As Christ at His ascension appeared in the presence of God
to plead His blood in behalf of penitent believers, so the priest in
the daily ministration sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice in the
holy place in the sinner’s behalf. The blood of Christ, while it was
to release the repentant sinner from the condemnation of the law,
was not to cancel the sin; it would stand on record in the sanctu-
ary until the final atonement; so in the type the blood of the sin
offering removed the sin from the penitent, but it rested in the
sanctuary until the Day of Atonement.
In the great day of final award, the dead are to be “judged
out of those things which were written in the books, according to
their works.” Revelation 20:12. Then by virtue of the atoning
blood of Christ, the sins of all the truly penitent will be blotted
from the books of heaven. Thus the sanctuary will be freed, or
cleansed, from the record of sin. In the type, this great work of
atonement, or blotting out of sins, was represented by the ser-
vices of the Day of Atonement—the cleansing of the earthly
sanctuary, which was accomplished by the removal, by virtue of
the blood of the sin offering, of the sins by which it had been
As in the final atonement the sins of the truly penitent are to
be blotted from the records of heaven, no more to be remembered
or come into mind, so in the type they were borne away into the
wilderness, forever separated from the congregation.
Since Satan is the originator of sin, the direct instigator of all
the sins that caused the death of the Son of God, justice de-
mands that Satan shall suffer the final punishment. Christ’s work
for the redemption of men and the purification of the universe
from sin will be closed by the removal of sin from the heavenly
sanctuary and the placing of these sins upon Satan, who will
bear the final penalty. So in the typical service, the yearly round
of ministration closed with the purification of the sanctuary, and
the confessing of the sins on the head of the scapegoat.
Thus in the ministration of the tabernacle, and of the temple
that afterward took its place, the people were taught each day the
great truths relative to Christ’s death and ministration, and once
each year their minds were carried forward to the closing events
of the great controversy between Christ and Satan, the final
purification of the universe from sin and sinners.
Patriarchs and Prophets
The deadly sin that led to Achan’s ruin had its root in covet-
ousness, of all sins one of the most common and the most lightly
regarded. While other offenses meet with detection and punish-
ment, how rarely does the violation of the tenth commandment
so much as call forth censure. The enormity of this sin, and its
terrible results, are the lessons of Achan’s history.
Covetousness is an evil of gradual development. Achan had
cherished greed of gain until it became a habit, binding him in
fetters well-nigh impossible to break. While fostering this evil, he
would have been filled with horror at the thought of bringing
disaster upon Israel; but his perceptions were deadened by sin,
and when temptation came, he fell an easy prey.
Are not similar sins still committed, in the face of warnings
as solemn and explicit? We are as directly forbidden to indulge
covetousness as was Achan to appropriate the spoils of Jericho.
God has declared it to be idolatry. We are warned, “Ye cannot
serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24. “Take heed, and beware
of covetousness.” Luke 12:15. “Let it not be once named among
you.” Ephesians 5:3. We have before us the fearful doom of
Achan, of Judas, of Ananias and Sapphira. Back of all these we
have that of Lucifer, the “son of the morning,” who, coveting a
higher state, forfeited forever the brightness and bliss of heaven.
And yet, notwithstanding all these warnings, covetousness
Everywhere its slimy track is seen. It creates discontent and
dissension in families; it excites envy and hatred in the poor
against the rich; it prompts the grinding oppression of the rich
toward the poor. And this evil exists not in the world alone, but in
the church. How common even here to find selfishness, avarice,
overreaching, neglect of charities, and robbery of God “in tithes
and offerings.” Among church members “in good and regular
standing” there are, alas! many Achans. Many a man comes
statedly to church, and sits at the table of the Lord, while among
his possessions are hidden unlawful gains, the things that God
has cursed. For a goodly Babylonish garment, multitudes sacri-
fice the approval of conscience and their hope of heaven. Multi-
tudes barter their integrity, and their capabilities for usefulness,
for a bag of silver shekels. The cries of the suffering poor are
unheeded; the gospel light is hindered in its course; the scorn of
worldlings is kindled by practices that give the lie to the Chris-
tian profession; and yet the covetous professor continues to
heap up treasures. “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed Me”
(Malachi 3:8), saith the Lord.
Achan’s sin brought disaster upon the whole nation. For
one man’s sin the displeasure of God will rest upon His church till
the transgression is searched out and put away. The influence
most to be feared by the church is not that of open opposers,
infidels, and blasphemers, but of inconsistent professors of Christ.
These are the ones that keep back the blessing of the God of
Israel and bring weakness upon His people.
When the church is in difficulty, when coldness and spiri-
tual declension exist, giving occasion for the enemies of God to
triumph, then, instead of folding their hands and lamenting their
unhappy state, let its members inquire if there is not an Achan in
the camp. With humiliation and searching of heart, let each seek
to discover the hidden sins that shut out God’s presence.
Achan acknowledged his guilt, but when it was too late for
the confession to benefit himself. He had seen the armies of
Israel return from Ai defeated and disheartened; yet he did not
come forward and confess his sin. He had seen Joshua and the
elders of Israel bowed to the earth in grief too great for words.
Had he then made confession, he would have given some proof
of true penitence; but he still kept silence. He had listened to the
proclamation that a great crime had been committed, and had
even heard its character definitely stated. But his lips were sealed.
Then came the solemn investigation. How his soul thrilled
with terror as he saw his tribe pointed out, then his family and his
household! But still he uttered no confession, until the finger of
God was placed upon him. Then, when his sin could no longer
be concealed, he admitted the truth.
How often are similar confessions made. There is a vast
difference between admitting facts after they have been proved
and confessing sins known only to ourselves and to God. Achan
would not have confessed had he not hoped by so doing to
avert the consequences of his crime. But his confession only
served to show that his punishment was just. There was no
genuine repentance for sin, no contrition, no change of purpose,
no abhorrence of evil. So confessions will be made by the guilty
when they stand before the bar of God, after every case has been
decided for life or death. The consequences to result to himself
will draw from each an acknowledgment of his sin. It will be
forced from the soul by an awful sense of condemnation and a
fearful looking for of judgment. But such confessions cannot
So long as they can conceal their transgressions from their
fellow men, many, like Achan, feel secure, and flatter themselves
that God will not be strict to mark iniquity. All too late their sins
will find them out in that day when they shall not be purged with
sacrifice or offering forever. When the records of heaven shall be
opened, the Judge will not in words declare to man his guilt, but
will cast one penetrating, convicting glance, and every deed,
every transaction of life, will be vividly impressed upon the
memory of the wrongdoer. The person will not, as in Joshua’s
day, need to be hunted out from tribe to family, but his own lips
will confess his shame. The sins hidden from the knowledge of
men will then be proclaimed to the whole world.
How will the Righteous fair in the Judgement? How will the Wicked fair in the Judgement?
“Whosoever committeth sin, transgresseth also the law;
for sin is the transgression of the law.”
“But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are
convinced of the law as transgressors . . For He that said [mar-
gin, that law which said], Do not commit adultery, said also, Do
not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou (till, thou art
become a transgressor of the law.” James 2:9, 11.
“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be
in His sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”
“I had not known sin, but by the law; for I had not known
except the law had said, Thou shaft not covet” Romans
“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may
Acts 3:19 CONFESSION OF SIN-2
“When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roar-
ing all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon
me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer.”
Psalm
32:3-4.
“I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have
I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord;
and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.”
Psalm 32:5.
“If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ the righteous.”
1 John 2:1.
“And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants
unto the Lord thy God, that we die not; for we have added unto all
our sins this evil, to ask us a king.” 1 Samuel 12:19.
“Have mercy upon me, 0 God, according to Thy loving kindness:
according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot
out my transgressions.”
Psalm 51:1.
“For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall
bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every
one of us shall give account of himself to God.” Romans 14 11-12. |
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