How God Turns Away His Wrath

Joshua 7 reveals that God's holiness demands accountability, as one man's covenant betrayal—Achan's theft of devoted things—brings national judgment, demonstrating that sin is never truly private and that the people suffer collectively when guilt is concealed. The chapter unfolds in three movements: shared guilt, where the entire community bears the consequences of one's sin; sacred theft, where Achan's deliberate act of taking what belonged to God constitutes a profound spiritual betrayal; and sin removed, where public exposure and execution of the guilty restore God's favor, illustrating that divine wrath is turned away only through the full judgment of sin. This Old Testament pattern points forward to Christ, who, as the true Son of Judah, bore the infinite wrath of God on the cross in place of His people, satisfying divine justice and securing eternal forgiveness for all who trust in Him. The sermon underscores that while God does not minimize sin, He does not leave it unjudged—instead, He judges it in Christ, turning away His wrath and offering a way of escape from eternal condemnation through faith alone.