It has been said that the eyes are a gateway to the mind.  In our last blog, our emphasis was on guarding the mind.  One way our minds can become corrupt is by allowing ourselves to view the wrong kinds of things.  What we see with our eyes can lead us into sin.

During the conquest period of Israel’s history, God would give the Jews great victories over their enemies, the Canaanites.  The first battle we read of was different from the rest.  It involved the city of Jericho.  On this occasion, the Jews would not have to fight.  They would not have to find some ingenious way to penetrate the great wall that surrounded the city and overcome their foe with the sword.  All they would have to do is march around the city, blowing trumpets and bearing the ark of the covenant, shouting at the end of the final march, and victory would be theirs (Joshua 6:1-20).

The men of war marched first, followed by seven priests blowing trumpets.  They were followed by the ark and the rear guard (ver. 9).   They did this for six days.  On the seventh day, they marched around the city in the same manner only they did so seven times.  Afterward, the people shouted, the priests blew the trumpets, and the wall fell flat (ver. 20).

There were some other instructions, however, that the Israelites were given.  Once inside the city, they were to keep themselves from the things devoted to destruction, and all the silver, gold, bronze, and iron were to go into the treasury of the Lord (vers. 18-19).

While Israel gained the victory, it was later discovered that Achan, the son of Carmi, took some of the devoted things.  That ultimately led to the Israelites being defeated by Ai, and then, when his sin was discovered, the death of Achan, and it appears his whole family (vers. 25-26; Joshua 22:20).  You can read the entire story in Joshua 7.   Why would Achan willfully violate a command of the Lord?  He tells us himself when he confessed his sin.

Joshua 7:20-21 (ESV)
²⁰  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.”   

His eyes got the best of him.  The word “saw” is the same word used to describe David’s looking upon Bathsheba.  It denotes staring at something.  Achan should have immediately turned away when he saw the spoils, but instead, he continued to gaze upon them, and it cost him his life.

Upon what do you allow yourself to gaze?  The world is filled with things from which we should turn away.  The immodest apparel donned by so many people today can very easily lead to lustful thoughts if we allow ourselves to gaze.  Television, magazines, and internet sites are filled with things from which we need to guard our eyes.  If you want to stay on the road to victory, choose wisely what you allow your eyes to see.  Gazing at inappropriate things caused Achan to lose his life.  Doing the same might cause us to lose our souls.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.