Joshua 7:10 And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? 11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. 12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.
This passage of scripture teaches one of the most important lessons needed to be learned by mortals, that God never ever blesses disobedience. When satan introduced the first temptation in the garden of Eden, he insinuated that if Eve departed from God's plainest instructions, that great benefit would be the reward, hence the reason why the first great lie was told saying, "Ye shall not surely die". And as we all know, that falsehood turned out to be what it really is, for since that time the human family has been burying its own, both good and bad alike.
In the above instance, it was Achan and his family who conspired together to steal that which had been declared unclean, and which was specifically pointed out by God as a temptation that would befall the Hebrews in their conquest of Jericho. But Achan knowingly violated the plainest command of God on this issue, and coveted that which was forbidden, and as a result, thirty six men lost their lives, and several families were bereft of their husbands and fathers, since disobedience not only brings death and curses to its perpetrators, but it also causes collateral damage to those who had nothing to do with the original sin. This solemn truth is hardly ever treated upon by modern day preachers, and yet it is the direct cause of many unnecessary deaths across the land. Let's read:
Joshua 7:4 So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai. 5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.
What is pretty scary about this particular episode is that The Lord stated to Joshua that His presence would not be with them anymore, until they searched and found out who was the culprit causing the trouble within the camp, meaning that if any attempt was made to subdue the surrounding nations, signal failure, defeat and loss of life could be expected, until such time that the evil in the camp was properly dealt with and eliminated.
In our day, the issue of same-sex marriage that is currently before the supreme court of the land represents known sin in the camp, and like Achan with the ancient Hebrews, we must not expect the blessings of God upon such forbidden unions, because as stated before, God never blesses disobedience. We can put as much lipstick on a pig as we like, the fact is that it will still remain a pig, and since it is also forbidden for human consumption, like gay marriage, and like the stolen goods of Achan, it can never be indulged with impunity. Furthermore, just as it was in the case of Achan and the ancient Hebrews, there will also be collateral damage to innocent persons if as a nation we dare to change that which God has set in stone.
The penalties may come today or tomorrow, or they may be delayed for many days or years, but one thing is certain, disobedience to God's will always brings negative consequences, and although pastors and priests may perform the profane ceremonies, and presume to invoke God's blessing on what He has proscribed, yet the result will be the same as with Achan, for the Bible plainly states that the wages of sin is death, and the righteousness of Christ is never employed in covering deliberate sin.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which reiterates this sacred truth, and it is the will of God that we ourselves be found walking in harmony with all of the divine precepts, for very terrible tragedies are scheduled for those who persist in a wrong course of action. Let's read:
Deuteronomy 5:8 "For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, 10 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!