Joshua Leads Israel to Jericho

TEXT: Joshua 6:1-27

OBJECTIVE

The students will be able to explain that Joshua trusted God and God used him to lead Israel to victory over Jericho.

BIBLE LESSON OUTLINE

Introduction: Open your class session by showing your students a large question mark cut from posterboard. Ask them if they have ever responded with "Why?" when they were told to do something. Tell them that the Bible story for today tells about what might appear to be a very strange set of instructions. But Joshua, the leader of the Children of Israel, did not ask God "Why?" He obeyed, and because of this a great victory was won.

1. The walled city of Jericho was shut up for fear of the Children of Israel.
2. God gives a detailed battle plan for taking the city, one which is highly unusual.
3. The people obey the command of the Lord, and march around the city according to the instructions given.
   

Climax: The walls of Jericho fall down as the Children of Israel complete God's instructions to march around, blow the trumpets, and shout. Rahab and her family escape destruction.

Conclusion: Jericho was overthrown because Joshua carried out the battle plan given by God.

Response: The students should be able to explain that they must follow God's instructions if they want to be victorious.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Joshua was born into slavery in Egypt, however the Lord raised him up to become the commander of His armies. He had proved himself a courageous leader in the battle against Amalek (Exodus 17:8-16) and he became known as "the servant of Moses" (Numbers 11:28 and Joshua 1:1). This prepared him for the role which the Lord had planned for him.

As can be seen from the conversation that Joshua held with the "captain of the host of the Lord," he never became self-confident in his own abilities, but fell on his face in humility before the Lord (Joshua 5:13-15). When the command came to conquer Jericho in this very unusual way, Joshua had already had a long history of obeying God. God honored this man's faith, not only in this particular instance but also for the next 25 years as Joshua led the people of Israel to possess the Promised Land. Joshua maintained his resolve and concluded his life with the statement, "as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15).

IN-CLASS ACTIVITIES

• Use the questions from the Teacher's Guide to play a board game (see Patterns). If you have a large class you may need to make up more questions of your own. Cut out a different colored marker for each of your students (or use objects such as the pieces from a Monopoly game). Attach a paper clip to the numbered circle to make a spinner. Let the children take turns spinning and moving. They must follow the directions in the space they land on; and, at their next turn, they may move the number of spaces designated in that square or spin again for another number. It is okay for more than one marker to be on the same space. Everyone who reaches Jericho is a winner.
• Show your students a list of attributes or characteristics that might or might not make a good leader. Let them decide which ones they think are needed to make a good leader and also add their own ideas if they are not on the list.
• Make a kazoo from a 4½-inch paper tube. Punch a hole one inch from the end of the tube (a toilet tissue tube or a section cut from a paper towel or gift wrap tube}. Fold waxed paper over the end of the tube closest to the punched hole and secure paper with a rubber band. To play the kazoo, hum into the open end of the tube.
• Use this game for your question and answer time. Give each student a copy of the Jericho Walls game (see Patterns). They may use buttons or pennies as place markers and start at number 1. If they can answer the first question then they move to number 2, etc. Do this until they have all "marched" around Jericho. Use the questions given in the Question section of this lesson or prepare new ones. Just be sure you have enough so that all the children will be able to march around the city once.
  
  When you have reached the part in your story where the walls of Jericho fall, drop several pieces of the "brick" papers (see Patterns) so it will look like confetti falling. Have the children collect them. You should write questions on about half of the brick papers. The children must answer the questions they have collected or pass them on to a neighbor. This game will help to review the story. Prizes are optional.
• Make a circle of people to march around Jericho (see Patterns). Enlarge the people to a size that will encircle your city of Jericho. Tape the ends together and move the circle around the city to let the people march.
• See the Preschool section of Lesson 23a (Gideon) to find ideas for making trumpets

QUESTIONS

1. How did Joshua get the plan to conquer the city of Jericho?
2. What would have happened if the Israelites had not obeyed Joshua and had only walked around the city three times?
3. Why was Rahab and her family saved?
4. Why do you think that the priests carried the Ark of God before the people?
5. How do you think the people inside those walls felt when Joshua and all the Children of Israel marched around day after day?
6. Like Joshua, our ministers are following God's leading. How should we feel about what they teach us to do?
7. Looking back over last week's lesson, how do you think Joshua felt about his choice to follow God's orders?
8. God has a Promised Land for us too. What is it and how can we get there?

PRE-SCHOOL SUGGESTIONS

• For each of your students, reproduce the finger puppets (see Patterns) onto heavy paper. Cut out the holes for their fingers. Let the children color their puppets. Then they may use them to march around the "Jericho walls."
• Make walls to represent Jericho out of Lego blocks, Styrofoam cubes, or milk cartons covered with contact paper. Let your students knock down the walls. Be sure to leave Rahab's house in place.
• Bring a cardboard box to represent the city of Jericho. Slit down the four corners of the box so the sides can lie down flat. Tie the box together with a string or piece of thread. When it is time for the walls to fall, release the string so the walls will fall out.
• Let each child have a small doll to march around the city. Be sure the students are all quiet—no talking allowed! Make the sound of feet by tapping with your hands on the table. Give them all paper horns to blow on their final time around the walls.

REVIEW IDEAS‍

You could do a flannelgraph or overhead while the department listens to the tape, "The Scarlet Cord Escape." (See Support Material.)

Make two block-walled cities. Tape a question under each block. Divide the department into two teams and see who can get rid of their city first. Have a person from one team pick a block and read the question. If he answers correctly, someone else from their team may come up and choose a block and answer a question. This continues until they miss a question, at which time the block is returned and it is the other team's turn to pick a block from their city. The team that answers the last question of their city first, wins.

The group could sing "Around the Walls of Jericho" and act out the story.

Collect empty boxes of various sizes (cracker boxes, oatmeal boxes, tissue boxes, cake mix boxes, etc.). Cover them with butcher, construction, or other paper. (Use a neutral color or be bold and colorful.) With these finished boxes build the walls of Jericho as high as you can. As you re-enact the story tell how the Israelites marched around Jericho in total silence. Challenge the students to be silent. Can they walk around the room in complete silence? If so, celebrate with a loud cheer.

SUPPORT MATERIAL

• The Scarlet Cord Escape — a tape by Christian Duplications, Inc.
• This Land Is Ours — Book, Augsburg
• The Purple Puzzle Tree, Set 5 — Concordia (Record with 6 different stories/books)
• Stories About Joshua and Judges — Pict-o-graph, Standard Publishing