Is the whole community responsible for the wrongs of a few people?
Why did many of Israel’s soldiers die at Ai due to Achan’s sin (Joshua 7)? Why did the Israelites stone Achan’s family with him? Understanding community responsibility helps answer these questions.
If Achan’s family knew about his theft, they shared his guilt. A community becomes responsible for sin when its members either take part in a sinful act or silently approve of sinful actions or attitudes.
What about Achan's children who were too young to understand or did not know about his theft? What about Israel's soldiers who died at Ai because Achan took what belonged to God?
To understand, we must return to the beginning.
The sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve, had at least two aspects (Genesis 3):
They chose not to trust God, even though they had a close relationship with him. Instead, they listened to a stranger.
They tried to become like gods themselves. They declared their independence from God, even though they failed.
Since everyone makes the same choice for themselves, no one is truly innocent (see Psalm 14:2–3; Romans 3:9–23). As a result, we all face the consequences of sin in the world. We might die because of another person's sin, carelessness, or ignorance, or because of our own actions. When someone drinks alcohol and drives, they can crash and kill other people. When people care more about making money than helping others, they may force their workers to work in unsafe places. When Achan sinned, others in Israel died at Ai.
This situation may not seem "fair." Yet, God promises to bring perfect justice in his own time. God’s justice will come through his grace and mercy, brought to us through Jesus’ death in our place (see Romans 5:12–21).
Passages for Further Study
Genesis 9:24–27; Exodus 20:5; Joshua 7:1–26; 2 Kings 14:6; 2 Kings 21:10–15; Ezra 9:6–15; Nehemiah 9:16–37; Jeremiah 31:29–30; Ezekiel 18:20; Daniel 9:4–19; Matthew 23:29–36; John 9:1–3; Romans 5:12–21; 1 Corinthians 15:21