Achor

 

    Achor was a valley named by the Israelites that means "trouble" or "disaster".  It was named and arranged to be a memorial.  It is a place to remember as a warning since it is heaped with stones.

    The Israelites were unfaithful to God when it came to physical things.  They put preference of a comfortable life over following God.  This made God angry because He gave them their comforts and they turned them into idols.  

    The church was acting independently from God.  The leadership matters because they can lead the people astray or bring them to God.  There were only a few that went astray, but it affected the whole Israel nation.  

    Joshua was the national leader at the time.  He had no idea why they lost their battle.  They were unstoppable because God was always with them.  Why did God abandon them now?  He mourned over the loss.  Fear and doubt entered his mind for the first time.  He didn't know what to expect to happen next.  

    God ordered Joshua to face Israel's sin.  They were responsible for their own destruction.  They needed to be consecrated and rededicated to God to become victorious once again.  Clan by clan they had to face Joshua and all the items taken were to be burned for violating the covenant with God.  Achan and his family had to face the full consequences of his decision.  Even his animals were killed and burned with the family for bringing death and disaster upon the nation.  Then they were buried under rocks.  The location was named the Valley of Achor.  This is what it took to take God's anger away from His nation.

    God is always present.  He calls on His nation as He sees fit.  He expects those that He calls to step up and obey.  He deals with obstinate and proud people every day.    They will be judged for their attitudes and actions.  People defile His land, His world, like it doesn't have any value.  All life has value.  

    The only reason God does not wipe people off  the face of the earth is because of His Word.  He wants good for us, but people take it too far and defile what is God's.  It is an insult to the creator of life.  Life is a gift that we should value.  We are meant to seek Him in gratitude, not ignore Him and pretend that He had no part in life.  

    The Valley of Achor is for death.  It is the last place to go to seek God before it is too late.  It represents the final judgment if you reject Him.  It is a place of evil because it represents a empty, meaningless, unfulfilled life of anguishing and broken hearts.  God's truth leads to blessings: eternal life, joy, gratitude, delight in life, and more.  Rejection leads to curses.  With God there is no room for Satan.  Without God there is nothing satisfactory in life.

Joshua 7 & Isaiah 65