Sunday 18th April | Joshua
Today we are continuing to look at Heroes of the Faith and how Joshua continues on from Moses in leading the Israelites.
Game - Follow My Leader
One child is ‘it’, and everyone else is the copy-cat.
It is a good idea to have a more skilful child as ‘it’ first, or even have an adult play that role to start with. It is always a good idea to get off to a good start (in anything!).
The person that is ‘it’ is going to move around whatever space you have in a certain way. The others are going to copy the movement.
They don’t need to follow the direction that the person who is ‘it’ is going – they just need to move in the same way. Vary the moves. Some simple ideas are:
i) Move like different animals – e.g. a bird, a snake, a kangaroo
ii) Do simple jumps, hops, skips etc
iii) Move really fast/slow, high/low
Story
There are two cartoon stories about Joshua to watch today.
These stories are found in the book of Joshua in the Old Testament of the Bible, in chapters 1-4.
Joshua Leads
The Israelites Cross the Jordan River
Questions
Joshua Leads
- Who did Joshua follow through the wilderness? (Moses)
- Why did the Israelites need a new leader? (Because Moses was old and knew he was going to die soon)
- What did God tell Joshua to be as he led the Israelites? (Strong and courageous)
- What did God promise Joshua? (That He would be with him wherever he went)
- Where was Joshua told to lead the Israelites to? (Across the River Jordan into the Promised Land)
The Israelites Cross the Jordan
- How long did the Israelites camp beside the River Jordan waiting for God’s command to cross it? (3 days)
- Why was the River Jordan impossible to cross on foot? (Because it was flowing with so much water/it was too deep?
- When did the water in the river stop flowing? (When the priests stepped inside it)
- (Extra note: Old Testament priests were a little bit like our leaders in church today, chosen to serve the people and represent God to them)
- What were the Priests carrying? (The Ark of the Covenant)
- (Extra note: The Ark of the Covenant was a special chest that contained the stone tablets with the 10 Commandments written on them. It reminded the Israelites that God was with them and of the way He wanted them to live)
- What did the twelve men Joshua chose have to do? (Take 12 stones from the River Jordan)
- What happened when the Priests stepped out of the river? (The water flowed back again)
- What did they do with them? (They built a memorial (a bit like our statues) to remind people in the future how God brought His people through the River Jordan on dry ground)
Discussion
Psalm 9 v 1
I will praise you Lord, with all of my heart,
I will tell of the marvellous things you have done.
I will be filled with joy because of you.
I will sing praises to your name.
Why do you think it’s important to remember the good things God has done for us? (Because they fill us with joy; because we easily forget; we need to remember He is always with us and is faithful, especially during tough times; it helps us focus on good things instead of bad things etc)
As a family, talk about some of the things God has done in your lives that you want to keep remembering.
Prayer
Thank God for all the good things He has done. Give to Him anything that is troubling you right now, remembering that you can trust Him and that He is faithful.
Worship
Deeper
This song is all about following God where He’s going, just like Joshua and the Israelites in this story. They also had to cross some deep waters!
Craft
Pick 12 stones from your garden or local area, or from the beach if you visit one. As a family, decorate the stones with pictures, patterns and words that remind you of who God is and what He has done for you and your family. It might be things you want to thank Him for. Then arrange them in a special pattern or build something with them in a place you will see often.
