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The Walls of JerichoGenesis 29:13-31:55March 1, 2015The kids will understandThe account of the Israelites marching around the city of Jericho.That the Israelites shouted and God’s power was known.That it was a shout of defiance, warning, commitment, and victory.Activity Supplies:YouTube downloadDownload the following YouTube video called “Victory Screech” submitted by etovakala. If you have difficulty downloading, refer to the additional file of instructions provided with your lesson (for both Mac and PC users). the 10-second video. The kids will probably be familiar with the reoccurring Victory Screech from SpongeBob. Play it again and encourage the kids to do it along with the cartoon characters.This crazy screech is what SpongeBob calls the Victory Screech. Why and when does he do this? How do you react when you’ve had a victory … when you’ve won at something? How do you celebrate something awesome happening? In our Bible account today, there is a special noise that signals victory for the Israelites … and SpongeBob is nowhere around!Bible Account Supplies: cardboard boxesfishing linepacking tape7 kazoos1 pair of flip-flopspaint stir sticksbeach towel Construct a wall out of cardboard boxes. On the back of each box, attach a long piece of fishing line using packing tape. Pull all the pieces of fishing line together where someone will be able to yank on them without the kids seeing. During the story, this will be how the walls of Jericho fall down. Choose one child to be Joshua and give that child a pair of flip-flops to put on. Choose 4 people who will carry the ark. Each child will take one corner of a beach towel to carry a large box in the center of the towel. Remember, this represents a very important piece of Israelite history; it must be treated with reverence. Choose 7 kids who will serve as priests. Give each one a kazoo. Choose 1 kid who will serve as the rear guard. Give the rear guard a paint stir stick as a sword.Give all the other kids a paint stir stick to be their swords. They will serve as the Israelite armed men. God told Joshua that it was now time to take the city of Jericho, and if he followed God’s directions the Israelites would have victory. The first thing Joshua was told to do was to remove his shoes. The kid who is Joshua will take off the flip-flops. This news was from God and it was holy. Joshua’s directions from God were to march the Israelites all the way around the city of Jericho. Not just once, though. They were supposed to do that once each day for an entire week. Then, on the seventh day, the directions would change. They were to march around the city 7 times and then the priests were supposed to blow the trumpets. God was even specific about the way they should line up to march around the city. It went like this. Line the appropriate kids up in this order.First, the armed Israelites walked together in a group and led the charge. These are all the kids who have paint stir stick swords. These armed Israelites walked in quiet the first six days.Second, following the armed Israelites, were the 7 priests carrying their trumpets. This will be the kids with the kazoos. They will line up behind the armed Israelites.Next are those carrying the ark. These are the 4 kids holding the beach towel by the corners to carry the box (ark). Put them in line behind the 7 priests.And, last was the rear guard with his sword. This is the one child carrying a paint stir stick.Once a day for 6 days, they marched around Jericho in this order: Israelite army, priests carrying their trumpets, the ark, and then the rear guard. Lead the kids around the room 6 times this way, signaling the next day with each lap. Encourage them to take mighty steps in rhythm and listen to the sound of the marching. Listen to our marching. There was no other sound, because they weren’t talking. They marched in silence. Can you imagine what that must’ve sounded like for all the Israelites to be marching around Jericho! I think that sound would’ve been a little scary! Do not walk around the wall you have at the front of the room or you’ll mess up the fishing line. Remind the Israelites that they are to remain totally silent. They’ll be excited to see what happens to the city, but must follow these directions. Day 7 … at last! On the seventh day the people walked around the wall 7 times. We’re not going to do that, but we are going to count to 7, starting softly and building up our voices. When they completed that seventh lap, God told Joshua to have the priests blow their trumpets. Signal the kids with kazoos to blow. Everyone else was to raise their swords and shout with all their might. It’s time for everyone to raise your swords and SHOUT! When they shouted, it was like they were dialing 9-1-1 EMERGENCY … “Help us God!” When this happens, the person holding the ends of the fishing line will pull and make the wall tumble! Woo-Hoo! When the Israelites shouted, God’s power took down the wall that surrounded Jericho. It crumbled to the ground! God answered their 9-1-1 Emergency call!What or who made the wall fall? What do you think God was trying to teach the Israelites by giving them these instructions that probably didn’t make sense to them?What do you think the Israelites actually shouted when they were told to shout? What made Joshua a good leader as he led the Israelites? Message Supplies:PowerPoint slides (show slide #2) A Mighty SHOUT!The Bible says that when the people heard the signal of the rams’ horns blowing, they shouted as loud as they could. That must’ve been some kind of noise! That must’ve been some kind of 9-1-1 Emergency signal for help from God! Right then, the walls of Jericho collapsed. Crash … boom … smithereens! That’s one powerful shout! Let’s not fool ourselves and think that the shout is what made the walls come tumbling down. It was that the people followed what God told them to do, even though it sounded a little far-fetched. They knew that God would give them victory. With that shout, God’s power took down the walls. So, what kind of shout was this?(show slide #3) It was a shout of … DEFIANCE.What does “defiance” mean? That’s a new word for most of us. It has a few different meanings, but what we mean here is “boldness.” The Israelites shouted to say that they didn’t care what Jericho thought of them, they were following the orders of God Almighty. They stood up for the One True God. Their defiance … their boldness … gave them the strength to SHOUT!Have you ever stood up for something, because you knew it was right? No one was going to talk you out of it or change your mind. You were being bold and defiant … standing your ground. We don’t have to shout in someone’s face that we believe in God, but we’ve got to stand our ground and be bold and defiant, not letting anyone move us. Can you name a time when you were bold and defiant for God?Isaiah 40:9 says, “O?Zion, messenger of good news,?SHOUT from the mountaintops!?SHOUT it louder, O?Jerusalem. SHOUT, and do not be afraid.?Tell the towns of Judah,?’Your God is coming!’” This verse sounds pretty bold and defiant, doesn’t it?(show slide #4) It was a shout of … WARNING. Look out! Here we come! The Israelites shouted to tell the people of Jericho to get ready, because “You’re in for it!” God was about to do something awesome and this was a shout to warn them that it was a-comin’.(show slide #5) It was a shout of … COMMITMENT.We’ve had a shout of defiance, a shout of warning, and now a shout of commitment. Joshua believed God and His plan. He was committed to doing what God told him to do. There was no doubt in Joshua. He was going to do this, no matter what. That’s commitment!Are you that committed to God? Can you say, “I will follow God, no matter what”? When you say that, do you feel yourself whispering it under your breath, or do you feel a SHOUT inside? I think when Joshua and the Israelites shouted their commitment, they could feel their heels dig into the ground and feel a rumble in their chests. They weren’t going anywhere! They were sticking to it. When you think about your commitment to the Lord, is that the picture you see of yourself? How does your commitment to the Lord make you feel? How does it change you?(show slide #5) It was a shout of … VICTORY.Let’s review what kinds of SHOUTS we’ve had so far. This was a shout of defiance, a shout of warning, a shout of commitment, and now let’s talk about how it was a shout of victory.Do you sometimes get so excited that you just have to squeal and shout? What gets you that excited? I’m sure a bunch of you have been on a sports team when you won a big game. Were you quiet when the game was over? I don’t think so! You won and you were so excited you yelled and screamed and jumped up and down! We should be that excited that we serve the All-Powerful God and He loves us! We serve God who defeated Satan and death. Jesus rose from the dead. Satan couldn’t keep Him there. Jesus won! And He won for us! I think that’s worth a SHOUT … a really big shout. Psalm 71:23 says, “You have rescued me. I will celebrate and SHOUT.” Let’s shout!Science Experiment Supplies:large plastic cupsice pickstringwooden matchesThe kids will make a noisemaker … a shout machine. They will love this, but we better warn you, they won’t want to stop. Beforehand, use an ice pick, a metal shishkabobber, or some pointed object to poke a hole in the center of the bottom of each plastic cup. Also, cut a piece of string for each child 28”-36” in length. Snap the red end off of the wooden matches.Each child will poke one end of their string through the hole in their cup. They will tie the end of the string that is in the inside of the cup around a wooden match. Then, when the string is tugged on from the outside of the cup, the string will not pull through. The noisemaker … shout machine … is ready to use.Hold the cup in one hand. Pinch the string between two fingers up close to where the string enters the cup. Keeping your fingers pinched tightly, pull your fingers down the string. This will cause a vibration that will carry into the plastic cup and create an “irritating” sound. Signal all the kids to pinch and pull on their strings at the same time. Do it several times, but take suggestions from kids as to what they should shout along with their shout machine, like “Victory belongs to God!” or “Go get ‘em, God!”Game Supplies:Jenga (or generic version) gamesmarkerquestion sheet from end of lessonBeforehand, use a marker to write the numbers 1-14 randomly on 14 Jenga blocks. Then, stack the set in its regular form, placing the numbered blocks throughout. You will want a Jenga set and a copy of the question sheet from the end of the lesson for every 6-8 kids. One player in each group will need to be the keeper of the question sheet and will not actually be participating in pulling out blocks.Once the Jenga tower is set up on a stable surface, one kid in the group will pull a block out. If the block has a number on it, the person with the question sheet will ask the corresponding numbered question of that player. If they answer correctly, they will keep their numbered block. If they can’t answer, they will choose someone else to answer, and if that person does so correctly, the block will be given to that player. Any blocks without numbers that are pulled out will be kept by the player pulling them out. Activity Supplies:Video - “Josh and the Big Wall”We suggest you borrow the VeggieTales video, “Josh and the Big Wall” for the video segment today. Show the portion where the Peas (guards on the wall of Jericho) are singing the song “Keep Walking.” Here are the words to the song.Keep walkingBut you won't knock down our wallKeep walkingBut she isn't going to? fall!It's plain to seeYour brains are very small, To think walkingWill be knocking down our wall.What do you think the people of Jericho thought about this army as they simply marched around the city in silence?What do you think was going through their heads when they heard this mighty shout?What do you think they were thinking when the stones started to fall?Do you think any of the people of Jericho became believers in the One True God after seeing what God did through the shout of the Israelites?What do others think of us sometimes when we are totally committed to following God’s ways? Prayer Supplies:Duplo blocksmarker There are many things that could be “walls” in your life—things that keep you from being totally committed to God’s ways and experiencing His victory. Can you think of something that might keep you from being fully committed to God’s ways? (it’s not the popular thing to do, thinking you’ve done too many things wrong, too much going on in my life, my parents wouldn’t understand, it seems a little ridiculous) You need to shout with boldness and defiance (in your heart or out loud) that God has the power to take care of anything that’s getting in the way of you being His committed child. Start with a Duplo block wall already halfway constructed. As kids give you ideas of what keeps them from being totally committed, write the example on a Duplo block, then let that child attach the block onto the wall. Before you pray together, encourage the kids to determine if they want to be fully committed to God and His plan. Is there something you want God to help you remove from your life that will bring you closer to God? Do you need God’s power in your life? If that’s your desire, you should come forward to remove a piece of the Duplo wall. When the piece is removed, that child should SHOUT, “God will give me victory!” Blessing May you live totally committed to God and His ways.Craft Kazoos------We will have supplies to make tongue depressor kazoosScripture Memorization Supplies:styrofoam or plastic cups (2 sets) markers. Psalm 71:23 says, “You have rescued me. I will celebrate and SHOUT.” Let’s shout!Form groups of about 6 kids. Give each group a package of 30 styrofoam cups and some markers. They will work to write one word of the scripture passage on each cup. The group should discuss where on the cup the words will be written, but make sure the cups are upside down. Once all the words are written on the cups, the kids should mix them up in a pile. At the signal, the group will work together to build a wall by putting the cups in order. On the base row, they should begin with 8 cups. The kids will race to see which team can put their walls up the fastest, then read the cups in order together. ................
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