Read Joshua 4:3,6-9
3 And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.
6 That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?
7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.
8 And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the Lord spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.
9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.
Discuss
When the Israelites needed to pass over the Jordan River to be safe, it was harvest time, so the river was overflowing with lots of water. Much like when Heavenly Father parted the Red Sea for Moses and the Israelites, He also parted the Jordan River for Joshua and the Israelites. The first people to cross were the Priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant (remember this special item that was in the most sacred part of the tabernacle?). The Lord asked Joshua to place stones where each of the men’s feet stood. There were 12 stones, because there was a priest to represent each of the 12 tribes of Israel.
Activity
Get a small rock, for each person in your family. Write or draw a picture of something the Lord has done for you. Display the rocks as a reminder of these things.
Read Joshua 6:2-5
2 And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.
3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.
4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.
5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.
Activity
You could have a lot of fun acting out the Lord’s instructions to the Israelites at Jericho. You could build a mini model of Jericho out of blocks and surround it with a wall. Afterwards, discuss what the Lord might want us to learn from this story.
Click the picture below, to see how we did this lesson.
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