Joshua and the Walls

Monday:	Joshua and the Walls
Story Passage:	Joshua 6
Other Passages:	Genesis 15
Objective:	Children should learn that they should obey God.

Introduction: The Promised Land

Joshua was the leader of God's people. He was taking them to the new place to live that God had promised to give them. There were people already living there, but they were bad. They did bad things, and God was going to take the land away from them to punish them. God's people were supposed to take the land away from them. One of the first places they went to take was a city called Jericho [show visual]. Jericho had a very big wall all around it. The wall was so big that some people even had their homes built in the wall. How were God's people, the children of Israel, going to take the city?

Story: Jericho

God had a plan. He told Joshua what to do. Then Joshua told the people what to do. The people did exactly what they were told. By obeying Joshua, they were obeying God. For six days the people lined up [show visual]. In the front of the line were soldiers (armed guards). Then 7 priests came next. They each had a trumpet. Behind them more priests carried the ark of the covenant. Behind the ark were more soldiers, then the rest of the people. Each day they marched all the way around the city of Jericho one time [show visual]. The priests played their trumpets, but everyone else was very quiet. They didn't say a word. After they marched around the city one time they went back to where they were camped and rested. What do you think the people inside the city thought? Do you think they were afraid?

On the seventh day everyone got up very early just as the sun was coming up. They lined up just like before and marched around the city. But this time they didn't just go around one time and stop. They marched around seven times. And the last time they went around, the priests blew their trumpets long and loud. That was the signal that Joshua had told all the people to wait for. Now, instead of being very quiet, they all shouted as loud as they could shout! And guess what God did. He had the wall of Jericho fall down. Boom! And God's people went in and took the city.

Application: Obedience

The people obeyed God and he took care of them. We should obey God too.

Copyright © 2004—2007, Jill Eady and the Galion Grace Brethren Church. See licensing for information about rights and permissions. Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.