Then Joshua charged them at that time, saying, “Cursed be the man before the Lord who rises up and builds this city Jericho; he shall lay its foundation with his firstborn, and with his youngest he shall set up its gates.” Joshua 6:26
It was Israel’s first great victory in the Promised Land. For forty years they had wandered in the wilderness, during which time they buried all who left Egypt as adults. Now they had not only defeated the strong Amorite kings east of Jordan, but they had crossed over and wiped out the oldest and grandest city of Canaan––Jericho. When the city fell it was devoted to God as the first fruits of God’s bounty. Accordingly, He pronounced a curse upon the man who would dare to take spoil from it or attempt to build upon its ruins.
The Bible tells of two men who ignored God’s curse. The first was Achan, who took from the city a piece of gold, a bit of silver, and a fine garment (Joshua 7:11). After his crime became public, Israel stoned him, burned his body, and raised a heap of stones over him which remained identifiable to the day that these events were chronicled (v 25). In spite of God’s effort to drive home this principle of leaving devoted things alone, a man named Hiel later repeated Achan’s offense. Hiel lived during the reign of Ahab, more than 500 years after the fall of Jericho and the pronouncement of God’s curse upon the city. Hiel chose to rebuild the city. When he laid the foundation, he lost his firstborn; when he set up the gates, his youngest died (1 Kings 16:34, ESV).
Why do you suppose that Hiel chose to ignore God’s word? Maybe he ignored it simply because he was ignorant of it. Ignorance of God’s word was often a blight upon God’s people: “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge...” (Hosea 4:6). Clearly ignorance of God’s word is not a luxury to be coveted. Then again, Hiel may have thought that the curse was too old to apply to him. More than five centuries had passed since God pronounced the curse: surely its significance had been lost to time. Not so. We would do well to remember that God’s word never loses significance or potency with the passage of time. Perhaps he didn’t think that God would really do what he said He would. Maybe he reflected on God’s mercy and goodness and forgiveness (Exodus 34:6–7a), but failed to notice his justice (v 7b). This is a common mistake among Bible readers today as well. What was he thinking when he ignored God’s curse? Perhaps his thinking wasn’t much different from that of people who ignore God’s word today.
What lessons can we take from this? First, even when we don’t understand God’s commands, we must obey them. Hiel may have thought it senseless to let such good real estate go to waste (much as Achan probably thought of the loot after which he lusted), but it was a critical mistake to let his human reasoning supersede his respect for God’s wisdom. We also learn that sin’s price is always higher than advertised. Hiel probably got a great deal on this property, but look at what it cost him in the end! We learn that when we ignore God’s word, we do so at our own peril. It cost Achan his life. It cost Hiel his children. Should we think it will cost us less?
It is never wise to try to build up what God has destroyed. When the Edomites tried, God said, “They may build, but I will throw down” (Malachi 1:4). May we never be found guilty of taking God’s word lightly, because He means every word He says.