Taking Possession of Canaan Numbers 27:18-23; Deuteronomy 34; Joshua 3-4

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Ralph Willis
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1 Page1 Taking Possession of Canaan Numbers 27:18-23; Deuteronomy 34; Joshua 3-4 Learning Objectives 1. The children will examine the events surrounding the transfer of leadership from Moses to Joshua, crossing the Jordan River and taking possession of the land of Canaan. 2. The children will recognize that God keeps His promises to us if we follow Him. 3. The children will explore the importance of knocking down our own walls so that we may draw closer to God and become ready for the day Jesus returns. Memory Verse: Getting Started So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had said to Moses; and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel --Joshua 11:23 (NKJV) Choose One Activity Follow the Leader Extreme Game See: Grade School Games Follow the Leader Extreme The leader of this activity will strike various poses that the rest of the class must follow. The challenge is to see which player can remain frozen in that pose the longest. If a player moves once he or she has been frozen, that person is out of the game. The player that holds the pose the longest becomes the next leader. Sample poses include: Letter T, Ballerina, The Bird, Strongman, Superman, and Stomach Ache. Please see the above website for detailed instructions and make modifications as necessary according to your class size. In today s lesson, a new leader was chosen to lead the Israelites in place of Moses, and that was Joshua. Continue with the lesson. Water Pouring See: Old Testament Lesson 57 - Teacher s Guide Pg. 2 You will need a pitcher of water, a large bowl and a large towel for this demonstration. The challenge will be for the children to use their creativity in order to try and stop the flow of water as you pour the water into the bowl slowly. Please see the above website for detailed instructions. Remind the children of how God did the impossible by stopping the flow of the Jordan River in today s lesson, in order for the Israelites to cross over safely to the other side. God was always with them. Continue with the lesson. Bible Lesson with Discussion Questions Message: God is always with you. Numbers 27 So the Lord said to Moses, "Joshua, the son of Nun, has the ability to be a wise leader. Get him and place your hand on him. Have him stand in front of the priest Eleazar and the whole community. Put him in charge while everyone is watching. Give him some of your authority. Then the whole community of Israel will obey him. Joshua will stand in front of the priest Eleazar and he will help him make decisions. Eleazar will get help from Me. Joshua and the whole community of Israel must not make any move at all unless I command them to."

2 Page2 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him. He got Joshua and had him stand in front of the priest Eleazar and the whole community. Then Moses placed his hands-on Joshua. And he put him in charge of the people. He did just as the Lord had directed through Moses. Deuteronomy 34 ~ Moses Dies Moses climbed Mount Nebo. He went up from the flatlands of Moab to the highest slopes of Pisgah, across from Jericho. The Lord showed him the whole land from Gilead all the way to Dan. Moses saw the whole land of Naphtali. He saw the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh. The Lord showed him the whole land of Judah all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. Moses saw the Negev Desert. He saw the whole area from the Valley of Jericho all the way to Zoar. Jericho was also known as The City of Palm Trees. (TEACHER NOTE Try to show this area on a map to make it more real for the children where exactly the promised land was located.) Then the Lord spoke to Moses. He said, "This is the land I promised with an oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I told them, 'I will give this land to your children and their children.' Moses, I have let you see it with your own eyes. But you will not go across the Jordan River to enter it." Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in Moab, just as the Lord had said. The Lord buried the body of Moses in Moab. To this day no one knows where it is. Moses was 120 years old when he died. He was still very strong. The people of Israel sobbed over Moses on the flatlands of Moab for 30 days. They did it until their time for sobbing and crying was over. Joshua, the son of Nun, was filled with wisdom. That's because Moses had placed his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to Joshua. They did what the Lord had commanded Moses. Since then, Israel has never had a prophet like Moses. The Lord knew him face to face. Moses did many miraculous signs and wonders. The Lord had sent him to do them in Egypt. Moses did them against Pharaoh, against all of his officials and against his whole land. No one has ever had the mighty power Moses had. No one has ever done the wonderful acts he did in the sight of all of the people of Israel. Joshua 3 ~ Israel Goes Across the Jordan River Early one morning Joshua and all of the people of Israel started out from Shittim. They went down to the Jordan River and camped there before they went across it. After three days the officers went all through the camp. They gave orders to the people and said, "Watch for the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God. The priests, who are Levites, will be carrying it. When you see it, you must move out from where you are and follow it. Then you will know which way to go. You have never gone this way before. But don't go near the ark. Stay about 1,000 yards away from it." Joshua spoke to the people. He said, "Set yourselves apart to the Lord. Tomorrow he'll do amazing things among you." Joshua said to the priests, "Go and get the ark of the covenant. Walk on ahead of the people." So they went and got it. Then they walked on ahead of them. The Lord said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to honor you in the eyes of all of the people of Israel. Then they will know that I am with you, just as I was with Moses. Speak to the priests who carry the ark of the covenant. Tell them, 'When you reach the edge of the Jordan River, go into the water and stand there.'" Joshua spoke to the people of Israel. He said, "Come here. Listen to what the Lord your God is saying. You will soon know that the living God is among you. You can be sure that he'll drive out the people who are now living in the land. He'll do it to make room for you. He'll drive out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. The ark will go into the Jordan River ahead of you. It's the ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth. Choose 12 men from the tribes of Israel. Choose one from each tribe.

3 Page3 The priests will carry the ark of the Lord. As soon as the priests step into the Jordan, it will stop flowing. The water that's coming down the river will pile up in one place. That's how you will know that the living God is among you." So the people took their tents down. They prepared to go across the Jordan River. The priests who were carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. The water of the Jordan was going over its banks. It always does that at the time the crops are being gathered. The priests came to the river. Their feet touched the water's edge. Right away the water that was coming down the river stopped flowing. It piled up far away at a town called Adam near Zarethan. The water that was flowing down to the Dead Sea was completely cut off. So the people went across the Jordan River opposite Jericho. The priests carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord. They stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the river. They stayed there until the whole nation of Israel had gone across on dry ground. Joshua 4 After the whole nation had gone across the Jordan River, the Lord spoke to Joshua. He said, "Choose 12 men from among the people. Choose one from each tribe. Tell them to get 12 stones from the middle of the river. They must pick them up from right where the priests stood. They must carry the stones over with all of you. And they must put them down at the place where you will stay tonight." So Joshua called together the 12 men he had appointed from among the people of Israel. There was one man from each tribe. He said to them, "Go back to the middle of the Jordan River. Go to where the ark of the Lord your God is. Each one of you must pick up a stone. You must carry it on your shoulder. There will be as many stones as there are tribes in Israel. The stones will serve as a reminder to you. In days to come, your children will ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' Tell them that the Lord cut off the flow of water in the Jordan River. Tell them its water stopped flowing when the ark of the covenant of the Lord went across. The stones will always remind the Israelites of what happened there." So the people of Israel did as Joshua commanded them. They took 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan River. There was one stone for each of the tribes of Israel. It was just as the Lord had told Joshua. The people carried the stones with them to their camp. There they put them down. Joshua piled up the 12 stones that had been in the middle of the river. They had been right where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are still there to this very day. The priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan River. They stayed there until the people had done everything the Lord had commanded Joshua. It was just as Moses had directed Joshua. All of the people went across quickly. As soon as they did, the ark of the Lord and the priests also went across to the other side. The people were watching them. Among the people who went across the river were men from the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh. The men were armed. They went across ahead of the rest of the people of Israel. It was just as Moses had directed them. There were about 40,000 of them. All of them were ready for battle. They went across in front of the ark of the Lord. They went to the flatlands around Jericho. They were prepared to go to war. That day the Lord honored Joshua in the eyes of all of the people of Israel. They had respect for Joshua as long as he lived. They respected him just as much as they had respected Moses. Then the Lord spoke to Joshua. He said, "Command the priests to come up out of the Jordan River. They are carrying the ark where the tablets of the covenant are kept." So Joshua gave a command to the priests. He said, "Come up out of the Jordan River." Then the priests came up out of the river. They were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord. As soon as they stepped out on dry ground, the water of the Jordan began to flow again. It went over its banks, just as it had done before.

4 Page4 On the tenth day of the first month the people went up out of the Jordan River. They camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. Joshua set up the 12 stones at Gilgal, the ones the people had taken out of the Jordan. Then he spoke to the people of Israel, saying, "In days to come, your children after you will ask their parents, 'What do these stones mean?' Their parents must tell them, 'Israel went across the Jordan River on dry ground.' The Lord your God dried up the Jordan for you until you had gone across it. He did to the Jordan River the same thing he had done to the Red Sea. He dried up the Red Sea ahead of us until we had gone across it. He did it so that all of the nations on earth would know that he is powerful. He did it so that you would always have respect for the Lord your God." Optional Reading: Joshua 6 ~ 12 (acquiring the land of Canaan) From God s Ways Volume 1 (regarding the capture of Jericho) The first city the Israelites were to capture in the land of Canaan (according to God s will) was Jericho. It was surrounded by a strong wall. It therefore seemed impossible to take possession of this city. The Lord, however once again arranged for a miracle. Jericho was captured without using the usual means of warfare. Israel was victorious only because of God s help. This the Israelites experienced because they followed God s instructions. In this manner, God s greatness became clear to the Israelites, but also to the inhabitants of Canaan. The Lord also continued to determine how possession was to be taken of the land. In this way the Israelites battled successfully against the kings of 31 cities, taking possession of their land, and found a new home in the land of Canaan. God has promised the land in which milk and honey flowed to the Israelites already before the exodus from Egypt. God directed everything in such a manner that, despite many hindrances, the people of Israel reached it. God s promise had been fulfilled. Joshua 6:11-20 So he had the ark of the Lord carried around the city once. Then the men returned to camp. They spent the night there. Joshua got up early the next morning. The priests went and got the ark of the Lord. The seven priests who were carrying the seven trumpets started out. They marched in front of the ark of the Lord. They blew the trumpets. Some of the fighting men marched ahead of them. The others followed behind the ark and guarded all of them. The priests kept blowing the trumpets. On the second day they marched around the city once. Then the men returned to camp. They did all of those things for six days. On the seventh day, they got up at sunrise. They marched around the city, just as they had done before. But on that day they went around it seven times. On the seventh time around, the priests blew a long blast on the trumpets. Then Joshua gave a command to the men. He said, "Shout! The Lord has given you the city! The city and everything that is in it must be set apart to the Lord in a special way to be destroyed. But Rahab and all those who are with her in her house must be spared. That's because she hid the spies we sent. Keep away from the things that have been set apart to the Lord. If you take any of them, you will be destroyed. And you will bring trouble on the camp of Israel. You will cause it to be destroyed. All of the silver and gold is holy. It is set apart to the Lord. So are all of the articles that are made out of bronze and iron. All of those things must be added to the treasures that are kept in the Lord's house." The priests blew the trumpets. As soon as the fighting men heard the sound, they gave a loud shout. Then the wall fell down. Every man charged straight in. So they took the city.

5 Page5 Discussion Questions: 1. Who did God select to be the new leader after Moses died and where was he to lead the Israelites? (Joshua. He was to lead them to the promised land of Canaan.) 2. What promise did God make to Joshua? (God promised that He would never leave him.) 3. What did God expect from Joshua? (Joshua was to be strong, courageous and carefully obey and follow all the laws that God had given to Moses.) 4. What were the consequences for any person who rebelled against Joshua? (They would be put to death.) 5. How do you think the Israelites felt as they crossed the Jordan River and experienced that miracle? (Discuss together.) 6. When the people came to the city of Jericho with its great walls, what unconventional way did God command them to take over the city? (See Joshua 6 let the children describe or act out the events in detail.) 7. Do you believe that God was always with the Israelites? Why or why not? (Discuss.) Application to Real Life In today's lesson, we learned that the people of Jericho trusted in the city's wall to protect them. The Israelites however trusted in God. Many times we rely on our own strength or talents to solve life's problems. Sometimes that works, but sometimes the problems are too big for us to handle. We can take comfort in knowing that God can make even the biggest problems crumble, just as He made the wall of Jericho fall. Another look at walls: (Teachers bring in visual aids to assist in the discussion below.) Walls are often viewed as being a defense mechanism. For example, the Great Wall of China was built to keep out any invaders. The Berlin Wall once separated East and West Germany. Prisons have tall walls topped with razor wire to defend those outside the walls from those within. Walls are a defense, and a useful one at that. Sometimes we also put up walls around our hearts, and those walls keep us from being close to God. While Joshua was commissioned to bring down the walls of Jericho so that Israel could invade and conquer that land, it is our responsibility to remove any obstacles or walls in our spiritual path so that we can draw closer to God and allow Him to be there with us each day of our lives. We need this to happen so that we can experience the fulfillment of His promise to us: that His Son would come again one day. God fulfilled His promise to the Israelites and He brought them into the land that was promised to them. God was always with them. God is always with us too. (Remind the children of the message statement.) Memory Work Suggestions 5 minutes 1. Recite the memory verse. 2. Practice finding the memory verse and/or Bible text in the Bible. 3. Allow a volunteer (child) to lead the class in an opening/closing prayer. 4. How fast can you recite all Ten Commandments?

6 Page6 Activity Ideas Choose One Activity Falling Walls of Jericho Game See: Grade school Games Falling Wall of Jericho You will need to print out the "Team Wall Playing Pieces" before class. You will also need to select a lively Christian song and a device on which to play the song in your classroom area. This game is played like the popular "musical chair" game. Please see the above website for detailed instructions. Memory Book See: Old Testament Lesson 57 - Teacher s Guide Pg. 7 You will need many sheets of 8 ½ x 11 paper and scissors, along with construction paper and a stapler for this project. Please see the above website for detailed instructions. The children will use this activity to reflect on how God has been faithful to them in their lives. You will help the children remember prayers that God has answered and ways He has provided for them. They might also include prayers that have not been answered yet, and therefore record the answers in later. Remind the children that God is always with us. Paper War See: Old Testament Lesson 58 - Teacher s Guide Pg. 7 You will need lots of newspaper to wad up and use as ammo for this activity. You will also need to make a wall using 4 or 5 chairs in a row or a rectangle shaped table turned on its side. Please see the above website for detailed instruction. You will help one team for the first half of the war, and then go help the other team. When it s time to stop and you have their attention, ask the children what it was like to have you on their team. Ask what would happen if the teacher took down one of the walls. Compare this to the story of Jericho. What is it like to have God on our side helping us in our battles? Talk together. Remind the children that God is always with us. He has the power to help us, just as He always took care of the Israelites. Journal Choose One What are you doing to be ready when God s promise is fulfilled and His Son returns? Write about it. What walls do you think exist in you that keep you from drawing closer to God? Be as specific as possible. Write about it. Homework Ideas - Read at home the lesson titled: John the Baptist ~ Preparing the Way (Luke 1; Luke 3:1-20; Matthew 3:13-17; Matthew 11:1-11). - Learn the memory verse: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. --Matthew 3:17 - Work on memorizing Article of Faith #. - Have you ever been chosen for something? Maybe at school? How did being chosen make you feel? Write down your thoughts and be ready to share them in class. Other Resources Old Testament Curriculum Lesson 54, 57 and 58

7 Page7 Take Home Page: Taking Possession of Canaan Today I learned Today your child was reminded that God is always with us! The children reviewed the events surrounding the transfer of leadership from Moses to Joshua, crossing the Jordan River and taking possession of the land of Canaan, and how God keeps His promises to us if we follow Him. They also talked about the importance of drawing closer to God in order to be ready for the day Jesus returns again. Help me learn my memory verse So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had said to Moses; and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel --Joshua 11:23 (NKJV) Ask me 1. How do you think the Israelites felt as they experienced the miracles as they crossed the Jordan River and saw the walls of Jericho tumble before their eyes? 2. Do you believe that God was always with the Israelites? Why or why not? 3. Do you believe that God is always with you? Why or why not? Live Your Faith Talk with you child about the purpose a wall can serve in life. Sometimes walls can protect us from harm, but they can also keep us divided from something or someone. When we allow other things or people to become more important to us than God and our relationship with Him, we build walls in our lives and around our hearts that keep us separated from Him. Share with your child what things get in your way of spending time with God in prayer, reading your Bible, or worshipping Him. Also share how we have to work to make God a priority in your life. Remind your child that God wants to be close to each of us. Encourage each other this week to make time for God each day a priority.

Joshua is Chosen as Leader

Joshua is Chosen as Leader Numbers 27 12 Then the LORD said to Moses, Go up this mountain in the Abarim range and see the land I have given the Israelites. 13 After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your