The Sun Stands Still, Primary - I, Lesson - 12

PRIMARY

AGE: 6 - 7 YEARS

STANDARD (GRADE): I & II

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LESSON – 12

THE SUN STANDS STILL

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The Israelites entered the land called Canaan, forty years after leaving Egypt. God had promised Israelites that he would give Canaan as their homeland.  Although the Israelites had entered Canaan, they had to capture many Canaanite cities before they could inherit and make their home in the promised land. Ai and Jericho were two of the Canaanite cities captured by Joshua, the leader of the Israelites. There was a city called Gibeon nearby. The people of Gibeon heard about how the Israelites had defeated Ai and Jericho, so they didn’t want to fight the Israelites and they surrendered to Joshua. 

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There were many kings ruling over the Amorite tribe who lived in the hill countries near Gibeon. One among them, the King of Jerusalem heard that the Gibeonites had surrendered to Joshua and made peace with the Israelites. He also heard that Joshua had destroyed Ai and Jericho. The King of Jerusalem was alarmed, because Gibeon was an important city like one of the royal cities and all its men were good fighters. The King of Jerusalem was unhappy and wanted to attack the Gibeonites because they had made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.

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The King of Jerusalem invited four other kings to join him in attacking Gibeon. So, five kings of the Amorites – King of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon joined together to fight the Gibeonites.  The Gibeonites asked Joshua for help. They asked Joshua to come quickly and help them, since all the Amorite kings from the hill country had joined forces against them. Joshua, with his entire army, marched to Gibeon immediately to help them out. Joshua and his army took the enemies by surprise. The Lord also fought for the Israelites, he confused the Amorite enemies and sent hailstones from the sky.

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Joshua needed more daylight to defeat the Amorites, so he asked the Lord for help. Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “O Sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” So, the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the Israelites defeated the Amorites. 

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The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. God performed an amazing miracle, causing the sun to delay its setting. Joshua prayed, and God supernaturally provided the light necessary for Joshua’s army to win its battle. 

(Note to teachers: Start the class by asking simple questions about sunrise, sunset, ask the children to list the activities they do from sunrise to sunset, let them imagine what all activities they could do if the sun didn’t set soon and the day was longer. Introduce this lesson only after giving a basic understanding of these concepts)

Bible Reference: Joshua 9, 10 

Memory Verse: Whatever the Lord pleases he does, In heaven and in earth, In the seas and in all deep places (Psalm 135:6)

 

ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES

 

Answer the following questions:

 

1.    Who heard that the Gibeonites had surrendered to Joshua?

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2.  Which city was an important city like one of the royal cities?

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3.  How many kings of the Amorites joined forces to fight the Gibeonites?

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4.  To whom did the Gibeonites ask for help?

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5.   Over which valley did Joshua ask the moon to stop?

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 Fill in the Blanks:

1. Joshua captured two cities called …….. and ……………

2. The men of ………………… were good fighters.

3. The Amorite kings from the …………….. country had joined forces against the Gibeonites.

4. The Lord confused the Amorites and sent ………………… from the sky.

5. The ……………. stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down.