Misunderstood Bible Character: Achan the Provider

I’ve been leading my church’s Bible Study in the book of Joshua lately. And unless you’ve also been reading it, you might miss a guy named Achan in the middle of Joshua 7—a man who tried to provide for himself.

At this point in the narrative, the Israelites are no longer floundering in the wilderness, and have started entering the promised land of Canaan. But they grumbled. So instead of God gifting the land to the Israelites, they now needed to faithfully fight and work for it. In other words, this was going to take effort.

Up until Joshua 7, the people continually depend upon God. Again and again, God reminds His people through Joshua to be strong and courageous (Joshua 1). Rahab protects Israelite spies sent into Jericho (Joshua 2). God’s people cross the Jordan river on dry ground (Joshua 3, echoing the parting of the Red Sea in Exodus 14). The twelve tribes commemorate this miracle (Joshua 4). The people are circumcised and take time to heal. The commander of the Lord’s army visits Joshua and directs him to take off his sandals (Joshua 5). Finally, God collapses the walls of Jericho, sparing nothing and no one except for Rahab’s family (Joshua 6).

We read in Joshua 6:17–19:

¹⁷ The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. ¹⁸ But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. ¹⁹ All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.”

And then in comes Achan from the tribe of Judah, who steals a beautiful robe, 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold.

When I come to this part of the chapter, I feel torn in two different directions.
1. Achan has violated God’s covenant with the people, and this will end in destruction.
I wonder: Why would someone who’s had to personally and communally rely on the God of the universe so much defy Him?
2. Perhaps Achan wasn’t simply being greedy and had convinced himself he was looking after his family, securing resources.
I wonder: Are we not all tempted to do this?

I don’t even like driving to new places without having my GPS tell me exactly where to go, extra supplies in the car in case I need them, and a snack and water bottle tucked away. And that’s me in a world where resources are reasonably accessible. I do this because I know what it’s like to get stuck behind unexpected traffic, road closures, or accidents. I’ve spilled stuff on my clothes and needed to change, and I’ve been out longer than I expected.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be prepared. But there is something wrong with taking what’s not yours because you’re afraid God won’t provide what you need. Packing a water bottle isn’t the same thing as stealing your neighbour’s groceries because you’re afraid you’ll be hungry someday.

Every major event leading to Joshua 7 says the same thing:

God provides.

And yet, much like Achan, we tend to forget that. Sometimes we overwork because we’re afraid God won’t provide security, or compromise our integrity because we’re afraid God won’t provide opportunities. Sometimes we cling to the wrong people because we’re afraid God won’t provide companionship.

In other words, we cling to control because we don’t trust. The problem isn’t preparation. The problem is believing we have to become our own provider.

So what can trust look like? It can look like following God’s commands for rest (Sabbath) so we don’t overwork. It can look like standing firm in our convictions because we know God will open the right doors. Sometimes it can look like standing alone because we trust God will provide the right companionship.

And how do we trust? We trust by remembering how God has shown up in the past.

It sounds simple, but I know it’s very difficult. That’s why we remember. The God who provided for Israel is still faithful to provide for us.