Fall of Jericho Sunday School Lesson
Fall of Jericho Sunday School Lesson For Kids:
BOTTOM LINE:
God can help us overcome any obstacle.
OBJECTIVE:
Kids will learn to trust God to help them overcome obstacles.
KEY PASSAGE:
Joshua 5:13-6:20, The Fall of Jericho
MEMORY VERSE:
“Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.” -Psalm 24:10 (NIV)
SUMMARY:
The Israelites had a mighty army, but the city of Jericho had an impenetrable wall protecting it. Then God stepped in and brought the walls tumbling down. Kids will learn that when we obey God, he can bring down the obstacles that stand in our way.
SIMPLE PRAYER:
Dear God,
Thank you for your power and strength. Teach us to rely on you to tear down the obstacles that stand in our way.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
MEMORY VERSE
“Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.” -Psalm 24:10 (NIV)
“Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.” -Psalm 24:10 (NIrV)
LARGE GROUP:
Divide the room between girls and boys. Have the boys read the verse aloud, then have the girls read it aloud. Who can read the loudest?
SMALL GROUP:
Ask the kids what they think the writer was trying to say when he wrote these words. Then ask them how this verse is connected to today’s story.
SKIT
NO WALL BREAKERS NEEDED
ITEMS NEEDED:
Soldier costumes
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:
2M plus extras
CHARACTERS:
Joshua- Commander of the Israelites
Norm- A soldier
Israelite Soldiers
The soldiers march on stage. Joshua walks on to address them.
JOSHUA: Men, we’ve waited a long time for this day. This is the day we finally start to take the Promised Land. It all starts right here with the city of Jericho.
NORM: Excuse me, Joshua? Would that be the city with the big, giant wall around it?
JOSHUA: Yes it is, private.
NORM: Huh. That’s an awfully big wall.
JOSHUA: Yes, soldier, it is. They built it to keep us out. But today, that wall comes down.
NORM: Hey listen, I couldn’t help noticing that all we have here are regular soldiers.
JOSHUA: That’s correct.
NORM: Don’t you think we need some Wall Breakers?
JOSHUA: Some what?
NORM: Some Wall Breakers. We need Wall Breakers to take down the wall.
JOSHUA: What’s a Wall Breaker?
NORM: You know, the skeleton guys! They run up to the wall with bombs, and boom! Hole in the wall.
JOSHUA: We don’t need any skeletons, soldier.
NORM: They’re called Wall Breakers.
JOSHUA: We don’t need those either!
NORM: Look, it’s not that big a deal, okay? They cost you a little more of that purple elixir than regular soldiers, but they’re worth it.
JOSHUA: What purple elixir?
NORM: The purple elixir! It’s what we use to train soldiers and prepare for battle.
JOSHUA: We don’t have any purple elixir.
NORM: We don’t?
JOSHUA: No!
NORM: Well, we better get some. We just need some gold to get some elixir pumps and storage vats.
JOSHUA: We don’t have any gold.
NORM: No gold?
JOSHUA: No!
NORM: How about those green diamonds? If we have some of those we can… let me guess, we don’t have any green diamonds.
JOSHUA: No we don’t. But we have something better.
NORM: We do?
JOSHUA: We have the Lord! We have the one who parted the Red Sea and brought us here. We have the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who led us out of Egypt. We don’t need green diamonds or purple elixirs or skeletons.
NORM: They’re called Wall Breakers.
JOSHUA: We have the Lord, and that is all we need.
NORM: Well in that case, let’s go knock down a wall.
JOSHUA: That’s the spirit!
OBJECT LESSON
ITEM NEEDED:
A tightly sealed jar
The jar can be any glass jar with a tightly sealed lid - pickles, jelly, etc. Give a few kids a chance to open the tightly sealed jar. Start with some smaller kids and work your way up.
When you’re hungry, it can be frustrating to come across a tightly sealed jar. The answer to your hunger is right here, on the other side of metal and glass, but you just… can’t… get… it… open!
Fortunately, there’s usually an adult around to help you out. And if that adult has trouble, there are little tricks you can use. Run hot water over the lid. Use a towel or gripper to grab on to the lid. One way or another, there’s a way, and you’ll get that jar open.
Sometimes we come across obstacles in our own lives like this jar. There’s no way around, no way through. It seems as if we’ve come to a dead end. Fortunately, we have an answer. We have God. We know that God works all things out for good. He engineers the tough times in our lives so that he will be glorified. When you come across an obstacle, don’t despair. Be thankful, because the Lord will use that obstacle to show you - and the world - that he is indeed Lord of all.
Don’t be discouraged by obstacles. Give them to the Lord, and he will help you.
LARGE GROUP GAME
ROADBLOCKS
ITEMS NEEDED:
Remote control cars
Blocks
Tape
INSTRUCTIONS:
Put down three lines of tape, 10 feet long, about 3 feet apart and parallel.
Choose two players for this game. Set a remote control car down in front of each kid and give them the remotes. The two players will race their cars from start to finish between the lines in their respective lanes, and the first one to the finish wins.
But… before they can race, they will have to clear the obstacles in their paths. Before the race, dump the blocks across the two race lanes. Try to make it even for both racers, but block their lanes so they can’t drive the cars down the lane.
On your signal, the players will race to clear their race lane and then drive their car down the lane. First to the finish wins.
VARIATION:
Instead of RC cars, you can give the kids 1-3 Hot Wheels each to push down the lane and across the finish.
WHAT’S THE POINT?
God can clear the obstacles that get in the path of our lives.
LARGE GROUP LESSON
BOTTOM LINE:
God can help us overcome any obstacle.
OBJECTIVE:
Kids will learn to trust God to help them overcome obstacles.
KEY PASSAGE:
Joshua 5:13-6:20, The Fall of Jericho
INTRO
If you play games on a tablet or phone, you’ve probably played Clash of Clans. And even if you haven’t, you’ve probably seen the commercials. Clash of Clans isn’t your typical war game. It’s a game of building, strategizing, and planning. In Clash of Clans, you slowly build your own kingdom. You build an army, you gather gold and other resources, you set up defenses. You create a camp that can’t be attacked while raiding and attacking others. It’s frustrating, it’s challenging, and yes, it’s a lot of fun.
Clash of Clans really gets challenging because it tends to put obstacles in your way. You can’t expand your camp because there are rocks in the way. You can’t get to the enemy because he has walls in your way. Over and over, the game challenges you to meet and overcome obstacles by growing your resources and your army - or if you’re impatient, by spending money in the App Store.
It can get pretty frustrating when those obstacles pop up in the game. It’s frustrating because we can’t go on to the next level, but it’s also frustrating because it’s too much like real life. We constantly run up against obstacles that would keep us from achieving our goals or fulfilling the plans God has for us.
Thankfully, we can overcome these obstacles, without the use of gold, diamonds, or money spent in the App Store. We have a God who specializes in overcoming obstacles, and he’s been at it a long time.
In the book of Joshua, God’s children, the Israelites, are ready to claim the land God made for them. Standing in their way is a giant obstacle - the city of Jericho with its impenetrable wall. No army had ever been able to break through that wall, but with God’s help, the Israelites made the walls of Jericho tumble to the ground!
READ JOSHUA 5:13-6:20
MAIN POINT
The Israelites were nomads. They lived in the wilderness for forty years prior to approaching the city of Jericho. They did not have the weapons or the tools to create a something that could break down the walls of Jericho. But even if they did have the means to build big weapons, it’s unlikely anything they made could break down that wall. They didn’t have bombs and cruise missiles like armies have today. They had arrows, spears, catapults. The very best of what they had available could not break that wall.
The Israelites did not need man-made weapons. They had the Lord. God promised to give them the Promised Land, and Jericho was just the beginning. God gave Joshua instructions on how to attack the city. They did it, not with violence, but with singing and praise. After seven days, the Lord knocked down the wall, and Jericho fell.
Jericho shows us that obstacles are no challenge for God. When an obstacle blocks your path, don’t despair. Give it to God, and stand back.
DRIVE IT HOME
In our lives, we come up on many obstacles. Some obstacles go away in time, like the one that says you have to be “this” high to go on roller coasters. Other obstacles can be overcome by hard work. But some obstacles require a little extra help.
Obstacles can be people. They can be things. They are almost always frustrating, and they make you want to quit. But when we see frustration, God sees a chance to show his power. God can melt the heart of a teacher who denies you an opportunity. He can break the ice with a new friend or an old friend who has fallen away. He can remove physical, mental, and emotional obstacles that keep us from becoming what God made us to be.
Jericho had a mighty wall, one that no army could overcome. God is mightier than any army. He is mightier than any person or any thing. If an obstacle appears in your path, don’t despair and don’t quit. That’s the time to get down on your knees and pray. God is simply waiting for you to give him your problem so he can show his power.
Obstacles can be frustrating, but they can always be overcome. If God is for you, he will take that obstacle down and lead you on. Let God deal with your obstacles. Pray, and let him take the lead. He will tear down the walls, and send you on your way.
CLOSE WITH A SIMPLE PRAYER
Dear God,
Thank you for your power and strength. Teach us to rely on you to tear down the obstacles that stand in our way.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (K-2ND)
ICEBREAKER
What’s your favorite tablet/phone/video game?
MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY
Psalm 24:10
Ask the kids what they think the writer was trying to say when he wrote these words. Then ask them how this verse is connected to today’s story.
SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY
Play Red Rover with another group, and see who can break down the other group’s wall.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Read Joshua 5:13-6:20
Who was Joshua?
What city did God tell Joshua to attack?
What was Jericho’s main defense against invasion?
How did God tear down the wall of Jericho?
What should we do when we face obstacles in our lives?
SIMPLE PRAYER
Dear God,
We know that you can overcome all things, and we ask you to tear down the obstacles that come our way.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (3RD-5TH)
ICEBREAKER
What’s your favorite tablet/phone/video game?
MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY
Psalm 24:10
Ask the kids what they think the writer was trying to say when he wrote these words. Then ask them how this verse is connected to today’s story.
SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY
Play Red Rover with another group, and see who can break down the other group’s wall.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Read Joshua 5:13-6:20
Why did the Israelites have to attack Jericho?
What was Jericho’s main defense against invasion?
How did God tear down the wall of Jericho?
What should we do when we face obstacles in our lives?
How is God glorified through the obstacles we face?
SIMPLE PRAYER
Dear God,
We know that you can overcome all things, and we ask you to tear down the obstacles that come our way.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
For your convenience, you can also download the entire PDF version of this Fall of Jericho Children's Ministry Lesson (just click the link).
Here's a video from Saddleback kids that you might find helpful to go along with your Sunday School Lesson on the Fall of Jericho.
Take a look at the links below for other ideas for teaching a Fall of Jericho Sunday School Lesson:
Fall of Jericho – Mission Bible Class
Joshua and the Wall of Jericho (Children's Church Lesson)
Jericho Falls Sunday School Lesson (Joshua 3-6) - Ministry-To-Children