Joshua Worksheet - Chapter 7

JOSHUA 7     Review: In Chapter 6, we saw the glorious victory of the Israelites taking the city of Jericho through praise and a shout by obeying the Captain of the Hosts; the Lord gave them the orders and things went well. The city was put under the "ban" which meant that they were not to take anything for themselves as plunder or spoil; it all belonged to the Lord. The Lord was very specific in Joshua 6:17-19 that if anyone coveted and took anything under the "ban", the entire camp of Israel will become accursed and have trouble upon it. As soon as we begin Chapter 7, we read of someone who did take something; Achan. He thought he could outsmart God and hide his sin. We see that our sin will find us out; there is no hiding from God, and the consequences of sin are always in play as well. Let us learn from this man what we need to avoid and how we can escape the judgments of the Lord. What did the Lord tell all of Israel to be careful not to do after their victory in Jericho? Joshua 6:16-19 As we begin Chapter 7, how has this command been disobeyed and by whom? vs. 1 How did the Lord react to this unfaithfulness after He had given them such a miracle in bringing down the walls of Jericho? vs. 1 Joshua and Israel do not realize that someone has taken something under the "ban", and so they continue with plans to conquer another city. Where did Joshua send some spies to check out? vs. 2 What was the report from the spies to Joshua concerning the city of Ai? vs. 3 How many men did Joshua send up for the battle? vs. 4 Why did they run back from the battle? vs.4,5 How many men of Israel died there? vs. 5 They continue to pursue Israel as far as Shebarim and struck them down on the descent. What did this cause the people of Israel's hearts to be like? vs. 5 Joshua and the elders of Israel tore their clothes, fell on their faces before the ark of the Lord and put dust on their heads. How long did they stay in that position of prayer? vs. 6 Joshua's prayer is to question God and really blame God for not doing as "He" had promised. He said "Why did You ever bring us over the Jordan just to deliver us to the Amorites?"  He wishes that they had just stayed over on the other side. (vs. 7)  He is upset that Israel turned their back to their enemies because others in the land would "hear" about their "defeat", surround them, and cut their name from the earth (vs.8,9) and then, what does he ask God? vs. 9 What is God's response to Joshua's prayer? vs. 10 What does God reveal to Joshua about "why" they had faced "defeat" against Ai? What sins were they guilty of ? vs. 11 Israel would not be able to stand against their enemies any longer. They had become accursed because of the sin that was in the camp. What would happen if they did not destroy the things that had been taken from "under the ban" ? vs. 12 Again, God says to Joshua "Rise up!"  He is to consecrate the people and tell them that there are things under the ban in their midst. What will happen to them if they do not confess and remove the things taken under the ban? vs. 13 Obviously, Achan has not come forward with his sin. If he had, things might have turned out differently. They have to go through the process tribe by tribe, family by family, and finally person by person to discover where the sin is. (vs.14) What would happen to the person who had taken the things under the ban and why? vs. 15 What tribe did the sin come from?  What family did the sin come from?  What person did the sin come from? vs.17-18 Joshua confronted Achan and asked him to give glory and praise to the Lord by confessing to what he had done. (vs.19)  At that time, did Achan confess? vs. 20 What did Achan see among the spoil that he longed to have? vs. 21a What did he confess to coveting when he saw them? vs. 22b After confessing that he took the mantle (robe) and the silver & gold, what did he confess to doing as well? vs. 22c Joshua sent messengers to Achan's tent to find the things that had been buried. They brought the items out to Joshua and poured them out before the Lord and the people of Israel to see. (vs.22, 23)  Achan was taken along with his family and his animals and all that belonged to him along with the things he had stolen. Where did they take them to? vs. 24 Joshua asked Achan "Why have you troubled us?" and then told him that the Lord would trouble him that day; the day of his judgment. What was the way that they executed people at that time? vs. 25 They raised a great heap of stones over Achan and the Lord's anger subsided. What did they name that place from that day on? vs. 26 Application When Achan makes his confession after being 'found out through God', what steps does he say he took in the process of giving birth to sin? vs. 21 His confession of how sin "overcame him" is similar to how the apostles James describes it. Comment on the verses below, explaining how these are similar to one another. James 1:13-16 Two ways we are deceived by sin are apparent.  "No one will find out". "It's not hurting anyone but myself".  Both are lies that Satan deceives us with. Comment on the verses below: Numbers 32:23 Psalm 139:1-4 Hebrews 4:12-13 1 Corinthians 5:6 1 Corinthians 15:33 Basically, Achan's sin was coveting which led to stealing. We are commanded in the ten commandments not to covet. What does it mean? It means to be envious of another's "stuff"; to want something that we do not have. If we don't stop the sin of "coveting" through confession and repentance, it will lead to other sins. Comment on the following verses: Romans 7:7-8 James 4:1-4 1 John 2:15-17 Rather than covet, we need to be content. What does Paul teach about this? 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 Philippians 4:11-13 1 Timothy 6:6-10 Hebrews 13:5 We cannot become overconfident in our abilities. Joshua's spies led him to believe that only a few could take Ai; no need to send them all. In our spiritual battles, we cannot resist the devil without first submitting to God. There is no record of them seeking the Lord about where to attack next, etc. Where does pride always take us? 1 Corinthians 10:11-12 Galatians 6:1-7 James 4:5-7 1 Peter 5:6-11 As Christian soldiers, do we stay down? No, we get up!  Many Christians live with hopelessness and in a spirit of defeat.  Do they have to be that way? We have the world watching how we will react to our trials and defeats, and we have the Lord's Name to proclaim in this dark world. Comment on the following verses: 1 Peter 2:11-12 1 Corinthians 10:13-14 Philippians 2:14-15 1 Peter 1:13 1 Peter 5:8 Summarize this lesson and post a prayer if you would like. Prayer Father God, I pray ...