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The Fall of JerichoJoshua 6

EARLY CHILDHOOD

Key PointThrough His servant Joshua, God gave the Israelites vic-

tory over Jericho by causing its fortress walls to fall. Through Jesus Christ, God gives us victory, causing the fortress of sin and death to fall and assuring us that we are His people.

Law/GospelPrideful, I trust in walls of self-made security, but my works

and my accomplishments are weak and crumble around me. God delivers me from the ruin of my sin and provides me a mighty fortress in Christ.

ContextUnder Joshua, the nation said adios to the desert, crossed

the Jordan, circumcised their children, celebrated Passover, and now stood ready to attack the ungodly cities whose iniq-uities had polluted this sacred soil. High-walled Jericho was the first target of divine justice. Archaeology has unearthed impressive defenses where this city once stood. It was seem-ingly impenetrable, the Fort Knox of Canaan. But down came its walls. Other victories would follow, but also defeats, such as the humiliating one immediately following, when Israel attacked Ai. The message was clear: follow God’s Word, and victory is sure, no matter how much the underdog you seem. But break that divine Word, and defeat is just as sure, no mat-ter how much of an upper hand you may suppose you have.

CommentaryThe Lord didn’t ease Israel into a war; He plunged them

headlong into it. Jericho was hardly Pushoveropolis. Ancient military strategists would have advised Joshua that there are two ways to conquer a walled city: (a) lay siege and slowly

starve them into submission, or (b) find a hidden entry point and ambush them. No sane strategist would have counseled that they march around the city seven days, once per day, then on the seventh, blow down its walls with sheer lung power. But God doesn’t play by our rules.

What were the people of Jericho thinking as they watched this peculiar display of Israelite military maneuvering? No doubt some trembled in fear—as rightly they should—while others shook with laughter. The latter found security in their defenses. They were as snug as a bug in a rug—or perhaps smug is a better word. Their god was spelled P-r-i-d-e, with a capital P.

But, as Scripture tells us, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). Fall they did, those walls of Jericho. As God had promised, so He deliv-ered. At the trumpet blast and the Israelite shout, those walls fell like a house of cards. The proud citizens of Jericho had no ace in the hole, no god to save them. With the exception of Rahab and her kindred, everyone in the city was sent to meet their Maker.

Whatever our own “Jericho”—our piety, our successes, our spiritual résumé—whatever walls in which we take pride, those walls must come down. For our own good, God takes them down. He reveals that all we need is Him. All we need we have in Him, in abundance. Christ is our mighty fortress, our defense, our shield, and He in whom we take refuge.

The ancient Church saw the destruction of Jericho as a preview of the Last Day, when the trumpet blast would announce the coming of the second Joshua, Jesus. On that day, we shall be saved from destruction, for we are an ally of this Joshua. Indeed, more than an ally, a friend and fellow heir.

Preparing the Lesson Pentecost 18 September 30, 2012Lesson 5

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Welcome TimeWhat you do: Welcome the children, and give them a sticker to put on the atten-dance chart. Show them where to put their offering. Then get them started in one of these learning areas to build interest and readiness for the lesson.

Set out copies of Activity Page 5 (end of lesson) and crayons. Encourage parents or caregivers to do the Activity Page with their child before they go. Make copies of Activity Page Fun (below) for them or a classroom helper.

Play the CD from your Teacher Tools. As children listen, they will begin to learn the words and melodies. If your class time is short, omit these activities. Instead, gather the children for an opening prayer and begin with Part 2, “God Speaks.”

Activity Page Fun Get a copy of Activity Page 5. Show the Activity Page to your child.

Ask Which trumpets are big? Point to them. Which are small? Color all the big trumpets. Now choose a different color for the small ones. How many trum-pets are there? Let’s count them together. Circle the correct number.

Today you’ll hear more about trumpets in the Bible story! You’ll also hear how God’s people had a big problem. Have you ever had a big problem? Tell me about it. How did God help you with your problem? Accept answers. Listen carefully to the Bible story today so you can find out how God helped His people with their big problem. Then you can tell me about that later.

The Fall of JerichoJoshua 6

Lesson 5

Connections

Bible WordsOh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. Psalm 107:1 (CD 7)

Faith WordSave

HymnsGreet the Rising Sun (LSB 871; CD 1)

CatechismLord’s Prayer (CD 31)

Pentecost 18

(15 minutes)

Student StuffLesson Leaflet 5Craft Page 5StickersBraided cord or ribbon

Other SuppliesBlocks (optional review)SproutPaper Plus supplies (optional)

Teacher ToolsCD

Student StuffLesson Leaflet 5

Other SuppliesToy bulldozer or picture of oneBlocks & boxTrumpet, ram’s horn, or picture of one (optional)

Teacher ToolsAttendance chartCDPoster A

Student StuffStickers

Other SuppliesActivity Page 5 (TG)Building blocks or play doughResource Pages 1–2 (TG)

Teacher ToolsCD Poster B

Student StuffTake-home items

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Active Learning Encourage the children to make buildings and walls out of build-ing blocks or play dough.

Ask How high can you build a wall? It’s fun to build a big wall, isn’t it? Instead of building a wall, we’ll hear how God helped His people get a big wall around a whole city to come down.When it is time to clean up, flick the lights or sing the cleanup song on Resource

Page 2. Invite each child to sit with you for your opening routine and the Bible story.

Beginning in God’s NameWhat you do: Begin with this brief opening or use Resource Page 1. You will also need your Teacher CD and Poster A from Teacher Tools. Attach the altar (Poster A) to a desk or wall. Let the children add the green frontlets, flames, and flowers as you talk about the season of Pentecost.

Sing “Won’t You Come and Sit with Me” (LOSP, p. 37; CD 15) or “Greet the Rising Sun” (LSB 871; CD 1). Listen to the hymn on the CD. Use Resource Page 2 to teach actions for stanza 1.

Say God makes all things grow. Let’s put flowers on our altar. Add flowers; then show green altar cloths. What color are the altar cloths? (Green) What do we call the season of the Church Year when the church wears green? (Pentecost) Green reminds us of things that grow. God helps us grow through His Word. Let’s put these green cloths on our altar. Now let’s light the candles. Add flames to your altar candles, or let a child do this.

Say In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.Pray Dear God, You are mighty. You can do anything. Thank You for caring for

us. Thank You for forgiving us. Help us to learn more about You today. Amen.Celebrate Birthdays, Baptism birthdays, and special occasions

Introducing God’s WordWhat you do: Bring a toy bulldozer or a picture book with a bulldozer in it.

Ask Who knows what this is? It’s not a garbage truck. It’s not a tractor. It’s a bulldozer! What does a bulldozer do? A bulldozer moves dirt and other big things. It can also knock things over. Construction workers use bulldozers when they need to move dirt or trees or big buildings out of the way so that they can build new buildings.In today’s Bible story, God’s people had a big problem. They needed to knock down a wall that was so big it went around a whole city. The people could not do it by themselves. They didn’t have big bulldozers to knock over the wall. What could they do? They needed God’s help! Let’s listen and find out how God helped them.

Telling God’s WordWhat you do: Play the story on track 25 of the CD, or tell the story using the script that follows, starting where indicated. If you listen to the story on the CD, have the

(20 minutes)

15, 1

25

Faith Wordsave—to rescue from

danger, to keep safe

from harm

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children pretend to play trumpets whenever they hear trumpets blowing. If you tell the story, have the children act it out with you as you tell it, following the directions in the script. To act it out, you will need some kindergarten blocks and a box to make “Jericho.” Show the children the picture on the Lesson Leaflet where indicated.

Option: Show children a ram’s horn or trumpet or a picture of one. Tell the children that in the Bible story God tells His people to walk around a city and blow a trumpet.

Say Last week, we heard about Joshua and God’s people, the Israelites. God loved Joshua and His people very much. He led them safely across the Jordan River into a new land. He promised to take care of them. The new land had good food to eat and good places to live, but there was one problem. There were wicked people living in the new land. These people lived in the city of Jericho, which was protected by high stone walls.Put a box in an open space. Begin to build a wall around it with your blocks. Let’s pretend this box is Jericho. Can you help me make a big wall around it? If you are playing the story on the CD, begin track 25 now.

The people who lived in Jericho did not love God. They were enemies of God’s people. God wanted His people, the Israelites, to live in Jericho. So, God told Joshua, “Every day for six days, tell My people to walk around the city of Jericho one time. Have the priests blow their trumpets. On the seventh day, tell the people to walk around the city seven times with the priests blowing their trumpets. Then, the people should shout in a really loud voice, and the wall will fall down.”Joshua had God’s people do that. Once a day for six days, the people marched around the city. First came the soldiers. Next came some of the priests blowing trumpets. Then came priests carrying the ark of the cov-enant. This was the special box with church things inside it. Show leaflet. Last came some more soldiers. Each day, they marched around the city one time. They did that for six days. Count to six on your fingers with children.

Now, let’s pretend we are God’s people marching around Jericho. Let’s go. Lead the children in marching around the wall of Jericho that you built. Have them blow pretend trumpets as they march. After the first time around, say, That was the first day. Now it is the second day. March again, counting out six days. Wow, that’s a lot of days of marching!On the seventh day, God’s people walked around the wall seven times! They walked and walked and walked. They blew their trumpets. Have chil-dren pretend to blow trumpets and go around the wall again. Let’s walk around the wall seven times now. On the seventh time around, say, On the last time around the city, Joshua called out, “Now shout, for God has given you the city!” Let’s shout! Let children shout. As soon as the people shouted, the walls fell down! Let children help you knock over the wall (carefully). Then have them sit down.

The enemies of God’s people were strong and powerful, but God was even stronger. He defeated the enemies by making the walls fall down around Jericho. Now, His people would have a new home to live in.God is mighty. He loves each one of you. He helps you when you have problems. Share some problems God has helped you with and invite children to do so also. God saved His people from their enemies. God saved you from enemies too! He sent Jesus to save you by dying on the cross for you. Jesus won over the devil so that we can live with Him in heaven someday.

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Follow-up QuestionsWhat you do: Show the picture on Lesson Leaflet 5. Ask these questions to review:

Ask What are the people doing? They are marching around Jericho.

How did God help them? He made the walls fall down.

Learning the Bible WordsWhat you do: Read the Bible Words from your Bible. Play the Bible Words song on the CD, or use the action rhyme to help the children learn the words.

Say What are the Bible Words we’ve been learning this month? Read them from the Bible: “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.” Joshua and God’s peo-ple had lots to be thankful for. What are some things you are thankful for? Accept answers. Let’s sing our Bible Words together. Play track 7 on the CD.

Option: Use this responsive prayer to help the children learn the Bible Words. Say the lines in bold; lead the children in saying the Bible Words response.

Say Let’s thank God for all the good things He does for us: For apples and pumpkins and leaves that turn red, Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. For hayrides and jackets and a nice warm bed, Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. For eyes and ears and feet that run, Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. But most of all, for Jesus, God’s Son— Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.

Choose at least two of the learning activities to help reinforce today’s lesson. If you want to add a snack activity, see suggestions on Resource Page 4.

Lesson Leaflet ReviewWhat you do: You will need Lesson Leaflet 5 and crayons. If you did not have the children act out the story, let them stretch now. Build a tower out of blocks. Have the children march around the “city” seven times as you lead them in this action rhyme.

Say Joshua and his men marched around Jericho seven times. (Hold up fingers and count to seven.) The men blew their horns. (Hold your hands in front of your mouth and make a “da-da-dah” horn noise.) On the seventh time, they blew their trumpets and shouted! (Blow horn; shout.) And the wall fell down. (Knock wall over.) God helped Joshua and His people. (Nod head yes.) God helps us too! (Point to each child.)

Have the children sit down. Give them crayons and do the activities on the leaflet with them.

(20 minutes)

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Growing through God’s WordWhat you do: You will need Sprout. Have Sprout march back and forth, pretending to blow on a trumpet as he enters. Make a “tu-tu-tuh” sound as he marches.

Teacher: Hi, Sprout. What are you doing?

Sprout: (Tooting a pretend trumpet again) I’m practicing my marching and trumpet blowing! But I’m not very good. I don’t think it’s going to work . . .

Teacher: Oh. (Look puzzled.) But what are you practicing for? What won’t work?

Sprout: Well, I have a big problem. Just like God’s people. There’s a new boy on my street who looks big and mean. So, I thought if I practiced marching and blowing my trumpet and then shouted at him, he might go away. But I’m not very good at playing the trumpet. See? (Sprout blows pitifully on trumpet.)

Teacher: Oh, I think I do see . . . (Thoughtfully) It sounds like you are a little afraid of this big boy. (Sprout nods yes.) And you think if you march and blow your trumpet, God will help you get rid of your enemy too. (Sprout nods yes again.) Well, I’m glad you were listening to the story, but you don’t have to be good at marching or play-ing the trumpet, Sprout. It wasn’t those things that defeated the enemy in our Bible story. It was God who won the battle over His people’s enemies!

Sprout: Really? I don’t have to march and shout? God will help me?

Teacher: Of course! God has already won the biggest battle for us. He defeated our enemy the devil when He sent Jesus to die on the cross for us. Now, we are God’s forgiven children. When we have troubles or things that make us afraid, we can tell God how we feel and ask Him to help us. God takes care of all His children!

Sprout: Hmm. Maybe I should ask God to make me brave so I won’t be afraid of that scary boy.

Teacher: That’s a great idea! And maybe your mom or Lily will go with you to meet the new boy. After you talk to him, he might not seem so scary. Maybe he would even like having a new friend like you to play with!

Sprout: Okay . . . I’m going to tell him about today’s Bible story! Maybe we can make some trumpets and pretend we are marching around Jericho! Gotta go. Bye!

Craft TimeWhat you do: You will need Craft Page 5, stickers, markers, and braided cord or rib-bon.

Let the children personalize their trumpets by adding stickers and coloring Jericho. On the back of the page, they can draw a picture of times when God helps them or trace around their closed hand to make a praying hand as a reminder that we can pray to God when we have troubles, and He helps us in a way that is best.

Talk about how God defeated His people’s enemies; then give the children cross and Bible stickers to remind them of the enemies God has defeated for us through Jesus. Cut out the trumpet, roll it to make a trumpet shape, and tape where indicated. For younger children, roll the handle to the inside before taping. Older children may cut out the handle piece and tape the seam so the handle is on the bottom. Cut a piece of braided cord or a ribbon for the children to hang on the handle.

Paper Plus option: Make homemade trumpets. Cut gift-wrap tubes into several pieces or paper-towel tubes in half. Trace around the end of the tube onto the center of a Styrofoam or paper bowl or cup to make a circle. Make crisscross cuts through the circle mark on the bowl or cup. Push the tube through the hole to attach the

Teacher TipWhen explaining how

to make the craft, give

directions one step at

a time, showing how

each step is done. Ask

a parent or other adult

or teen to help in your

class. Stop and give

help as needed, before

going on to the

next step.

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bowl. Tape seams with duct tape or package tape, then cover with white or yellow vinyl adhesive paper (e.g., Con-Tact paper) or aluminum foil. For younger children, just cover and decorate the tubes and omit adding the bowl part for the trumpet.

Songs and PrayersSay God can do all things. He knocked down Jericho’s wall and defeated His

people’s enemies. God can do even bigger things! He sent Jesus to save us from our sins and give us a home in heaven. Let’s sing about how God takes care of us!

Sing “God Is So Good” (LOSP, p. 57) or “God Loves Me Dearly” (LOSP, p. 85)

Pray The Lord’s Prayer (CD 31 or Poster B) or this prayer together: Dear God, thank You for listening to our prayers and helping us with our problems. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Amen.

ReflectionIf your children enjoyed being able to move and make noise today, do an active

learning component in all your lessons. Active learning will help them remember what they learned better. If the activity was overstimulating for some children, think about how you can retain active learning while still maintaining clear guidelines for control of the learning environment.

(5 minutes)

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48Activity Page 5 Growing in Christ® Early Childhood © 2008 Concordia Publishing House. Reproduced by permission. This page is available on the Teacher CD.

Color the big trumpets. Choose a different color for the small ones.Count all the trumpets. Circle the number that shows how many there are.

3 4 5 6 7

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