The Warrior Leader
God's people reached the edge of the promised land. It had been an unexpectedly LONG journey. 40 years! It didn't have to be that long... But the Israelites would not stop complaining. They were not interested in trusting God.
The people had been close to entering the Promised Land before. Everyone was excited. Representatives went into the land and brought back juicy fruit. They all said, "The land is amazing!" But ten said, "We can't take the land. The people there are too strong. There are actual giants! God must have sent us here to die!" Only two of the representatives trusted God: Caleb and Joshua (he'll be kind of important later on). They said, "God will fight for us! Let's go take the land."
The people refused to trust God. "Let's go back to Egypt instead. We will surely die if we do what God says." God finally had enough of their complaints. If they didn't want to go into the promised land, they didn't have to. They could just wait in the wilderness for 40 years, until they died. And that's exactly what they did.
That entire generation of Israelites, except Caleb and Joshua, died in the wilderness. Now, God would take their CHILDREN into the promised land. Would they trust God to fight their battles? Would they follow God's directions or try to do things their own way?
Intro
As the people prepared to enter the land promised to Abraham, God showed that He was worth trusting!
Watch Today's Lesson: The Warrior Leader
Following God takes courage.
Take a sec to read the story directly from God's Word! You can find it in Exodus 20.
A great way to read it is in the International Children's BIble (ICB) translation. It's a simple and accurate Bible translation designed for kids. Adults, like me, like it too!
Click here to read Joshua 3 in the ICB on Bible Gateway. Click here for Joshua 6.
Click here to buy the same ICB Prayer Bible that I use to prep for lessons!
QUIZ TIME!
Extra Time
And the walls came tumbling down...
Verse for the Week
Exodus 20:3
"You shall have no other gods before me."
Sample Prayer
Father God, following you is not easy. Give me the courage to follow after Jesus, because I know that is the best way for me! Amen.
Review Activity
Click the button below to access the review activity for this week's lesson. It might be a good idea to print this out and complete it mid-week to help remember the lesson!
Following God takes courage.
In our lesson today, Joshua had great courage to stick to exactly what God had said. And God fought the battles for His people!
Following God's way is not easy. All of us want to do things out way instead. We think that we know better than God or that He doesn't really love us. We think, "God, why won't you give me what I want? Then, I will follow you."
When Jesus came, He told people that they could follow Him into a different way of life. A way of life where they would never have to doubt God's love ever again. As people followed Jesus, they found a friend who loved at all times. A friend who would help them be content when life was difficult. A friend who laid down His life, so they could be free from their sin.