Pogonomics

March 2, 2014

Joshua:  Turning Obedience Into Blessing

Joshua 7:  “Pogonomics”                                  NOT EDITED

SIS—We defeat ourselves when we ignore God’s plan and do things our way.

Economics is a social science that studies the outcome from various behaviors in a group as they interact with one another.  Economics is much more than the study of finances, though that is a big part of it.  Economics examines the alternative outcomes from various behaviors in regard to using goods and resources.

Pogonomics is a spiritual science that shows the outcome of various actions in regard to how those actions line up with the decrees of God—the Bible.  Economics can forecast which behaviors will bring the best return on the use of goods and resources in a society.  Pogonomics forecasts the self-defeating consequences of misusing the goods and resources of God—spiritual as well as material.

Today, as I gaze upon my world that is littered with broken dreams, shattered families, warring nations, danger, death and all manner of mayhem I feel a little like Pogo the Possum.  In a Earth Day environmental campaign for 1971, Pogo Possum is  sitting on the bank lamenting over the state of his beloved swamp.  The swamp is polluted by the garbage and junk discarded thoughtlessly by other inhabitants and intruders of the swamp.  “I’ve met the enemy and he is us.”  Pogo means, of course, that the problems we face in this world come by our own hand.

Just like economics shows the probable outcome of decisions made by a society in regard to material goods and services, “Pogonomics” is the science of studying the probable outcomes of the misuse of God’s resources and plan for our spiritual lives. 

Why do some people fail and others succeed in life?  At least part of the answer is trying to define what is success and failure in the first place.  Over the years tons of paper has been consumed by books giving the principles of success—yet, very few seem to have grasped the brass ring.  A brass ring is a small grabbable ring that a dispenser presents to a carousel rider during the course of a ride. Usually there are a large number of iron rings and one brass one, or just a few. It takes some dexterity to grab a ring from the dispenser as the carousel rotates. Typically, getting the brass ring gets the rider some sort of prize when presented to the operator of the carousel (Wikipedia).

Failure is the opposite of grasping the brass ring. There are tons of trees harvested to provide the paper for books on “Why People Fail.”  Forbes Magazine offers a lesson titled, “The 10 Reasons Why We Fail.”  Inc.com offers “Five Reasons People Fail (& What to Do Instead).”  Other titles include, “7 Undeniable Reasons Why Some People Fail Where Others Succeed.”  For $16.27 plus shipping and handling you can own, “Why People Fail:  The 16 Obstacles to Success and How You Can Overcome Them.”  Sixteen, Ten, Five, or Seven—what is it?  Whatever the magic number one thing seems certain to me:  failure is a personal matter.  In other words, if you fail, you probably have to look no further for the reason than the reflection in your mirror.

I recall reading about a once very successful businessman who had fallen on hard times.  His business had collapsed and he was facing financial ruin.  Though not a particularly religious man he decided to call out to God for help anyway.  He prayed, "God, please help me. I've lost my business and if I don't get some money, I'm going to lose my house as well. Please let me win the lotto."  Lotto night came and went and somebody else had the winning ticket.  Frustrated the man prayed again, “God, please let me win the lotto! I've lost my business, my house and I'm going to lose my car as well."  Lotto night came and the man still did not have the winning number.  The man, now at a point of desperation cried out, "My God, why have you forsaken me? I've lost my business, my house and my car. My children are starving. I don't often ask you for help and I have always been a good servant to you. Please just let me win the lotto this one time so I can get my life back in order."  Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light as the heavens opened and the fellow was confronted by the voice of God himself.  "Hey come on now, you are going to have to meet me halfway on this. Buy a ticket."

Therein lies the problem with most people who experience failure in life:  it’s their own actions or inactions that bring disaster and defeat.  Now, I am in no way suggesting anyone ever buy a lottery ticket.  What I am suggesting is that the problem with defeat in life does not arise out of God’s unwillingness to bless us, but our unwillingness to simply do what God has asked us to do, or not do what God has commanded us not to do.  In short, defeat comes from disobedience.  Our greatest enemy in life, if we are a believer, is never the Devil.  He has already been defeated.  When we want to discover the greatest enemy in our lives we need look no further than the mirror.  As Pogo the Possum discovered years ago while looking out over his beloved swamp violated with trash and litter he declared, “I’ve met the enemy and he is us.”

Joshua 7 outlines the principles of Pogonomics. Let’s read it together.

As we learned above people have offered 16 reasons for failure, 10 reasons for failure, seven reasons for failure, and even five reasons for failure.  I’m going to break it down to just one reason we fail:  we do things our way instead of God’s way.  And, that’s is a highway to defeat in life.

Our text outlines three aspects of Achan’s experience that describe Pogonomics, which led to absolute disaster in his life.

1.  Spiritual Carelessness (7:1; 6:17-19)

By far the most significant issue in regard to Pogonomics is Spiritual Carelessness.  Chapter 7:1 describes this:

The Israelites, however, were unfaithful  regarding the things set apart for destruction. Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of what was set apart, and the Lord’s anger burned against the Israelites.

The wording in this verse is a bit cumbersome in the original Hebrew language.  Literally it says, “The Israelites however acted unfaithfully with unfaithfulness.”  Both the verb form and noun form of the word meaning “unfaithful” are used.  This word literally refers to the “braking of a marriage covenant.”  The ESV gives a hint of this meaning translating the verb/noun combination as “broke faith.”  The word conveys the idea of “breaking an agreement between two parties.” In almost every use of the word in the O.T., it refers to man breaking the covenant relationship with God.  The compound use of the word here only heightens the gravity of what Israel corporately and Achan individually did to sin against God.  It is much more than mere theft of sacred objects.  This is much worse as the punishment meted out suggests.

Israel demonstrated a “carelessness” in regard to her spiritual heritage as God’s chosen people.  Instead of “holiness,” they practiced “carelessness.”  I think this is a grave sin that still befalls many in God’s church today.  You might refer to this spiritual carelessness as spiritual apathy.  It is at the heart of all sin—people simply take God’s graciousness and long-suffering for granted. 

This context for understanding how careless Achan and the nation as a whole were centers around the idea of “devoted things” (ESV) or “things set apart for destruction” (HCSB).  The KJV refers to the items Achan pilfered as “accursed things.”  The idea in a word is, “exclusivity.”  Everything in Ai was to be either destroyed as in the case of living things, or set aside for God’s exclusive use in the religious practice of Israel, as with gold, silver, etc.  The word is related to an Arabic root meaning “to prohibit, especially to ordinary use.” The word “harem,” meaning the special quarters for Muslim wives, comes from it. It is related also to an Ethiopic root, meaning “to forbid, prohibit, lay under a curse.” (TWOT).  Items under a “herem” meant strictly, “hands off.” Joshua 6 describes the act of “herem” or placing something under a ban:

¹⁷ But the city and everything in it are set apart to the Lord for destruction.  Only Rahab the prostitute and everyone with her in the house will live,  because she hid the men  we sent. ¹⁸ But keep yourselves from the things set apart, or you will be set apart for destruction. If you  take any of those things, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster on it. ¹⁹ For all the silver and gold, and the articles of bronze and iron, are dedicated to the Lord and must go into the Lord’s treasury.”

What could lead a person to “steal that devoted to God?”  The answer is, “spiritual carelessness.”  There is that old cliché that says, “familiarity breeds contempt.”  The fact this is a common cliché indicates it holds some lasting truth.  Familiarity with God is a grave mistake that leads one to become careless with one’s spirituality.  We can easily fall  into disobedience when we do not keep God’s awesome holiness front and center of our lives.  We will skim a little off the tithe. We will stay in bed on Sunday morning because it feels so cozy under the blankets.  When we are careless spiritually, we neglect to treat God with the utmost respect that He deserves.  Spiritual Carelessness leads us to treat God like a Cosmic Vending Machine we go to whenever we want a “god snack.”  Achan and Israel fell into the trap of Spiritual Carelessness.  The laws of Pogonomics indicates this is the first step to a slippery slope sliding into disaster.

Another issue involved in Pogonomics is the matter of:

2.  Uncontrolled Passions (20-23)

²⁰ Achan replied to Joshua, “It is true. I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel.  This is what I did: ²¹ When I saw among the spoils a beautiful cloak from Babylon,  200 silver shekels,  and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels,  I coveted them and took them.  You can see for yourself. They are concealed in the ground inside my tent, with the money under the cloak.” ²² So Joshua sent messengers who ran to the tent, and there was the cloak, concealed in his tent, with the money underneath. ²³ They took the things from inside the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites, and spread them out in the Lord’s presence.

These verses expose a man whose worldly passions are out of control.  His desire for the things of the world completely overcomes any sense of decency or devotion in regard to the things of God.  Is this not so often the case—godly character is sacrificed upon the altar of worldly pursuits?  In three verses Achan confesses to breaking three commandments:  stealing, lying, and coveting.  All of this comes about because of what he let “catch his eye.”  He saw something shiny and like a fish attacking a lure he latched onto it, only to discover the Devil was dangling it before him.  His spiral down into sin began with an innocent look.  I think of a little ditty I learned in primary Sunday School at Moundsville Baptist Church:

O be careful little eyes what you see

O be careful little eyes what you see

There's a Father up above //And He's looking down in love

So, be careful little eyes what you see

We must learn to control our passions or our passions will certainly control us. Controlling our passion requires limiting what images we allow into our mind.

I think of the great King David.  The Bible refers to David as a “man after my own heart”  (Acts 13:22).  Really?  David committed many sins and right at the top of the list was “adultery” and “conspiracy to commit murder” to cover up the adultery.  How did David, a godly man, fall into such sin?  The Bible says,

^{2Sam. 11    2} One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman.

The word translated, “he saw,” could mean “he was watching.”  In other words, he did not simply glance at her and turn away.  The word is in the imperfect tense which can suggest a non-completed action in the past.  The context would support this application of the text because it adds that David considered her “a very beautiful woman, so much so that David commanded that she be brought to him.

David’s sin was not catching a glimpse of a naked woman.  His sin was allowing his passions to run out of control until his temptation matured into full-fledged sin.  Billy Sunday, the great evangelist liked to describe the matter this way:  ““Temptation is the devil looking through the keyhole. Yielding is opening the door and inviting him in.”  The laws of Pogonomics dictate that uncontrolled passions will lead us into

3.  Self-defeating Actions (24-26)

This is what happened to David.  It is what happened to Achan.  It is what happens to everyone who allows spiritual carelessness and uncontrolled passions to lead them away from full devotion and obedience to God.

Look at the result of Achan’s actions:

²⁴ Then Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the cloak, and the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his ox, donkey, and sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and brought them up to the Valley of Achor.  ²⁵ Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us?  Today the Lord will trouble you!” So all Israel stoned them  to death. They burned their bodies,  threw stones on them, ²⁶ and raised over him a large pile of rocks that remains to this day.  Then the Lord turned from His burning anger. Therefore that place is called the Valley of Achor  to this day.

Total destruction and annihilation of everything and everyone associated with Achan.  His plan was horribly and inexorably a failure.  Achan sought to “gain it all,” but instead, “lost it all.”  Sin will do this every time.  In the end, the Devil always pays off in counterfeit blessings.  Achan lost all his possessions.  He lost his family.  He lost his life.  This is how Pogonomics plays out.  One follows his or her plan for life instead of God’s plan and it ends up a disaster.  Millions are falling prey to the laws of Pogonomics even as I speak.  Some of you may be experiencing the unrelenting laws of Pogonomics even now.  Achan sought success—he experienced failure in the worst possible way.

Many people object to the relentless, bloody consequences laid out in graphic detail in this passage.  Achan’s animals were slaughtered.  His children were stoned.  Everything was burned to ashes.  How can a loving God command such a thing?  It is because God is not only “loving,” but God is “holy.”  We cannot simply take the attributes of God that benefit us--like love, patience, mercy and grace—and ignore the other attributes of God like holiness.  The holiness of God is a horribly wonderful thing.  We take it lightly to our own detriment. 

Let this passage serve as a warning to any and all that roll the dice betting against God’s judgment and wrath.  Disobedience will be punished.  The laws of Pogonomics demonstrate that our own plans and devices always lead to “self-defeating actions.”

This is a strong teaching to be sure, but one which will spare you much heartache, and perhaps eternal loss, if you heed what this passage teaches:  disobedience leads to disaster.

The laws of economics show that particular actions will lead to predictable results.  For example if demand increases and supplies decrease prices will escalate.  That’s simple economics.  Pogonomics works on a spiritual level showing that disobeying God’s clear commands in Scripture either by ignorance or intention will lead to defeat and disaster.  Disobedience to God is always self-defeating.

Do you know what is really tragic about Achan’s actions?  OK, I’ll tell you.  If he would have just obeyed God’s commands and devoted himself to God’s plan he would have received freely what he took illegally.  Look at Joshua 8:2

² Treat Ai and its king as you did Jericho and its king;  you may plunder its spoil and livestock for yourselves.

CLOSE:  The battle of Ai should have been a slam dunk for Israel.  Our text tells us that the leaders of Israel said,  ³“Don’t send all the people, but send about 2,000 or 3,000  men to attack Ai. Since the people of Ai are so few, don’t wear out all our people there.”  Yet, when they descended upon Ai the Bible says, hey fled from the men of Ai.  ⁵ The men of Ai struck down about 36 of them and chased them from outside the gate to the quarries,  striking them down on the descent. As a result, the people’s hearts melted and became like water.

The laws of Pogonomics demonstrate that disobedience turns a sure victory into a sour defeat.  God’s directions were explicit and our devotion to Him must be exclusive.  Holiness leaves no room for our own plans and passions.  It is all about God! 

Pogonomics is a spiritual science that shows the outcome of various actions in regard to how those actions line up with the decrees of God—the Bible.  Economics can forecast which behaviors will bring the best returns on the use of goods and resources in a society.  Pogonomics forecasts the self-defeating consequences of misusing the goods and resources—spiritual as well as material—of God.

Today, as I gaze upon my world that is littered with broken dreams, shattered families, warring nations, danger, death and all manner of mayhem I feel a little like Pogo the Possum sitting on the bank lamenting over his polluted swamp.  “I’ve met the enemy and he is us.”

Last night coming home from dinner my wife reminded me that I will be turning 58 years old come May, Lord willing.  My heart sank when I heard that number.  Most of my life is behind me.  Most of it was very good.  Today, most of my life remains very good,  but there’s just less of it in my future on this planet.  There’s no time for my own agenda.  There’s only time for obedience!

<<end>>