[ THE VICTORIES OF GOD IN THE LIFE OF JOSHUA INDUCTIVE LESSON THIRTEEN ACHAN S SIN Day One Text: (Begin this week s lesson by reading the assigned passage several times.) Hint: Read the passage repeatedly, prayerfully, thoughtfully, meditatively and patiently. Joshua 7: 16 26 16 So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17 He brought the clan of Judah, and he took the family of the Zarhites; and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man, and Zabdi was taken. 18 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. 19 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." 20 And Achan answered Joshua and said, "Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done: 21 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." 22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver under it. 23 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. 24 Then Joshua, and all 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 of Achor. 25 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. 26 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 Achor to this day. 1
Memory Verse: James 1:14 15 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Day Two Words Matter: In this portion of the lesson we will take a closer look at one or two key words in the chapter. You will need to have your tools or resources at hand, such as more than one Bible translation, a dictionary or Bible dictionary, concordance, atlas, and encyclopedia. If you don t have all of these, simply use what you do have to enrich your learning. To do some digging on your own, start with your dictionary (or Bible dictionary) and then look up the references to add to your understanding. If you have additional resources, you may want to keep digging. (You may want to make notes in the Notes and Insights section.) After you ve completed the investigative process, write a definition in your own words. Your investigation in today s lesson will lay the groundwork for deeper discoveries in subsequent lessons, so be as thorough as you can. Clan: Joshua 7:17 He brought the clan of Judah, and he took the family of the Zarhites; and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man, and Zabdi was taken. Dictionary or Concordance definition: What does the Bible have to say? Judges 6:15 Choose Another Word: Dictionary or Concordance definition: What does the Bible have to say? Verse Verse 2
Memory Verse: James 1:14 15 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Day Three Inductively Speaking: God s Word comes forth from His heart with a desire for all of us to do His will. He gives us instruction to living our lives to His standard. If we do all of these things to observe His Word and do nothing to change, we are then ignoring the reason for Him writing to us this letter of love. He offers us real change that will affect our lives and those that we love for generations to come. Joshua 7: 16 19 (Today s highlighted passage of inductive learning.) 16 So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17 He brought the clan of Judah, and he took the family of the Zarhites; and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man, and Zabdi was taken. 18 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. 19 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." I. Observation: Finding the literal facts or most obvious details of the passage. Hint: Begin observation by asking the questions who, what, where, when, why, and how. Verses 16 19 3
Inductively Speaking: Let s be honest about our differences in interpretation. We will have disagreements from time to time about the correct meaning of God s Word, that s a fact. On the other hand, as discussed before, we must never disagree concerning the inerrant Word of God. Remember, our God is incapable of giving us flawed meaning when He speaks to us from His Word. II. Interpretation: Discovering the lessons or meaning of God's instruction to His people. Hint: Try to place yourself with these people, in their circumstances, at this time of Bible history. Verses 16 19 Inductively Speaking: A well-trained construction superintendent is expert at understanding the importance of a strong foundation for the building that he is about to construct. In relation to inductive learning, this is the observation (foundation) portion of the inductive process, creating a proper and proportionate foundation for the interpretation s correct meaning. A structure must always fit proportionately with its foundation. The same can be true for the interpretation section of the study; a foundation with great mass intended for a ten-story building is wasted when a two-car garage is erected upon it. First, this can happen when not enough thought is spent studying the observations. Secondly, by not asking the Lord, What do these observations mean in terms of spiritual lessons? How wasteful not to utilize such a great foundation of observations and miss the potential for such a magnificent structure of interpretation to be built, diminishing the application of God s Word. Purpose in your heart a proportionally balanced fact based understanding of God s Word as you continue in the tradition of Joshua But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15b III. Application: Applying the lessons and meaning of God's instructions to His people. Hint: Apply the lesson or lessons you found in the interpretation section in the form of a question. Verses 16 19 Day Four Joshua 7:20 21 (Today s highlighted passage of study.) 20 And Achan answered Joshua and said, "Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done: 21 When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty 4
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." I. Observation: Finding the literal facts or most obvious details of the passage. Hint: Begin observation by asking the questions who, what, where, when, why, and how. Verses 20 21 II. Interpretation: Discovering the lessons or meaning of God's instruction to His people. Hint: Try to place yourself with these people, in their circumstances, at this time of Bible history. Verses 20 21 III. Application: Applying the lessons and meaning of God's instructions to His people. Hint: Apply the lesson or lessons you found in the interpretation section in the form of a question. Verses 20 21 Day Five Joshua 7:22-26 (Today s highlighted passage of study) 22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver under it. 23 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. 24 Then Joshua, and all 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, 5
his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Achor. 25 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. 26 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 Achor to this day. I. Observation: Finding the literal facts or most obvious details of the passage. Hint: Begin observation by asking the questions who, what, where, when, why, and how. Verses 22 26 II. Interpretation: Discovering the lessons or meaning of God's instruction to His people. Hint: Try to place yourself with these people, in their circumstances, at this time of Bible history. Verses 22 26 III. Application: Applying the lessons and meaning of God's instructions to His people. Hint: Apply the lesson or lessons you found in the interpretation section in the form of a question. Verses 22 26 6
Memory Verse: James 1:14 15 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Day Six Summation Sentence: A simple personal statement about what God has shown you from this passage. Toolbox: Use your toolbox or secondary helps to enforce your observational findings. Study Bible: Bible Concordance: Bible Dictionary: Bible Handbooks: Bible Atlas: Bible Commentary: 2008 Craig L. Thomas. All rights reserved. Express permission granted for use and reproduction by Harvest Christian Fellowship, Riverside, CA. www.harvest.org 7
Prayer Requests: Lecture Notes: 8