Men's Group Study Guide
Introduction
Directly after the great victory at Jericho in chapter six we see the result of disobedience
here in chapter seven. There is victory that comes later in the chapter which is good, but there is an important lesson for us to learn. A man sees, he covets, he takes what he covets and then tries to hide it all. How many times have we seen this played out in the Bible and probably in our own lives. Things are going good and then we loose the contentment that we have in Christ. SPLAT! Not only have we set ourselves back but we have greatly effected all those around us. The key point is that we have been separated from our Lord by our sin. This is where things can get real ugly depending on the choices we make. Humble yourself. Mourn over your sin. Repent and be washed by the blood. God’s redemption is perfect and will make us whole again. It’s a beautiful thing!
STUDY NOTES: verses 1-26
Vs.1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things,
for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of
Judah, took of the accursed things; so the anger of the Lord burned against the
children of Israel. When God’s children receive a directive from the Lord we
know that it is always for our betterment. Joshua had warned the Israelites to
abstain from the accursed things, the items that had been offered to idols. The
Israelites had been battling not so much for their own personal gain but as a
weapon in God’s hand to remove the pagan influence from the land. They could
not be beaten by the inhabitants of the land, but they could defeat themselves by
separating themselves from God’s purposes.
Vs.2-5 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on
the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, ”Go up and spy out the
country.” So the men went up and spied out the Ai. And they returned to Joshua
and said to him, “ Do not let all the people go up, but let about two or three
thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not weary all the people there, for the
people of Ai are few.” So about three thousand men went up there from the
people, but they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai struck down about
thirty six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and
struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and
became like water. The recommendation of the spies was to send up only a small
part of the people to do battle. Over in chapter 8:25 we see a more exact number
of 12,000 people in Ai. So to send three thousand people over to do battle there
was either a step of faith or they were confident in themselves. Let us pray for an honest accessment of our own hearts. Is there sin in our lives that needs to be dealt with? Will we go forward in our own strength, or in the Spirit of God? We are promised victory in Jesus, but will we take Him at His word? Our battles are never a question of the size or strength of our enemy, but whether we are getting our help from God.
Vs.6-9 Then Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the
ark of the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on
their heads. And Joshua said, “ Alas, Lord God, why have you brought this
people over the Jordan at all—to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites, to
destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the
Jordan! O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies?
For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround
us and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will you do for your great
name? A crisis has occurred and what is Joshua’s first response? To run to God
and fall at His feet. If only we would have that response when there is defeat and
disappointment in our own lives. Instead of automatically looking at others or our
situations we could humble ourselves and seek the guidance of the Lord. As
children of the Living God, being overpowered should only happen by the Spirit
of God. It is healthy and good to question defeat that is taking place in our lives.
Our purpose in life is to bring glory to the name of our God. Joshua is asking
honest questions to which the Lord will reply.
Vs.10-13 So the Lord said to Joshua: “ Get up! Why do you lie thus on your
face? Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I
have commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things,
and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own
stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but
turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to
destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed
among you. Get up, sanctify the people, and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for
tomorrow, because thus says the Lord God of Israel: “ There is an accursed thing
in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take
away the accursed thing from among you.” Joshua’s initial fear is that God has
left them out to dry believe it or not. He was pleading with God as to why this
defeat had taken place. Had God really turned His back on them after bringing
them all this way? The answer to that question should be obvious. Chapter 1:5.
So God’s reply is, ”Get up!” There was no need to ask God to change His heart
toward them. It was the children of Israel that needed to change their hearts
toward God. He is glorified in the believer’s victorious life. He allows for defeat
by giving us freedom of choice. That is where the battle will always be for us.
Romans 7:21-25. Israel sinned, but they didn’t have to. So what about the fact
that it was only one man that had sinned, but all of Israel was being charged?
Is that fair? Well, fortunately for us it is not about fairness. It’s about a pure God
who loves us and saves us from the destruction of sin which is complete death.
Death of not just the body, but of the spirit and soul. Sin is a very serious thing
to God and it should be a very serious thing to us. In 1 Corinthians 5:6 we see
that it only takes a little bit of the poison to kill everything. The effects of sin will
leave us with no power before our enemies. God’s promise of blessing to us is
dependent upon our obedience to Him, but also the promise of defeat upon our
disobedience.
Vs.14-15 In the morning therefore you shall be brought according to your tribes.
And it shall be that the tribe which the Lord takes shall come according to
families; and the family which the Lord takes shall come by households; and the
household which the Lord takes shall come man by man. Then it shall be that he
who is taken with the accursed thing shall be burned with fire, he and all that he
has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he has
done a disgraceful thing in Israel.’” Joshua had no idea really who was to blame
for the transgression, but God was fully aware and put into motion the process of
elimination to root them out before the rest of Israel. Galatians 6:7. This
disobedience would meet quick judgment.
Vs.16-18 So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel by their tribes,
and the tribe of Judah was taken. He brought the clan of Judah, and he took the
family of the Zarhites man by man, and Zabdi was taken. Then he brought his
household man by man, and Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of
Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. God’s hand divinely sifted through all the
people down to exact individual. It is the same way in our individual lives. God
will work thru different ways to reveal certain sin in our hearts. He sifts through
down into the deepest parts as only He can. As the process went on, Achan had
plenty of time to reflect on his sin. Probably thinking it could have been so much
less painful if he had just been obedient. The preferred method for us should be to
remember the regret of sin before it happens, not after.
Vs.19-21 Now Joshua said to Achan, “ My son, I beg you, give glory to the Lord
God of Israel, and make confession to Him, and tell me now what you have done;
do not hide it from me.” And Achan answered Joshua and said, “Indeed I have
sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done: When I saw
among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver,
and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And
there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.
Achan still had the choice to either disobey God or to obey Him. Achan chose to
openly and honestly confess his sin. This was his salvation. According to what he
had done though, he received his due punishment. Weighed against thirty-six men
and the welfare of the people he was killed. Brutal, isn’t it? So is the result of our
sin
Vs.22-26 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and there it was,
hidden in his tent, with the silver under it. And they took them from the midst of
the tent, brought them to Joshua and to all the children of Israel, and laid them out
before the Lord. Then Joshua, and all of Israel with him, took Achan the son of
Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his
oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them
to the Valley Achor. And Joshua said, “ Why have you troubled us? The Lord
will trouble you this day.” So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned
them with fire after they had stoned them with stones. Then they raised over him
a great heap of stones, still there to this day. So the Lord turned from the
fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the
Valley of Trouble to this day. Once again this is a great example for us to see the
truth for our lives. God has to kill things off in our lives so that there can be
victory again and again. Bury it in Jesus and go forward to victory
TRUTH APPLIED:
Q. 1 What does being content mean to you?
Q. 2 Look at your life and where the majority of your time is being spent. Is it focused on bringing joy to your own existence? Is it focused on bringing truth and joy to others? Now honestly, is it centered on Jesus?
Q. 3 By now we should understand that God wants to bring us into His blessings.
Ephesians 1:3 / James 1:16-17 / Colossians 2:8 / Proverbs 10:22—So will you search out and hold out for that? Or is there something else that has the appearance of attraction to you?
Q. 4 Are you grieved by the blessings you have missed out on? Do you experience misery in your life because you are trying to find vision and purpose else
where.
Q. 5 Read 1 Timothy 4:13-16. These verses talk about a man who had received vision and purpose from above. Have you received vision for your own life? Do you seek it out? Are you settling for things of much less significance? If you are, you are getting ripped off.
CONCLUSION:
When we go seeking our purpose in the world we are not only letting ourselves be ripped off, we also steal from God. He payed a great price for us to have the salvation we have. All to often we have accursed things in our own lives and we pay for it. When we put those things away and truly repent there can be a restoration of the divine favor. Don’t get me wrong. God will always love us, but these accursed idols remove us out from under the blessing spout. I earnestly desire for all my brothers in Christ to receive these blessings. My prayer is that you would put away any idols in your lives and repent. Tap into the real deal and be changed from glory to glory. 1 Peter 4:1-2 / 1 Corin.12:1-7