Joshua's Final Challenge

1/28/2025

12 Tribes Are Given Canaan by Jennifer Tolbert

The Promised Land finally belongs to the children of Israel, just as God had promised Abraham that it would! The journey was long and lots of hard lessons were learned in the wilderness.

In this story, the long journey is over, and Joshua's life is also coming to an end. Joshua, like Moses, leaves a final message and wisdom from his lifetime of partnering with God.

Key Themes:

God keeps His promises.
We should serve the Lord.
We need to be Christian leaders.

Memory Verse

Joshua 24:15
“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Songs

Books of the Old Testament
The B.I.B.L.E.
The Castle of My Heart
Hear, O Israel
Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho
My Father's House
Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus
Make Me a Servant
This is My Father's World
The Judges Song

Story

Begin Class with Songs, Games, Table Activity, or Sharing Time

Open Class in Prayer

Introducing the Story Ideas
1. Service Project
Have a simple service craft that the kids can help you assemble like soup in a jar or a decorating the bag and adding things for a small care package. SAY: In our story today, Joshua declares that he and his household will serve the Lord. That means that for as long as he lived, his family was going to serve God. How can we serve God together as a family? Brainstorm ways that you can serve. At the end of class, challenge the kids and their families to give their care package to someone in need.

2. Family Pictures
Allow the children to spend some time drawing a picture of everyone in their family. If time allows, let each child share their drawing with the class and "introduce" their family to the class.

Story: In this story, we see how Joshua was a leader to the Israelite people, up to the end of his life. Joshua's life began as a slave in Egypt, and he was very young when the Israelites left. He had seen the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, and God's deliverance and provision as they wandered in the wilderness. Due to his faith, he was one of the very few Israelites who lived from the time of Egypt to the gates of the Promised Land.

As Joshua's life is coming to an end, he has an important message for his fellow Israelites.

SHOW the power point Joshua's Final Challenge or read Joshua 23:1-24:33.
EMPHASIZE that: