JUNIOR
AGE: 10 - 11
YEARS
STANDARD/GRADE:
V & VI
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LESSON – 12
THE WALLS OF JERICHO
TUMBLE DOWN
In the previous lessons we learnt about the
Israelites long journey towards Canaan, led by Moses, after their deliverance
from the Egyptian slavery. The leader of the Israelites Moses passed away at
the age of 120 years, before they entered Canaan. After the death of Moses,
Joshua led the Israelites towards Canaan. The Israelites had to cross the
overflowing Jordan River before they could enter Canaan. God did a miracle and
made the Jordan River to turn back and the Israelites walked across the dry
river. Even though the Israelites had entered the land of Canaan, they had to
capture the Canaanite cities from various Canaanite tribes, before they could
make it their homeland.
The first Canaanite city
the Israelites came across was the city of Jericho. Jericho
was a walled city, which means it was surrounded and protected by a huge wall.
The people of Jericho had heard about the Israelites and so they had tightly
shut the city, none came out and none came inside the city.
Unlike modern days, sophisticated battle weapons were
not available to capture a tightly shut walled city. They had to climb the wall
using ladders and ropes or they had to dig a tunnel beneath the wall or they
had to make a breach in the wall by breaking it or they had to lay siege to the
city until the people in the city are forced to surrender after their supplies
ran out. But God spoke to Joshua and gave him a different battle plan to
destroy the wall of Jericho and to capture the city.
God promised Joshua that he would hand over Jericho into their hands,
but they had to follow His instructions. All the Israelite men of war had to go
around the city of Jericho once a day for six days with the priests carrying the
ark of the covenant with them. On the seventh day they had to circle the city
seven times. When they circle the city for the seventh time on the seventh day,
the priests had to blow the trumpets (Refer to teacher’s notes
below) and the people had to shout with a great shout, then the wall of
the city would fall down flat. This battle plan was unheard of and unlike
anything that an army would normally use in a similar situation. How can a
walled city tightly shut be captured by marching in circles and shouting
loudly? Anyone without faith in the Lord would have thought the battle plan was
absurd, but not Joshua who had assisted Moses and seen God’s miraculous
deliverance throughout their journey.
Early the next morning, Joshua got his men ready
to go around the city. The priests carried the ark of
the covenant with them as they marched around the city walls of Jericho. There
were also seven priests blowing trumpets and marching ahead of the priests who
carried the Ark of God.
There were armed men marching in front of them and
behind them. All
this time the trumpets (Refer to teacher's notes below) were sounding. But Joshua had commanded the army
not to give a war cry or raise their voices, or say a word until the seventh
day. (A war cry is a yell or chant used by the warriors in the army during a
battle to encourage each other). The army and the priests circled the city and returned
to camp and spent the night there. They marched around the city in a similar
way, once a day for six days.
Teachers’ Notes: The trumpets used in the battle of Jericho are the shophar or the ram’s horns. In the Holy Bible, two types of trumpets are mentioned.
1.
Trumpets made of silver (Numbers
10:1-10) called as “chatzotzra” in Hebrew. They can be used only by the
priests.
2. Trumpets made of ram’s horn also called as Jubilee trumpets or jubilee horn called as “shophar” (Joshua 6:5) or “jobel” (Exodus 19:13) in Hebrew. (1)
Reference:
1)
Case, D. (2016, September
19). Walls of Jericho. World
History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from
https://www.worldhistory.org/image/5690/walls-of-jericho/
2) Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]. Text Courtesy of Internet Sacred Texts Archive.
Bible Reference: Joshua 6
Memory Verse: By faith
the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven
days. (Hebrews 11:30)
ASSESSMENT
ACTIVITIES
Fill
in the blanks:
1. The first Canaanite
city the Israelites came across was the city of …………………….
2. The
priests carried the ……………………… as they marched around Jericho.
3. When
they circled the city of Jericho, the priests blew the ……………..
4. On the …………………… day, the armed men and the priests circled the city seven times.
Give short answers:
1. Why did the people of
Jericho tightly shut their city?
2. What did the army and
the priests do on the first day of marching?
3. What articles taken
from Jericho were added to the Lord’s treasury?
4. What made the Jericho walls to collapse?
Answer in
brief:
1. What was the battle plan given by God to capture Jericho?
