David E.

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The History Of The Valley Of Achor (Trouble)

Trouble; Hardship
The Valley of Achor 1 of 3

TEXT: Dont Read Hosea 2:14-15; Joshua 7:1

AIM: Trouble and hardship is revealed in the history of all people, in all
places, and in all times. In spiritual terms, our history often creates
our trouble! The history of the valley was a valley of trouble. Only
God is the answer for such a valley.

INTRODUCTION:
Have you ever had trouble in your life? I would be shocked if anyone said, No, because as
Job said, Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble (Job 14:1). The English
word trouble and its derivatives are used over 200 times in the Bible.
A. I heard a little story where
The photographer for a national magazine was assigned to get photos of a great forest fire.
Smoke at the scene hampered him and he asked his home office to hire a plane.
Arrangements were made and he was told to go at once to a nearby airport, where the plane
would be waiting. When he arrived at the airport, a plane was warming up near the runway.
He jumped in with his equipment and yelled, Lets go! Lets go! The pilot swung the plane
into the wind, and they were soon in the air. Fly over the north side of the fire, yelled the
photographer, and make three or four low level passes.

Why? asked the pilot.

Because Im going to take pictures, cried the photographer.

Im a photographer and photographers take pictures!

After a pause the pilot said, You mean youre not the instructor?

I imagine at that moment, they both realized that they were in trouble.

This message starts the first of three sermons about a place in the Bible that many of you may
of have never heard. The name of this place is Achor which literally means troubling, and
the phrase that contains it the Valley of Achor means the valley of troubling The
Valley of Trouble.

In Hosea 2, after highlighting a message of judgment for wayward Israel, Almighty God gave
this prophet a message of hope. And Gods message through Hosea is found in our text
Hosea 2:15 << READ.
B. Achor occurs three times in the Bible.
1. THE FIRST is in Joshua 7 in connection with the story of Achan and his sin.
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a. Achan is referred to as Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing
accursed (1Chr. 2:7).
b. When the people of Israel had conquered Jericho in the first wave of their
invasion of the Promised Land, Jericho was put under a divine ban: the city
and all that are therein were to be dealt with as God so pleased Josh. 6:16-
19.
c. Achan violated the ban during the conquest of Jericho Josh. 7:1.
d. Achan took spoil of Jericho that the people had been told by God they were
NOT to take. He took 200 shekels of silver, a Babylonian garment, and a
wedge of gold and hid them in the earthen floor of his familys tent Josh.
7:21.
e. The sin of Achan was imputed to the whole nation Josh. 7:1, 11-12. For their
disobedience they were soundly defeated and lost the next battle at Ai vs.
4-5.
f. Initially, not knowing the reason for their defeat they asked, Why did we
lose, what was wrong?
1) An investigation was made and the sin of Achan was discovered he had
stole graven images the accused thing (the things devoted to the
Lord).
2) His family was complicit in covering his sin and both were judged.
Achan and his family were stoned in the Valley of Achor Valley of
Trouble, which took its name from this incident as seen in Joshua 7:26.
3) Israel learned the hard way that what one person does could affect the
well-being of the whole nation.
2. THE SECOND TIME this valley is mentioned is in Isaiah when he speaks of a
day when it will become a resting place for flocks and herds Isaiah 65:9-10.
a. Achor is used here in Isaiah and in Hosea 2:15 in a figurative sense to
describe the messianic age or the time of restoration that would result for the
nation of Israel only after they passed through their trouble.
b. In the Valley of Achor Achans sin was discovered, judged, and put away. In
like manner, if Israel and Gomer in Hosea will deal with their sin and put it
away, that very act will result in God blessing and bring restoration and
hope.
3. THE THIRD TIME is here in Hosea 2:15, and the place of troubling is to
become a place of hope for Gods people.
a. The Valley of Achor is on the northern boundary of Judah (Josh. 15:7).
1) It runs from ancient Jericho into the hills and forms a passage from the
Jordan valley to the upper region.
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2) This valley is the normal entrance into Canaan and was the first portion
of the Promised Land that came into the possession of the Israelites: and
this was to be to them to a door of hope.
a) It was a ground of assurance, that they should in due time possess
the whole land.
b) It was, as it were, an earnest, whereby they were taught to expect the
fulfillment of all the promises.
b. Because of the sin of Achan the expression valley of Achor became
proverbial for that which caused trouble.
1) When Isaiah in 65:10 refers to it he uses it in this sense: he valley of
Achor the place of troubling: will become a place for herds to lie down
in; i.e., that which had been a source of calamity would become a source
of blessing.
2) Also in Hosea 2:15, Hosea uses the expression in the same sense: The
valley of Achor for a door of hope; i.e., trouble would be turned into joy,
despair into hope.
c. How can a place of such swift judgment be hopeful?
How can the destructive troubling be changed?
1) WE cannot change it certainly. But there is One who can and who does.
2) God sets hope before us when all seems most lost.
He does it by taking our trouble on himself.

In a later message we will look at the Hope of this Valley. But for now, I want us to go back to
the book of Joshua and discover the History of this Valley.

I. THE HISTORY OF THIS VALLEY INVOLVED A SITUATION OF

DISOBEDIENCE
JOSHUA 6:1619; 7:1
A. Notice The WARNING Of The Accursed Thing Joshua 6:17-18
1. Jericho was put under a divine ban.
a. The word accursed or accursed thing (cherem) can refer to a doomed
object and can refer to something banned from personal use; something
consecrated/dedicated for utter destruction or, or it is to be appointed to for
devotion.
b. Because the Lord had given Jericho into the hands of the Israelites, they were
to consecrate the city and its contents to Him as a ban (cherem), i.e., as a holy
thing belonging to Jehovah, which was not to be touched by man, as being
the first-fruits of the land of Canaan. The devoted thing that had been
dedicated to the Lord was unredeemable SEE >> Leviticus 27:28-29.
2. The inhabitants of this idolatrous town lay under the ban and were to be put to
death, together with their cattle, and all the property in the town to be burned.
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a. A few people and some items in Jericho were not destroyed, but this was a
special case.
1) Rahab and her household were saved because she had faith in God and
because she helped the Israelite spies.
2) The gold, silver, and the vessels of brass and iron were kept, not to enrich
the people, but were to be brought into the treasury of the Lord, i.e., the
treasury of the tabernacle, as being holy to the Lord Josh. 6:19.
3. Why did God demand that the Israelites destroy almost everyone and everything
In Jericho? He was carrying out severe Judgment against the wickedness of the
Canaanites.
a. This judgment, or "ban, was so dictated by God in Deut.12:1-3; 13:12-18
before Israel ever went into the Land. It required that everything be
destroyed.
b. Because of their evil practices and intense idolatry, the Canaanites were a
stronghold of rebellion against God.
c. Because of this threat to the holy living of Israel, God demanded removal of
the Canaanites. If not, they would affect all Israel like a cancerous growth (as
it did in the sad story told in the book of Judges).
d. Whoever took to himself anything that had been laid under the ban, exposed
themselves to being banned and cursed for two reasons:
1) Firstly, they were banned for their own protection. A violator would be
bringing an abomination into his own home and subjecting the house to
temptation in their worship Deut. 7:25.
2) But secondly, because such a person wickedly invaded the rights of the
Lord, by taking for himself that which had been laid under the ban,
deliberately violated the ban itself.
4. God's purpose in all this was to keep the people's faith and religion
uncontaminated. He did not want the loot to remind Israel of Canaanite
practices.
5. God desires purity in each of us today, as well.
a. God wants us to clean up our lives when we begin a new life with Him.
b. We must not let the desire for personal gain distract us from our spiritual
purpose.
c. We must also reject any objects that commemorate a life lived in rebellion to
God.
B. Notice the WICKEDNESS of Achan Joshua 7:1
Josh. 7:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the
son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and
the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.
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1. The children of Israel committed a trespass i.e. they perpetrated a wrong. Literally
these two words mean they acted treacherously and committed a breach of faith.
a. The Hebrew word for committed means to cover up, to act covertly, i.e.
treacherously.
b. The Hebrew word for trespass means a treacherous sin: falsehood. It was a
very sorely, grievous, transgression.
c. In other words, Achan acted deceitfully as he covertly disobeyed the
command of God stealing and hiding away, that which had been dedicated
to God by the ban (Josh. 6:19).
2. The trespass was the act of one man, yet it was imputed to all Israel, who also
shares in the penalty of it Joshua 7:5. Why did Achan's sin bring judgement on
the entire nation?
a. This is not to be explained as though all the people participated in the
covetousness, which led to Achans sin Joshua 7:21.
b. Although it was one man's failure, God saw it as national disobedience to a
national law.
1) The nation as a nation was in covenant with God, and is treated by Him
not merely as a number of individuals living together for their own
purposes under common institutions, but as a divinely constituted
organic whole.
2) God needed the entire nation to be committed to the job they had agreed
to doconquer the land. Thus, when one person failed, everyone failed.
3) Therefore, the sin of Achan defiled the other members of the community
as well as himself; and this robbed the people collectively of holiness
before God and acceptableness with Him.
c. Israel had in the person of Achan broken the covenant Joshua 7:11; God
therefore would no more drive out the Canaanites before them.
3. The children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing.
a. Not cursed as in being doomed, but rather in that which had been devoted or
dedicated to God.
b. Achan's sin was not merely the act of keeping some of the booty, but
disobedience to God's explicit command to destroy everything connected
with this city.
c. His sin was indifference to the evil and idolatry of the City, not just a desire
for money and clothes.
d. Achan in stealing away any of the devoted things for the Lord to his own
purposes, committed the sin of sacrilege i.e. the theft of something set apart
to God.
1) This was the sin of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:2-3.
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2) It is the same sin today when we dont tithe to the Lord through the
church or renege on our Faith Promise offering.
e. God is not content with our doing what is right some of the time He wants us
to do what is right ALL the time. We are under his orders to rid our lives of
anything that hinders our devotion to him.
C. Notice The WRATH Of Almighty God Joshua 7:1
Josh. 7:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son
of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the
anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.
1. The Heb. word for anger ('aph) makes reference to the nose and face of a
person.
a. Maybe our saying, his nose is bent out of shape gets it meaning from this
word.
b. For from the nose or nostril of a person comes rapid breathing in passion, i.e.
ire, wrath, fury, indignation, anger where the countenance of the face is
changed.
2. The Heb. word for kindled (charah) means to go from a glow to grow into a
blaze. It becomes a burning anger, that has waxed hot and is incensed to be
extremely angry.
3. In order to understand Achans sin, we must bear in mind the absolute nature of
the decree that everything belonging to Jericho should be devoted to the Lord
a. All living beings were to be slain, and destructible materials consumed as a
sacrifice to the offended Majesty of our Lord.
b. All indestructible materials silver and gold, vessels of iron and brass were
to be consecrated to the service of the sanctuary.
c. The sin was, therefore, something more than an act of disobedience.
1) It was a violation of the Divine covenant.
2) It was sacrilege, a robbery of God, and an impious seizure, for base,
selfish purposes, of that which belonged to Him.
d. And the secrecy with which the sin was committed was a defiance of Gods
Divine OmniscienceHis ability to know and see all things.
e. Trifling, as the offence may seem on a mere superficial view of it, its act
contained the essential elements of all transgression.
1) The penalty was terrible; but Achan new of it before purposely sinned,
therefore the moral demands of Gods Word could not be avoided.
2) The sovereignty God was asserted so seriously over the Canaanites that
God could not allow or tolerate this dishonour among His own people.
Judgment must begin at the house of God (1Pet. 4:17).
The History Of This Valley Involved A Situation Of Disobedience and
 The History Of The Valley Of Achor (Trouble) The Valley of Achor 1 of 3 7

II. THE HISTORY OF THIS VALLEY INVOLVED A SITUATION OF DEFEAT

JOSHUA 7:2-9
A. There Was A VIEWING Of Ai Joshua 7:2-3
1. Word meanings:
a. Ai comes from a word that means a ruin; as if overturneda heap.
b. Beth-aven means house of vanity.
c. Beth-el means house of God.
2. Israel were not initially able to overturn Ai because they were too close to the
house of vanity and too far from the house of God.
3. Like every good commander, Joshua surveyed the situation before he planned
his strategy of attach.
a. His mistake wasnt in sending out the spies but in assuming that the Lord
was pleased with His people and would give them victory over Ai.
1) He and his officers were walking by sight and not by faith.
2) Spiritual leaders must constantly seek the Lords face and determine
what His will is for each new challenge.
b. Had Joshua called a prayer meeting, undoubtedly the Lord would have
informed him that there was sin in the camp.
1) Having that revelation, Joshua could have dealt with it, before the battle.
2) This would have saved the lives of 36 soldiers and spared Israel a
humiliating defeat.
c. Its impossible for us to enter into Joshuas mind and fully understand his
thinking, we can only guess.
1) BUT no doubt the impressive victory at Jericho had given Joshua and his
army a great deal of self-confidence; and self-confidence can lead to
presumption we did it before, we can do it again.
2) Joshua could have reasoned since Ai was a smaller city than Jericho,
victory seemed inevitable from the human point of view.
3) BUT instead of seeking the mind of the Lord, Joshua accepted the
counsel of his spies; and this led to defeat.
a) The spies said nothing about the Lordtheir whole report focused
on the army and their confidence and on their strength that Israel
would have victory.
b) You dont hear these men saying, If the Lord will.
c) They were sure that the whole army wasnt needed for the assault,
but NOTE that wasnt Gods strategy when He gave the orders for
the second attack on Ai in Joshua 8:1 He said, take all the people of
war.
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Application
Too often we rely on our own skills and strength, especially when the task before us seems
easy. We go to God only when the obstacles seem too great. However, only God knows what
lies ahead. Consulting Him, even when we are on a winning streak, may save us from grave
mistakes or misjudgements. God may want us to learn lessons, remove pride, or consult
others before He will work through us.
4. Since Gods thoughts and ways are not our thoughts and ways (Isaiah 55:8-9),
wed better take time to seek His direction. Pride goeth before destruction, and an
haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18).
What Israel needed was God-confidence, not self-confidence.
B. There Was A VICTORY By Ai Joshua 7:4-5
1. The men of Ai smote of them [Israel] about thirty-six men.
a. Israel seemed to have presumed that the men of Ai would have immediately
opened their gates to them, and therefore they marched up with confidence;
but the enemy appearing, they were put to flight, their ranks utterly broken,
and 36 of them killed.
b. The Ai warriors chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim.
c. Shebarim signifies ruins of a place were previously there was crashing
though of barriers, breaches or broken places in the defence.
1) Here we may apply the meaning to the ranks of the Israelites, which
were broken by the men of Ai as the people were totally routed, though
there were but few slain.
2) They were panic-struck, and fled in the utmost confusion.
2. Vs. 5 states as the Israelites fled they were slain from behind as they were in the
going down i.e. on the descent.

The hearts of the people melted, and became as water.

They were utterly discouraged, and by this gave an ample proof
C. There Was A VEXATION Over Ai Joshua 7:6-9
1. Tearing the clothes (i.e. what is meant by rent), beating the breast, tearing the
hair, putting dust upon the head, and falling down prostrate on the ground, were
the usual marks of deep affliction, distress and mourning before God.
2. Joshua cried, Alas, O Lord God.
a. Interestingly this exclamation of distress, is very similar to the Hebrew word
which we translate alas is }ahahh.
b. Joshuas anguish in this and the following verses seems principally to have
arisen from his deep concern for the glory of God.
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c. The people turned their backs and fled how would this affect the
thousands of Israel who observed this fiasco? Would they feel abandoned
and doomed to destruction?
Application
Imagine praying this way to God. This is not some repetitious or formal church prayer, it is
the prayer of a man who is afraid and confused by what is happening around him. Joshua
poured out his real thoughts to God.

Hiding your needs from God is ignoring the only One who can really help. God welcomes
your honest prayers and wants you to express your true feelings to Him. Any believer can
become more honest in prayer by remembering that God is all-knowing and all-powerful,
and His love is everlasting.
When our lives fall apart, we also should turn to God for direction and help. Like Joshua and
the elders, we should humble ourselves so that we will be able to hear His word.
3. Joshua felt for the glory of God, for he knew should Israel be destroyed Gods
name would be blasphemed among the pagan.
a. Joshuas fears and horror are founded on Gods own words Deut. 32:26-27.
b. Moses had used similar expressions on a similar occasion
SEE >> Ex. 5:22-23; Num. 14:13-18.
The History of this Valley Involved a Situation Of Disobedience, it Involved A
Situation Of Defeat and

III. THE HISTORY OF THIS VALLEY INVOLVED A SITUATION OF DEATH

JOSHUA 7:1026
A. We See How The CULPRIT Was EXPOSED Vs. 10-18
1. In vs. 14 is says, The Lord taketh or as in vs. 18 was taken i.e. chose the families
by lot.
a. The Hebrew word for lot suggests that small stones were used, probably
white and black ones, were used.
b. Whether drawn from a chest or rolled like dice, the lot was regarded as
directed in its result by God. Prov. 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap; but the
whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.
2. Joshua was to take away this curse from the nation by discovering who had laid
hands upon what was banned.
a. He directed the people to sanctify themselves for the following day (Josh
7:13), and then to cause them to come before God according to their tribes,
families, households, and individuals so that the guilty men might be
discovered by lot.
b. Whoever was found to be guilty, was to be burned with all that he possessed.
B. We See How The CONFESSION Was EXPRESSED Joshua 7:19-23
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Often before we can experience the fullness of God's blessings and promises, we must pray
as the Psalmist in Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my
thoughts: 24] And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
C. We See How The CONSEQUENCES Were EXECUTED Joshua 7:24-26
1. Why did Achan's entire family pay for his sin?
a. Since the law in Deut. 24:16 prohibited innocent family members from being
punished for the sins of their relatives, Achan's family must have been guilty
of assisting him in his sin.
b. NOTE that Achan had disobeyed God's command to destroy everything in
Jericho; thus everything that belonged to Achan would be destroyed.
c. Sin has drastic consequences, so we should take drastic measures to rid sin
from our lives.
2. How do we deal with sin in the camp or in our own lives today?
a. Certainly, we do not take up stones and slay the offending parties in our
churches.
b. But we do mortify the deeds of the body and crucify the affections and lusts
of the flesh?

Romans 6:11-13 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God
through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12] Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey
it in the lusts thereof. 13] Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin:
but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments
of righteousness unto God.

Romans 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the
deeds of the body, ye shall live.

Galatians 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

CONCLUSION:
Appomattox, Virginia is on the east coast of the US and about south-central. It was where one
of the last decisive battles of the American Civil War took place and where General Lee
surrendered to General Grant.

The online resource Wikipedia says

The Battle of Appomattox Court House, fought on the morning of April 9, 1865, was the final
engagement of Confederate General Robert E. Lees Army of Northern Virginia before it
surrendered to the Union Army under Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant near the end of the American
Civil War. Lee, having abandoned Richmond after the Siege of Petersburg, retreated to the
west, hoping to join his army with the Confederate forces in North Carolina. His final stand
was at Appomattox Court House, where he launched an attack to break through the Union
 The History Of The Valley Of Achor (Trouble) The Valley of Achor 1 of 3 11

force to his front, which he assumed consisted entirely of cavalry. When he realized that two
corps of Union infantry backed up the cavalry, he had no choice but to surrender.

The signing of the surrender documents occurred in the parlour of the house owned by
Wilmer McLean on the afternoon of April 9. On April 12, a formal ceremony marked the
disbandment of the Army of Northern Virginia and the parole of its officers and men,
effectively ending the Civil War.

The defeat at Appomattox led to a new phase in American history.

The defeat at Ai led to a new phase in Hebrew history.

In his Great Texts of the Bible, editor James Hastings recorded

Such was its physical formation that in a most literal sense the valley of Achor was
a door of hope, for in front of the Israelites, as they wound through the pass, there
lay at the far end of the vista the smiling vineyards and yellow cornfields and
peaceful blue hills of the Promised Land. So does the Redeemer lead those to
whose hearts He has spoken, assuring them of reconciliation and peace with
Himself. Every winding in the avenue of life reveals a blessing that is richer than
the blessings they at present enjoy. They are lured from grace unto grace, and
from strength unto strength. Mercy joins hand with mercy. Each good thing
received becomes the pledge and the foretaste of a better, which God hath
prepared for as many as love Him.

9 July 2011, Morn. River Valley BC Leixlip, Co. Kildare