Joshua
– Living As A Consistent Role Model
Lesson 8: "A Terrible Tragedy" Joshua 7
"Israel has sinned…" Josh. 7:11
Achan’s flagrant disobedience
- Everything in Jericho was banned (Josh. 6:18,19)
- This was not a new law (Lev. 27:29, Deut. 7:22, 25-26)
- Why were inanimate objects banned? Were they in themselves evil?
- Achan disobeyed (Josh. 7:1)
Israel’s humiliating defeat
- Spies came back and reported only 3 thousand needed to take Ai
- Was this foolishness or faith?
- To Joshua’s amazement, the men of Ai struck back and defeated Israel
- People of Israel were so frightened, their hearts "melted" (Josh. 7:5)
Joshua’s painful dismay
- Joshua’s emotions took over
- He was more concerned with his own feelings of dismay (Josh. 7:7-9)
- Joshua had lost perspective He had forgotten:
- God’s promise to give them the Land
- The miracles in the desert
- The circumcisions, and what that meant
- The memorial stones
- The victory at Jericho
The Lord’s specific directions
- Joshua was too mature to fall down in despair, so God dealt with him (v. 10)
- Israel was defeated because of sin
- Why the methods of lots to find the guilty?
- Achar Þ Trouble
- One man’s sin affected a nation, and resulted in many deaths
5 Principles
#1) God is a holy God
#2)
The more light we have, the more we are accountable
#3)
Beware of flagrant lying
#4)
Can this kind of judgement happen today?
#5)
All have sinned
For next week, read Joshua Ch. 8