Beware of The Babylonian Garment!
“When I saw among the spoils a beautiful
Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of
silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels,
I coveted them and took them. And there they
are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent,
with the silver under it.” – Josh.7:21 (NKJV)
Achan coveted an accursed thing in Jericho (a part of the Promised Land), and that led to the defeat of the Israelites in
their subsequent battle against a smaller nation called Ai. The implication of the defeat on the Israelites as a people was
devastating, but the consequence of Achan’s covetousness upon him and all that he had was more terrifying (Josh.7:2426). Ordinarily, one might be tempted to insinuate that judgment was not tempered with mercy especially on his
innocent children and the ignorant animals. The truth is, there is more to the “beautiful Babylonian garment” than a
piece of traditional fabric from a foreign land, which became irresistible to a man who had an eye for beauty like some
of us. It could have been you or me. The “Babylonian garment” is symbolic of a rebellious system of government. It is a
system that is in constant opposition to God’s government. The history is dated back to the calling of Abraham.
“Now [in Haran] the Lord said to Abram, Go for yourself [for your own advantage] away from your country,
from your relatives and your father’s house, to the land that I will show you.” Gen.12:1 (Amp)
God had called Abraham out of Ur of Chaldeans (his country) under the Babylonian system of government (Gen.11:15), out of the culture of his people, and out of the family tradition of his father’s house to the Promised Land (Acts 7:24). God then gave this land to Abraham’s descendants in honor of His covenant with him (Gen.15:18). Babylonian
system of government represents today’s world system; it is built by “the sons of men” and is characterized by:
i) Perversion – “they had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar to build themselves a city and a tower
whose top is in the heavens.” This is a falsification of the original residence that God built for mankind – the
Garden of Eden, where there is onyx stone and not brick (Gen.2:12).
ii) Self-glory – they wanted to make a name for themselves. It is a system of government where men like to take the
glory that belongs to God over other people’s lives. But God says that He will not share His glory with anyone
(Ish.42:8).
iii) Rebellion – they did not want to scatter abroad over the face of the whole earth. This is complete disobedience to
the divine mandate. The purpose of God for man is for him to fill the earth, subdue it, and have dominion over His
creations (Gen.1:28).
Babylonian system of government gives credence to human wisdom, riches, and might. It is a system of government
whose gods are gold and silver, and its core value is materialism (Dan.4:30). This system of government is a grief to
God’s delight.
“Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor
let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the Lord, exercising loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I
delight,” says the Lord (Jerm. 9:23-24).
Prior to entering the Promised Land, God had given Joshua, the leader of the people, the “Constitution” upon which the
government in the land should be based. This constitution is called “This Book of the Law” (Josh.1:8). Constant study
of this Book and meditation in it would enable the Israelites to understand and know God as the LORD and all His
attributes. In like manner, continuous confession and total obedience to the content of the Book would give them
prosperity and good success. This instruction is also applicable to us today, and by our total obedience to it, we will be
able to resist the lure of this ungodly world system. Perhaps Achan found no companionship in this Book just as many
of us Christians do not; hence he could not resist the deadly attraction of a beautiful Babylonian garment. He decided to
go back to the system of government that God detests, and out of which He called Abraham – “the world system.”
Beloved, it is a doomed system and we need to resist it.
“And another angel followed, saying, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all
nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” (Rev.14:8)
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Prayer Point
Father, deliver me from every form of covetousness and carnality in the name of Jesus.
Pastor Christopher Tunji-Ekundayo
Founder & President
Spar of Hope Ministries, Inc.
Website: http://www.sparofhopeministry.org
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +1443-722-7380
Fax: +1410-233-1991