The enemy within lesson study on sabbath school

The enemy within lesson study on sabbath school

• 1.
  THE ENEMY WITHIN Lesson 6 forNovember 8, 2025
• 3.
  The cause ofthe defeat (Joshua 7:1-5, 10-13) Dismayed and afflicted (Joshua 7:6-9) Discovering the transgressor (Joshua 7:14-19) Achan's sin (Joshua 7:20-26) Victorious Again (Joshua 8:1-29) After an illogical military tactic, the walls of Jericho fell. Israel entered the city and razed it to the ground. Victory! Whose? God's, since Israel had little to do with it. When they finally questioned God, the answer was resounding: Israel has sinned and can no longer defeat its enemies. How can it regain divine favor? After a well-thought-out military tactic, Ai wins. Defeat! By whom? By the people of Israel, since they hadn't counted on God.
• 4.
  THE CAUSE OFTHE DEFEAT “Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions” (Joshua 7:11) After the favorable report from the spies sent to Jericho, Joshua consulted God and received from Him the strategy for taking the city. God had seen that“Israel has sinned.”Nowhere in the Bible is sin described with such nuances: “they have violated… they have taken… they have stolen… they have lied… they have put them with their own possessions.” But what was the real reason for the defeat, or what would have been the reason for God to tell Joshua not to attack Ai (Josh. 7:11)? If, after receiving the report from the spies sent to Ai, Joshua had done the same, the deaths of 36 people would have been avoided. (Joshua 7:1-5). Note the plural. The sin was committed by one man, but God held the entire people responsible. They had broken the covenant; sin had to be rooted out so it could be restored.
• 5.
  DISMAYED AND AFFLICTED “AndJoshua said, ‘Alas, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan!’ ” (Joshua 7:7) Joshua and the elders were dismayed by the defeat at Ai, and they showed clear signs of mourning (Josh. 7:6). However, Joshua's spirit was not the same as that of the Israelites in the desert. His complaint was not motivated by disappointment, but by fear that God's name would be dishonored among the Gentiles (Josh. 7:8-9). Joshua then reacts with a tantrum similar to Israel’s repeated reaction during their 40 years of wandering:“Why did you bring us across…? If only we had been content to stay…!” (Josh. 7:7). He clearly saw that God's character would be interpreted by unbelievers based on how His people acted. Today we continue to be God's testimony in the world. What a great responsibility!
• 6.
  DISCOVERING THE TRANSGRESSOR “Inthe morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe the Lord chooses shall come forward clan by clan; the clan the Lord chooses shall come forward family by family; and the family the Lord chooses shall come forward man by man.” (Joshua 7:14) To remove corporate sin (the guilt of the entire people), the sinner had to be eliminated (Josh. 7:15). Eliminated? Wouldn't he be forgiven if he repented? Of course he would! But Achan showed no sign of sincere repentance (and he had plenty of opportunities to do so). Reflecting divine kindness and love, Joshua asked Achan to confess his sin (Josh. 7:19). The investigation process was announced and postponed until the next day (Josh. 7:14-15) Achan fell silent The tribe of Judah was taken (Josh. 7:16) Achan fell silent The family of Zerah was taken (Josh. 7:17a) Achan fell silent The leader Zabdi was taken (Josh. 7:17b) Achan fell silent Achan was taken (Josh. 7:18) Achan fell silent Achan's case was lost. He confessed, but he didn't ask for forgiveness (Josh. 7:20). Yet God mourned over his hardness of heart, demonstrated in every call to repentance.
• 7.
  “When I sawin the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath” (Joshua 7:21 NIV) Joshua asked Achan to give glory to God and confess his sin (Josh. 7:19). It was his last chance. If, when he confessed, he had asked for forgiveness… But he didn't, and there was no forgiveness for him (Num. 15:30-31). Rahab She hid the spies on the roof She acted kindly toward Israel She favored victory because of his faith She made a covenant with Israel She freed his life and that of his family Achan He hid the loot in the ground It brought trouble to Israel He caused defeat by his works He broke the covenant of Israel He died with his family The decisions Achan made in Jericho were diametrically opposed to those of Rahab: Like Eve, Achan“saw,”“desired,”and “took,”and his sin affected many (Gen. 3:6). Like Ananias and Sapphira, Achan took some of the accursed things dedicated to God and paid for them (Acts 5:1-2).
• 8.
  As in Jericho,God provided Joshua with the strategy to gain victory over Ai (Josh. 8:1-2). As Moses raised his staff until he had victory over the Amalekites, at God's command, Joshua raised his“weapon” (probably a sickle sword used by the Egyptians), and kept it raised until he had complete victory (Josh. 8:18-22, 26). During the night, an ambush was set up behind the city. At dawn, the army approached Ai and pretended to flee before them again. When we accept divine forgiveness by faith, God buries our sin in Achor, and opens the door to hope. God was once again giving victory to his people. The Valley of Achor, where Achan and his family were executed, opened the door to victory, a“door of hope”(Hosea 2:15).
• 9.
  “The influence mostto be feared by the church is not that of open opposers, infidels, and blasphemers, but of inconsistent professors of Christ. These are the ones who keep back the blessing of the God of Israel and bring weakness upon the church, a reproach that is not easily wiped away… Christianity is not to be merely paraded on the Sabbath and displayed in the sanctuary; it is for every day in the week and for every place. Its claims must be recognized and obeyed in the workshop, at home, and in business transactions with brethren and with the world…” EGW (Conflict and Courage, April 23)