Although God gives the opportunity and time for us to confess our sins ...

God gave time for Achan, who had stolen things

that the Israelites were not supposed to take, to confess his sin.

This time span ranged from the time immediately

after the Israelites captured the city of Jericho to their defeat in the battle against Ai.

Furthermore, it extended to the next morning after God spoke to Joshua.

Even further, it extended to the morning after that,

when God made each tribe, each family, and each household come forward

until the guilty party was identified by tribe, household, and family.

However, Achan did not confess his sin until the end

when, after his family was singled out, one by one,

and he was identified as the perpetrator, Joshua said to him,

"My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and honor him.

Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me"

(Joshua 7:19).

It was then that Achan admitted and confessed,

"Indeed, I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel" (v. 20).

When reflecting on this passage,

I think that God gives us the opportunity and time to confess our sins,

but we often fail to confess them until God points them out to us.

This reminds me of 1 John 1:9,

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just

and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."