SUMMER QUARTER SUNDAY SCHOOL 2011
THEME: GOD INSTRUCTS HIS PEOPLE
UNIT ONE: GOD INSTRUCTS HIS PEOPLE IN TRANSITIONAL TIMES … LESSONS FROM THE BOOK OF JOSHUA
UNIT TWO: GOD INSTRUCTS HIS PEOPLE IN TRAGIC TIMES (JUDGES)
UNIT THREE: GOD INSTRUCTS HIS PEOPLE IN TESTING TIMES (RUTH)
“UNCOVERING THE SECRET SIN OF COVETOUSNESS”
Sunday School Lesson No. V – July 3, 2011
Presented by Rev. Frank Davis, III, Pastor-Teacher
Lesson Text: Joshua 7:1-26; I Peter 4:17-18
Motto Texts: Joshua 7:20, “And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done.”
Luke 12:15, “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”
Required Reading: Joshua 6:18-19; 7:1 – 8:29
Reliable Resources: Union Gospel Press Expositor and Illuminator; Standard Lesson Commentary; Libronix Electronic Library; Joshua by Paul P. Ennis; Teaching the Great Themes of Joshua by Dr. Otis Thompson; Dakes Annotated Reference Bible; Mac- Arthur Study Bible by John MacArthur
INTRODUCTION
Our lesson today is a carry-over from the Sunday School lesson of last week, when Joshua led Israel victoriously over Jericho using the battle plan of Jehovah. It was such an unusual plan, but faith and obedience in that plan brought Joshua and Israel ultimate victory over their enemies. Following the victory was a great sense of confidence in the lives of the Israelites. They saw what faith and obedience in Jehovah could do, and surely they thought the campaign to overtake Palestine would be almost “a walk in the park.”
Now as Israel’s leader, Joshua had done everything possible to secure the will of God among the nation. He stood sure and true, telling them all what Jehovah expected as they entered the land and confronted their enemies. Obedience and faith were of the utmost if victory was to be achieved.
Now chapter 7 opens with a divine revelation that only God could reveal and uncover. All did not go as well at Jericho as had been assumed. Why? Because verse one reveals that Achan, a son of Israel by way of the Tribe of Judah, had coveted some of the spoils, and secretly stole what belonged to God, and hid it in his own house. Beloved, such a crime was cause to raise the anger of God against the nation. Secret sins of any type are an abomination unto the Lord, but covetousness, according to the Apostle Paul in Colossians 3:5 is as the sin of idolatry. Truly God’s commandment said, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3. Now let us uncover the results of the secret sin of covetousness.
Anticipated Power Points:
· The Course and Casualty of Covetousness. Joshua 7:1-5
· The Complaint and Counsel Concerning Covetousness. Joshua 7:6-18
· The Confession and Consequences of Covetousness. Joshua 7:19-26
· The Conclusion of Christ Concerning the Covetous. I Peter 4:17-18
Now concerning covetousness:
à Covetousness is the seldom confessed sin of the saints.
à Covetousness is that cursed character of constant constraint that corrals the conscience of every carnal Christian’s mind.
à Covetousness is described by Paul as the doorway to witchcraft and idolatry in Colossians 3:5 and Ephesians 5:5.
Covetousness is defined as “desiring at any cost that which belongs to another”; “having a craving for possessions or power;” “a lack of restraint and often of discrimination in desire.”
Lesson Outline
I. The Cause and Casualty of Covetousness. Joshua 7:1-5
As we closed chapter 6, what looked like the perfect victory was rudely interrupted by the opening words of chapter 7, “But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing..….and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.” Beloved, what happened that brought God’s anger against Israel and caused their warriors to flee from a small city in fear and distress? Achan, a descendant of Judah, had trespassed against the Lord’s commandment during the campaign against Jericho. Read Joshua 6:18-19 and realize that sin had contaminated the consecrated camp of Israel! Verses 2- 5 declare that the soldiers who fought at Jericho had surveyed the next city, Ai. They requested that only two to three thousand soldiers were needed to defeat the city of Ai, but after sending the small band of Israelites against the city, the men of Ai put the Israelites to flight and 36 men of Israel were killed.
But what was the cause of this malady? It was because of one man’s faithlessness and disobedience against Jehovah’s plan. Because of his act of covetousness, thirty-six families were planning funerals. This was a great casualty.
II. The Complaint and Counsel Concerning Covetousness. Joshua 7:6-18
A. A dismayed Joshua falls down in sack cloth and ashes before the Ark of the Covenant. vs. 6
B. He offered his one and only complaint against the Lord. vss. 7-9
C. He heard the thunderous voice of God saying, “Stop the prayer meetings, the issue is not with me failing but of Israel’s disobedience!” vss. 10-12. There would be no victories until God was properly honored by the Israelites. Sin had to be exposed and punished! God was dishonored and disobeyed at Jericho. It left Israel under the curse of God’s anger until the sin was exposed, confessed and judged. vs. 13. Numbers 32:23 tells us, “But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.”
D. God’s divine plan to expose the guilty party who would not volunteer to confess his trespass against God and his own people is found in verses 14-18. God would use His method, more like a casting of lots, to expose the guilty party who refused to confess his sin! God exposed the guilty by separating tribes, then families, then households, and then man by man. The lot fell on Achan and his house.
III. The Confession and Consequences of Covetousness. Joshua 7:19-26
Now that God exposes Achan divinely, Achan wants to tell it all, but his fate was already sealed. God has uncovered his secret sin of covetousness. Achan fell for the most obvious trick in Satan’s book. Read verse 21 and note the following words: “I saw,” “I coveted,” “I took.” Beloved, don’t let this be your testimony. Achan’s confession was too late and after the coveted contraband was retrieved from the middle of his tent, he, his family and possessions were slaughtered before God!
At the Valley of Achan (which means “trouble”) Achan and all of his were stoned and buried with fire just as God had commanded the Israelites to do to Jericho and its inhabitants, except for Rahab and her family. God had declared that all in Jericho was accursed and if Israel took of anything there, they too would be afforded the same sentence as the accursed. But why were his children and family executed? Because they harbored the contraband in their home and became a part of the crime after the fact!
IV. The Conclusion of Christ Concerning the Covetous. I Peter 4:17-18
When one reads these two verses, they see that they speak for themselves about any sin that a believer would take lightly. “Judgment will begin at the house of God.” So let us take heed that we might walk circumspectly in this present world. God’s commands are not options but obligations with which to be fully complied!
Closing:
John 1:9, “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” This is to be done under Holy Ghost conviction, not after we have been squeezed and prodded to tell the truth. Again, as Numbers 32:23 reminds us, “But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.” Let us not take God for granted; our sins will be uncovered by God!
Bibleway Missionary Baptist Church, New Orleans, LA & Little Bethel Baptist Church, Amite, LA
Mailing Address: Post Office Box 19768, New Orleans, LA 70179
Phone: (504) 486-7876 Email:
Website: www.thestudyhour.com
TV Broadcasts: WHNO TV 20, Sunday, 6:30 a.m.
Channel 14 (Hammond-Amite area), 6:30 a.m.
Radio Broadcasts:
WLNO AM 1060, Saturday 8:30 a.m.; Sunday 5:30 a.m.
AM 1570 (Hammond-Amite area) Saturday 1:00 p.m.
Looking Ahead: July 10, 2011 Judges 2:11-19