The Cost of Hidden Sin (Help, Grace, and Encouragement to Stop Sinning, Post #2)

Since the Garden of Eden, people have been trying to hide their sin. When the pull of temptation is strong, and we are considering doing something wrong, we often think about whether we will be caught. In many cases we make efforts and take precautions so that our sin will remain hidden from others.

Achan’s Sin

In the seventh chapter of Joshua we find a story about hidden sin. It is a story with a purpose. It is intended to warn us that hidden sin comes with terrible costs. Remembering this story can help us to resist the temptation by freeing us from the false hope that if we hide our sin it will not cause problems.

Israel was getting ready for their first big conquest in the promised land. They were going up against the city of Jericho. Later, God would allow the Israelites to keep some of the goods from the nations they defeated in war. But in this first battle, where God would give them a miraculous victory, God demanded that all the silver, gold, and other goods that were not burned were to go into the Lord’s treasury.

After the walls fell and Jericho was utterly destroyed, an Israelite named Achan saw some silver and gold. He coveted it and he took it. He hid it under his tent and apparently thought that since it was hidden everything would be alright. He was wrong.

Achan’s Mistake

The mistake Achan made is the same mistake that billions of sinners have made. He was worried about hiding his sin from people. He forgot that he could not hide his sin from God. No one can. In all the history of mankind not a single sin has ever been hidden from the One who matter most, the One who hates sin, and the One who loves us too much to let us get away with sinning. Consider, meditate on, and remember these truths from God’s Word:

NIV Psalm 90:8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.

NIV Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

NIV Hebrews 4:13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Our Hidden Sins Hurt Other People, Even if They Don’t Know About Our Sin

After Achan hid the gold and silver he took, part of the Israelite army goes to attack a much smaller city near Jericho. Unexpectedly, the small city of Ai defeats the Israelites, killing about 36 of them and forcing the rest to flee in retreat. When Joshua hears about this defeat he falls facedown before God desperately seeking to understand why they were defeated.

God tells Joshua that they were defeated because there is hidden sin among the people.

One of the most terrible things about sin is that it hurts other people. This is obvious when a sin like robbery, slander, or murder is committed. But it turns out that even hidden sins which from a human point of view seem like they should hurt no one else do in fact impact other people. In the case of Achan, his hidden sin resulted in around 36 deaths. How many women became widows and how many children lost their fathers?

I wonder if many churches, ministries, and families are not suffering in many ways because of hidden sin.

And then, of course, Achan’s sin did not remain hidden. Sin never does. Some sins may be hidden in this life, but judgment day is coming when nothing will be hidden. Achan did pay for his sin. Every sin in the history of the world will be paid for. Either by the sinner, or, by God’s amazing grace, by the sacrifice Christ made on the cross.

May God remind us of this when we are tempted to think we can hide our sin.

We have to remember that God designed us so that we all affect each other. This design is beautiful when it is used the way God intended. Instead of hidden sin hurting our families and churches, our closet prayers can bring them blessing. Good deeds done in Christ which are seen by no person nevertheless are used by God to bless others. We are made in God’s image, which means we are made to love, which means we are made to be in relationships with others where we can either cause them harm or bring them blessing and joy.

Grace

God is full of grace and mercy. He is willing to forgive us for all our sins.

NIV 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 Jn. 1:9 NIV)

Not only that. God is willing to do what we cannot do. He is willing to repair and restore what has been damaged by sin. In Joel, God sends an army of locusts because of the sins of the people. In the judgment there is a call to repentance:

Joel 2:12 "Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning."

 13 Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.

Then God does something amazing. Even though the locusts came as a just punishment for the sins of the  people, God graciously restores what the locusts ate and blesses the people again:

Joel 2:25 "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten-- the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm-- my great army that I sent among you.

 26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed.

 27 Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the LORD your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed.

Yes, our sins are more terrible than we realize. But God’s grace is more amazing and His mercies are new every day and His love is mighty to save. He washes away our shame. Confess and turn from your hidden sins. Expect God’s grace and mercy to flow.

Hebrews 13:16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others . . .