He Thought He Was Smart

In spite of the Lord's instructions through Joshua that the spoils of the city of Jericho belonged to the Lord's treasury, a man named Achan thought he could deceive God and others and satisfy his greed anyway (Joshua 7). He hid his stolen goods by burying them in his tent. He thought there they would be safe.

The Bible student knows how he was discovered and the punishment that he and his family paid for his sinfulness. He just was not as smart as he thought he was. He could not hide his sins from God.

All the "Achans" are not dead. Many people still think they are smarter than God and can get away with defying His will. They never consider how they will "get caught" eventually and there is punishment ahead. Why anybody would think he can deceive the Lord is amazing. But the world is full of such people. We just do not want to be one of them.