"Achor"

Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, And the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down, For My people who have sought Me. - Isaiah 65:10 (NKJV).

In the Old Testamant book of Isaiah, the sixty-fifth chapter speaks on the themes of judgement, for those who reject God (v. 5), and restoration, for those who seek after God (v. 9).  Two groups, two choices, and two outcomes.  We are reminded that God is rich in mercy and has things under control... for those who seek after him.  No matter what we have faced, we find that the grace of God trumps it all.

One of the pictures of redemption and restoration painted by Isaiah tells of herds lying down in a valley called Achor.  In Hebrew, the word means "trouble".  The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia goes on to say, "serious or extreme trouble."  Do you have a happy place that you, at times, mentally travel to?  Chances are, that place is not like Achor.  The beach?  The mountains?  A golf course?  All of those are sure nice to think on.  But Achor?  No way.  I am sure the Israelites would just as soon forget such a place of trouble.

Joshua 7 tells the story of Achan who, along with a few others, took plunder from Jericho.  The issue?  They were told by God not to.  After losing favor with God, the Israelites are routed when they attempt to take the next city, Ai.  Furthermore, when Achan's sin is found out, he and his family are put to death.  The Bible says the place was called Achor from that time on.  So, no.  Achor is not a happy place.

Perhaps you have been, or maybe still are, in your own Vallley of Achor.  Perhaps it by your own choices, or maybe you were swept up by the decisions of others.  Be thankful that God is a Redeeming God!  Your place of trouble in the hands of the Master, becomes a place of tranquility and peace.  Our world shows the scars of man's sinfulness.  Choices are made, life happens, and we are left to make sense of it all.  We set up tent in Achor, always reminded of something awful from our past or present.

The good news of the Gospel is a message of restoration.  In Christ, the hopeless have hope.  In Christ, the weak are made strong.  In Christ, what was once a place of scorn and contempt, becomes a place of abundance and peace.  Relationships are healed, sinners are forgiven, the wayward find their way home, broken hearts are mended, and hope rises out of despair.  Whatever your "Achor" is, allow God to transform it by His grace.  We may show scars, but they become testimonies to His grace.  We are a people of hope!