I love to read about Joshua in the bible. So many times as I read through his bible story, I wonder what it must have been like to have been him. Imagine, not only did Moses appoint him to take over for him, Jesus himself came to talk to him face-to-face!The Sunday school lesson below tells of that one time when Jesus came to Joshua to tell him exactly how he was going to defeat Jericho!
Instead of having to come up with a complicated (and maybe wrong) plan as to how to overthrow the city, Jesus said, "Listen up, Joshua. This is what we are going to do!"
While we can't see Jesus face-to-face yet, he still talks to us. We need only to quiet our minds and listen. Having a relationship with our heavenly father is more than attending church once a week and reading a bible verse every now and then. It's about talking to him daily and listening as he talks back.
It may not be the way we hear those here on earth, but it could be in nature all around us, in the verses we read each day, in the whispers we hear in our hearts, in the song that just played, through other people, or any number of other ways God speaks with us.
As you prepare for this Sunday school lesson, talk with God to ensure that he helps you deliver the bible story the way he wants you to.
Show your kids the Battle of Jericho Song to get them up an moving!
You can also find more FREE material about Joshua!
You are free to print the images on this page to use in your Sunday school class. The license for using these pictures are located at the bottom of this post.
Joshua in the Bible - Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho Bible Story
In this Sunday school lesson, we are going to do more than just tell a bible story about Joshua. We are going to engage our kids to think about what it was like all those years ago when the Israelites fought the battle of Jericho!
You will want to see how to get your kids thinking like Joshua and the Israelites by doing this Sunday school activity!
Whether you choose to use the link above to get the kids fully involved in the story or not, you can still get them moving by following along with the suggestions in parenthesis below.
To begin your story, have the kids sit in a circle in the middle of the room or pull their chairs into a circle. You can either stand or sit in the middle to tell your story or even just pull yourself up a chair to sit with them.
The Bible Story
The Israelites had been wandering in the wilderness for 40 years and it was finally time to enter into the land that God had promised to them.
Of course it hadn't been easy to get to this point and it wasn't going to be easy now.
They had to cross the Jordan River to get to the other side. Now, that may not seem like a big deal, right? They could just jump on a boat and sail to the other side or find a bridge to cross - wrong.
They didn't have any boats or any bridges to cross and the river was flooded at the time. Its waters were probably rushing fast and would have swept them away.
Another thing was that there wasn't just a few people. There were hundreds of thousands of people who had to cross the river. Of course, we can't forget about all the animals and the fact that they had to carry all of their belongings with them. So, how do you think they were going to get across?
Joshua told the people, "The priests carrying the ark will go first. Everyone will wait and follow along behind the priests.
Ask the kids, "Joshua said the priests were going first and everyone was going to follow. How do you think they are going to get across?"
A miracle happened that day. When the priests' feet who were carrying the ark touched the water's edge, the water stopped flowing and was held back. The people got to cross the Jordan River on dry ground!
As the people crossed, Joshua told 12 men to pick up one rock each from the river's bottom and carry it to the other side. When they reached the other side, Joshua had the men pile the rocks up. Then he said, "This pile of rocks will serve as a reminder to you all. When your children or grandchildren ask why this pile of rocks is here, you can tell them about this time. The time when we crossed the Jordan River on dry ground!"
The river didn't start flowing again until the priests came out of the river. You see, they had to stand in the middle and wait for all those people to cross before they could come out of the river bed themselves.
Now, Joshua and the Israelites were faced with another problem. They were to take over the city of Jericho, but the walls were so high and thick they couldn't get over them, or around them, or through them. How were they going to get into the city?
One evening, Joshua walked by himself trying to figure out a way to take over the city.
To his surprise, a man holding a sword appeared out of nowhere! Joshua asked, "Are you for us or against us?"
The man said, "I am the captain of the Lord's host." Does anyone know who the captain of the Lord's host is?
It was Jesus before he ever came to earth as a baby! Joshua was talking to Jesus himself!
Jesus told Joshua to take off his shoes because the ground where he was standing was holy and Joshua did as he was told. Then, Jesus said, here is how you are going to defeat Jericho."
(Tell everyone to stand up on the outside of the circle of chairs or a make believe circle of chairs.)
Jesus said, "On the first day, the people will walk around the city walls one time. They are not to speak at all. On the second day, they are to do the same. They are to do this every day for six days. On the seventh and final day, they are to walk around the city walls seven times. On the last time, the priests will blow their horns loud. When the people hear the horns, they are to SHOUT very loud!"
Jesus went on to tell Joshua not to worry or be afraid. Jesus was going to go before Joshua and he was going to be right with him through the whole thing. Joshua had nothing to fear!
(Have the kids walk around the chairs seven times without speaking. This will be hard. Stress how it must have been for all those people to walk around the great city of Jericho seven times without talking. On the last time, have the children shout!)
Joshua followed Jesus orders and on the seventh day when they walked around the city walls of Jericho seven times, the people shouted when they heard the priests blow their horns and the walls of Jericho came tumbling down!
The people of Israel overtook the city.
Photos of Joshua courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing.
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