JOSHUA SERIES #8 – THE ENEMY WITHIN (Joshua 7:1-26)

Expository, History, Joshua Series - Moving Forward, Old Testament, Series

Joshua 7:1-26 – THE ENEMY WITHIN

#8 – MOVING FORWARD – THE BOOK OF JOSHUA

J. Vernon McGee – “The worst enemy that you have is yourself. He occupies the same skin that you occupy. He uses the same brain that you use in thinking his destructive thoughts. He uses the same hands that you used to perform his own deeds. This enemy can do you more harm than anyone else. He is the greatest handicap that you have in your daily Christian Life…

“The only battle that the Children of Israel lost in taking the Promised Land was a battle in which the defeat came, not from without, but within.”

J. Vernon McGee, Through the Bible with J. Vernon McGee, Volume II, Joshua-Psalms (Nashville, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982), pp. 16-17

  • Why do you agree or disagree with the statement above?
  • In what ways will our sins affect other people?
  • In this chapter we see how one man’s sin influenced the whole nation of Israel.

ISRAEL’S COMPROMISE – Vs. 1

  • 1 – In what sense did the nation of Israel sin?
  • We can carry this reasoning to the church today. When one person blows it, in a sense the whole church blows it. The church’s testimony is affected!

ISRAEL’S COLLAPSE – Vss. 2-5

  1. Caused by overconfidence – Vss. 2-3
  2. Compounded by failure to rely on God – Vss. 4-5 (Compare Joshua 7:5 with Joshua 5:1)

JOSHUA’S COMPLAINT – Vss. 6-9

  • 6 – They were right to mourn.
  • 7 – Joshua was wrong to blame God.
  • 7-8 – Joshua was correct to be concerned.

GOD’S COMMAND – Vss. 10-15

  • 10 – God told Joshua to stand because He had work for Joshua to do.
  • 11-12 – Joshua is told that Israel has sinned.
  • 13-15 – Joshua was expected to deal with it. When there is known sin in the church, it needs to be dealt with. Matthew 18:15-17, 1 Corinthians 5, Galatians 6:1

JUDGMENT’S COMPLETION – Vss. 16-26

  1. Achan was identified as the culprit. – Vss. 16-18

Why do you think God didn’t just tell Joshua who the guilty party was?

  1. Achan made a public confession. – Vss. 19-23
  2. Achan, his family (evidently, they were accomplices), the stolen items, and all his possessions were destroyed. – Vss. 24-26

What are the take-aways from this lesson?