LWWC - Joshua - Session 4

Theme: Obedience, Trust, and Consecration — Lessons from Jericho and Ai

Pastor Matthew continued his teaching series in the Book of Joshua, focusing on chapters 6 and 7—the fall of Jericho and the sin of Achan. The message contrasts the victory that comes through obedience with the defeat that follows disobedience.

1. The Battle of Jericho — Obedience Brings Victory

Text: Joshua 6

• God commanded Joshua and the Israelites to march around Jericho once a day for six days and seven times on the seventh day, with seven priests blowing seven rams’ horns before the Ark of the Covenant.
• Though God could have destroyed Jericho instantly, He required faithful obedience—teaching Israel to trust His word above their understanding.
• The people were instructed to remain completely silent until the final trumpet blast—a picture of disciplined obedience and dependence on God’s timing.
• On the seventh day, after the final trumpet blast, the people shouted, and the walls of Jericho collapsed—a miraculous victory marking the Israelites’ first conquest in the Promised Land.

Key Lesson:

Faith requires obedience even when instructions make no sense. The Israelites’ victory came not by strength but by submission to God’s word.

2. The Principle of First fruits — The Tithe of Jericho

• Jericho represented the first fruits of the Promised Land; all spoils from the city were devoted to God as holy and untouchable.
• Joshua reminded the people that everything belongs to God, and the first portion of increase is His (Proverbs 3:9–10).
• This first conquest was to be fully dedicated to the Lord, symbolizing that everything that follows is blessed when the first portion is consecrated.
• God instructed that silver, gold, and bronze be placed in His treasury—no individual was to take from it.

Application:

The first belongs to God—whether it’s time, talent, or treasure. Giving back to Him is not about pressure, but about trust and honor.

3. The Fall at Ai — Disobedience Brings Defeat

Text: Joshua 7

• A man named Achan from the tribe of Judah secretly took a Babylonian garment, silver, and gold from Jericho, violating God’s command.
• Because of this hidden sin, Israel was defeated at Ai, losing 36 men.
• Joshua fell before God in despair, questioning why the defeat happened, but God told him plainly:

“Get up! Israel has sinned... They have stolen, deceived, and put it among their own stuff.”

• The nation’s defeat was not due to lack of skill but due to sin in the camp. Until the accursed thing was removed, they could not stand before their enemies.

Key Principle:

Even private disobedience can bring corporate consequence. God’s presence and power dwell with purity and obedience.

4. The Judgment of Achan

• Achan confessed that he coveted and stole the forbidden items.
• He and his household were brought to the Valley of Achor (“trouble”) and were executed—serving as a solemn reminder that sin contaminates the whole body.
• The judgment restored Israel’s standing before God and removed the curse from the camp.

Spiritual Lesson:

We must remove the “accursed things”—anything that dishonors God or competes with Him for first place in our lives.

5. The Call to Generosity and Trust

Pastor Matthew used the story of Achan to teach about honoring God with our resources:

• Tithing and giving predate the Law—first modeled by Abraham and Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18–20).
• Malachi 3:8–10 calls believers to “bring all the tithes into the storehouse” and test God’s promise to open the windows of heaven.
• Luke 11:42 shows Jesus affirmed tithing while calling believers to practice it with justice and love.
• Hebrews 7:5–9 demonstrates that giving honors God across generations, as Levi was blessed through Abraham’s obedience.

He emphasized that giving is not about compulsion, but about faith and partnership with God’s purpose.

“You’ll trust Him with your eternal salvation—why not trust Him with your finances?”

Illustration:
He shared a testimony of a man who began tithing in hardship and later prospered abundantly, learning firsthand that God honors faithfulness.

6. Spiritual and National Lessons

• The defeat at Ai mirrors spiritual decline in modern times—a warning for America: great power and knowledge cannot replace obedience to God.
• Pastor urged believers to sanctify themselves and remove what is cursed—anything that keeps them from God’s favor.
• He reminded that sin, disobedience, or misplaced loyalty (even cultural compromise) brings spiritual defeat, but repentance restores God’s presence.

7. Closing Application

• Check with God in everything—even after victory. Success can easily lead to complacency.
• Consecrate your life—make sure God is first in your time, finances, priorities, and heart.
• Trust God’s Word, not your feelings. Faith grows when obedience is consistent.
• Remember that obedience brings blessing, while disobedience brings loss and distance from God.

Core Takeaway

Faith obeys when it doesn’t understand.
Victory requires consecration.
Disobedience endangers everyone.
God’s power flows through purity, obedience, and trust.