This year at Faith West we are studying the books of Joshua and Judges in a series called, Everyone Did Right in Their Own Eyes. It is going to be incredible to see the contrast between a leader like Joshua who was faithful to the Lord and the people who were seeking their own desires. It is our hope that by giving you the basic outline of the lesson you can follow up with your teens to see what they have learned and to help them apply those truths in their life.
Joshua 9 – 12
I. (Joshua 9:1-15) Deceived by their neighbors
- Israel was commanded to spare no one in the promised land
- They had just destroyed Ai and Jericho, two large cities
- There now is a massed army preparing to move forward
i. Gibeon
ii. Israel believes them
Discuss: What factors made the Gibeonite deception so realistic? They didn’t even consult with God before making the pact. How foolish are we to look into the ways of the world without consulting God? What ways should we consult with God to defend against the ways of the world?
II. (Joshua 9:16-27) Deception discovered
- They’re safe
i. When Joshua found out he realized he was in a pickle
ii. The leaders made a pact to save them, but God commanded that no one be spared
iii. Joshua has to make a decision to stand by the promise they made or do as God had commanded.
Discuss: Why didn’t the Israelites attack them? Why did the Israelites not destroy them after they found out they were being deceived?
2. Trouble with letting Gibeonites live
i. Idolatry
ii. To let the people that inhabited the promise land live you are inviting corruption into your people
iii. Idol worship was common
iv. People who had previously worshiped idols are now in the Israelite nation
v. This lets the ways of the world into their camp
Discuss: How do you make pacts with things of the world and how do we make sure to not do that?
III. (Joshua 10:1-27) Defending the enemy
- (Verse 8-14) God intervenes
i. Joshua consults with God
ii. God tells him that the victory is assured
iii. Joshua walks his men all night without rest to Gibeon
iv. Joshua calls out to God to keep the son fixed in the sky
IV. (Joshua 10:28 – Joshua 12) Total Victory
- Tells of the victories of the Israelite people
- 31 kings are killed all from trust in God’s provision
Discuss: Why is our obedience important if we expect God to do great things?