Assistance from The Zondervan 2013 Pastor’s AnnualText Josh 7:1-26

The arrival of Israel in the Promised Land was a true success story

The Israelites had crossed the Jordan successfully, met God at Gilgal, and conquered Jericho

When we reach our text in Josh 7 we find Israel in retreat and in defeat and Joshua with his face to the ground crying out to God for an answer

God then answers Joshua’s prayer

Achan was the man who caused Israel to lose the battle of Ai He is mentioned 3 times in the bible and all

three reference the defeat at Ai (Josh 7:1, 22:20; 1 Chron 2:7)

He not only caused Israel to lose their battle in the conquest of Canaan, but he lost his own battle with life (Josh 7:25)

God does not desire for us to lose the battle of life as Achan did but rather to be victorious

In this lesson we will look at some of the reasons why Achan lost this battle

Achan himself said, “I coveted them” (Josh 7:20-21) The 10th commandment of God prohibited covetousness

(Ex20:17) Paul often makes mention of the dangers of

covetousness▪ Eph 5:3-5; Col 3:5-7; 1 Tim 6:6-11

Christ spoke of covetousness as well▪ Mk 7:20-23; Lk 12:15

Achan gave into his covetous desires He desired that which was not for him to have His covetousness is clearly one of the reasons

he lost the battle of life

Joshua had given to Israel God’s commands concerning Jericho (Josh 6:17-19) Jericho and all that was in it were to be dedicated

(devoted) to the Lord All the people were to be put to death with the

exception of Rahab and those with her in her house

It was probably a great temptation having to destroy so many valuable things rather than taking them for themselves, but God had given His commands and they were to be obeyed

Achan disobeyed the commands of God and took the spoils that were to be set apart by the Lord

There are multiple scriptures which deal with the importance of obedience to God Deut 10:12-13, Deut 12:13; 1

Sam 15:22; Eccl 12:13; Jn 8:51, 14:23; Acts 5:29; Jam 2:10; 1 Jn 3:22

God had made a covenant with Joshua and Israel for the seizure and capture of Jericho

Everything in Jericho was to be devoted to the Lord All living things were to be killed The destructible materials were to be burned The indestructible materials were to be

consecrated to the service of God The sin of Achan was more than an act of

disobedience, it was a violation of the divine covenant God had made with Israel

Some additional scripture to consider concerning covenants Deut 31:16; 2 King 23:3; Ps 25:14;

Prov 2:16-17; Neh 9:38; Mal 2:14-16; Mt 19:4-6; Lk 2:20; Heb 8:6-13, 9:11-15

The Sin of Achan was a robbery of God, a seizure of things owed to God and not Achan

The secrecy which he tried to use to hide this sin was an obvious lack of respect for the omniscience and omnipresence of God

In short, Achan violated God’s covenant with Israel

Don’t be like Achan and lose the battle of life by transgressing God’s covenants with us

We will conclude our look at what can cause a person to lose the battle of life next Lord’s Day evening

In the meantime, ask yourself, “Am I winning or losing the battle of life?” “Am I following God’s will for my life?” “Am I respecting and not violating the

covenant agreements I have made with God?” As you consider these questions, if there

is anything we as a congregation can do to help you in your walk, we invite you to come forward and make that known while we stand and sing