Week 230 · about 45 minutes
Joshua 1
Joshua 1 · Memory verse Joshua 1:2
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Queues the lesson plan, this story’s coloring page (Joshua 1), the matching word search and answer key (Joshua 1 word search), the memory-verse tracer, and a parent slip.
Five-minute object lesson
Prop: a ribbon
Hold a ribbon. Read Joshua 1 in about four minutes, stopping at Joshua 1:2: ““Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go across this Jordan, you, and all these people, to the land which I am giving to them, even to the children of Israel.” Ask, “What does this prop have to do with Joshua 1?” Let two children answer, then say the memory verse together.
Story script
Joshua 1 is a real chapter from the Old Testament. It starts, “Now after the death of Moses the servant of Yahweh, Yahweh spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying,” That is not a motto invented for a poster. It is the first sentence a family hears when this page is opened at night.
Keep going a little further. The chapter also says, “Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,” Joshua 1 opens with these words: “Now after the death of Moses the servant of Yahweh, Yahweh spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying,” The line to keep is Joshua 1:2: ““Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go across this Jordan, you, and all these people, to the land which I am giving to them, even to the children…” Carry the word “moses” from that verse into the rest of the day.
The line worth learning out loud is Joshua 1:2: ““Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go across this Jordan, you, and all these people, to the land which I am giving to them, even to the children of Israel.” If the rest of the chapter feels crowded, hold that one sentence until the room is quiet.
What happens first in Joshua 1? Then try this: Read ““Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go across this Jordan, you, and all these people, to the…” once more. What does it show you about God? You do not have to finish every verse. You can close the book after the memory verse and still have read the Bible together.
Group game
Walk the room as if you are moving through Joshua 1. Every time you freeze, a child says one word from Joshua 1:2. The last child says the whole verse.
Craft
On a US Letter sheet, draw one picture from Joshua 1 and write Joshua 1:2 under it. Send it home as tonight’s reminder, not as a decoration contest.
Memory verse
Joshua 1:2
““Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go across this Jordan, you, and all these people, to the land which I am giving to them, even to the children of Israel.”
Take-home prayer
Father, thank you for Joshua 1. Help us remember Joshua 1:2 when we wake up, and teach us to notice you in an ordinary night. Amen.