1. Assistance from The Zondervan 2013 Pastor’s Annual Text Josh 7:1-26

2.  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

3.  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

4.  Achan himself said, “I coveted them” (Josh 7:20-21)  The 10 th 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

5.  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

6.  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

7.  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

8.  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

9.  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