Joshua 10 - 16

The second article of faith says -

"We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression." (Pearl of Great Price Articles of Faith 1:2)

Though this scripture is true, it does not mean than others are not affected by our sins. Individual sin and transgressions can have far reaching impact on family, posterity, fellow citizens, communities, and even nations. Adam's transgression affected all mankind. This becomes even more evident as we study the story of Achan.

Moses had specifically told the children of Israel as they would take possession of the land of their inheritance -

"...thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:
17 But thou shalt utterly destroy them...as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee:
18 That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God..." (Old Testament Deuteronomy 20:16 - 18)

And even as they are about to take the city of Jericho, Joshua again tells the people with a warning -

"...the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.
18 And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.
19 But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD..." (Old Testament Joshua 6:17 - 19)

All of Israel did as they were commanded -

And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword...And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD." (Old Testament Joshua 6:21 - 24)

But yet all of Israel was affected for -

"...the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan...of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel." (Old Testament Joshua 7:1)

Not aware of this -

"...Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai...and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.
3 And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.
4 So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.
5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men..." (Old Testament Joshua 7:2 - 5)

Joshua couldn't understand why the Lord hadn't sustained them in this event and he -

rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.
7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!
8 O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!" (Old Testament Joshua 7:6 - 8)

And the Lord responded sternly -

"Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?
11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.
12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you." (Old Testament Joshua 7:10 - 12)

You can't say Achan's sin affected himself only. His greed had cost the lives of 36 men. The Lord tells Joshua that unless the people are sanctified or cleansed of that evil which is in the midst of them that -

"...Israel, thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you." (Old Testament Joshua 7:13)

After searching the tribe of Judah, Joshua confronts Achan -

"...Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me." (Old Testament Joshua 7:19)

And Achan confesses -

"Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:
21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it." (Old Testament Joshua 7:20 - 21)

Achan understood the consequences of his transgression but it continued to affect others as Joshua cleansed Israel as commanded and -

"...Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.
25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones..." (Old Testament Joshua 7:24 - 25)

And -

"...the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger." (Old Testament Joshua 7:26)

Sin can have it's great impact on future generations. Elder David B. Haight said -

"...In saving our youth, we save generations..."