The Book of Joshua ~Tommy Stringer
Teachers
Lesson Summary
The class revisited the Israelites’ conquest of Canaan, focusing on Joshua chapters 6 and 7. After celebrating the spectacular, God‑directed victory at Jericho, the group examined how the same people fell into complacency and suffered defeat at Ai. Tommy emphasized that success can breed arrogance, causing believers to neglect divine instruction. He tied this pattern to New Testament warnings, quoting James about the uncertainty of tomorrow and Paul’s reminder in 1 Corinthians that the proud are vulnerable to falling. Through sports analogies and examples of Elijah’s highs and lows, John the Baptist’s imprisonment, and the concept of “devoted things,” the teacher underscored that true victory requires continual obedience to God’s commands, not human confidence. The class concluded that the Israelites’ sin of taking forbidden spoils (Achan’s transgression) triggered God’s anger, illustrating how hidden sin can undermine communal success. The discussion pointed toward an upcoming study of the consequences of that sin and how it informs personal faith today.
Key Scriptures
Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell and make a profit'; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.'