MEMORY VERSE: Joshua 6:20 "So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets...and the wall fell down flat..."
BOOK TO REMEMBER: 1 Thessalonians. Write '1 Thessalonians' on small slips of paper and hand out to the students at the end of class.
PRAYER: May we all strive to do what God says to do in His Word and do it to the best of our ability.
SPECIAL SONG: Be Careful Little Eyes (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #3 on this blog).
VISUAL AID: Large Activity (see below under Activity)
LESSON POINTS:
- While the children of Israel were at Gilgal, they kept the special feast called the Passover. Do you remember the Passover? That's right! The Passover was very special to God's people because it made them remember the night that the LORD had passed over the people's houses while they were still living in Egypt as slaves. As the tenth plague, God said that if the Israelites would put the blood of a lamb on both side posts and on the lintel over their doors (Exodus 12:21-30), then at midnight, when the LORD passed over their houses and saw the blood, that house would be spared from the firstborn dying. It was the night they left Egypt. This was what the Passover feast was all about.
- On the day after the Passover, the people ate roasted grain or corn and unleavened bread. They did not eat manna anymore as they did for forty years in the wilderness. From then on, they ate the fruit of land of Canaan.
- As they traveled closer to Jericho, Joshua saw a man with a sword. Joshua asked him if he was for the Israelites or an enemy, and he said that he was neither, that he was the captain of the LORD's army. Joshua fell on his face and worshiped and asked, "What shall I do?" The captain of the LORD's army said to take off his shoe because the place where Joshua was standing was holy ground and Joshua did as he said. Do you remember Moses doing that same thing? Where was Moses when he was told that he should take off his shoes because the ground was holy? That's right! By the burning bush! (Exodus 3)
- Do you remember how Rahab, the woman who helped hide the spies in Jericho, had said that the people in Jericho were very afraid of the Israelites because they had heard how their God had helped them cross the Red Sea on dry land? YES! Good memories! The people in Jericho were SO afraid that they had closed up their city completely! No one went in and no one went out. They all stayed inside the city of Jericho with their gates closed.
- God told Joshua that He had given the city of Jericho to Joshua and told him exactly what to do. Joshua told the people and they did it exactly as God commanded.
- Early the next morning, Joshua and the priests took the ark of the covenant and seven priests carried their horns in front of the ark and blew on their ram's horns. The armed men marched on in front of them and the rear army marched behind the ark of the covenant, so the ark was in between them both. The priests kept walking on with the ark, blowing on their trumpets until they circled the city. They did this one time for six days.
- Then, on the seventh day, they did something different! When the sun started coming up, everyone got ready. Joshua had already told the people not to shout or make any noise with their voices until he told them to shout, then they were to shout VERY loud. So, on this seventh day, the people circled the city one time just like they had the six days before, but on this day, they kept marching! They marched around the city not one time, or two times or three times or four times or five times or six times, but SEVEN times! On the last time around the city, with the army in front and in back of the ark, the seven priests took their ram's horns and blew loudly. Joshua told the people, "SHOUT! The LORD has given you this city! All of the people in this city will be cursed, all except Rahab and her family because she hid the spies that we sent. Do not take anything from this city. If you do, you will not only make trouble for yourselves, but you will also make trouble for all of the Israelites. All of the silver, and gold, and brass, and iron are consecrated for the LORD and will go into the treasury of the LORD." Then the people shouted a great shout and the walls of Jericho fell down flat!! The people went in and took the city, completely destroying the city. Every one and every thing was destroyed. But Joshua remembered a promise that was made and told the two spies to go get Rahab, her family, and all that she had and they brought her outside the camp. Then, they burned the city. Joshua saved Rahab and her family and Rahab lived with the Israelites to this day. Joshua was famous throughout all the whole country. This was just the beginning of conquering the land of Canaan!
- Think about this wartime strategy. Had this ever been done before? Has anyone conquered a city in this manner since Jericho? No. God demonstrated His power by what some would call 'foolishness,' but God knows better. Some would say that preaching was foolishness, but it pleases God when His Word is preached. Read 1 Corinthians 1:21-23. God wants everything done His way.
ACTIVITY: The City Of Jericho
Materials needed: 6" x 18" piece of brown construction paper, red thread or yarn or ribbon, scissors, tape, crayons.
- Hand out brown paper.
- Fold in fourths.
- Fold one fourth back the opposite way it is folded. The paper will form a box in the end.
- Draw small black squares across the length of the brown paper. (12-14 is enough.)
- Choose one small black square and cut it out.
- Cut a jagged edge all along the brown paper, being careful not to cut the chosen window off. (This is Rahab's house.)
- Put red thread through the window, taping it to the other side of the paper.
- Write "The Fall of Jericho" and "Joshua 6:21, 23"
- Fold paper into a box or 'city.'
- Tape open edge to secure.
