theearl.project Today’s reading
A Year in the Word · 3 min READ

After a hidden wrong

“Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.”Joshua 7:13 · KJV

Read in your Bible: Joshua 7–8.

Israel's defeat at Ai exposes Achan's concealed taking of forbidden goods. The narrative treats his action as a serious breach affecting the community. After judgment, Israel receives fresh instruction, and the covenant is publicly read at Mount Ebal.

Hidden wrongdoing can harm people beyond the person who conceals it. Yet this story does not authorise us to hunt for a secret sinner behind every failure or to reproduce Israel's penalties. Christian repentance requires truth, accountability and appropriate repair rather than scapegoating.

Examine a wrong you have minimised because nobody noticed. Seek safe, responsible accountability and repair what can be repaired. If a group has failed, investigate honestly instead of attaching blame to an unpopular person.

READ DEEPER · ELLEN G. WHITE

Related reading and source notes.

Read the Bible passage first. These notes identify related Ellen G. White chapters; a related reading is not a claim that she wrote this interpretation. Any direct quotations are marked separately. The explanations and applications are The Earl Project’s own.

1Patriarchs and Prophets · Chapter 46—The Blessings and the CursesPP, chapter 46

White's chapter on blessings and curses offers related discussion of Achan's sin and the public renewal of covenant responsibility.

Read alongside: Joshua 7–8

Read the original chapter on EGW Writings ↗

A question to sit with

What have I hidden that is quietly damaging trust?

AN EVERYDAY ACT OF LOVE

Correct one dishonest action or seek accountable help to address it safely.

Let us pray

Holy God, bring my concealed dishonesty into truthful repentance. Help me accept responsibility, repair harm where possible and resist the temptation to explain every setback by accusing someone else. Amen.

Your quiet reflection

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An original interpretation from The Earl Project, written from an Adventist understanding of Scripture. It is not an official church publication. Read alongside the beliefs that inform these reflections. Scripture quoted from the King James Version. Ellen G. White sources are cited separately from The Earl Project’s original interpretation.

THE EARL PROJECT · A QUIET MOMENT