What was the sin of Achan?

As an expert in biblical studies, I can provide you with an analysis of the sin of Achan as depicted in the Book of Joshua. The story of Achan is found in Joshua 7, where he is portrayed as a figure who disobeys a divine command and brings about a curse upon the Israelites. The Sin of Achan: A Biblical Perspective The Book of Joshua tells the story of the Israelites' conquest of Canaan, a land promised to them by God. Joshua, as the successor to Moses, leads the people into this new land. One of the key events in this narrative is the capture of Jericho, a city that falls after the Israelites march around its walls and the walls collapse (Joshua 6). After the fall of Jericho, Joshua issues a command that everything in the city is to be "devoted to the Lord" and is therefore "accursed" (Joshua 7:1). This means that nothing is to be taken for personal use; all the spoils, including gold, silver, and other valuable items, are to be consecrated to God and placed in the treasury. Achan, however, disobeys this command. He is described as seeing "among the spoils of Jericho a goodly Babylonian garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, and coveted them, and took them" (Joshua 7:21). This act of theft and disobedience is considered a grave sin because it violates a direct command from God, conveyed through Joshua. The consequences of Achan's sin are severe. The Israelites are then defeated in their next battle at Ai, which is a shock to them as they had previously been victorious (Joshua 7:4-5). The defeat is attributed to Achan's sin, which has brought a curse upon the people. The narrative makes it clear that the sin of Achan is not just a personal transgression but has communal repercussions. Joshua prays to God, seeking understanding for the defeat, and God responds by telling him that there is guilt within the camp, specifically someone who has stolen from the accursed items (Joshua 7:10-15). Achan is eventually discovered through a process of elimination, where God instructs Joshua to identify the guilty party tribe by tribe, family by family, and finally, individual by individual (Joshua 7:16-18). Once Achan is identified, he confesses his sin, and the stolen items are recovered from his tent (Joshua 7:19-21). The punishment for Achan's sin is severe; he and his entire family are stoned to death, and the stolen items are burned along with them (Joshua 7:24-25). This act is seen as a way to remove the sin and the curse from the Israelite community. The story of Achan serves as a warning about the consequences of disobedience and the importance of respecting the things that are consecrated to God. It also highlights the collective nature of sin and its impact on the community, as well as the necessity of confession and atonement. In conclusion, the sin of Achan was a direct violation of a divine command, which had dire consequences for the Israelites. His act of coveting and stealing from the spoils of Jericho led to a military defeat and a divine curse, which was only lifted after Achan's confession and the execution of the punishment. The story underscores the importance of obedience to God's commands and the serious nature of sin within a covenantal community.

According to the narrative of Joshua chapter 7, Achan pillaged an ingot of gold, a quantity of silver, and a "beautiful Babylonian garment" from Jericho, in contravention of Joshua's directive that "all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the Lord: they shall come into the treasury ...