Bible Passage: Joshua 1 6 (Jericho) God Is Faithful REMEMBER VERSE Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Schedule ANTICIPATE 5 10 minutes CELEBRATE 35 55 minutes RESPOND 15 20 minutes BLESS 5 minutes 1
Inspire My sister Laurie and I walked down the long hall and into the doctor s office. We weren t expecting good news about our 83-year-old mother, but we still found it difficult to hear the prognosis. Mom needed 24-hour care and was being transferred to a nursing home that very day. Laurie and I looked at each other with the same questions rolling through our minds. How will Mom adapt when she s used to living independently? Will she get the care she needs? Who will be there for her as a friend? It was hard to go home that night. My heart was heavy. Before I closed my eyes to sleep, I prayed, Lord, You know my mother better than anyone. You made her, so please give her what she needs. Please comfort and provide for her at this new place. The following day, Laurie and I walked down another long hall. This time we entered our mother s room at the nursing home. To our surprise, she wasn t alone. The hospitality director, Rachel, was holding her hand and reading the Bible. My sister and I could hardly contain our joy. I m here to serve your mom and your family, Rachel said sweetly. Please let me know how I can make your mom s time here as enjoyable as possible. Over the next month, Mom became the bingo champion, and Rachel was her biggest fan. Rachel continued to read the Bible to Mom and attend to her with a servant s heart. I was so grateful to God for giving us Rachel, and I was reminded, once again, that God is faithful. He hears our prayers. He knows our hearts. And He never leaves us alone. Equip God is faithful. He proves this to His children again and again. Still, the first generation that left Egypt during the exodus had a hard time trusting God. They knew the promise God gave to their forefathers to take them to a land flowing with milk and honey, where they could live as a nation set apart for Him (Exodus 33:1 3). They also agreed to the covenant at Mount Sinai, during which God gave His people the Ten Commandments and called them His treasured possession. The Israelites saw God s faithfulness when He rescued them from slavery in Egypt. They experienced His provision when He gave them food in the wilderness. Yet they continued to grumble and complain because they didn t truly trust Him. And though their spies discovered that the Promised Land was, indeed, a good land, the people weren t excited, for they also heard the cities were full of powerful men (Numbers 13:26 29). Their fear blinded their trust that God would be faithful to His promise. Because of this, God said that no one in the first generation would enter the land (Deuteronomy 1:35 36). The next generation, though they also would grumble and complain, spent their entire lives depending on God to provide for their every need. When God asked them to do unconventional things, they followed His lead. Because God was with them, the second generation crossed a flooded river, marched around the fortified city of Jericho, and overtook it. The second generation saw the land God had promised. God kept the promise He made to bring His people into a good land, and He proved to His people that He was and is always faithful. He only asked that they trust Him and follow His lead so He could transform them into faithful people who served Him with their whole hearts. Driving Out the Nations God commanded His people to drive out the people who lived in the land because they were immoral and spiritually bankrupt. We can read God s command to drive out the people from the Promised Land in Deuteronomy 7:1 6, 16. God did this because He knew these pagan people would tempt His people s hearts away from Him, the one true God. (Because the Hebrews didn t annihilate everyone in the land, we see that this became true: The foreign nations eventually pulled God s people away from worshipping Him only.) This is the spiritual reason for God s command. As a cultural reason, one scholar asserts that this command to destroy these foreign nations would not have been strange to the ears of the Hebrews. It was a common practice in the nations of the ancient near East to annihilate those in nearby lands in dedication to a deity and in order to protect themselves. As human beings with limited perspectives, we will not be able to understand everything God does. What we do know, however, is that we can trust what we know about God s character. We know that He is a loving, trustworthy God who holds an eternal perspective. He will bring about what will give Himself the most glory and be for our best interests. God is good, and we can trust Him! Support Sometimes it s easier to acknowledge the faithfulness of God when life is easy instead of painful. During trials, hardship, or even despair, it can be difficult to see how God is at work. But one thing remains true amidst our circumstances: God s constant faithfulness. 2
Faithfulness is a part of God s character. And God doesn t change. Regardless of what s happening in your life, He s always faithful. Lamentations 3:22 23 says, Because of the LORD s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. God s faithfulness isn t just constant; it s renewed each day. Spend some time reflecting on this promise. Ask God to show you, every day, the immense depth of His faithfulness. Ask God to give you the ability to be a faithful servant who asks the following question: What needs to be done to serve God and His people? Lesson Overview Experience Supplies/Prepare ANTICIPATE CELEBRATE RESPOND BLESS Promised Land Fun Option 1: Trumpets (for Younger Kids) Paper towel rolls (1 per child) Disposable bowls (1 per child) Pencils or pens Scissors Glue sticks (1 for every 2 3 children) Foil (2 rolls) Trumpet Example photos (see Resources) Option 2: River Dam (for Younger and Older Kids) Storage bins (1 for every 4 6 children) Sand (enough to fill each bin a quarter full) Aquarium gravel (enough to fill each bin a quarter full) Craft sticks (several per child) Small Rocks Pitcher Water Dam Example photos (see Resources) Paper towels or wet wipes Traditions Remember Verse Connect Question The Big God Story Worship Response Reflect: God Is Faithful Bibles (1 per leader and 1 per child) Create: Building Jericho Sugar cubes (several boxes) Disposable plates (1 per child) Bible 3
SMALL GROUP ANTICIPATE// 5 10 min. Promised Land Fun After leading the Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years, God was ready to lead the new generation into the Promised Land. God miraculously opened the river so His people could cross it safely into their new homeland. Once the Israelites arrived, God told them to march around the city of Jericho for seven days while the priests blew their trumpets. On the seventh day, they gave a loud shout, and the walls came crashing down! God had given His people victory over the city. Option 1: Trumpets (for Younger Kids) Paper towel rolls (1 per child) Disposable bowls (1 per child) Pencils or pens Scissors Glue sticks (1 for every 2 3 children) Foil (2 rolls) Trumpet Example photos (see Resources) PREPARE AHEAD Print the Trumpet Example photos. As the Israelites walked around the walls of Jericho, they blew their trumpets. Let your kids make trumpets of their own with the supplies. Help each child to place the end of a paper towel roll against the bottom of a bowl and trace around it. Then cut pie wedges out of the circle sharp-ended scissors work best for this, so perform this step for your kids. Next, help the kids poke the paper towel roll through the hole, glue down the wedges, and wrap everything in foil. Encourage the kids to get creative as they shape their trumpets. Then give the kids time to practice making sounds! Option 2: River Dam (4 th & 5 th grades) Storage bins (1 for every 4 6 children) Sand (enough to fill each bin a quarter full) Aquarium gravel (enough to fill each bin a quarter full) Craft sticks (several per child) Pitcher Water Dam Example photos (see Resources) Paper towels or wet wipes PREPARE AHEAD Print the Dam Example photos. SET UP Put sand and gravel in each bin. Fill the pitcher with water. God opened a path through a river to help the Israelites get to the Promised Land. Talk with your kids about how people (and animals) sometimes build dams to help control the flow of water. Then group several kids around each bin and encourage them to make their own dams. They can dig a path for the water to follow. They can pile up small rocks or craft sticks and cover them with wet sand to create a barrier that stops the water from flowing. When they re ready, have the kids pour water through their creations to test the strength of their dams. 4
CELEBRATE// 35 55 min. Ponder Point: God Is Faithful WELCOME & TRADITIONS LARGE GROUP Take five minutes to open your CELEBRATE time by engaging in Welcome and Traditions. Joke of the Day or Trivia Time REMEMBER VERSE CONNECT This week s Remember Verse focuses on a character trait of God that s highlighted in today s portion of The Big God Story. Have I not commanded You? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 Invite the children to ask one another the following question. Encourage them to ask someone they may not know. After a minute or two, ask several children to tell the group their friends answers. Question What is something you believe in or know to be true? WORSHIP THE BIG GOD STORY WORSHIP RESPONSE Song(s) Bibles (1 per leader and 1 per child) Timeline slide and animation (see Resources) Slides: Ark of the Covenant, Parted Jordan River, Jericho (see Resources) Audio: Marching Music (see Resources) Optional: trumpets (from ANTICIPATE) SET UP OPTION: If the children made trumpets during ANTICIPATE, have them bring their trumpets to the storytelling time. Wood blocks (2 per child) Permanent markers KEEP IT SIMPLE Cardboard boxes (2 per child, small) Labels (2 per child) Pens SET UP Place the blocks and permanent markers in several locations around the room. 5
Legend: ( ) this symbol indicates an opportunity for you, the Communicator, to ask the kids to open their bibles and follow along as you read the Scripture passage ( ) this symbol indicates a cue for the tech team to play designated audio, video or lighting elements The Big God Story Bible Passage: Joshua 1 6 Storytelling Technique: Story Telling and Actions OPTIONAL: Before you begin today s storytelling time, invite kids to play a quick game of Follow the Leader. If you have a small group, form kids into one line and have them follow the path and movements of the child in the front. After 30 seconds, change leaders. If you have a large group, invite three children to the front. ( )Tech: Cue upbeat worship music. Invite kids to follow the moves of one child at the front for 30 seconds. Then invite them to follow the dance moves of the next child, and so on. We just played a fun game of Follow the Leader. The Israelites followed the leader God chose for them Joshua into the Promised Land. Today, we re going to learn about how Israelites learned to follow God. But before we go any further, let s invite God to teach and lead us. Lead the children in a Prayer of Release. Where have the Israelites been recently in The Big God Story? Where are they going? Allow responses. Yes, the Israelites left Egypt and traveled through the wilderness for 40 years on their way to the Promised Land. Invite children to stand up and march in place. We heard about how they sent spies ahead to see the land (invite kids to pretend to use binoculars or a telescope to see), and these spies reported that the land was great! But lots of big, strong men lived there. Have children make a muscle pose. The Israelites became afraid. Have kids show scared faces. They didn t want to face these huge men, even though God promised to be with them. Because the Israelites didn t trust God, He didn t allow that generation to enter the Promised Land. But God is always faithful to His promises. Have children sit down. What does it mean to be faithful? Invite kids to answer. To be faithful means you do what you say you will do. You keep your promises. God is faithful to us. He always keeps His promises. What promises did God make to His people after they left Egypt? Allow responses. Yes, He promised to lead the people and be with them and bring them into a new land, the Promised Land. God s people were in the wilderness for 40 years. As they wandered, the older, unfaithful generation died, including their leader, Moses. ( ) Invite a volunteer to read Joshua 1:1 3 aloud. Then, when the time came, God led the new generation into the Promised Land through a man named Joshua. God spoke to Joshua and told him to get the people ready to cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land. ( )Read Joshua 1:6 aloud. OPTIONAL: Invite eight volunteers to come up to act out the next part. The Israelites gathered all of their things and got ready to cross the river. Have volunteers pretend to gather items. At this time of year, the Jordan River was at its flood stage, meaning the water was very, very high, maybe even a mile wide! Just as God parted the Red Sea years ago, He was faithful to part the water of the Jordan River so the people could cross it safely. The priests were the first to enter the river. Select two children to be the priests. They carried the Ark of the Covenant. ( )Tech: Cue Ark of the Covenant slide. The Ark of the Covenant was the symbol of God s presence with them. Have the priests pretend to carry the ark. As the priests carried the ark into the river, the water the water stopped flowing, piled up and ( )Tech: Cue Parted Jordan River slide. about a million Israelites crossed the river into the Promised Land that day! Have the rest of the group follow the priests. 6
The Israelites had crossed the river and reached the Promised Land! Have the volunteers return to their seats. But there was still more to be done. God told His people He would help them defeat those living in the land. And the first city God told them to defeat was Jericho a fortified city with a King, soldiers and a wall that wrapped all the way around it. ( )Tech: Cue Jericho slide. But God is faithful. This city would not stop Him. He is faithful. Invite a volunteer to read Joshua 6:2 aloud. God would win the battle for His people. God gave the people specific instructions about how they would defeat the city. ( ) Read Joshua 6:3 5. Let s imagine what this would be like. ( )Tech: Cue Marching Music. If you want, march in place as you storytell. OPTIONAL: Have the kids play their trumpets from ANTICIPATE. After the Israelites had marched around the city seven times on the seventh day, they all gave a great shout! Then guess what happened? The walls all came down, and the army marched straight into Jericho. God had been faithful! God had defeated the city for His people! Encourage the kids to cheer. God fulfilled the promise He had made to the Israelites ancestors to bring the people into the Promised Land. God is always faithful. He loves all of His children very much. Share a story of how God was faithful to you. Next time we re together, we re going to hear more about the Israelites and God delivering His people even further. I m looking forward to sharing it with you! Worship Response The new generation of Israelites entered the Promised Land and received what God had promised them. God gave it to them because He is faithful. He knew this new generation would be faithful and trust Him with their whole hearts. All of us have things that make us afraid things that can get in the way of our ability to trust in God s faithfulness. Today, let s spend a few minutes in prayer, and ask God to show you what might be holding you back from trusting Him. Give the kids some time to pray quietly. We ve set up stations around the room with wood blocks and markers. If you want, take a block or two and on them write what God is telling you is getting in the way of trusting Him. It could be fear, worry, hard situations in life, etc. Once you write those down, bring your block or blocks to the front of the room, and help each other stack the blocks to build a wall. After kids have had some time to write on their blocks, share: This represents the wall that s blocking our faith. On the count of three, just like the Israelites did in Jericho, we re going to knock the wall down and shout as loud as we can. Just as God defeated Jericho, God can defeat anything that keeps us from trusting Him! Lead the kids in knocking down the wall on the count of three, and then close in prayer, thanking God for being powerful enough to knock down anything in our lives that holds us back from trusting in His faithfulness. KEEP IT SIMPLE Instead of wood blocks, consider using cardboard boxes. Offer the children labels to write on and attach to the boxes. SMALL GROUP RESPOND// 15 20 min. Reflect: God Is Faithful God waited for a whole new generation to be ready before He brought His people into the Promised Land. This new generation trusted in God s faithfulness and was willing to do whatever He asked them to do. Because of this, God brought them through the Jordan River and into the city of Jericho. Encourage the kids to open their Bibles and read the referenced passages. Questions for Younger Kids What does the word faithful mean? How did the Israelites know God would one day give them the Promised Land? Genesis 15:7 7
What do you think the Israelites thought when God told them to march around the city? Joshua 6:2 5 How do you know God is always faithful? What helps you to trust God? How have you seen God s faithfulness in your life? Questions for Older Kids What does the word faithful mean? How did the Israelites know God would one day give them the Promised Land? Genesis 15:7 Why wasn t the older generation allowed to enter the Promised Land? Deuteronomy 1:32 35 What do you think it looked like at the place God stopped the flow of the Jordan River? Joshua 3:14 17 What do you think the Israelites thought when God told them to march around the city? Joshua 6:2 5 How do you know God is always faithful? What helps you to trust God? How have you seen God s faithfulness in your life? Create: Building Jericho Sugar cubes (several boxes) Disposable plates (1 per child) Jericho was a mighty city with huge walls surrounding it. The Israelites would have been in big trouble if they d gone against a city like that without a good military strategy. Instead, God told the Israelites to march around the city, which probably didn t make a lot of sense to them. They had never won a battle by just marching in circles and blowing trumpets. But God told them to do this to show their faith and dependence on Him and not anything they could do on their own. God is faithful and we can trust Him, even when He asks us to do something we may not understand. The new generation of Israelites was willing to serve God by doing whatever He called them to do even walking around a huge wall seven times. Let s talk about God s faithfulness while we make our own walls of Jericho. Let the kids create their own walls out of sugar cubes on their disposable plates. As they work, encourage them to talk about how God has been faithful in their own lives. You might ask: What are some obstacles in your life holding you back from fully trusting God? Why do you think faith is important? You can let the kids knock down the walls once they re finished building them. BLESS// 5 10 min. As you bless your kids, tell them they have the opportunity to also be a blessing to others. Encourage them to freely share the joy and love they have received from God. Encourage the children to stand in a line, shoulder to shoulder. Starting at one end, have each child turn to the next person in line and say, God is faithful. Then open a Bible and read Deuteronomy 7:9: Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. End with the following blessing over your group: May you know God loves you very much. May you see His faithfulness in your life. Don t forget to hand out the Family First Look each week! 8