memorial stones jordan river bible pictures

Ask the class to follow along, looking for what happened when the priests stepped into the water. Invite two students to take turns reading aloud from Joshua 3:14–17. What quality did the priests demonstrate by stepping into the water before the water stopped flowing downstream? Would you be willing to step into the water? (Invite the student to step into the space between the two lines.) What would those who were carrying the ark have to do before the river stopped? Explain that the phrase “stand upon an heap” in verse 13 means the water would stop flowing downstream.Īfter Joshua 3:13 is read, ask the following questions to the student representing one of the priests who carried the ark: Ask students to follow along, looking for what the Lord said He would do to help the Israelites cross the river. Explain that the student will be acting out the part of one of the Levite priests who was carrying the ark of the covenant.Īsk a student to read Joshua 3:8–11, 13 aloud. You may want to give this student a heavy backpack or a large pile of books to hold. Invite a student to come to the edge of one tape line. (You may want to do this before class.) Explain that the space between the two lines represents the Jordan River, which the Israelites needed to cross to enter the promised land. On the floor of the classroom, place two parallel tape lines about six feet (two meters) apart. How do you think the Lord’s words recorded in verse 7 may have affected Joshua? Read Joshua 3:7 aloud, and ask students to follow along, looking for what the Lord told Joshua after the priests started to carry the ark toward the river. Why do you think the people were instructed to sanctify themselves before they crossed the Jordan River? What difference would their preparation make in their response to the Lord’s miracles? (You may want to read Joshua 3:5, footnote a, to help with this discussion.) This helps students focus their attention and allows them to discover answers within the scriptures.Īfter the passage has been read, repeat the three questions and ask students to report what they found. Because search questions encourage students to look for information within the scriptures, it is helpful to ask such questions before reading the verses where the answers are found. Students can build their basic understanding of the scriptures by finding important details within a scripture block. Invite students to search for information What did the officers tell the people to do? Assign each group one of the following questions, and ask them to look for the answer as these verses are read: Before the student reads, divide the class into three groups. Invite a student to read Joshua 3:1–6 aloud.

What would you have done in these circumstances? They knew they were supposed to cross the river and settle other portions of the promised land, but the river was flooding, which made it difficult to cross (see Joshua 3:15). Invite students to look for the meaning of the stones stacked in the classroom as they continue their study of the book of Joshua today.Įxplain that Joshua and the Israelites moved their camp so they were near the Jordan River (see Joshua 3:1). Write the following question on the board: “What mean these stones?” Ask students to raise their hands if they had a similar question as they entered the room.

To begin the lesson, invite students to read Joshua 4:21 silently, looking for the question it contains. If students comment on or ask questions about the stones, do not respond. If possible, bring 12 stones or rocks to class and stack them in a place where students will see them as they enter. Suggestions for Teaching Joshua 3 Joshua miraculously leads the Israelites across the Jordan River Once they had entered the promised land, the Lord stopped sending manna, and the Israelites ate from “the fruit of the land” ( Joshua 5:12). The Lord told Joshua to commemorate this miracle by having one man from each of the twelve tribes of Israel pick up a stone from the riverbed and construct a memorial with the stones. Joshua’s calling as a prophet was confirmed to the Israelites when God parted the Jordan River and allowed them to cross into the promised land.

Memorial stones jordan river bible pictures