Achan acknowledged his guilt, but when it was too late for the confession to benefit himself. He had seen the armies of Israel return from Ai defeated and disheartened; yet he did not come forward and confess his sin. He had seen Joshua and the elders of Israel bowed to the earth in grief too great for words. Had he then made confession, he would have given some proof of true penitence; but he still kept silence. He had listened to the proclamation that a great crime had been committed, and had even heard its character definitely stated. But his lips were sealed. Then came the solemn investigation. How his soul thrilled with terror as he saw his tribe pointed out, then his family and his household! But still he uttered no confession, until the finger of God was placed upon him. Then, when his sin could no longer be concealed, he admitted the truth. How often are similar confessions made. There is a vast difference between admitting facts after they have been proved and confessing sins …
"But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out."
EGW uses the example of Achan to illustrate the principle that sin will eventually be revealed. While Numbers 32:23 is a general statement about sin finding you out, EGW's passage specifically uses the Achan narrative to exemplify this principle, making the connection strong.
"So long as they can conceal their transgressions from their fellow men, many, like Achan, feel secure, and flatter themselves that God will not be strict to mark iniquity. All too late their sins will find them out in that day when they shall not be purged with sacrifice or offering forever. When the records of heaven shall be opened, the Judge will not in words declare to man his guilt, but will cast one penetrating, convicting glance, and every deed, every transaction of life, will be vividly impressed upon the memory of the wrongdoer. The person will not, as in Joshua's day, need to be hunted out from tribe to family, but his own lips will confess his shame. The sins hidden from the knowledge of men will then be proclaimed to the whole world. PP 498.2"
"But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out."
This EGW passage directly uses the Achan story as an example of how sin will eventually be revealed, connecting it to the idea of judgment. Numbers 32:23, stating that sin will find you out, is the underlying principle illustrated by the Achan narrative and applied by EGW.
"And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission."
EGW contrasts the temporary concealment of sin with the ultimate revelation and lack of purging in the final judgment. Hebrews 9:22, stating that almost all things are purged with blood, provides a contrast to the idea that sins will *not* be purged in the final judgment, as EGW describes. The connection is thematic, highlighting the difference between earthly and heavenly judgment.