Most Christians have heard or sung about the valley of Achor being a door of hope. But do they know what happened in the valley of Achor and the reason why the valley of Achor is a door of hope? Many times Christians sing songs but they don’t know the meaning of the lyrics. They sing and pronounce words, that in comparison to their lifestyle don’t line up. It’s so easy to sing a song with a lovely melody and moving words and be led by warm fuzzy feelings and emotions. Do you know the meaning of the valley of Achor in the Bible and what the valley of Achor represents?
Joshua and the city of Jericho
To find out the significance of the valley of Achor, we must go to the Book of Joshua. In Joshua 5:13, we read about the captain of the hosts of the Lord, who appeared to Joshua with a sword drawn in his hand. When Joshua saw him, he fell on his face and worshipped. Joshua asked him what he had to tell him.
The captain of the hosts of the Lord commanded Joshua to take off his shoes. Why did Joshua have to take off his shoes? Because the place, where Joshua stood was holy. Joshua obeyed the words of the captain of the hosts and took off his shoes.
The Lord told Joshua that He had given Jericho into his hand. The Lord revealed His plan to Joshua and instructed Joshua what he had to do, step by step.
When the Lord had given Joshua all the information, Joshua called the priests and the people of Israel. Josha shared what the Lord told him and he gave the following commandment:
The city of Jericho and all there is within (except Rahab and her household) shall be accursed. And you, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest you make yourselves accursed, when you take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. But all the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the Lord: they shall come into the treasury of the Lord (Joshua 6:17-19)
Joshua not only gave this commandment to the people, but he also explained why the people weren’t allowed to take anything from the city of Jericho. Joshua told them, what would happen if they disobeyed this commandment of the Lord.
What happened after the fall of jericho?
The people of Israel obeyed the words of the Lord. And so they conquered and destroyed the city of Jericho. But not everyone obeyed the Lord’s commandment.
There was one man, who rebelled against the commandment of the Lord. This man disobeyed the words of the Lord that Joshua spoke. But this man obeyed his flesh.
He was led by his carnal lusts and greed and took of the accursed things. This man brought the accursed things to his tent and hid them in the ground. Because of his act, the whole congregation of Israel became accursed.
By the rebellion of one person, the whole congregation of israel became accursed
Because of what this man had done, God left His people. This became visible when the people went out to smite the city of Ai. Instead of smiting the city of Ai, the men of Ai smote 3000 Israelites.
Israel had sinned against the words of the Lord and transgressed the covenant of the Lord. Therefore Israel became accursed (Read also: Can you be complicit in the sin of fellow believers?).
Because Israel was accursed, the people of Israel couldn’t stand before their enemies.
The Lord couldn’t be with Israel anymore unless the people of Israel destroyed the accursed from among them.
The people had to be sanctified so that God could dwell with His people again.
The Lord instructed Joshua to sanctify the people and to tell them, why they were not able to stand against their enemies. He also told him what they had to do to remove the accursed from their midst.
Achan’s confession to Joshua
In the morning, Joshua brought Israel by their tribes and took the tribe of Judah. Joshua brought the family of Judah and he took the family of the Zarhites. And when he took the family of the Zarhites, man by man, he took Zabdi. Joshua brought his household man by man, and Joshua took Achan. Who was Achan? Achan was the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah of the tribe of Judah.
Joshua confronted Achan and asked Achan to give glory to the Lord and make a confession to the Lord. He asked Achan to tell him, what he had done and not hide it from him. Achan confessed and told Joshua that he had sinned against the Lord God of Israel.
Achan told Joshua, that when he saw a good Babylonish garment, two hundred shekels of silver, a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, he coveted them. He took them and hid them in the earth in his tent.
What happened to Achan after his confession?
What happened to Achan after Achan’s confession? Joshua sent messengers to the tent of Achan, to collect the accursed things. The messengers took the things and brought them to Joshua and the people of Israel. They laid the accursed things out in front of the Lord.
Joshua and the people of Israel took Achan, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons and daughters, his oxen, his asses, his sheep, his tent, and all Achan had. Then they brought Achan, his family and possession to the Valley of Achor.
Then Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? The Lord shall trouble thee this day (Joshua 7:25).
After Joshua’s words, all of Israel stoned Achan with stones in the Valley of Achor. And when they had stoned them and they were dead, they burned them and raised over him a great heap of stones.
Why was Achan killed in the valley of Achor?
Why was Achan killed in the valley of Achor? Achan was killed because Achan rebelled against God and disobeyed the words of the Lord God. Achar was the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing accursed.
Due to Achan’s rebellion and disobedience to God and his wicked work, Achan, his family, and all his possessions were stoned to death in the Valley of Achor.
How did the valley of Achor become a door of hope?
When the accursed was removed and destroyed among the people, the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger. The Valley of Achor meant for Achan and his family the end; death. But the Valley of Achor became a door of hope for the people of Israel. Because in the Valley of Achor, the tide turned and God’s people were reconciled with God.
The evil in the congregation was removed and God became their God again and they became His people.
Both Isaiah and Hosea prophesied and wrote about the valley of Achor.
They prophesied about the coming of the Messiah Jesus Christ and that Jesus’ work of redemption on the cross would become a door of hope, for everyone, who would believe in Jesus Christ and accept Him as Saviour and make Him Lord over their lives.
By the disobedience of one man Adam, evil entered and the whole human race became accursed.
Every person, who would be born of the seed of Adam would be affected by evil and would be born as a sinner and deserved the death penalty. (Read also: Do you always remain a sinner?).
How Jesus Christ became a door of hope
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it (کولسیوں 2:13-15)
But because of God’s great love for people, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to the earth. حضرت عیسی علیہ السلام, the Son of God, became the Substitute for fallen man. He carried all the sins and iniquities of the world and took the death penalty (due to Adam’s disobedience to God) upon Himself. تاکہ, everyone, who believe in Him and accept Him as Saviour and Lord and become دوبارہ پیدا ہونا in Him, would not have to carry this punishment anymore. (Read also: The peace Jesus restored between fallen man and God).
Jesus also carried your sins and iniquities and took the death penalty for your sins upon Him. He shed His precious blood to restore (heal) you and reconcile you with God. He gave you the ability to become a son of God (یہ مردوں اور عورتوں دونوں پر لاگو ہوتا ہے) through regeneration in Christ and by His Spirit.
Jesus gave His life and did this all for you, so that you receive another nature (God’s nature). Through this new nature you shall no. longer live as a sinner in disobedience to God, but you shall live as a saint in obedience to God. You shall be free and walk in righteousness and receive eternal life.
What is the significance of the valley of Achor in the Bible?
Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her. And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt (Hosea 2:14-15)
What is the significance of the Valley of Achor? The Valley of Achor is the place, where the old man and his evil sinful nature dies and the new man arises in righteousness.
When you go to the Valley of Achor, it means the end of your life as a sinner with its evil deeds and practices. (Read also: The eighth day, the day of the new creation).
In the Valley of Achor, you lay down your old life. And in the valley of Achor your new life as the new creation begins, when your spirit rises from the dead by the Holy Spirit. (Read also: The painful process known as dying).
For the old man, the Valley of Achor means the valley of troubles. But for the new man, the Valley of Achor means a door of hope (Hosea 2:15).
When you are ready to lay down your old life and submit to Jesus Christ and obey Him and do the will of Jesus; the will of God, only then are you ready to go to the Valley of Achor. It is important to count the costs before you make this decision.
'زمین کا نمک بنو'
