 DANGER OF A HIDDEN SIN TO
A COMMUNITY
How easily
spiritual "bumps" can develop in the life of a Christian! Unconfessed sin in the heart is like rust on the steel
belts. At first, nothing appears to be wrong, and we may even consider it of no consequence. But our love for the LORD dwindles;
interest in God's Word declines; prayer becomes less important. Soon spiritual progress comes to a bumping halt.
The Valley
of Achor, which is southwest of Jericho, has always recalled thoughts of trouble in the minds of Israel. An Israelite father
telling his children about the Valley of Achor would automatically lower his voice to a whisper, for the name Achor means
valley of turmoil, misfortune, trouble!
Do you remember what happened there? Israel was at the border of the Promised
Land. By the grace and power of God she had just conquered Jericho. In giving them this city the LORD had one request: just
as He wanted the first fruits of the harvest, so He also wanted the first of the cities of Canaan for Himself. Jericho and
her riches were to be devoted to the LORD – the city was to be destroyed and burned and her riches were to go either
into a great bonfire or into the treasury. But there was one man, Achan, who coveted the riches of Jericho and took some of
the wealth for himself. With his greedy hands he secretly seized silver, gold, and a beautiful robe from Babylonia and hid
them in his tent. No one would know!
That was a hidden sin on Achan's part. It was a serious offense not because
anyone was hurt by it but because he was stealing from God. You see, that was the LORD's wealth in Jericho. It was devoted
to the LORD. It belonged to the LORD and was not meant to be used by and for anyone except the LORD. Achan stole from God.
Hidden or secret sin is very deadly in its effects. We see this in the church of Corinth. Many in the church became
weak and sick and some even died because members did not repent of sin and ended up eating and drinking judgment upon themselves
(1 Cor 11:29f). We certainly see this in the case of Israel and Achan. Mighty Jericho fell without a single drop of Israelite
blood being shed. Yet, Israel suffered a stunning defeat when the weak city of Ai was attacked; thirty-six Israelites were
killed and many others were wounded.
The reason for the defeat is obvious to us. Israel could not move ahead as
a victorious army as long as the hidden evil continued and Achan lived on among the people as a hidden source of corruption.
Likewise, the church of the LORD will never win any battles as long as she is consumed from within by evil that festers like
an infected wound. The defeats of the church are due to her hidden sins, sins that are not confessed and abandoned.
It makes no difference what name we give to the evil we fail to combat and root out. It could be anything. It could be theft,
slander, quarreling, adultery, unchastity, divorce, covetousness. As long as it remains and is tolerated, the church will
suffer defeat after defeat. The church will have no victories over the world to boast over as long as she has no victories
over the sins of the flesh. The church will have no power if she harbors an Achan in her midst. She cannot march victorious
behind her King. She will be defeated and scorned.
Hidden sin is like nails, which
were concealed within a tree in our back yard. The nails had been there for years since somebody had left them nailed there.
The tree had grown over the nails. But when the tree was felled and later split for firewood, the nails were exposed! The
light of the Holy Spirit exposes hidden sin in the heart, and the blood of the Lord Jesus is able to cleanse from all unrighteousness.
Rev. L. Enderby
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THANK GOD FOR THE NATHANS
Official reports of the battle said that the siege had
not been successful but was still under way. Then stories of that day began to circulate in Jerusalem as some of those wounded
returned home. Their reports did not correspond to those issued from the palace. After having the city under siege for weeks,
why on that day did the general in charge order just a few troops up near the wall where they were particularly vulnerable
to arrows from the top? And why then did the general in charge order them to withdraw from around Uriah, leaving him alone?
Of course he was killed. Was it a stupid tactical blunder on the part of the high command? Or, was it murder?
A
commission must have been set to investigate As the details, began to leak out of the palace, the picture changes. Bathsheba is pregnant by the king, and
was so before the death of her husband in battle. She had no choice in the matter. The king wanted her. He had the power to
take her, and he did. King David, on the other hand, did have a choice. He could have left her alone. But he didn't. When
he learned she was pregnant, he compounded adultery with the murder of her husband.
Then, the prophet Nathan came to the palace.
He had access to the king because he was also David's good friend. Pleasantries were brief as Nathan quickly got to the
purpose of his visit. He presented a legal case to the king in which a rich man first lavishly entertained a poor man, then
took away the man's one and only lamb. David was enraged and announced that the rich man deserved to die.
Then,
courageously, Nathan confronted the king with his crime: "You are the man!" David could easily see the sin in the
man of Nathan's story but he could not see the sin in himself; it took a direct accusation by Nathan.
Because
we are often blind from our on faults, we need to be thankful for friends like Nathan. These people are caring enough
to bring our faults to our attention and courageous enough to challenge our conduct. We also need to be like David. Open to
the constructive criticism of others and not so blind as to fail to see our faults when pointed out by others.
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