Dear Parents,
This week we will finish our studies in the Book of Joshua. (At least for now).
God was keeping His promise that the land would belong to His people. The people occupying the land had begun to fear Israel because the Lord was helping them win all of their battles. The people in the town of Gibeon knew the army was close and were afraid that Israel would attack them, so they played a trick on them to get them to make a treaty with them. The Israelites later heard that the Gibeonites were neighbours, and although they had been tricked they knew they had to honour the treaty. When enemies attacked Gibeon, Joshua took his army and protected Gibeon. The battle lasted a long time because the Lord caused the sun to stand still. Joshua should have inquired of the Lord in the first place.
Here is a snapshot of the lesson details for this week:
Zoom ID: 3722576722
Time: 18th September 2020 1:50PM 主日敬拜唱歌之后
Bible Story: The Gibeonite Trick and the Long Day
Bible Scripture: Joshua 9:1-10:15
Big Idea: We should always ask God to help us make wise decisions
Memory Verse: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV1984)
Resources:
Further reading regarding Joshua 10:
There are probably a number of things we can learn from this story, such as: the importance of keeping our word (even if we made it because of false pretences); how becoming a Christian (or even making friends with God’s people) will make us enemies of the world; that we cannot understand how miracles can happen precisely because only the Lord can do them; that even when we make mistakes, God is still in control and can and will use those mistakes for His glory as we turn back to Him; or simply that we can ask God for wisdom.
But our main learning point in this lesson is not simply that we can ask God for wisdom, but that we should always ask Him to help us to make wise decisions. That we should trust Him, and not merely our own understanding – hence our memory verse, Proverbs 3:5-6.
The leaders of Israel had looked at the “evidence” and trusted their own judgment – without asking the Lord. The treaty the Gibeonites requested, offered themselves as servants of the Israelites. Perhaps they were aware of the Israelite law concerning peace treaties with distant nations (Deuteronomy 20:10-15). They knew that Israel, with God’s help, could wipe them out, and they preferred slavery over death. The result of Israel’s hasty decision was that they could not fulfil God’s command concerning all the inhabitants of the land.
When we fail to seek God’s guidance, we can end up making bad decisions, just as Israel did. But when we seek Him and study His word, we can be thankful that He guides us every step of the way.
Pray: Father, thank you that we can trust You in all things. Please help us to do so, and help us to make wise decisions by following Your Word, seeking Your will, and not trusting in our own ideas.
In Him,
GHWCC Children Ministry