Tuesday - November 4, 2025
Fateful Choices - Discovering the Transgressor {Joshua 7:14-19}
Joshua 7:19-21; Ps. 26:7, Isa. 51:3, Jer. 17:26; Ezra 10:11; Num. 15:27-31; Joshua 7:21; Gen. 3:6. Josh. 2:1-13; Luke 12:15.
“In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe the Lord chooses shall come forward clan by clan; the clan the Lord chooses shall come forward family by family; and the family the Lord chooses shall come forward man by man.” (Joshua 7:14)
The Divine Investigation — God’s Method of Discovering the Guilty
After Israel’s defeat at Ai, God instructed Joshua to gather all the tribes “in the morning” for an investigative process designed to expose the hidden sin in the camp. The method was both orderly and divine—not a human inquisition, but a spiritual selection by the Lord Himself.
Each tribe, family, and household was brought before God’s presence until the guilty individual was singled out. This process teaches that God’s judgments are always just, specific, and transparent. He never condemns collectively without first revealing the guilty.
“God’s eye does not slumber nor sleep. Nothing is hidden from His all-seeing eye; every sin is brought to light in His own appointed time.” — Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 496.
This principle reflects a prophetic antitype in the investigative judgment, where every soul is examined before divine justice is executed. In type, Achan’s exposure was through the lot; in antitype, it is by the books of heaven (Dan. 7:10; Rev. 20:12). Both symbolize God’s precise and impartial administration.
The Morning of Investigation — A Symbol of Judgment Among the Living
The command to “come in the morning” is significant. Biblically, morning symbolizes light, revelation, and judgment (cf. Ps. 46:5; Zeph. 3:5). The Lord was about to shine the light of truth upon the darkness of sin.
“Every morning doth He bring His judgment to light, He faileth not.” — Zephaniah 3:5.
Prophetically, this prefigures the investigative judgment of the living—when, under the light of advancing truth, the Spirit of God exposes the hidden sins of the professed people of God. Just as Joshua gathered the tribes, so Christ, the antitypical Joshua, is soon to gather His church for purification.
“The work of separating the wheat from the tares, the good from the bad, is a work which will be accomplished in the church before the close of probation.” — Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 122.
“The ancient example of Achan’s detection and punishment is a type of the purification of the church. When the investigative judgment of the living begins, the Lord Himself will search out every hidden sin.” — SRod, Vol. 2, p. 165.
Thus, the “morning” of Joshua’s investigation foreshadows the daybreak of divine judgment soon to dawn upon modern Israel—the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
The Search that Reveals the Heart — The All-Seeing Eye of God
In the process of discovering Achan, the Lord moved step by step—from tribe to clan, from clan to family, from family to individual. This shows that no heart is beyond divine scrutiny.
“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth…” — 2 Chron. 16:9.
“The Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts.” — 1 Chron. 28:9.
This divine searching corresponds with Psalm 139:1–16, where David confesses that no thought or action can be hidden from God. The process is not arbitrary; it is investigative, moral, and redemptive. Before judgment, there is always a divine disclosure—a revealing of truth that leads either to confession or condemnation.
“God will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing.” — Eccl. 12:14.
Fateful Choices — The Root of Transgression
Achan’s sin began long before his theft. Joshua 7:21 records his confession:
“When I saw… I coveted… and took… and hid.”
These four verbs trace the anatomy of sin:
“I saw” — the temptation (the eye’s fascination with forbidden things, cf. Gen. 3:6).
“I coveted” — the inward consent of desire (cf. Luke 12:15).
“I took” — the outward act of disobedience.
“I hid” — the attempt to conceal sin.
This pattern echoes Eve’s transgression in Eden (Gen. 3:6) and is repeated in every age. Covetousness, the root of Achan’s sin, is the invisible idolatry that robs the soul of God’s presence.
“Let your life be free from covetousness.” — Heb. 13:5.
“Achan’s covetousness was the first link in a chain of rebellion and death.” — PP 496.
Spiritually, this sin represents selfish ambition in the church—worldliness disguised under the cloak of religion. The fateful choice of Achan was not only material greed but spiritual pride, a refusal to trust God’s providence and honor His covenant.
Confession and Restoration — The Gospel Principle
When Achan was finally confronted, Joshua urged him:
“My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto Him.” — Joshua 7:19.
To “give glory to God” means to acknowledge His justice and truth even in judgment (cf. Rev. 14:7). Joshua’s appeal reveals God’s mercy even toward the guilty — offering confession before execution.
“The confession of sin, whether public or private, should be heartfelt and freely expressed. It is not to be wrung from the sinner by fear of exposure.” — Steps to Christ, p. 38.
“True confession is always of a specific character and acknowledges particular sins.” — Steps to Christ, p. 39.
The call for confession echoes Ezra 10:11:
“Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers, and do His pleasure; and separate yourselves from the people of the land.”
Thus, even in judgment, God seeks repentance. His desire is not destruction, but purification.
The Contrast — Rahab and Achan: Two Choices, Two Fates
Remarkably, the story of Rahab (Joshua 2) stands in prophetic contrast to Achan.
Rahab, a Canaanite harlot, believed and was saved.
Achan, a Hebrew from Judah, disbelieved and perished.
This paradox reveals that membership in God’s people is not enough; obedience and faith are required. Rahab’s faith in the scarlet cord (symbol of Christ’s blood) brought salvation, while Achan’s distrust and covetousness brought death.
“In the closing work for the church, the same test will come. Those who hide sin will perish; those who confess and cling to Christ will be saved.” — SRod, Vol. 1, p. 42.
The “fateful choice” is between self-exaltation and surrender, between Rahab’s faith and Achan’s deceit, between the scarlet cord of mercy and the golden wedge of covetousness.
The Prophetic Parallel — Judgment Within the Church
The uncovering of Achan’s sin portrays the judgment of the living within the house of God (1 Pet. 4:17). The step-by-step divine process reveals that the Lord will personally direct the purification of His church.
“As in the days of Joshua, so in the closing work for the church, when sin and sinners are removed, the people of God will once again go forward conquering and to conquer.” — 1TG 45:4.
The “tribe by tribe” selection represents the sequential, organized examination of the church. Each “tribe” symbolizes a section or division within modern Israel, brought under divine scrutiny. When the investigative process is complete, every secret will be exposed, and only the pure in heart will remain to proclaim the Loud Cry.
Lessons for the End-Time Church
God investigates before He executes. Justice in heaven is transparent and measured.
Sin begins with desire. The battle is won or lost in the heart before the act.
Confession glorifies God. True repentance vindicates divine justice.
Faith transcends heritage. Like Rahab, those who believe will be grafted into God’s covenant, while unfaithful “Achans” will be cut off.
Purification precedes power. God cannot entrust His Spirit to a polluted camp.
Consider the Following
Discovering the transgressor (Joshua 7:14-19)
❖ To remove corporate sin (the guilt of the entire people), the sinner had to be eliminated (Josh. 7:15). Eliminated? Wouldn't he be forgiven if he repented? Of course he would! But Achan showed no sign of sincere repentance (and he had plenty of opportunities to do so).
— The investigation was announced and postponed until the next day (Josh. 7:14-15). Achan fell silent.
— The tribe of Judah was taken (Josh. 7:16). Achan fell silent.
— The family of Zerah was taken (Josh. 7:17a). Achan fell silent.
— The leader Zabdi was taken (Josh. 7:17b). Achan fell silent.
— Achan was taken (Josh. 7:18). Achan fell silent.
❖ Reflecting divine kindness and love, Joshua asked Achan to confess his sin (Josh. 7:19).
❖ Achan's case was lost. He confessed, but he didn't ask for forgiveness (Josh. 7:20). Yet God mourned over his hardness of heart, demonstrated in every call to repentance.
Conclusion — The Morning of Discovery and the Day of Decision
The discovery of Achan was not to humiliate Israel but to restore God’s favor. Likewise, the coming judgment within the church will not destroy the plan of redemption but vindicate it. It is both an act of justice and mercy—to cleanse, awaken, and prepare a pure people for the closing work.
“Only those who sigh and cry for the abominations done in the church will receive the mark of deliverance. Others, though professing the truth, will be left to perish with their idols.” — SRod, Vol. 1, p. 37; Ezek. 9:4–6.
When the fateful morning comes, each soul will stand “man by man” before the Lord. Every hidden thing will be revealed, and the choice that determines eternal destiny will be made manifest.
“In the morning of divine judgment, each tribe, family, and soul shall stand before God. The sin that has been hidden will be revealed. Then will it be seen that the secret choice of the heart determines eternal destiny — either with Achan in destruction, or with Rahab in redemption.” — Adapted from PP 496; SRod, Vol. 2, p. 165.
