Have you ever faced a challenge that seemed completely impossible? When the obstacles in front of us look too big to overcome, we tend to rely on our own strength or the most expert-sounding strategy. But what if the winning plan involved just walking around a massive wall and blowing a trumpet?
That’s the incredibly counter-intuitive, yet perfectly effective, battle strategy God gave to Joshua when the Israelites faced the fortified city of Jericho. We’re excited to kick off our new children’s sermon series on “Impossible Heroes,” looking at Biblical figures who accomplished amazing and unlikely things only through the power of God.
Our first lesson, “The Battle is the Lord’s!” explores the miraculous victory of Joshua and the Jericho Wall. The main objective of this message is to show kids that true victory doesn’t come from their own efforts, but from obedience and reliance on God’s power when facing challenges that seem impossible. This lesson reminds us that we can always trust God’s plan, because He is always close and able to fight our battles for us.
Ready to share this unforgettable story of faith and mighty power? Grab your building blocks or magnetic tiles, and prepare to teach children how to let God win the victory!
Children’s Sermon Lesson: Joshua and the Jericho Wall – The Battle is the Lord’s!
Main Objective: This message describes the amazing and miraculous victory of God’s army of Israelites over the city of Jericho. Walking around a wall and blowing trumpets doesn’t sound like expert military strategy, but obedience to God’s plan worked! It was God who truly won the battle, and God can help us when we face challenges that seem impossible!
Law/Gospel Theme: Stories like this remind us that we rely on God’s power, rather than our own. He is always close and able to help us. Joshua is also a great Gospel reminder of salvation through Christ. Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land after defeating the enemy, just as Jesus leads us to salvation by defeating sin, death, and the Devil.
Note: This lesson is the first in a series on “impossible heroes,” Biblical figures who were able to do amazing and unlikely things only through the power of God.
Optional Materials: Something to build (blocks, Legos, magnetic tiles, etc.)
Bible Craft Ideas for Joshua and the Walls of Jericho
Bible Passage: Joshua 6:1-20
Message: Note: As with most messages, the details of how you choose to communicate this are adaptable and should cater to timing as well as to your audience and student needs.
Greet children, and open with a temptation of some sort. This example uses bubbles. Bubble wrap could work, as well! Or any item children would want to play with.
Hello, children of God!
Do you see what I brought today? Show structure/tower from blocks, Legos, etc. It’s a magnificent fortress, right? Okay, maybe it’s not THAT impressive. But it’s fun to build with blocks and create things. You’ve probably made structures like this before. Sometimes it’s also fun to knock these structures down. Now, let’s say that for some reason I decided I wanted to knock this over. What would be the best way to do that? Should I kick it, hit it, throw something at it? Those might all be good methods. But what if I told you that my plan to knock this over was to just walk around it? Or what if I was going to knock it down by making a loud noise and shouting at it? That might sound a little strange…But that is exactly what happened in the Bible! There’s an amazing true story about how God made this happen.
In the book of Joshua, we read about a man named (appropriately enough) Joshua. Joshua was the leader of God’s people, the Israelites, after Moses died. He was responsible for bringing the people into the Promised Land that God had said they would live in. Before they got to the Promised Land, though, they had to defeat a big city called Jericho. Jericho had a huge wall around it. The walls were about 6 feet thick, and there were a lot of people who lived in the city. Joshua and his people had to defeat Jericho, but how would they do it?
God had a plan: He told Joshua to walk around the city with the army, once a day for six days. On the seventh day, they were to walk around seven times, and then blow their trumpets. I’ll bet the Israelites were a little skeptical when they heard that battle plan. How was that supposed to defeat an army and a city? But they trusted God, and they followed His instructions. Once a day, they marched around the city. It wasn’t too far around, only about a half a mile. On the last day, they marched around seven times, and then made a bunch of noise with their horns and trumpets. And guess what? The walls fell down! The Israelites rushed in and defeated their enemies.
It’s an amazing story, and it’s not the only one we read about in the Bible where victory should have been impossible. The thing to remember is that God was the one responsible for the enemy’s defeat. Walking around and making noise would not normally have been very effective, of course, but that was God’s plan, and He can do anything! There are actually a lot of narratives in the Bible that have this theme, and they let us know how mighty and powerful our Lord is. He can help us when things seem hard or even impossible. He fights our battles for us. So if there are things worrying or frustrating you, know that you don’t have to do everything on your own. God is on your side, and He can help with whatever you’re facing. Know that He will help you know matter what, when you call to Him. And we can trust that His plans work, even if they sound crazy!
Why don’t we pray now and ask God to help us when we face challenges?
Prayer:
(Have kids repeat each line)
Dear God,
Thank you for being in control
And fighting for us.
Please help us to trust in you
And let you win the victory.
Thank you for your love
We love you, God!
In Jesus name, Amen!
Bible Verses/story to Reference:
Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.” So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.” And he said to the people, “Go forward. March around the city and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.”
And just as Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them. The armed men were walking before the priests who were blowing the trumpets, and the rear guard was walking after the ark, while the trumpets blew continually. But Joshua commanded the people, “You shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.” So he caused the ark of the Lord to circle the city, going about it once. And they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp.
Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord walked on, and they blew the trumpets continually. And the armed men were walking before them, and the rear guard was walking after the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets blew continually. And the second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. So they did for six days.
On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.” So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. -Joshua 6:1-20
Sunday School Lesson: Joshua and the Wall of Jericho (Joshua 6:1-20)
to be continued….
