Session 5
Joshua 7:10-23
Memory Verse: Galatians 6:7
Perhaps you’re familiar with the story of the boy
whose father tasked him with planting beans in the family garden.
Once he finished, the lad could join his buddies at play.
Shortly after he began working, the young man saw his friends heading for the baseball diamond.
Anxious to get to the game and thinking his father would never know the difference,
the boy hastily dumped all the seeds in one hole and covered them up.
Later, when the seeds began to sprout, his disobedience became obvious.
The clustered plants revealed the young man’s transgression.
Like Achan who stole banned objects, the boy’s sin found him out.
Achan’s actions were discovered and judged because he dishonored the Lord.
One of the central truths of the Bible
is that every human being is a sinner.
We sin against others, and every sin is a sin against God.
The Bible also reveals that though we may try, we cannot hide anything from God-
including our sins.
What’s more, the Bible clearly declares that there will always be negative consequences
for one who tries to conceal one’s sin from God.
Nevertheless, there is good news.
renounces
God’s Word teaches that whoever confesses and renounces their sins to God
will find mercy and forgiveness. (PSG, p. 46)
The incredible victory God gave the Israelites over Jericho in Joshua 6 because they obeyed Him.
Today’s session reveals what can happen when disobedience creeps in.
Summarize this content from “Understand the Context” (PSG, p. 47):
“After the account of the fall of Jericho in Joshua 6,
chapters 7-12 summarize the rest of the conquest of Canaan.
Joshua 7 reveals that an Israelite sinned against God
when the Lord brought down the walls of Jericho.
When Achan saw some of the items that were to be set apart for the Lord,
he coveted them and took them for himself.
Achan’s sin resulted in Israel’s initial defeat at Ai.
Only when Achan was confronted and his sin dealt with could Israel move on.
Joshua 8 describes how God turned away from His anger and handed over the city of Ai to the Israelites.”
It is important for us to understand our personal relationship with God
in the context of being a part of the people of God.
Our actions affect others, often in ways we never expect.