ACHAN'S SIN

Joshua 7:1-26
Key Verse 7:12

1. 	Read v. 1 and compare it with Joshua 6:16-19. Why is it that the Lord God "spared" only Rahab and all who were with her in her house but commanded Joshua to "destroy" all the rest found in Jericho (Romans 1:16,17; 14:23; Gal 3:22)? 

2. 	Read v. 1 again. This passage points out that Achan belongs to the tribe of "Judah". What does the Bible say about the significance of Judah (Genesis 49:10; 2Ch 20:20; Hebrews 12:2)? Yet it was Achan, belonging the tribe of Judah who acted "unfaithfully" in regard to the devoted things. What warning is there for us to heed (John 1:12-13; 1Pe 5:8-9)?

3. 	Read vs. 2-5 and compare it with v. 1. This comparison indicates that Joshua acted on his own initiative. What lesson is there for us to learn in waging the Lord's battle? 

4. 	Read vs. 6-15. What do the following statements teach us about the wisdom to wage the Lord's battle and win all the time: 1) "I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction"; 2) "He who is caught with the devoted things shall be destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to him"; and 3) "He has violated the covenant of the Lord and has done a disgraceful thing in Israel!"? 

5. 	Read vs. 16-21. What do the following confessions of Achan tell us about the way sin is committed: 1) "When I saw..."; 2) "I coveted..."; 3) "[I] took them"; and 4) "They are 'hidden' in the ground 'inside' my tent, with the silver 'underneath'"? What warning is there for us to heed (Gen 3:6; 1Jn 2:15-16; James 1:13-18)? 

6. 	Read vs. 22-26. What does this passage tell us about the effect of sin (Romans 3:23; 6:23a; Hebrew 9:27; Rev 20:11-15; 21:8)? What does the Bible tell us about the way to escape from the ill effects of sin (Mark 1:15; 1Co 15:3; Jn 1:29)?

7. 	Read v. 26 again. What does this passage tell us about the Lord's attitude toward sin? What lesson is there for us to learn about sin (Heb 12:4)?