What is the meaning of the valley of Achor in the Bible?

Most Christians have heard or sung about the valley of Achor. But do they know what happened in the valley of Achor? Many times Christians sing songs but don’t know what they sing. They sing songs and pronounce words, that in comparison to their lifestyle don’t line up. It’s so easy to sing a song with a nice melody and moving words and be led by warm fuzzy feelings and emotions. But do you know the meaning of the valley of Achor in the Bible? Do you know what happened in the valley of Achor? What is the significance of the valley of Achor in the Bible? Why is the valley of Achor a door of hope? Let’s look at what the Bible says about the valley of Achor.

The fall of Jericho

To find out what happened in 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. Joshua fell on his face, worshipped, and asked him what he had to tell him. The captain of the hosts of the Lord first asked Joshua to take off his shoes, because the place where Joshua stood was holy. Joshua obeyed him and took off his shoes.

Then the Lord told Joshua He had given Jericho into his hand. He 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 and shared with them, what the Lord had told him and 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 gold, and 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 them this commandment, but Joshua also explained to them why they were not allowed to take anything from the city of Jericho and what would happen if they disobeyed this commandment.

The people of Israel obeyed the words of the Lord. They conquered and destroyed the city of Jericho. But not everyone obeyed the Lord’s commandment.

By the rebellion of one person,
the whole congregation of Israel became accursed

One man rebelled against the commandment of the Lord. This man didn’t obey the words of the Lord that were spoken by Joshua. But this man obeyed his flesh. He was led by his carnal lusts and greed and took of the accursed things. This man brought it to his tent and hid it in the ground. Because of his act, the whole congregation of Israel became accursed.

by one man's disobedience many were made sinners

Because of what he 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.

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 would destroy 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 and what they had to do to remove the accursed from their midst.

Achan’s confession

So in the morning, Joshua brought Israel by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken. He 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, Zabdi was taken. Joshua brought his household man by man, and Achan, the son of Carmi, was taken.

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 to 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 and 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 he had, and brought them unto the valley of Achor.

Joshua said: Why hast thou troubled us? The Lord shall trouble thee this day (Joshua 7:25)

After Joshua’s words, Achan and his family were killed in the valley of Achor.

How the valley of Achor became 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 for the people of Israel, the valley of Achor became a door of hope. Because in the valley of Achor, the tide turned and God’s people were reconciled with God.

valley of Achor

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 (Read also: What does the Bible say about disobedience to God).

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?).

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 (Colossians 2:13-15)

But because of God’s great love for people, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to the earth. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, took this, death penalty upon Himself. So that, everyone, who would accept Him as Saviour and Lord and become born again, would not have to carry this punishment anymore (Read also: The peace Jesus restored between fallen man and God).

Jesus took all the sins and iniquities of the world upon Himself. His precious blood was shed so that you would be reconciled with God and become a son of God through regeneration in Christ and by His Spirit. Jesus did this for you so that you would receive another nature and could live in freedom 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 die 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 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 your new life as the new creation will begin when your spirit is raised 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 prepared 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 you are ready to go to the valley of Achor. It is important to count the costs before you make this decision (Read also: Count the cost).

‘Be the salt of the earth’ 

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