of Israel suffered. While the sin remained hidden to them, Israel engaged in battle against the city of Ai but suffered loss of men and as a result of that the loss of courage. Joshua even boldly questions the Lord over the loss! But the Lord explains, “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” (Josh 7:11).
As long as this sin existed among the children of Israel, God said He would not be with them; they needed to take care of the sin that was in their camp: “The Lord told Joshua, ‘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’” (Josh 7:12).
We can learn from this example and find applicability in the church that belongs to Christ.
First, while we cannot be charged with the guilt of another’s sin (Ezek 18: 4, 20), the story of Achan teaches us that another’s sin may affect us negatively. If Achan is like most people, it is very possible he never considered the impact his sin could have on his brethren. And just so, it is likely the case that brethren who go back into sin never consider nor are concerned with the impact of their sin and its influence upon others, including their own brethren. Sin and error, unchecked, will “increase to more ungodliness” and “spread like cancer” (2 Tim 2:16-17). The influence and impact of one’s sin upon others is no small thing.
But this event also reminds us that when sin is known, it needs to be addressed. Once aware, Joshua dealt with the sin as God directed (Josh 7:13-26). And similarly, when one in the church is in sin and brethren know about it, brethren need to act promptly to restore him (Gal 6:1). Those who are spiritual and love their brother will do it. On the other hand, those who are not spiritual and do not love their brother will do nothing. When brethren do nothing about a brother in sin, not only is the one who is in sin in trouble with God, but the ones who ignore or tolerate that sin are in trouble with God too. This was the situation with the church in Thyatira, and Jesus told them, “But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols” (Rev 2:20). Those brethren were in the wrong for tolerating immorality in the church. How could the church repent? By doing what the doctrine of Christ directs, and that is to withdraw themselves from the impenitent, immoral person: “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus…. Therefore, put away from yourselves that wicked person” (1 Cor 5:4-5, 13). Having received this instruction in a letter full of rebukes, the church in Corinth repented and carried out this command and is commended for it (2 Cor 7:8-11).
But it’s not just immorality that Christians must not “tolerate” in the church. Christians must not tolerate false doctrines. To the church in Pergamos, Jesus said, “But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth” (Rev 2:14-15). How could the church repent? Again, let the doctrine of Christ answer for us: “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple” (Rom 16:17-18). Brethren who truly love the Lord and their brethren will mark and avoid those who teach error. “From such withdraw yourselves” (1 Tim 6:5). When brethren sit idly by while wolves devour the flock with error, how does the love of God or the love of brother and the souls of men abide in them?
Let’s get down to brass tacks. There are churches that receive brethren living in adultery. They have a “don’t ask don’t tell policy” – that is, don’t ask brethren about their marriage in order to be sure it conforms to the teaching of Christ. Turning a blind eye was not going to work in Israel, and as already shown, the gospel teaches it won’t work today either. Willful ignorance is characteristic of scoffers, not faithful Christians (2 Pet 3:3-5).
And then there are churches that tolerate the teaching of error on divorce and remarriage. Or they prefer silence on the subject, and so the preacher conforms and will not declare “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). And yet other churches may go so far as to shun, try to silence, or put out of the church the godly who rightly press for the apostles doctrine to be taught on divorce and remarriage; these churches are modern era examples of a Diotrephes (3 Jn 10). Teaching nothing on the subject is part of the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy and is doing the bidding of the devil, whose schemes include perverting the truth (Gal 1:7) and shutting up the preaching of truth (Acts 4:18). Adultery, a sin for which one will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:10), is a subject that must be preached about in a world saturated with it.
It is not politically correct to address sin and error, for we live in a culture of tolerance and pluralism and relativism. But it is doctrinally correct to address it; it is correct according to what the gospel teaches in the New Testament. And in the last days we will not be judged according to political correctness but according to the gospel of Jesus Christ (Jn 12:48; Rom 2:16).
God showed that sin in the camp was a big deal in Israel. And God shows us today in the New Testament Scriptures that sin in the church is a big deal today. We need to heed the exhortation of 1 Corinthians 16:13: “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.”
