Bible Road Trip ~ covers Joshua chapters 1-12. This week, we are studying Joshua, the first book of the Historical Books. Students will also read an overview of the Historical Books. We will be studying the Historical Books for the remainder of the Year One curriculum, ending with Esther. Joshua is written as an epic narrative. The book is the story of the nation of Israel s conquest of the Promised Land of Canaan. There is a pronounced good versus evil theme. In Joshua, we see clearly the consequences of following the Lord compared to the consequences of turning from Him. Will God s people follow Him or not? The question is a prominent theme throughout the rest of the Old Testament. Joshua can be a difficult book for adults to understand. For the sensitive child, questions will likely arise. Many people question a God who orders the eradication of a people group. Why was it allowable for the Israelites to take the land belonging to the Canaanites? What about the children? It would be wise to discuss these issues with your children before reading Joshua with them. When reading Scripture, it is important that we have a proper view of theology, or who God is. The God we serve is sovereign a supreme ruler. As Creator of the Earth and everything on it, the land is His to give and to take. Moreover, God is our judge. As sinners, we will each stand before Him and answer for our sins. We know from reading Scripture, and from historical evidence, that the Canaanites were spiritually idolatrous and morally corrupt. Sodom and Gomorrah were located in Canaan from that story alone, we can see the sinful nature of the people. Clay Jones, assistant professor in the Master of Arts in Christian Apologetics program at Biola University, wrote an article for a 2010 issue of the Christian Research Journal entitled Killing the Canaanites: A Response to the New Atheism s Devine Genocide Claims which specifically addresses the sins of the Canaanites. You can find that online here: http://www.equip.org/articles/killing-the-canaanites/. It is important to note that true repentance before God was met with grace and mercy. The story of Rahab in chapter 6 is a poignant example of God s redemption. In the Grammar stages, our prayer focus this week is Turkey, and for the Dialectic and Rhetoric stages we ll study Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Researching the Word Grades 1-3 (Lower Grammar), Page 1 of 2 Dig Deep What the Bible is All About: Bible Handbook for Kids, Frances Blankenbaker o Read Aloud: Pages 54-59 (Let s Look at the Books of History, Let s Look at Joshua, Connecting to Jesus in Joshua, Where It All Happened, Chapters 1-12) OR What the Bible is All About for Young Explorers, Frances Blankenbaker o Read Aloud: Pages 54-57, 58-59 (Let s Look at the Books of History, Joshua, Chapters 1-12, God s Plan to Send a Savior, Where It All Happened) What the Bible is All About Resources: Reproducible Maps, Charts, Timelines and Illustrations o Photocopy, color, and file in your notebook: Page 41, 43 (Books of History, Joshua) Reading the Word The Jubilee Illustrated Family Bible, Dr. Claude-Bernard Costecalde (Ed.) o Read Aloud: Pages 92-93 (The Crossing of the Jordan Deuteronomy 31-34, Joshua 1-3) o Read Aloud: Pages 94-95 (The Fall of Jericho Joshua 5-6) o Read Aloud: Pages 96-97 (The Battle of Ai Joshua 7-8)
Memorizing the Word Grades 1-3 (Lower Grammar), Page 2 of 2 Meditate on It Review your verses from previous weeks with your mom or dad. Memorize Joshua 1:9. Remember to record your verses. Notebooking about the Word Pretend you are at the Battle of Jericho. Are you an Israelite, or are you in Jericho? How do you feel? What does God do? Write down a few sentences to help you remember what it might have been like. Praying about the Word Window on the World, Daphne Spraggett with Jill Johnstone o Read: Pages 168-169 (Turkey) o Journal: Write down own thing to pray about for the people of Turkey this week. Learning More about the Word Explore Further Watch What s in the Bible with Buck Denver? Volume 4 Battle for the Promised Land! ~ Part One o Who did the land of Canaan really belong to? o What are the wages of sin? What do we really deserve? o What is God s rescue plan? Crafting Through the Word Find some interesting small stones, or some river rock. Using a permanent marker, write on each stone one word to help you remember how God cares for you. Create a memorial with hot glue. When people ask you about the memorial, tell them how God cares for you. Design a comic strip about the fall of Jericho. Create a work of art for your Bible Verse Catalog, using your verse for this week.
Researching the Word Grades 4-6 (Upper Grammar), Page 1 of 3 Dig Deep What the Bible is All About: Bible Handbook for Kids, Frances Blankenbaker o Read Aloud: Pages 54-59 (Let s Look at the Books of History, Let s Look at Joshua, Connecting to Jesus in Joshua, Where It All Happened, Chapters 1-12) OR What the Bible is All About for Young Explorers, Frances Blankenbaker o Read Aloud: Pages 54-57, 58-59 (Let s Look at the Books of History, Joshua, Chapters 1-12, God s Plan to Send a Savior, Where It All Happened) What the Bible is All About Resources: Reproducible Maps, Charts, Timelines and Illustrations o Photocopy, color, and file in your notebook: Page 41, 43, 45 (Books of History, Joshua, Conquest of Canaan) Reading the Word Optional (if you have it): The Jubilee Illustrated Family Bible, Dr. Claude-Bernard Costecalde (Ed.) o Read Aloud: Pages 20-21 (In the Beginning - article) Read Joshua Chapters 1-2 ~ God Commissions Joshua to Rahab Hides the Spies o What does God command Joshua to do? What do the Israelites promise to do? (Joshua 1) o What did Rahab say the people of Jericho had heard about God? What did Rahab believe about God? (Joshua 2:8-11) What did the spies promise Rahab? (Joshua 2:17-20) Look at what the Bible later says about Rahab: Matthew 1:5, Hebrews 11:31, and James 2:24-26. Read Joshua Chapters 3-4 ~ Israel Crosses the Jordan to Twelve Memorial Stones from the Jordan o How did God miraculously move on behalf of His people? (Joshua 3:14-17) o What did God have the Israelites do after they crossed the Jordan? What was the purpose? (Joshua 4) Read Joshua Chapters 5-6 ~ The New Generation Circumcised to The Fall of Jericho o How did Joshua respond to the commander of the army of the Lord? What did the commander say? (Joshua 5:13-15) o What happened to Rahab? How did her recognition of God s sovereignty save her and her family? (Joshua 6) o What did God ask the Israelites to do outside of Jericho? How do you think Jericho s inhabitants felt during the seven days? What were the Israelites supposed to do with the plunder? (Joshua 6)
Grades 4-6 (Upper Grammar), Page 2 of 3 Reading the Word (Continued) Dig Deep (Continued) Read Joshua Chapters 7-8 ~ Israel Defeated in Ai to Joshua Renews the Covenant o What did Achan do? What were the consequences for him? For his family? For Israel? (Joshua 7) o Compare Israel s attack on Ai in chapter 7 with the attack in chapter 8. Whose counsel did Joshua listen to in chapter 7? Whose counsel did he follow in chapter 8? What were the results of each attack? Read Joshua Chapters 9, 12 ~ The Gibeonite Deception and Kings Defeated by Moses to Kings Defeated by Joshua o How did the Gibeonites deceive the Israelites? Did Joshua and his people seek counsel from the Lord before making a treaty? (Joshua 9:14) o How many kings on the west side of the Jordan did the Israelites defeat? (Joshua 12:24) Was it their victory or the Lord s?
Memorizing the Word Grades 4-6 (Upper Grammar), Page 3 of 3 Meditate on It Review your verses from previous weeks with your mom or dad. Memorize Joshua 1:9 and Psalm 98:8-9. Remember to record your verses. Notebooking about the Word God ordered the destruction of every man, woman and child in Jericho. Rahab and her entire family were spared. Why? Write a paragraph or two about what Rahab did, what she said about God, and what happened to Rahab after the fall of Jericho. (See the discussion questions for chapter 6 to find verses to look up). Praying about the Word Window on the World, Daphne Spraggett with Jill Johnstone o Read: Pages 168-169 (Turkey) o Journal: Write down own thing to pray about for the people of Turkey this week. Learning More about the Word Explore Further Watch What s in the Bible with Buck Denver? Volume 4 Battle for the Promised Land! ~ Part One o Who did the land of Canaan really belong to? o What are the wages of sin? What do we really deserve? Read Hittite Warrior, Joanne Williamson o Chapters 5-9 The Student Bible Atlas, Tim Dowley o Map 7: Israelites Enter Canaan Crafting Through the Word Find some interesting small stones, or some river rock. Using a permanent marker, write on each stone one word to help you remember how God cares for you. Create a memorial with hot glue. When people ask you about the memorial, tell them how God cares for you. Design a comic strip about the fall of Jericho. Create a work of art for your Bible Verse Catalog, using your verse for this week.
Researching the Word Grades 7-9 (Dialectic), Page 1 of 3 Dig Deep The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook, J. Daniel Hays and J. Scott Duvall o Read (Aloud or Individually): Pages 123-125 (The Historical Books) o Read (Aloud or Individually): Pages 127-137 up to Distributing the Promised Land (Joshua: Conquering the Promised Land) o Reading the Word Read Joshua Chapters 1-3 ~ God Commissions Joshua to Israel Crosses the Jordan o What does God command Joshua to do? What do the Israelites promise to do? (Joshua 1) o What did Rahab say the people of Jericho had heard about God? What did Rahab believe about God? (Joshua 2:8-11) What did the spies promise Rahab? (Joshua 2:17-20) Look at what the Bible later says about Rahab: Matthew 1:5, Hebrews 11:31, and James 2:24-26. o How did God miraculously move on behalf of His people? (Joshua 3:14-17) Read Joshua Chapters 4-6 ~ Twelve Memorial Stones from the Jordan to The Fall of Jericho o What did God have the Israelites do after they crossed the Jordan? What was the purpose? (Joshua 4) o How did Joshua respond to the commander of the army of the Lord? What did the commander say? (Joshua 5:13-15) o What happened to Rahab? How did her recognition of God s sovereignty save her and her family? (Joshua 6) o What did God ask the Israelites to do outside of Jericho? How do you think Jericho s inhabitants felt during the seven days? What were the Israelites supposed to do with the plunder? (Joshua 6) Read Joshua Chapters 7-8 ~ Israel Defeated at Ai to Joshua Renews the Covenant o What did Achan do? What were the consequences for him? For his family? For Israel? (Joshua 7) o Compare Israel s attack on Ai in chapter 7 with the attack in chapter 8. Whose counsel did Joshua listen to in chapter 7? Whose counsel did he follow in chapter 8? What were the results of each attack?
Reading the Word (Continued) Grades 7-9 (Dialectic), Page 2 of 3 Dig Deep (Continued) Read Joshua Chapters 9-10 ~ The Gibeonite Deception to Conquest of Southern Canaan o How did the Gibeonites deceive the Israelites? Did Joshua and his people seek counsel from the Lord before making a treaty? (Joshua 9:14) o How did God answer Joshua s prayer as Israel fought the united kings? (Joshua 10:1-15) In the southern conquest, how did the Israelites fare? Read Joshua Chapters 11-12 ~ Conquests in Northern Canaan to Kings Defeated by Joshua o How did the Lord facilitate the war efforts? Why didn t any other cities surrender? (Joshua 11:20) Even if we don t always understand God s judgment, we know that He is our Judge, and that He is just. (See James 4:12) o How many kings on the west side of the Jordan did the Israelites defeat? (Joshua 12:24) Was it their victory or the Lord s?
Memorizing the Word Grades 7-9 (Dialectic), Page 3 of 3 Meditate on It Review your verses from previous weeks with your mom or dad. Memorize Joshua 1:8-9 and Psalm 98:8-9. Remember to record your verses. Notebooking about the Word Compare and contrast the lives of Rahab and Achan. Be sure to examine the actions of each, and the consequences of those actions. What did their behavior and their words say about their hearts? How does God feel about our hearts? Does He care if we worship Him? Praying about the Word Operation World, Jason Mandryk o Read: Pages 151-153 (Bhutan), 132-136 (Bangladesh), 609-614 (Myanmar) o Pray: Choose one Challenges for Prayer from each country to add to your prayer journal for the week. Don t forget to pray! Learning More about the Word Explore Further Do a mini-research project on the archaeology of Jericho. Write about what you find. Watch The Fall of Jericho. Crafting Through the Word There are no dates for this week. We ve discussed the issues with dating the exodus and the conquest. We ll record some new dates in a few weeks.
Researching the Word Grades 10-12 (Rhetoric), Page 1 of 3 Dig Deep Encountering the Old Testament: A Christian Survey, Bill T. Arnold and Bryan E. Beyer o Read: Chapter 10: Introduction to the Historical Books: The History of Israel s Nationhood Pages 157-166 o Read: Chapter 11: Joshua: Conquest and Division up to Israel Divides the Land Pages 167-176 Reading the Word Read Joshua Chapters 1-3 ~ God Commissions Joshua to Israel Crosses the Jordan o What does God command Joshua to do? What do the Israelites promise to do? (Joshua 1) o What did Rahab say the people of Jericho had heard about God? What did Rahab believe about God? (Joshua 2:8-11) What did the spies promise Rahab? (Joshua 2:17-20) Look at what the Bible later says about Rahab: Matthew 1:5, Hebrews 11:31, and James 2:24-26. o How did God miraculously move on behalf of His people? (Joshua 3:14-17) Read Joshua Chapters 4-6 ~ Twelve Memorial Stones from the Jordan to The Fall of Jericho o What did God have the Israelites do after they crossed the Jordan? What was the purpose? (Joshua 4) o How did Joshua respond to the commander of the army of the Lord? What did the commander say? (Joshua 5:13-15) o What happened to Rahab? How did her recognition of God s sovereignty save her and her family? (Joshua 6) o What did God ask the Israelites to do outside of Jericho? How do you think Jericho s inhabitants felt during the seven days? What were the Israelites supposed to do with the plunder? (Joshua 6) Read Joshua Chapters 7-8 ~ Israel Defeated at Ai to Joshua Renews the Covenant o What did Achan do? What were the consequences for him? For his family? For Israel? (Joshua 7) o Compare Israel s attack on Ai in chapter 7 with the attack in chapter 8. Whose counsel did Joshua listen to in chapter 7? Whose counsel did he follow in chapter 8? What were the results of each attack?
Reading the Word (Continued) Grades 10-12 (Rhetoric), Page 2 of 3 Dig Deep (Continued) Read Joshua Chapters 9-10 ~ The Gibeonite Deception to Conquest of Southern Canaan o How did the Gibeonites deceive the Israelites? Did Joshua and his people seek counsel from the Lord before making a treaty? (Joshua 9:14) o How did God answer Joshua s prayer as Israel fought the united kings? (Joshua 10:1-15) In the southern conquest, how did the Israelites fare? Read Joshua Chapters 11-12 ~ Conquests in Northern Canaan to Kings Defeated by Joshua o How did the Lord facilitate the war efforts? Why didn t any other cities surrender? (Joshua 11:20) Even if we don t always understand God s judgment, we know that He is our Judge, and that He is just. (See James 4:12) o How many kings on the west side of the Jordan did the Israelites defeat? (Joshua 12:24) Was it their victory or the Lord s?
Memorizing the Word Grades 10-12 (Rhetoric), Page 3 of 3 Meditate on It Review your verses from previous weeks with your mom or dad. Memorize Joshua 1:8-9, Psalm 98:8-9 and James 4:12. Remember to record your verses. Notebooking about the Word Answer the Study Questions on page 165 of Encountering the Old Testament. Take notes on any terms you want to be sure you remember later. Record your personal thoughts on what you ve learned this week. Praying about the Word Operation World, Jason Mandryk o Read: Pages 151-153 (Bhutan), 132-136 (Bangladesh), 609-614 (Myanmar) o Pray: Choose one Challenges for Prayer from each country to add to your prayer journal for the week. Don t forget to pray! Learning More about the Word Explore Further Watch The Fall of Jericho. Exploring the Old Testament CD-ROM o Take a look at Maps: Northern Israel, Central Israel, and Southern Israel show detail! Crafting Through the Word Share what you ve learned this week! Make a video presentation or write a short blog post or paper sharing something specific that you learned. o Topics could include A comparison of Rahab and her choices versus Achan and his choices The biblical account of the fall of Jericho, and the archeological evidence supporting the account Joshua s encounter with the commander of heaven s army (consult some good commentaries) Teach what you ve learned this week to some of the kids in your church, or lead a study group among your peers (with a parent as a mentor) to discuss what you re learning.