The Fastest Way to Feel Regret in Christianity

Joshua 7:6–9 (ESV) Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord GOD, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say, when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies! 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name?”

These are words you'd never think would come out of Joshua's mouth. He was one of two spies who believed God for the Promised Land. Now he's crying in regret that they have even come into the land. What happened? The nation suffered a defeat before their enemies at Ai. But the defeat was not without reason. God had given them this defeat because they had broken faith with Him in matters pertaining to Jericho. 

What is God's response? Firm and loving.

Joshua 7:10–12 (ESV) The LORD said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. 12 Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.

This passage made me think of how often we can react the same way to the little defeats God allows in our lives for the sake of personal holiness. We can start to feel regret for following God as Joshua does here. But Joshua doesn't have the whole story just as many defeated Christians do not either. The truth is God cannot and will not allow His people to continue in sin. To be a Christian is to become a slave to righteousness. While we may sin and continue in it at times, it will beat us down because it is not meant for us. The pain and hurt we feel after sin are meant to expose the emptiness and reveal God's faithfulness to make us His blameless people ready for better days ahead.

We are very much able to associate with Israel here. They had just won a terrific battle and immediately their overconfidence and pride are undercut by secret sins within. It is the graciousness of God to never allow His people to continue this way. Pride, arrogance and boastful living is the mantra of all who live under Satan's rules. The Christian is called out of this world and into the Kingdom of His beloved Son. So in the goodness of God, we are humbled so that He might root out whatever sin has embedded into our souls.

Yet let us not miss the important facet of Achan's sin. In his own words, here's what happened:
Joshua 7:20–21 (ESV) And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I did: 21 when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

What was Achan's first problem? He saw the richness of Jericho and desired it now. At heart, it was dissatisfaction with what he had and lust for what was not yet his. While Israel will one day be so blessed silver will become as common as stones (see Solomon's reign), there was a time for them to battle and take territory in the Land to set them up for future success. Achan wanted the fast track to the pinnacle. He was perhaps tired of having very little in the wilderness, worn out waiting for years only to then see beautiful objects of great value destroyed. It was covetousness, the root of every other evil impulse. When we allow ourselves to be dissatisfied with what God has given us now we are tempted to take matters into our own hand.

What's crazy about Achan's sin is this: He didn't even get to enjoy the fruit of his sin. This passage beautifully exposes the emptiness we receive when we disobey God. He had to hide the objects in the ground. His gain was buried! In other words, it was dead upon receipt. So too for us, we will see only death when we set our minds on what we think we should have outside of God's goodness and timing. 

The hope of the passage is this: Israel is cleansed of this secret sin and ready to move forward. You too Christian can receive the forgiveness of sin upon confession and be ever more ready for your future. You will never regret that.

2 Corinthians 7:10 (ESV) For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret"