ACHAN, THE TROUBLER
Joshua 7:1 (KJV)
But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.
1 Chronicles 2:7 (KJV)
And the sons of Carmi; Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing accursed.
Achan derives from the word Achar, meaning “troubler.”
The word means, “to stir up – like a person would stir up water.” It is used to describe[1] the results of:
· cruelty,
· disloyalty,
· greed,
· wickedness
The concept of the troubler is used several times in the Old Testament.
Jacob said Simeon and Levi had troubled him when they slew Shechem over the defiling of their sister, Dinah.
Genesis 34:30 (KJV)
And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.
Jephthah said his daughter troubled him when she was the first into his house after he promised to sacrifice the first to enter his house if he won in battle.
Judges 11:35 (KJV)
And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.
Jonathan said his father, Saul had troubled the land with unreasonable and uncharitable orders upon his soldiers.
1 Samuel 14:29 (KJV)
Then said Jonathan, My father hath troubled the land: see, I pray you, how mine eyes have been enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey.
Ahab accused Elijah of troubling Israel. Elijah replied that it was not him but King Ahab who had caused the trouble.
1 Kings 18:17-18 (KJV)
And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.
I said last week that I would limit this series of messages to people who were of sinful character, and not had just committed a sin.
When we think of Achan, we think of his notable crime, he stole, “of the accursed thing.”
The thing is, when Achan was executed for the crime, his family was executed with him.
It’s one of those events in the Word of God that puzzles a lot of people because it seems extreme and cruel.
I suggest to you that the execution of his family with him implies:
· Achan’s troubling involved more than this incident and that
· Achan’s character was learned by his family
I. HIS NAME MEANS TROUBLE
Whether that was prophetic, or a name given to him after people recognized this character in him, I don’t know.
I do know that in those days a person’s name was almost always given on purpose.
They didn’t look through books to find names they liked.
They named their children to mark a significant event, or to remind them of a truth.
Each of Jacob’s sons was specifically named to describe his mother’s emotions at the moment.[6]
I propose that Achan was known for causing trouble, for stirring the pot.
Achan may not have been the man who was in the fight, but he was very likely the guy who caused it.
Some people just like to stir up trouble.
They hear something, tell it to someone they know will get upset about it, and when the fur stars to fly – they sit back, smile and say, “Hey I’m not the one swinging fists.” That might be true, but they sure enjoyed stirring things up to a fighting fervor.
The Bible also calls them a meddler
Proverbs 17:14 (KJV)
The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with.
Notice the reference to water, as in stirring up the pot.
Proverbs 26:17 (KJV)
He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.
A troubler, a meddler, will sooner or later get himself bit.
Not only does the name Achan mean troubler,
II. HE IS CALLED THE TROUBLER
1 Chronicles 2:7 (KJV)
And the sons of Carmi; Achar[7], the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing accursed.
· It’s his name and
· It’s his reputation
The specific incident goes like this
A. God said that everything in Jericho was to be dedicated as a sacrifice to God
Joshua 6:17-19 (KJV)
And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.
And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.
But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.
People take things from church all the time.
For some reason we can’t keep an extension cord.
Never have as long as I’ve been here.
People get into the refrigerator like they are at their parent’s house.
I wonder if they have withheld the blessings of God upon themselves and us because of it?
B. Achan took of those things in Jericho and hid them in his tent
Joshua 7:19-22 (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.
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 it.
So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.
It doesn’t say so, but the context certainly implies that his family was privy to what he had done.
C. Israel was defeated at Ai. God attributed the loss to the theft of the accursed thing
Joshua 7:5-12 (KJV)
And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.
And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.
And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!
O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!
For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?
And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?
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.
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.
Men died:
· Wives lost their husbands
· Moms and dads were grieving
· Little children had lost their father
All because Achan saw a few valuables and stole them from God.
D. Achan (and his family) “forced” Joshua to find him before he confessed
Joshua 7:14-19 (KJV)
In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the LORD taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the LORD shall take shall come by households; and the household which the LORD shall take shall come man by man.
And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.
So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken:
And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken:
And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.
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.
· They didn’t confess anything.
· They were caught so they were trying to work out the best deal with the prosecutor.
Then look at this,
III. HE WAS BURIED IN A PLACE OF TROUBLE
Joshua 7:22-26 (KJV)
So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.
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 had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.
And Joshua said, Why hast 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. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto thisday.
I don’t know if they named the valley after him or if they buried him there because it was a fitting final place.
I read that what they would do is that, even years after the fact, people would walk by this type of grave and add a rock to the pile to remind themselves of the reason this grave existed, and as a deterrent of others committing the same offenses.
Conclusion
A troubler is a selfish person.
Whether they are
· cruel,
· disloyal,
· greedy or just plain
· disobedient
They are also thoughtless, uncaring and negligent of others.
It’s probably inherent in all of us to some degree, but it is most often a learned characteristic.
As I think is the case of Achan’s family – they learned to be troublers from the head of their home.
The troubler should be
Warned
Proverbs 26:17 (KJV)
He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.
Avoided
Proverbs 20:19 (KJV)
He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.
Disciplined
2 Kings 14:10 (KJV)
Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, and thine heart hath lifted thee up: glory of this, and tarry at home: for why shouldest thou meddle to thy hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?
And every one of us ought to symbolically pick up a stone tonight and place it on the altar of our own “troubling” character so that we remember how much it hurts:
· Ourselves,
· Our family and
· Our church
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