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Lesson 6 The Enemy Within

(Joshua 7 & 8)
English
Year: 
2025
Quarter: 
4
Lesson Number: 
6

                                                Lesson 6 The Enemy Within

                         (Joshua 7 & 8)

    

Copr. 2025, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D.  Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.

 

Introduction: In Joshua chapter 6 God destroyed the walled city of Jericho. The people watched as God collapsed the massive walls. It was an absolutely glorious victory for the Israelites. Previous to that they crossed over the flooded Jordan when God turned it into dry land.  Now the next target city is Ai. If you were one of the Israelites would you feel great confidence because of these recent successes? I would. But something very negative turns success into defeat. We will study that in this lesson and see what we can learn if we want to live a successful life. Let’s dive into our study of the Bible!

 

  1.    The Campaign Against Ai

 

    1.    Read Joshua 7:2–3. What was the first step Joshua took in conquering Ai? (He sent spies. Recall that we had a discussion about whether Joshua should have sent spies to Jericho.)

 

      1.    Other than saving Rahab and her family, can you name any contribution the spies made to the defeat of Jericho?

 

      1.    What was the purpose in sending spies to Ai? (To assess the strength of the people in Ai. We know this because of the nature of the report that they gave: only a few men were in Ai.)

 

      1.    Is sending these spies an act of faith by Joshua?

 

    1.    Read Joshua 7:4-5. In light of what happened, is the report of the spies that “they are few” of any help?

 

      1.    Did the number of men in Ai matter to God? (If you are on God’s side, it does not matter how many are against you, it matters whether God is with you.)

 

      1.    If Joshua had not based his military decision on the spy report and sent the whole army, would they have defeated Ai?

 

      1.    What lesson do we find in these verses when we face problems? (Joshua was looking in the wrong place. When you face a problem do not concentrate on the size of the problem, concentrate on your relationship with God. As we will see next, Joshua would have done better to be looking more closely at what was going on at home instead of what was going on at Ai.)

 

    1.    Look again at the last part of Joshua 7:5. Is a “melted heart” an appropriate response? If God has given you success in the past, have you let one recent defeat create mistrust in God?

 

  1.   Turning to God

 

    1.    Read Joshua 7:6–9. What do you think about Joshua’s reaction to this defeat?

 

      1.    What is the first thing Joshua did when he heard of this defeat? (He turned to God. Good!)

 

      1.    What is the second thing he did? (Blame God.)

 

    1.    Read Numbers 14:3. This is what the Hebrews said when they first approached the land promised to them and heard the unfavorable spy report. How does this compare to what Joshua said in Joshua 7:7? (Forty years later Joshua is saying essentially what he fought against when he was a “minority spy.”)

 

  1.      The Nature of Sin (Joshua v. Achan)

 

    1.    Go back and read Joshua 7:1 and Joshua 7:10–12. Also read Joshua 7:19-21. God says the people have violated God’s covenant by stealing and lying. Which sin do you think is worse, stealing and lying or losing faith and blaming God?

 

      1.    Let’s think about the basis for Achan’s sin. What was the root cause of Achan’s sin? (Covetousness.)

 

      1.    What is the root cause of covetousness? (Not trusting God to take care of us. Or seeking more than we get from God.)

 

      1.    Think about Joshua sending spies and the spies saying that just a few men are defending Ai. Joshua then relies on his judgment of the spy information for the battle plan against Ai. Is this similar to Achan’s sin - a failure of trust?

 

    1.    Look again at Joshua 7:5. In the context of our discussion about whether Achan’s sin or Joshua’s post-defeat attitude are the greater sin, do you also find sin in Joshua’s decision to send only a few men?

 

      1.    Would it be fair to say the defeat was caused by Achan and Joshua?

 

      1.    When you find that you are defeated, is the defeat the result of more than one sin? Including the sin of another person?

 

    1.    Let’s jump ahead and read Joshua 8:26-27. Achan is in trouble for taking plunder from Jericho. What was God’s rule about taking plunder from Ai? (God allowed it.)

 

    1.    Look again at Joshua 7:21. What were the three steps to sin that Achan describes? (He saw. He coveted. He took.)

 

      1.    Achan could have properly taken these kinds of things from Ai. What does that tell us about the foolishness of sin? The foolishness of a failure to trust?

 

  1.   Achan v. Rahab

 

    1.    Read Joshua 6:17-18 and Joshua 7:13. What rule is God enforcing? (Israel will face trouble and destruction if it takes any of the wealth of Jericho that is devoted to destruction.)

 

    1.    In Joshua 7:13-18 we see a systematic narrowing of the tribe, clan, and household until we get to Achan and his household. Read Joshua 7:19. What is Joshua’s tone towards Achan? 

 

      1.    Recall that we learned from Joshua 7:5 that 36 of the Hebrew fighting men were killed by the people of Ai. (Joshua sounds kind rather than angry.)

 

    1.    Read Joshua 7:24–26. What are all the things that result from Achan’s sin? (His whole family is killed. Thirty-six men died in battle. Israel cannot win in the future until this sin is addressed.)

 

      1.    Why? Isn’t this the sin of only one person?

 

    1.    How should we look at this in light of Rahab? Joshua 6:25 tells us that Rahab and all her family were saved. Does salvation and punishment go by family units?

 

      1.    If God handles things in groups, why didn’t Rahab die in Jericho? (We don’t have enough information about Achan to adequately examine God’s judgment. But one lesson we know to be true. Sometimes we get hurt because of the sins of others.)

 

        1.    Do you see this today in our families? In our church? In our country?

 

    1.    Read Deuteronomy 24:16. Can you reconcile this with what happened to Achan’s family? (The resolution must be that they knew what Achan had done and supported it. He could hardly dig a hole in their tent and bury the goods without them knowing about it.)

 

  1.    The Second Attack on Ai

 

    1.    Read Joshua 8:1 and Joshua 8:3-7. Describe this battle plan.

 

      1.    Do we finally have a plan that makes sense from a military point of view?

 

        1.    If so, why?

 

      1.    Was it a lack of faith to have a good battle plan? If not, why not have one for Jericho that made military sense? (If God gives us a plan, we had better follow it. But good planning is not contrary to God’s will. He can and will bless good plans.)

 

    1.    Read Joshua 8:13-16 and Joshua 8:19-21. How many men did Israel lose? (None are reported.)

 

    1.   

Friend, obedience to God makes all the difference! Trust in God is essential. Your faith and obedience will impact your family and those around you. Will you resolve today, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to obey and trust God?

 

  1.   Next week: Ultimate Loyalty: Worship in a War Zone.