Now Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I beg you, give glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession to Him, and tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.”
Joshua  7:19  (NKJV)

The story of Achan is well known.  His type of confession is familiar too.  Ellen White says,  "The manner of Achan's confession was similar to the confessions that some among us have made and will make.  They hide their wrongs and refuse to make a voluntary confession, until God searches them out, and then they acknowledge their sins."  Testimonies, vol. 3  p. 270.

The experience of Israel's defeat at Ai proves the importance of voluntary confession.  "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down" (Hebrews 11:30), but when it came to the tiny town of Ai, victory was denied God's people.  Joshua, Israel's leader, "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" (verse 6).  The Lord commanded Joshua to stop his lamenting and to rise up, for "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" (verse 11).

Secret sins existed in the camp, and the Lord made it clear that He would not be with the people unless confession was made.  The method of determining who had committed the sin gave time for Achan to come forth and make full confession.  But the culprit refused to make any acknowledgment until the tribe, family, household, and finally he, the offender, was under the accusing finger of God as Israel's troubler.

Confession of sin is not to be trifled with.  Achan and his family learned this lesson too late for their own salvation.

Now is the time to make full confession of sin.  Now is the time to make things right with our fellow man and with God.  Now is the time to break the power of Satan that has so long held us in blindness.  May God help us to take a determined stand for the right because we have a clear sense of the truth and because we dare not do otherwise.  Confession of sin made promptly and at the right time is acceptable to God.

taken from: First Things First
May 31
by: Bob Spangler