Optional Memory verse: Psalm
62:8
International Children's Bible, New Century Version
Today's Theme:
God helps us follow Him.
| Materials
Needed: |
Moses figure,
-
Joshua figure,
-
priest figure, (use a Fisher Price or
similar type figure if you don't have a priest),
-
4 or 5 Fisher Price or similar type
figures to represent God's people,
-
Box of the Agreement (Ark of the
covenant )
-
Make a Box of the Agreement from a
small, empty, match box by covering it with foil or gold paper.
-
On a small piece of paper write the
following verse and put inside the match box:
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"You must not have
any other gods except me.
You must not make for yourselves any idols." Ex. 20:3 & 4a
(International Children's Bible, New Century Version)
-
or write, "Never make
your own gods".
-
| masking tape
|
| | | | | | | | |
| Action Game: Crossing the
River |
Each child has to think of a way to get
across the river:
-
Discuss ideas such as, jumping across,
crossing on stones, rowing a boat, swinging on a rope, crossing on a log, etc.
-
The first person to cross has to say,
"I'm going to cross by
, and tell how he is going to cross.
-
He then crosses the masking tape river
pretending he is using the method he suggested, (pretending to swing on a rope, row a
boat, etc).
-
Once he is across, the second child has
to tell how the first child crossed, then how she is going to cross, then cross her way.
-
After she crosses the third child, has
to tell how the first 2 crossed and tell how he will cross.
-
| Continue until all the children have
crossed over.
|
| | | | | |
| Illustration
of Story Set Up
|
| Telling the Story:
|
-
God had told Moses to make a special
tent to be the church where God's people worshipped. It was called a tabernacle.
-
God had also told Moses to make a
special box to keep the stone tablets in.
-
We'll pretend that this box is that
special box
-
Show children the paper inside the
matchbox and review the memory verse or the the rule to never make your own gods.
-
This box was called the Box of the
Agreement. (Adults call it the Ark of the Covenant. )
-
When God's people traveled, they took
the tabernacle down and carried it with them to the next place they went.
-
The priests always went first carrying
the Box of the Agreement with God's laws in it.
-
Add a figure to represent a priest
-
If you made a priest show the children
the priest and tell them that the priests always wore special white clothes.
-
In today's story God's people are
camping next to the Promised Land.
-
Place the Fisher Price or similar type
figures next to the mat near the Jordan River flap.
-
Moses grew old and died.
-
Remove Moses figure.
-
Joshua was the new leader of God's
people.
-
Add Joshua figure.
-
Review Joshua from last week as the spy
who believed God could give them the Promised Land.
-
God's people have to cross this river to
move into the Promised Land.
-
Point to the Jordan River.
-
This river is called the Jordan River
-
But the river is very wide. It's
too wide to jump over.
-
It's too deep to cross on stepping
stones.
-
There are no bridges to use to cross the
river.
-
And there are no boats to cross the
river in.
-
Joshua and the people had followed God
to the Promised Land.
-
God wants the people to go into the
Promised Land.
-
But the river is in the way.
-
How do you think God's people
are going to get across the Jordan River?
-
Give kids a chance to answer.
-
God always helps us to follow
Him.
-
God told Joshua to have the priests
carry the Box of the Agreement to the edge of the river.
-
Use 1 or 2 figures as priests (or
optional priest figure if you made one) and move them with the box to the edge of the
Jordan River flap.
-
God told the priests to step into the
water at the edge of the river.
-
Move figures and box onto the edge of the
water
-
As soon as the priests stepped into the
water, God made the water stop flowing.
-
He made the water pile up into a big
heap.
-
Roll back the Jordan River flap.
-
The ground became dry and the priests
carried the Box of the Agreement right to the middle of the river.
-
Move the priests and the box to the
middle of the river.
-
Then the priests stopped in the middle
of the river and all God's people crossed the river into the Promised land on each side of
them.
-
Let the kids move Joshua and the other
figures into the Promised Land.
-
After all God's people had crossed over
the river, the priests brought the Box of the Agreement out of the river and came into the
Promised Land.
-
| As soon as the priests stepped out of
the water, the water from the heap filled the river back up. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Optional
Snack: Licorice lace rivers |
Give them "m and m's" or some
other small candy to be water and tell the make their candy water heap up like the water
in the Jordan River did.
|
Supplemental Bible
Readings:
(Suggested daily readings)
-
1. Numbers 22:
1-14
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2. Numbers 22:
15-35 *
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3. Joshua
1:6-11 & 3:7-8 & 14-17
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4. Joshua 4:
1-11
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5. Joshua
4:15-24
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| 6. Joshua
6:1-16, 20
* Note
to Parent or teacher: Balaam was considered an evil prophet.
To find out why see Revelation 2:14
| Materials
Needed for Next Week: |
-
Joshua figure,
-
priest figure
-
matchbox ark of the covenant from this
week's lesson.
-
5 or 6 Fisher Price or similar type
figures to represent God's people,
-
blocks (enough to build the city of
Jericho)
-
Optional: cassette player and tape of
children's songs (for a game similar to musical chairs)
-
| Optional Craft: | | | | | | |
Two weeks
from now we will be studying Samuel.
| | | | | | |