EXPLORE THE TEXT
We should acknowledge that God is always aware of our sins.
16 Joshua got up early the next morning. He had Israel come forward tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was selected. 17 He had the clans of Judah come forward, and the Zerahite clan was selected. He had the Zerahite clan come forward by heads of families, and Zabdi was selected. 18 He then had Zabdi’s family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was selected. 19 So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and make a confession to him. I urge you, tell me what you have done. Don’t hide anything from me.”
Summarize the process through which God led Joshua to identify Achan:
“Joshua had the tribes of Israel come forward as the Lord instructed. As he did, the Lord selected the tribe of Judah. Next, the Lord selected the Zerahite clan. Then, the Lord selected the family of Zabdi. Finally, Achan was selected. It was essential the people witnessed that it was the Lord who was making the selections, just as He said He would in verses 13-15.” (PSG, p. 51)
Lead the group to discuss how long this process may have taken and how Achan may have felt during the process. Lead the group to discuss the different ways Achan could have responded to Joshua in verse 19.
Joshua spoke to Achan as a father. He challenged Achan to stop the charade and to come clean before God. His confession would bring glory to God, while hiding his sin was futile.