Children's Bible Study
(Lesson #8)

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14

By our Bible studies together, you will learn that God has a plan:

A plan for the nation of Israel
A plan for providing man with forgiveness and eternal life.
A Plan for YOU!!!

Jesus will be YOUR VERY BEST FRIEND!

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Every week you will find a new Bible Study here. These studies are designed for youth ages, 6 - 12.

This is Lesson #8. Have you studied our earlier lessons?

Always BEE prepared for Bible Study by first saying a prayer asking God to help you receive what he is trying to teach you with his word.

One more thing, please e-mail me and let me know that you like our Bible Studies. We would also like to get to know you as we learn about our Heavenly Father together.

Are you ready?

Joshua
(An Overview of the book of Joshua)

(If you don't have a Bible, you can open up an online Bible here. Right click with your mouse and the Bible will open up in another window. That way you can switch back and forth easily!)

Joshua is the sixth book of the Bible and the first book of the "History" section of the Bible.

Who wrote the book of Joshua?
We do not know who wrote th book of Joshua. It is possible that Joshua himself wrote the book.

In studying the book of Joshua, we will learn that the meaning of the name, "Joshua" is "the Lord's Salvation." Joshua becomes the new leader of God's people when Moses dies.

~~~ The Books of History ~~~

Joshua
Judges
Ruth
First Samuel
Second Samuel
First Kings
Second Kings
First Chronicles
Second Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther

What happens in the book of Joshua?

We will learn about the mobilization of the army
(Joshua 1,2)
We will learn about the forward march (Joshua 3 - 5)
We will learn about the fall of Jericho (Joshua 6)
We will learn about the campaign of Ai (Joshua 7,8)
We will learn about the southern campaign (Joshua 9)
We will learn about the central campaign (Joshua 10)
We will learn about the northern campaign (Joshua 11)
We will learn about the defeated kings (Joshua 12)
We will learn about the division of the land (Joshua 13-22)
We will learn about Joshua's farewell and death
(Joshua 23,24)

In Lesson #1, we learned that the first 5 books of the Bible are called the "Books of the Law."
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy

Joshua starts the new section of the Bible, the "history" section.

Who are the main people
that are mentioned in the book of Joshua?

Joshua
Rahab

You can also listen to Joshua on Real Audio right here!

Tell Me More!!!

Joshua
Joshua is the man who takes Moses place as leader when Moses dies. Joshua leads the Israelites into the Promised Land.

(Chapters 1-12)
In chapters 1 through 12, you will read how Joshua takes command of God's people and prepares them for the battles ahead of them. The Israelites have crossed the Jordan river and conquered the cities of Canaan. Do you remember that Canaan is another name for the land that God had promised his people. Today Canaan is known as Israel. Canaan is the Promised Land.

Chapter 1
In chapter 1, Joshua takes over as leader and he prepares his army to battle against the armies of Canaan. God was judging the people of Canaan for their wickedness.

Chapter 2
In chapter 2 spies are sent to scout out the city of Jericho. The spies are helped by a woman named Rahab.

Chapter 3-5
In chapters 3 through 5, Joshua's army crosses over the Jordan river and they bring with them the Ark of the Covenant.

Chapter 6
In chapter 6, God destroys the walls of Jericho and helps Joshua capture the city!

Chapters 7,8
In the chapters of 7 and 8, the army of Joshua is defeated at the city of Ai. It is discovered that the soldier Achan had sinned. Achan keeps for himself treasure from Jericho and he should have given the treasure to the Tabernacle. Achan is punished for his sin and then Joshua conquers the city of Ai.

Chapters 9 - 12
In the chapters 9 through 12, Joshua is tricked into defending the Canaanite city of Gibedon against its enemies, the Amorites. Joshua defeats the Amorites and many Canaanite kings. Finally there is peace!

(Chapters 13 - 22)
Chapters 13 through 22 shows us how Joshua divides the conquered land of Canaan among God's people. The land is divided into sections and given to each tribe. A tribe is a group of families that descended from one of Jacob's sons. The tribe of Levi was chosen to serve as priests. Levi was one of Jacob's sons and his descendants made up the tribe of Levi. Jacob had a son named Joseph too and Joseph is represented by his sons Ephraim and Manasseh. Do you know the names of all 12 tribes?

Chapters 23,24
In chapters 23 and 24 Joshua calls God's people together and reminds them of what has happened since they left Egypt. Joshua tells them of God's goodness and that it is their duty to obey God's laws. Joshua dies at the age of 110 in the land given to his family.

When did all of these events take place?

1400 BC - 1375 BC

During our Bible studies together we have learned so much! We learned all about the first 5 books of the Bible which are the "Books of the Law." These first 5 books tell us all about God's plan for His people. We learn in the book of Genesis how people sinned and became separated from God. In the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy we are able to see God working with His people to bring them back to Him. Do you remember how Moses was a picture of Jesus Christ? Moses led the people out of slavery in Egypt and Jesus Christ has led His people out of their sin. Jesus came and died for OUR sins so that we can join His family.

In the book of Joshua we see how the new leader named Joshua takes God's people into the Promised Land. In order for God's people to keep their land, they had to obey God's laws. In the New Testament Jesus is another leader who comes to take God's people into THE PROMISED LAND!!! The Promised Land for all of us today is eternal life in heaven with Jesus!

By knowing that Jesus Christ came and died for YOU, you can give thanks to God for Jesus and for His death. You should also thank God for giving you the opportunity to go into the new PROMISED LAND which is heaven. All you have to do to go into the new Promised Land is become a member of God's family! If you have not asked Jesus into your heart and would like to know how, just visit this page and let us introduce you to the Best friend you will ever have!

Related Links
The way to Victory: Joshua
Map: Tribal Divisions of Canaan
Bible Basics: Joshua
Outline of Joshua

What do you think?

Joshua was a great leader who God chose to replace Moses when he died. How do you think Joshua felt when he was asked to replace the great leader Moses? Do you think he was scared? How would YOU have felt? God chooses us all to do something important. We may not all be leaders but that does not mean our lives aren't important. God has created every one of us with a BIG purpose in mind for our lives. Listen carefully to your heart and let God lead you. God will show you His purpose for your life if you ask Him to. If you keep Jesus as the center of your life and you put your faith and trust in Him, you will live your life to the fullest. That means that you will have the VERY BEST life that you can possibly have. Always keep your eyes on Jesus and remember that Jesus ALWAYS has His eyes on YOU!

Next week when you return, you will be ready to study Lesson #9! Please tell all your friends about our Bible Study so that we can help share the "Good News" of Jesus Christ with every boy and girl in the WHOLE WORLD!