Joshua 15-17, Contrast

Objectives

• Students will understand the danger complacency holds.
• Students will determine not to become complacent.

Introduction

• Do you ever start a project but leave it unfinished?
• What are some examples of projects you have left unfinished.

Main Body

Joshua 15:63, 16:10, and 16:12-13

• What insight into individuals responsibilities that God and Joshua had for the people can we gain through this passage?
  • We can see that God expected smaller units to continue pushing the rest of the canaanites out of the land.

Complacency

• What failures are described in Joshua 15:63, 16:10, and 16:12-13.
  • In the passages we have three instances of Israel failing to drive out the inhabitants.

• According to Judges 3:5-7, what was the end result of the complacency?
  • Complacency in Joshua resulted in sin in Judges.

• God is sovereign and he could have stopped Israel from being complacent. According to Judges 3:4, why did God allow Israel to become complacent?
  • God allowed the Israelites the opportunity to prove themselves.

• Christians have not been commanded to drive non-believers out. Yet, we do find ourselves surrounded by unbelievers. What can we learn from Israel's failure?

• How do the following passages warn of complacency?
  • 1 Peter 5:8
  • Romans 12:2
  • 2 Cor. 6:14

Joshua 15:13-19

Resolve

• What resolve do we see from Caleb in this passage?
  • Caleb asked for challenge and then proceeded to take that challenge.

• What request does Caleb's daughter make?
  • She asks her father for land, remember that they needed to conquer land. I wonder if this is not Achsah requesting an opportunity to follow in her father's footsteps in boldness for God. We will later see that God turns Othniel into a Judge in Judges 3:9-11.

• What does 1 Timothy 6:12 call on us to do?

Joshua 17:14-18

Pity

• What is significant about the lineage of Ephraim and Manasseh?
  • They were sons of Joseph not Jacob.

• According to verse 14? What did the tribe of Ephraim and Manasseh feel was significant about themselves?
  • They saw themselves as large tribes.

• How does Joshua respond in verse 16-18?
  • He tells them to go and conquer more land.

• What advice does Christ give regarding the acquisition of blessing in Matthew 25:14-23?
  • God blesses those who use their blessing wisely. If we want further blessing then we must properly use what God has given us.