Bible Study - Sabbath School Podcast

Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study:   Josh. 5:1-7; Exod. 12:6; 1 Cor. 5:7; Josh. 8:30-35; Deut. 8:11, 14; Heb. 9:11-12 Memory Text:  “ ‘But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you’ ” ( Matthew 6:33 , ESV). This week we are going to look at some key moments during Israel's presence in the Promised Land, when Israel rededicated the...

Further Thought:   Read Ellen G. White, “The Fall of Jericho,” pp. 493-498, in  Patriarchs and Prophets . “The deadly sin that led to Achan’s ruin had its root in covetousness, of all sins one of the most common and the most lightly regarded. . . . “Achan acknowledged his guilt, but when it was too late for the confession to benefit himself. He had seen the armies of Israel return from Ai defeated...

A Witness to God’s Power As we have learned (see lesson five), God had given the pagan nations an opportunity to know about Him and to turn from their evil ways. They, however, had refused and were ultimately facing the judgment of God. Read  Joshua 7:6-9 , which deals with Joshua’s initial reaction to the calamity that befell them. Focus especially on  Joshua 7:9 . What important theological prin...

The Door of Hope Read  Joshua 8:1-29 . What does this story tell us about how God can transform our most abysmal failures into opportunities? The strategy of Yahweh converts Israel’s initial defeat into a tactical advantage, thus transforming the Valley of Achor (Hebrew word for “trouble”) into a door of hope (compare with  Hos. 2:15 ). Having gained too much self-confidence by their first victory...

Fateful Choices Read  Joshua 7:19-21 . What is Joshua asking Achan to do? What is the significance of such a request? How do we understand his confession? Joshua asks Achan to do two things: first, to give glory to God and honor Him. Second, to confess what he has done without concealing it. Achan was supposed to give glory to God by admitting what he had done. The term used here ( todah ) can ref...

The Sin of Achan Read  Joshua 7:16-19 . What does the entire procedure tell us about both God and Achan? Instead of unveiling the identity of the transgressor, God sets up a procedure that reveals both His justice and grace. After explaining the reason for Israel’s defeat and calling for the sanctification of the people ( Josh. 7:13 ), He allows a time span between the announcement of the procedur...

Breach of the Covenant Read  Joshua 7 . What were the two major causes of Israel’s defeat by the inhabitants of Ai? It is interesting to observe that the reader knows, from the outset, the reason for Yahweh’s anger, as well as the name of the offender. Thus, the suspense of the story of uncovering the trespass of Achan is provided by the tension between the perspective of the reader and that of Jo...

Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study:   1 Pet. 1:4, Joshua 7, Ps. 139:1-16, Ezra 10:11, Luke 12:15, Josh. 8:1-29 Memory Text:  “ ‘I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds’ ” ( Jeremiah 17:10 , ESV). Joshua 7  is the first instance where, through a tragic experience, the people of Israel learned the far-reach...

Further Thought:   Read Ellen G. White, “The Fall of Jericho,” pp. 491-493, in  Patriarchs and Prophets . As with everything in the Bible, knowing the context and the background is crucial. As we have seen, the cosmic conflict and the motif of God as judge are crucial in understanding these wars against the Canaanites. “God is slow to anger. He gave the wicked nations a time of probation that they...

The Prince of Peace How  do the following texts describe the future that God had envisioned for His people?  Isa. 9:6 ,  Isa. 11:1-5 ,  Isa. 60:17 ,  Hos. 2:18 ,  Mic. 4:3 . Although the main focus of this week’s lesson has constituted the divinely commanded and assisted wars of the Old Testament, we need to mention the presence of another equally significant theme of the Old Testament’s prophetic...

Free Choice Read  Deuteronomy 20:10 ,  15-18 ;  Deuteronomy 13:12-18 ; and  Joshua 10:40 . How does the law of warfare and the procedure against an idolatrous town in Israel, expressed in Deuteronomy, help us understand the limitations of total destruction in the war that the Israelites were engaged in? The Hebrew text uses a unique term to describe the destruction of people in war:  cḥerem . This...

Dispossession or Annihilation? Compare  Exodus 23:28-30 ;  Exodus 33:2 ;  Exodus 34:11 ;  Numbers 33:52 ; and  Deuteronomy 7:20  with  Exodus 34:13 ;  Deuteronomy 7:5 ;  Deuteronomy 9:3 ;  Deuteronomy 12:2-3 ; and  Deuteronomy 31:3-4 . What do these texts reveal about the purpose of the conquest and the extent of the destruction? God’s original purpose for the Canaanites was not annihilation but,...

The Canaanites’ Iniquity Read  Genesis 15:16 ,  Leviticus 18:24-30 ,  Deuteronomy 18:9-14 , and  Ezra 9:11 . What are these texts telling us about God’s larger plan in offering the land of Canaan to the Israelites? We need to look beyond the book of Joshua to completely understand what was meant by the iniquity of the nations inhabiting Canaan. These nations’ abhorrent practices of child sacrifice...

The Supreme Judge Read  Genesis 18:25 ;  Psalm 7:11 ;  Psalm 50:6 ;  Psalm 82:1 ;  Psalm 96:10 ; and  2 Timothy 4:1 ,  8 . What are these verses saying about God’s moral character? How does the role of God as the Judge of the universe help us understand the question of divine war? The holiness of God’s character means that He cannot tolerate sin. He is patient. However, sin must reap its final con...

Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study:   Gen. 15:16; Lev. 18:24-30; 2 Tim. 4:1, 8; Exod. 23:28-30; Deut. 20:10, 15-18; Isa. 9:6 Memory Text:  “And Joshua captured all these kings and their land at one time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel” ( Joshua 10:42 , ESV). The book of Joshua contains some disturbing scenes. Serious questions are raised by the concept of a  divine or h...

Further Thought:   Read Ellen G. White, “The Fall of Jericho,” pp. 487-493, in  Patriarchs and Prophets . When rebellion against God’s authority arose in the universe, either God was going to cease to be what He essentially, immutably, and eternally is and give away the leadership of the whole universe to one of His rebellious creatures, or He was going to be the holy, righteous, loving, and merci...

The Second-Best Option Read  Exodus 17:7-13  and  Joshua 6:15-20 . What similarities do you find between these two war narratives? How do they differ? The first time Israel fought after the Exodus is recorded in  Exodus 17 , where the Israelites defended themselves against the Amalekites. Israel had witnessed God’s almighty power in both afflicting the Egyptians and leading the Israelites to freed...

The Lord Will Fight for You According  to  Exodus 14:13-14 ,  25 , what was God’s original and ideal plan concerning the involvement of the Israelites in warfare? In that moment of crisis, when the people of Israel were forced into a physical impasse, “Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see toda...

The Lord Is a Warrior Read  Exodus 2:23-25 ;  Exodus 12:12-13 ; and  Exodus 15:3-11 . What does it mean that God is a warrior? During their long sojourn in Egypt, the Israelites have forgotten the true God of their ancestors. As many episodes of their travels through the wilderness demonstrated, their knowledge of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob faded, and they had mixed pagan elements into t...

War in Heaven Joshua  understood that the battle was part of a larger conflict. What do we know about the conflict in which God Himself was involved? Read  Rev. 12:7-9 ,  Isa. 14:12-14 ,  Ezek. 28:11-19 , and  Dan. 10:12-14 . God populated the universe with responsible creatures to whom He gave free will, a prerequisite for them being able to love. They can choose to act in accordance with, or aga...

Commander of the Army of the Lord Read  Joshua 5:13-15 . What does this text say about the background of Canaan’s conquest? Israel has just crossed the Jordan and stepped onto the enemy’s ground. The fortress of Jericho lies in front of them, its gates firmly shut ( Josh. 6:1 ). At this point, the people are unaware of any battle strategy. What is even more concerning, Israel has only slings, spea...

Read for This Week’s Study:   Josh. 5:13-15; Isa. 37:16; Rev. 12:7-9; Deut. 32:17; Exod. 14:13-14; Josh. 6:15-20 Memory Text:  “There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD heeded the voice of a man, for the LORD fought for Israel” ( Joshua 10:14 , ESV). Reading the pages of Joshua, we are confronted with the aggressive military campaigns carried out at the command of God, in the n...

Further Thought:   Read Ellen G. White, “Crossing the Jordan,” pp. 483, 484, in  Patriarchs and Prophets . “Study carefully the experiences of Israel in their travels to Canaan. Study the third and fourth chapters of Joshua, recording their preparation for and passage over the Jordan into the promised land. We need to keep the heart and mind in training, by refreshing the memory with the lessons t...

Beyond the Jordan “He turned the sea into dry land; They went through the river on foot. There we will rejoice in Him” ( Ps. 66:6 , NKJV). Both the crossing of the Red Sea and of the Jordan are markers of a new era in biblical history, and both carry symbolic significance (see  Ps. 66:6 ,  Ps. 114:1-7 , and  2 Kings 2:6-15 ). Already in the Old Testament there are texts that link the two crossing...

Forgetfulness Read  Joshua 4:20-24  in the light of the following verses:  Judg. 3:7 ;  Judg. 8:34 ;  Ps. 78:11 ;  Deut. 8:2 ,  18 ;  Ps. 45:17 . Why was it so important to remember the mighty deeds of the Lord? Notice the change in person in  Joshua 4:23 . The waters of the Jordan are referred to as having been dried up before “you,” that is, before all the Israelites who have just crossed the Jo...