Teacher Bible Study Lesson Overview
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4th-6th Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 8, Session 1: The Israelites Crossed the Jordan River TEACHER BIBLE STUDY Only one geographical barrier separated the Israelites from the promised land of Canaan: the Jordan River. When Joshua and the Israelites arrived, the Jordan River was flooded due to spring rains and snowmelt. Any other time, the river would have been manageable, but crossing the swollen river would have been as daunting as crossing the Red Sea. (See Joshua 4:23.) God gave Joshua a promise and a command. First, He promised to drive out from before them all the people of the land. Then God told him to tell the priests to carry the ark of the LORD (a symbol of God’s powerful presence) into the waters of the Jordan. Then the waters of the river would be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above would stand in one heap. The priests did as Joshua commanded. The waters stopped, and all of the people passed over on dry ground. The LORD commanded Joshua to have 12 men each take a stone from the middle of the Jordan. When the priests came up out of the river, the water started to flow and was again flooded. Joshua set up the stones to be a memorial. The stones served as a reminder of God’s faithfulness in bringing Israel safely across the Jordan into the promised land. The Israelites could do nothing apart from God. He was with them, and He was going to fight for them. In John 15:5, Jesus said, “You can do nothing without Me.” As you teach kids this week, emphasize that God was just getting started. He was going to do even bigger things for the Israelites—saving them from their enemies and one day sending them a Savior. The cross is our reminder of what Jesus has done for us: a miraculous saving we could never do for ourselves. LESSON OVERVIEW/SCHEDULE Session Title: The Israelites Crossed the Jordan River Bible Passage: Joshua 3–4 Big Picture Question: What should God’s people remember? God’s people should remember how He has saved and sustained them. Key Passage: Joshua 24:15 Unit Christ Connection: Joshua was a representation of Christ, leading the Israelites to victory in overcoming Canaan as Jesus leads us to victory in overcoming the world. Transition Time Welcome time Activity Sheet/Table Centers Session starter (10 minutes) 1 © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources 4th-6th Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 8, Session 1: The Israelites Crossed the Jordan River Lesson Countdown Introduce the session (2 minutes) Timeline map (1 minute) Big picture question (1 minute) Tell the Bible story (9 minutes) The Gospel: God’s Plan for Me (optional) Key passage (5 minutes) Discussion starter video (5 minutes) Sing (5 minutes) Prayer (2 minutes) Table Time Bible story review & Bible skills (10 minutes) Key passage activity (5 minutes) Activity choice (10 minutes) Prayer (5 minutes) THE BIBLE STORY/OVERVIEW The Israelites Crossed the Jordan River Joshua 3–4 Moses had died, and God told Joshua to be in charge of the Israelites. God said that it was time for them to enter the promised land. So Joshua got up early the next morning and the Israelites traveled toward the Jordan River, which separated them from the promised land, the land of Canaan (KAY nuhn). They camped next to the river for three days. Then the officers told everyone that it was almost time to cross the river. They gave the people instructions: “Set out when you see the priests carrying the ark of the covenant. Make yourselves clean; God is going to do great things tomorrow.” God said to Joshua, “I am going to lift you up as the leader so the people will know that you are going to lead them like Moses did.” God told Joshua to command the priests carrying the ark to stand in the water at the edge of the Jordan River. Joshua told all of the Israelites to come close and listen. “God is here with us,” Joshua said. “He will defeat our enemies for us. When the priests carrying the ark of the covenant stand in the river, the water will stop.” The priests moved into the river and the water stopped and stood up on one side. All of the people crossed the Jordan on dry ground. After everyone had crossed, God told Joshua to choose one man from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. Each man was to take a stone from the middle of the river and set it down where the Israelites would spend the night. Now the priests carrying the ark of the covenant crossed the river. The water started to flow again. 2 © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources 4th-6th Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 8, Session 1: The Israelites Crossed the Jordan River The people camped at a city called Gilgal (GIL gal) on the east side of Jericho (JER ih koh). Joshua set up the 12 stones they had taken from the Jordan and he said to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’ you should tell your children, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea. This is so all the people of the earth may know that the LORD’s hand is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.” Christ Connection: God told Joshua and the Israelites to set up memorial stones to remember what God had done to bring them into the promised land. On the night He died, Jesus told His disciples to remember the sacrifice He was going to make to save us from our sins. When Christians take the Lord’s Supper, they remember God’s plan to destroy sin through Jesus’ death and resurrection. (1 Corinthians 11:26) TRANSITION TIME Session Title: The Israelites Crossed the Jordan River Bible Passage: Joshua 3–4 Big Picture Question: What should God’s people remember? God’s people should remember how He has saved and sustained them. Key Passage: Joshua 24:15 Unit Christ Connection: Joshua was a representation of Christ, leading the Israelites to victory in overcoming Canaan as Jesus leads us to victory in overcoming the world. Welcome time Use this time to collect the offering, fill out attendance sheets, and help new kids connect to your group. Activity page Table Centers (Miscellaneous Activities) “Rock Memories” / “Road Stops” activity page, 1 per kid Bibles pencils Guide kids to complete the activity page, “Rock Memories.” Say • Good memories are wonderful. In the Bible, people often built memorials to help them remember what God had done or said to them. The Israelites had a great day in today’s Bible story. God wanted them to remember what they learned. As time allows, lead kids to use the Bible to complete the activity page, “Road Stops.” 3 © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources 4th-6th Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 8, Session 1: The Israelites Crossed the Jordan River Session starter (10 minutes) Option 1: Across the river relay Felt Tip: To help prevent slipping on carpet, provide pieces of felt. To avoid slipping on tile flooring, consider playing with pieces of non-skid rug backing. Create boundary markers on each side of the room to represent the two river banks. Form two teams and provide one member of each team with two pieces of felt. The first player on each team must place one piece of felt, step on it, place the second piece of felt down, and then step on it. He should grab the first piece of felt, place it in front of the second piece of felt and move forward. The player must continue the pattern, stepping only on the felt, until he is across the river (the room). He must then “swim” (move arms in swimming motion while walking) back to his team with the two pieces of felt and hand them to the next person. Continue until every kid has crossed the river and returned. Say • Great work. In today’s Bible story the Israelites faced a challenge. The Jordan River was flooded, but the Israelites needed to get across so they could conquer the promised land. Listen closely to discover how they crossed the river. Option 2: Floating vessel drinking straws craft sticks sponges masking tape markers index cards coins or buttons, 1 per vessel large bowl or pan of water Tip: If kids are not sure where to start, encourage them to try using the drinking straws and tape. Guide kids to create a vessel to float a coin in a bowl of water. Each vessel must use more than one of the supplied objects. Allow kids about seven minutes to create a vessel. Lead kids to take turns testing the vessel in the bowl of water. Say • Great work. In today’s Bible story the Israelites faced a challenge. The Jordan River was flooded, but the Israelites needed to get across so they could conquer the promised land. Floating across the river was not a good option. Swimming across the river was not a good idea. Listen closely to discover how they crossed the river. Transition to large group 4 © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources 4th-6th Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 8, Session 1: The Israelites Crossed the Jordan River LESSON Session Title: The Israelites Crossed the Jordan River Bible Passage: Joshua 3–4 Big Picture Question: What should God’s people remember? God’s people should remember how He has saved and sustained them.