J7-4: The REAL REASON Why God Holds The Whole Group Accountable For The Sin Of One Man

So why was the entire nation of Israel also blamed for Achan’s crime?

Was it because God viewed everyone else as equally guilty as Achan?

The answer is no.

Or was it because God viewed the people as accessories who somehow teamed up with Achan when he stole holy property?

Again, the answer is no.

The answer is that Achan had not only robbed God, but through his theft he had also robbed the people of Israel of their holiness.

His act had contaminated the purity of the entire body.

When such a thing happens, it is the group’s responsibility to find the trespasser and bring him to justice.

Again exposes just how ridiculous it is when the church says things like…

” Boy, aren’t you glad that our loving Father in heaven doesn’t demand this severe justice from us anymore?”

I sure wince whenever I hear something like that.

Here’s an important distinction you have to make.

There’s a huge difference between bearing the guilt of the sins of your father (or any other person for that matter) AND…

…bearing the collective consequences that comes from another person’s sin.

For example, if you come from a nation that is famous for having a lot of criminals, like it or not, you’ll carry that stigma wherever else you go in the world, even if you yourself would never hurt a fly.

It’s just like the negative and unfair stereotype that all Muslims are terrorists and suicide bombers which is obviously not true.

The takeaway here is obvious.

The group, whether it be a family, nation, or a congregation, will bear the collective burden of one person’s sin.

Heck, that’s kind of what the gospel message is all about if you think about it.

“ For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Messiah Yeshua, overflow to the many!“-Romans 5:12

There are two other important takeaways here I would be remiss not to mention.

First, notice how ridiculous it is to think you can do things in secret, outside of the public eye, and assume you can get away with it.

A perfect example are the times I would watch pornography one day and then the very next day show up to worship service with a ridiculous smile on my face as if I had done nothing wrong.

The same goes for all of those married men who have a lot of skeletons in their closets and think those skeletons are going are going to stay hidden.

If God’s Word is true, what has been done in the darkness will eventually be exposed to the light.

To quote a friend of mine…

“Sin is like a fart in a crowded elevator.  Maybe only one person did it, but we’re all affected”.

So what’s the second takeaway?

The second takeaway is this:

It is the responsibility of the congregation to identify the lawbreaker, and then per Hashem’s instructions bring him or her to justice.

If the group fails to do this, then they become accomplices to the sinner.