It was arguably one of the grandest times in the history of Israel. After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, they were finally entering the Promised Land. Through a dramatic miracle, the children of Israel crossed the Jordan River at its flood stage — on dry land. This dry-land crossing was so impressive that the hearts of the heathen kings in Canaan melted, and they had no spirit to fight (Joshua 5:1).

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The first real challenge in the conquest of Canaan was the walled and fortified city of Jericho. No one knew what to do to defeat the inhabitants of Jericho — not even Joshua. In answer to Joshua’s prayer, God revealed the plan for the destruction of the city, which they followed. But then things took a decidedly bad turn.

Read Joshua 7:1-26. What happened after the powerful victory at Jericho, and what message should we take from this story for ourselves?

Once confronted, Achan admitted what he did, saying that he had “coveted” those goods. The Hebrew word there translated “coveted,” chmd, has been used in some places in the Bible in a very positive sense. The same root appears in Daniel 9:23, for instance, when Gabriel told Daniel that he was a man “greatly beloved.”

In this case, however, this chmd was bad news. Despite the clear command not to pillage for themselves from the captured cities (Joshua 6:18-19), Achan did just that, bringing disrepute upon the whole nation. In fact, after the defeat at Ai, Joshua feared that “the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?” (Joshua 7:9, NKJV). In other words, the Lord wanted to use these great victories as part of letting the surrounding nations know of His power and His working among His own people. Their conquests were to be (in a different sort of way) a witness to the nations of Yahweh’s power. Of course, after the fiasco at Ai, besides the loss of human life, that witness had been compromised.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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The question often arises, and understandably so, about how sin arose in God’s universe. We understand how, at least somewhat. And at its heart, it was because of covetousness. Perhaps covetousness, then, is the ultimate original sin.

Read Isaiah 14:12-14. What hints are given there about the fall of Lucifer? How did covetousness play a crucial role in that fall?

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“Not content with his position, though honored above the heavenly host, he ventured to covet homage due alone to the Creator. Instead of seeking to make God supreme in the affections and allegiance of all created beings, it was his endeavor to secure their service and loyalty to himself. And coveting the glory with which the infinite Father had invested His Son, this prince of angels aspired to power that was the prerogative of Christ alone.” — Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 35.

Read Ephesians 5:5 and Colossians 3:5. With what does Paul equate covetousness, and why?

How fascinating that twice Paul would equate covetousness with idolatry. People practice idolatry when they worship — that is, dedicate their lives to — something other than God, something created rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25). Could covetousness be, then, wanting something that we shouldn’t have, and wanting it so badly that our desire for it, rather than the Lord, becomes the focus of our heart?

No doubt, Lucifer didn’t at first know where his wrong desires were to lead him. It can be the same with us. The commandment against covetousness, the one commandment that deals only with thoughts, can stop us from acts that will lead to the violation of other commandments as well. (See, for instance, 2 Samuel  chapter 11)

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Isaiah 14:12-14, Ephesians 5:5, Joshua 7:1-26, John 12:1-8, Acts 5:1-11, 1 Corinthians 10:13.

Memory Text: “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15, NKJV).

Covetousness has been defined as an inordinate desire for wealth or possessions that really don’t belong to you. Covetousness is a big deal, big enough, in fact, to be right up there with not lying, stealing, or murder; it’s so damaging that God chose to warn against it in His great moral law. “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s” (Exodus 20:17).

Covetousness is frequently listed with heinous sins that will keep one out of the kingdom of God. “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

Covetousness, right up there with extortion, idolatry, fornication, and adultery? That’s what the texts say, and this week we will look at examples of just how bad it is and what we can do to overcome it.

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, March 4.

Sunday–>

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Support for the mission activities of the Seventh-day Adventist church has always been part of the Sabbath School program. This video is Mission Spotlight for this week.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTB8GYgEjo8&w=560&h=315]

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The Cat and the Colporteur

By Andrew McChesney

Young literature evangelist Simo Vehkavuori stopped at a well-kept house near Turku, Finland’s oldest city and former capital, in the middle of winter, and showed his books to two unmarried sisters who lived there.

Image © Pacific Press

To his surprise, the sisters quickly ordered a copy of every book. Then they left him standing alone in the living room. He did not dare leave.

Finally, one of the sisters came downstairs with a big cat tucked under an arm. “Mister, aren’t you going to do anything to this cat?” she said.

“What should I do?” Simo asked.

“Aren’t you the vet whom we just called?” she said.

“No,” he said. “I’m a literature evangelist.”

For years afterward, the sisters told their friends with peals of laughter about how they had mistaken Simo for a vet and thought that they had to buy his books in order for him to treat their cat.

The sisters kept the books.

On another occasion, Simo went to a forest to eat lunch and pray on a Friday afternoon. “Before this week ends, Jesus, give me an opportunity to witness for You,” he prayed.

After eating, he knocked on the door of a farmhouse.

“I’m selling this book,” he said, holding out a copy of Ellen White’s The Great Controversy, to the woman who opened the door.

“I’m not at all interested in the book that you are selling,” the woman replied. “But I would like to hear what Jesus means to you.”

After Simo described his love for Jesus, the woman spoke.

“Let’s go to the backroom and pray on our knees together,” she said.

At that moment, her adult daughter came to the door. “Join us,” the woman told her daughter. “Your knees need to bend in prayer, too.”

After praying, Simo prepared to leave. The woman followed him out the door. “I’d like to order the book that you showed me,” she said.

It was then that Simo realized that the woman had an interest in spiritual matters. When a pastor started evangelistic meetings in the area sometime later, Simo introduced him to the family. The pastor held Bible studies in the farmhouse, and the family joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Today, the woman’s granddaughter is an active church leader in Finland’s capital, Helsinki.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org

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