Joshua
Memory Verse: Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to
the house of
everyone was
fulfilled. (Joshua 21:45)
Author: Joshua, except for the
ending which may have been written by the High Priest Phinehas, an eyewitness
to the events recounted there.
Location: Old Testament
Setting:
territory of modern-day
Purpose: To give the history of
When
written:
About 1406 B.C.
Overview
Lesson
#1 Entering the Promised Land Josh. 1:1- 5:10,11,16 2:1,4,9-24, 3:6,12-17
A Lesson of Success
Lesson
#2 Conquering the Promised Land, Part 1
Josh. 6:1-27,7:1,8:1,2,
A lesson of Faith
Lesson
#3 Conquering the Promised Land, Part 2 Josh. 11:6,15-18
A lesson of Guidance
Lesson
#4 Dividing the Promised Land, Part 1
13:1,14,21, Gen. 48:22 Josh. 15-17,
a map including Chapters 13-19
A lesson of Leadership
Lesson
#5 Dividing the Promised Land, Part
2 21:1-3, 23:1-8, 24:13-15
A Lesson of Conquest
Lesson #1 Entering the
Promised Land:
Josh.
1:1,-5,10,11,16 - 2:1,4,9-24, 3:6,12-17
4:4-7
A
Lesson of Success
1:1-5 Moses has died. Joshua is the new leader. His job consisted of leading more than a
million people into a strange new land and conquering it. God told Joshua that, “No will be able to
oppose you as long as you live, for I will be with you just I was with Moses; I
will not abandon you or fail to help you.”
1:10,11 Then Joshua issued
instructions to the leaders of Israel to tell the people to get ready to cross
the Jordan River. In three days we will
go across, conquer and live in the land which God has given us!”
1:16 The people pledged themselves to obey Joshua
as their commander-in-chief.
2:1, 4, 9-24 Joshua sent two spies from the Israel camp at
Acacia to cross the river and check out the situation on the other side,
especially at Jericho. The spies arrived at an inn operated by a women named
Rahab. She hid the spies so the police
squadron couldn’t find them. She knew the God of Israel was a powerful
God. She bargained with the spies to
save her family in exchange for getting them safely out of the city. The city was a large city with high walls all
around. The spies hid in the mountains
for three days. Then they came out of the mountain, crossed the river and
reported to Joshua. “The Lord will certainly give us the entire land, for all the
people over there are scared to death of us.”
3:6, 12-17 In the morning Joshua ordered the priests,
{Take up the Ark and lead us across the river!”) And so they started out. When the priests, who are carrying the Ark
touched the water with their feet, the river will stop flowing as though held
back by a dam, and will pile up as though against and invisible wall!” Far up the river the water began piling up as
though against a dam, and the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea
until the riverbed was empty. Then all
the people crossed at a spot where they were close to the city of Jericho, and
the priests who were carrying the Ark stood on dry ground in the middle of the
Jordan and waited as all the people passed by.
4:4-7Joshua summoned twelve
men . Go out into the middle of the Jordan where the ark is. Each of you is to carry out a stone on your
shoulder – one for each of the tribes of Israel. Then Joshua explained the purpose of the
stones: “In the future, when your children ask you why these stones are here
and what they mean, you are to tell them that these stones are a reminder of
this miracle. The nation of Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry ground!
Questions:
1. Who was the leader after
Moses died?” (Joshua became the new leader.)
2. What was his job? (Joshua
was to lead a million people into a strange new land and conquer it.)
3. What did God say to Joshua
to assure him he would succeed? (No one
will be able to oppose you as long as you live.
I will not abandon you or fail to help you.)
We have that same assurance today. God will not abandon us or fail us.
4. What instructions did Joshua tell the leader
to give to their people? (Be ready to
cross
the Jordon in three days.)
5. Joshua sent three spies to check the
situation across the river, especially
They were
helped by a most unusual person. Who was
it? (Rahab helped them. She
hid them for
she knew the God of
6. When the spies came back
across the river what was their report?
(The Lord will
certainly
give us the entire land, for all the people over there are scared to death
of us.)
7. The
people had a miracle from God when they crossed the river. What was it?
(The
water was held back and they crossed on
dry ground.)
8. Does this remind you of another crossing of
water people did on dry ground? (The
crossing of
the
Summary: God kept his promise to the people of
Lesson Two: Conquering the
Promised Land
Part
1 Joshua 6:1-22, 7:1, 8:1-2
A
Lesson of Faith
6:1-27 The gates of Jericho were kept tightly shut
because the people were afraid of the Israelites, no one was allowed to go in
or out.
But the Lord said to Joshua,
“Jericho and its king and all its mighty warriors are already defeated, for I
have given them to you! Your entire army
is to walk around the city once a day for six days, followed by seven priests
walking ahead of the Ark, each carrying a trumpet made from a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to walk around the
city seven times, with the priests blowing their trumpets. Then, when they give one long, loud blast,
all the people are to give a mighty shout and the walls of the city will fall
down; they move in upon the city from every direction.” So Joshua summoned the priests and them their
instructions; the armed men would lead the procession followed by seven priests
blowing continually on their trumpets.
Behind them would come the priests carrying the Ark, followed; by a rear
guard. Let there be complete silence
except for the trumpets. “Nor a single word from any of you until I tell you
shout; then SHOUT!”
For six days they walked
around the city and then went back to camp at night. At dawn on the seventh day
they started out again, but this time they went around the city not once, but seven
times. The seventh time, as the priests
blew a long, loud trumpet blast, Joshua yelled to the people, “SHOUT” The Lord
has given us the city. The walls came
tumbling down.
Meanwhile Joshua had said to
the two spies, “Keep your promise; Go rescue
Rahab and everyone with her. The promise to save Rahab and her family
was kept.
The people were told NOT to
take anything for themselves for everything is to be destroyed. If it isn’t, disaster will fall upon the
entire nation of Israel.
7:1 However, there was sin among the
Israelis. God’s command to destroy
everything except that which was reserved for the Lord’s treasury was
disobeyed. One person, Achan, took some
loot for himself, and the Lord was very angry with the entire nation of Israel
because of this. The thief was found and
punished. The Lord’s fierce anger was ended.
8:1,2 The next city to conquer was Ai. The Lord told Joshua, Do not be afraid; I
have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, for his people, his city and its
land. You shall do to Ai and its king as
you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder
(rob goods or valuables and livestock for yourselves.” So Joshua did as he was commanded. The city
of Ai was conquered.
Questions:
1. What does it mean to keep the gates of
could go in or out.)
2. God gave Joshua specific
instructions on conquering the city.
What were they?
( -The entire army was to walk around the city once
for six days.
-They were
to be followed by seven priests walking ahead of the
was to carry a trumpet made from a
ram’s horn.
-On the seventh day they were to walk around the
city seven times with the priests blowing their
trumpets. When they gave on long loud
blast all the people were to give a mighty shout.)
3. After the people gave a loud shout, what
happened? (The walls fell down.)
Discuss how this had to be a miracle from God. No walls can come down by themselves with out physical labor.
4. Talk about the tremendous
faith Joshua had in God and the faith the people had in
Joshua to follow him. Discuss the faith these girls have in their
parents, teachers and any leaders in their lives. The ultimate faith is in God to protect us
and keep us from harm.
5. The people were told NOT to
take anything for themselves. Did they
obey? (No)
6. What was God response to
this? (He was angry at the whole nation
of
Have you ever been in a situation, when you were
innocent, but had to pay the
penalty when someone else didn’t follow the
rules?
7. The Israelites continued to
conquer the land God had given them.
This time what did
God tell them they could do? (They could keep the plunder and livestock
for themselves.)
Summary; Our strength to do God’s work comes from
trusting him. His
Promises
reassure us of His love and that He will be there to guide us in the decision
and struggles we face. Faith begins with
believing He can be trusted.
Lesson #3 Conquering the
Promised Land
Part II Joshua 11: -6,15-18,12:1
A lesson in Guidance and
Obedience
Joshua
carefully obeyed all the instructions given by God. Joshua believed in God’s guiding him in the
conquering of the Promised Land.
Joshua and his whole army came
against the kings of the north. The Lord
said to Joshua, 11:6 (Do not be afraid
of them because by this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel.) So Joshua and his whole army came against
them suddenly at the Waters of Merom and attacked them, and the Lord gave them
into the hand of Israel. They defeated
them and pursued them. 11:15 The Lord
had commanded His disciple Moses; and Moses had passed the commandment on to
Joshua, who did as he had been told; He carefully obeyed all of the Lord’s
instructions to Moses.
11:16-18 Joshua conquered the entire land-the hill
country, the Negeb, the land of Goshen, the lowlands of Israel. The Israeli territory now extended all the
way from Mount Halak, near Seir, to Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon, at the
foot of Mount Hermon. Joshua killed all the kings of those
territories. It took seven years of war to accomplish all of this.
Chapter 12 is a summary of
the first half of Joshua. It lists the kings and nations conquered by
Joshua both to the east and west of the Jordan River. As long as the people trusted and obeyed God,
one evil nation after another fell in defeat.
Questions:
1. Joshua carefully followed
God’s instructions in conquering the Promised Land.
Why? (In order for the people to be successful they
had to have God give the
people
over to them in battle. They could not accomplice this by themselves.)
Discuss
ways in which God leads them in their everyday life. Examples; giving success in events they may
be in, keeping them safe, providing activities for them that would be good for
them even if they don’t think so.
2. Remember what happened at
Ai? Do you think this had impressed upon
the
Israelites
the importance of guidance and obedience?
Have the girls give some examples of consequences when they haven’t
followed guidance and obeyed. Encourage
such experiences as not studying for tests, cleaning their rooms etc.
3. Who had given Joshua his
instructions first? (Moses who had been
the leader
before
Joshua.)
4. Do you remember how the
people pledged their obedience to God when Moses
went
up the mountain to be with God. He came
back with the tablets of Ten Commandments written on them. What were the people doing? (They had
made
a golden café and were worshipping it.)
How was God’s anger shown
to
them. (They had to wander in the
wilderness for 40 years.)
It
is very important to realize that God is always with us even when we are
being
punished.
Summary: God gave instructions to
Lesson #4 Dividing the Promised Land
Part
1 13:1, chapters 13-19, Gen. 48:22
, Joshua 15-17 Use the map
A Lesson in Leadership
Chapters
13-19 describe how the promised land was to be divided among the 12
tribes. 13:14;21 First, the tribe of
Levi was not to have any land because they were to spend all their energies
serving the people, not their own interests.
Second, the tribes of Reuben and Gad
and the and the half-tribe of Manasseh had already received land east of
the Jordan river, which had been given to them by Moses Num.32
Third, the tribes of Judah and
Joseph had received land that their ancestor Jacob had promised them 450 years
earlier, Gen. 48:22, Joshua 15-17. The
rest of the tribes divided up the remaining land by casting lots. Chapter 18.
13;1
Joshua was getting old, He was between 85 and 100 years of age at this time.
You are very old, and there are still very large areas of land to be taken
over.
Using
the map, the 12 tribes were given the following land. Starting at the Salt
Sea
Joshua displayed brilliant military strategy in the
way he went about conquering the
Questions:
1. What does it mean to cast
lots for the land. (Similar to picking a number out
of
a hat.)
2. After looking at the map
did you find it amazing how God had
selected these
lands
for these people so many year before they came to settle there.
God
had plans for your life also you just have to follow his leadership. Talk
about
ways they can to do this.
Summary: Joshua was an example of
an excellent leader. He was confident in God’s strength, courageous in the face
of opposition, and willing to seek God’s advice
Lesson #5. 21;1-3, 23:1-8, 24:13-15
A
Lesson in the Conquest Following God’s Plan
20:1-6 Special cities are set aside. The Lord said to Joshua “Tell the Israelites
to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, so that
anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and
find protection from the avenger of blood.
He is to stay in that city until he has stood trial before the assembly
and until the death of the high priest who is serving at that time. Then he may go back to his own home in the
town from which he fled.
21:1-3 Now the family heads of the Levites
approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribal
families of Israel. The Lord commanded
through Moses that you give us towns to live in, with pasture lands for our
livestock. So, as the Lord had commanded, the Israelites gave the Levites’
towns and pasture lands out of their own inheritance.
Joshua gives a farewell to
the leaders. 23:1-8 After a long time had passes and the Lord had
given Israel rest from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by than old and
well advanced in years, summoned all Israel- their leaders, judges and
officials and said to them: “I am old and well advanced in years. You yourselves have seen everything the Lord
your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God
who fought for you. Remember how I have
allotted as an inheritance for your tribes all the land of the nations that
remain- the nations I conquered-between the Jordan and the Great Sea in the
west. The Lord your God himself will
drive them out of your way. He will push
them out before you, and you will take possession of their land, as the Lord
you God promised.
24:13-15 “ I gave you a land on which you did not
toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards
and olive groves that you did not plant.
Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the Gods your forefathers
worshipped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to
you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. But as for me and
my household, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua called all the Israelites to Shechem to hear his final
words. He challenged the people to make
a conscious choice to always serve God.
Soon afterward, Joshua died and was buried in his hometown of Timnath Serah.
Questions:
1. What was a city of
refuge? (The city was a place a person
could go to if they unintentionally
killed someone.) Who could use the city? (Anyone could use the city that had
killed a person.)
2. When could a person leave the city? (A person could leave the city after they had
a trial and when the reining high priest had died.) This seems funny to us but remember they
didn’t have our system of law and order.
3. Did the Levites finally get
a place to call their own? (They were
given towns and homes among the various tribes for their cattle’s pasture but
not given a place all together as a nation.)
They were still meant to serve the people.
4. Joshua had followed God’s orders. What was his final instruction to the
people. (Always serve our one God. Do not get involved with other God’s)
5. What did Joshua say his
house would do? (As for me and my house
we will always serve the Lord)
It
is not always easy to serve our God in this world. What are some ways that you can be sure to
stay in God’s wishes for you? Examples: pray
before doing an activity that you’re not sure you should be involved in; obey
your teachers and parents.
Summary: God commanded His people
to conquer the Canaanites and take all their land. Completing their mission would have fulfilled
God’s promise to Abraham and brought judgment on the evil people living
there. Unfortunately,
