Lesson
72: Joshua 1–2
After Moses was translated, the Lord directed Joshua to lead Israel
into the promised land. The Lord assured Joshua that He would be with him and
commanded him to be strong and courageous, keep the law of Moses, divide the
land among the people, and study and meditate the word of God continually.
Joshua prepared the Israelites to cross the Jordan River and organized their
departure. He sent two spies to Jericho. There, Rahab saved the spies from
capture, and in exchange they promised to preserve her and her family from the forthcoming destruction.
I.
Joshua 1:1–9 The Lord
directs Joshua to bring Israel into the promised land and promises to be with
him
---Imagine
that when you get home today, you will receive a phone call from the bishop
asking you to speak in sacrament meeting this
Sunday.
---Share
the feelings you might have about such an invitation.
(Some
students may express feelings of nervousness or fear about speaking in front of
others.)
---What are some other tasks or
assignments the Lord asks us to do that some Church members might fear?
(Answers
might include sharing the gospel, living according to the Lord’s standards,
defending the truth, and reaching out to serve and fellowship others.)
---Invite
students to look for truths as they study Joshua 1–2 that can help
them whenever they feel fearful about doing what God asks of them.
---Read
Joshua 1:1–4, 6 aloud. (Note that
Moses did not die but was translated; see Bible Dictionary) looking for what the Lord commanded
Joshua to do.
---What did the Lord command
Joshua to do?
(Lead
the Israelites into the promised land and begin to establish the boundaries as
promised to Abraham and his righteous posterity.)
---Read
Joshua 1:5–7, 9 aloud looking for
promises or instruction from the Lord that might have helped Joshua at this
time.
---What instruction do you see
repeated in these verses?
---What promise from the Lord
might have helped Joshua “be strong and of a good courage”?
(The
promise that God would be with him.)
---What principle can we learn
from these verses?
(Students
may identify a variety of principles, including the following: When
the Lord is with us, we can be strong and of a good courage. You may want to
suggest that students mark the phrases in these verses that teach this truth.)
To
help students understand this principle, consider asking the following
questions:
---Why can we “be strong and of
a good courage” when the Lord is with us?
---What can we do to invite the
Lord to be with us?
---Invite
students to reflect on times when they felt that the Lord was with them and
gave them strength or courage to do something difficult.
---You
may want to ask them to write about this experience in their class notebooks or
scripture study journals. After a few minutes, ask for volunteers to share with
the class what they wrote.
---Remind
students that they should not share experiences that are too sacred or private.
---You
may also want to share an experience of your own.
---To
prepare students to identify another truth from Joshua 1, invite two to
three students to come to the front of the class and act out a word that you
will show them. Show the participating students a piece of paper with the word meditate written on it.
---After
the class guesses the word being acted out, ask one of the students to read Joshua 1:8 aloud. Invite
students to follow along, looking for what the Lord told Joshua to meditate
about.
---What is “the book of the
law”?
(This
likely referred to the five books of Moses, the version of Genesis through
Deuteronomy that was available to Joshua.)
---Write
the phrase Meditate on the scriptures on the board, and invite the same
students to act out that phrase for the class. After they act out this phrase,
invite them to take their seats.
(Answers
might include contemplate, ponder, reflect, consider, think, and study.)
---Along with meditating on the
scriptures, what else did the Lord command Joshua to do according to verse 8?
(“Observe
to do according to all that is written therein.”)
---What did the Lord promise if
Joshua meditated on the scriptures and lived according to the teachings
therein?
(Students
may use different words, but they should identify the following principle: If
we meditate on the scriptures daily and live according to the teachings
therein, then we will prosper and have success.)
---What do you think it would
have meant for Joshua to prosper and have success in his situation? What might
it mean for you to have success?
To
help students understand this principle, invite a student to read aloud the
following statement by President Ezra Taft Benson. Ask the class to listen for
the kind of success that comes from meditating upon the scriptures daily.
“The
Lord was not promising Joshua material wealth and fame, but that his life would
prosper in righteousness and that he would have success in that which matters
most in life, namely the quest to find true joy. (See 2 Nephi 2:25.)” (“The Power of
the Word,” Ensign, May 1986, 81).
---How has meditating on the
scriptures helped you prosper in righteousness and have success in finding true
joy?
II.
Joshua 1:8. Meditate upon the scriptures
---To
help encourage and motivate students to study the scriptures daily, have the
students write the answers to the following questions on their paddles.
Invite
students to write the average number of minutes they spend during the week
(Monday–Friday) doing the following activities outside of school:
Watching TV or movies
Spending time on the Internet
Playing video games (whether on a game
system, computer, tablet, or phone)
Hanging out with friends
Reading magazines or books for leisure
Playing sports with friends (outside of
school-sponsored sports)
Engaging in a hobby
Texting
---Ask
students to tally the total number of hours spent on these activities and
divide it by seven to obtain a daily average.
---Explain
that this number represents time spent on recreational activities (or
activities outside of school and work).
---Invite
students to think about how personal scripture study compares in importance
with the items on the list.
---Ask
students to ponder the following question:
---If you are not currently studying the
scriptures daily, do you have a few minutes you can spare to obey this
commandment?
---Encourage
students to set aside an appropriate amount of time to study and meditate on
the scriptures each day.
---Encourage
students to continue their daily scripture study, and invite them to meditate
on, or ponder, what they read.
---Ask
students the following question:
---If the prophet asked you to
leave your family for a certain amount of time and expose yourself to hardship
and maybe even danger, would you go?
(You
may want to invite those who say yes to explain why they would go.)
---Remind
students that the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh were
granted their land inheritances on the east of the Jordan River on the
condition that the men would assist the remaining tribes of Israel in fighting
for and obtaining their land inheritances on the west side of the river (see Numbers 32).
---Invite
a student to read Joshua 1:16–18 aloud looking for
how the men of these tribes responded to Joshua.
---What does the response of
these men say about their character?
---Why do you think these men
were willing to follow Joshua’s counsel and direction?
IV.
Joshua 2 Joshua sends spies to Jericho, where
Rahab gives them a place to hide; they promise to preserve her family
---Explain
that before the children of Israel entered the promised land, Joshua sent two
spies across the Jordan River to the city of Jericho. Jericho was the first
city on the west side of the Jordan River that the Israelites were commanded to
conquer.
---Summary
of Joshua 2:1–8: The king of
Jericho heard about the spies and sent men to capture them. A harlot named
Rahab saved the spies from being captured by hiding them on the roof of her
house.
---Invite
a student to read Joshua 2:9–11 aloud. Ask the
class to follow along, looking for what Rahab told the two Israelite spies.
---Who did Rahab testify of?
---Summary
of Joshua 2:12–16: Rahab asked the
two spies to make an oath that the Israelite army would spare her life and the
lives of her family members in return for her having saved the spies’ lives.
---Invite
a student to read Joshua 2:17–21 aloud. Ask the
class to follow along and look for the spies’ response.
---How would the invading
Israelite army know not to destroy Rahab’s family?
(Explain that the “line of scarlet thread” is
likely referring to a piece of cloth or cord made of red thread. This would
help the army identify Rahab’s home.)
---Explain
that after making this oath with Rahab, the two spies were let down out of the
city from Rahab’s window, and they escaped back across the Jordan River to
Joshua.
---Write
the following on the board: Joshua, Reubenites-Gadites-Manassehites, Spies,
Rahab.
---How did each of these people
or groups of people show their faith in the Lord?
(You
may want to explain that in spite of Rahab’s past as a harlot, two New
Testament writers described her as a woman who showed faith in the Lord and was
blessed because she provided safety for the Israelite spies [see Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25; see also Joshua 6:25].)
---What can we learn about faith
from the examples of these people?
(Students’
responses may identify a variety of principles, including the following: We
can show our faith in the Lord through our actions.)
---Invite
students to show their faith in the Lord by acting on the truths they have
discussed in this lesson.
Scripture Mastery
Review
If
time permits, you may want to use the following activity to review the
scripture mastery passages you have taught so far this school year:
Give
students a few minutes to review the scripture mastery passages they have
learned. Invite a student to come to the front of the classroom with his or her
scriptures. Ask the student to turn to one of the scripture mastery passages
without showing it to anyone else. (If scripture mastery cards are available,
you might consider providing one to the student.) Invite the student to write
one word from the scripture mastery passage on the board. (Encourage him or her
to choose key words from the passage rather than less-distinguishing words such
as and or the.) Invite the class to search their scriptures for the scripture
mastery passage they think the word comes from. If no one can find the correct
passage using one word, ask the student to write another word from the passage
on the board. Repeat this process until at least one student has located the
correct passage. Invite the rest of the class to turn to the passage, and ask
students to recite it together. Then repeat the activity with another student
and a different scripture mastery passage.
Commentary and
Background Information
Joshua
1:5–7, 9. “Be strong and of a good courage”
The
Young Men general presidency in 2010 taught how the Lord’s promises to Joshua
apply to youth:
“In
the space of four verses in the first chapter of Joshua, the Lord commands
Joshua to be strong and courageous—three times! (see verses 6–9). Then the Lord
promises Joshua that he will succeed in bringing the Israelites to their land
of inheritance, that strength and courage will come to him because of his
obedience to all the law, and—most significantly—that the Lord will be with him
wherever he goes. …
“That
same call to courage is yours. And the same promises are yours as well. With
the Savior’s help, you too will succeed in your callings and in your life. You will have strength to withstand any
temptation as you obey the commandments and keep the standards found in For the
Strength of Youth” (“Facing
Challenges with Courage,” New Era, Jan.
2010, 7).
Joshua 1:8. Meditate upon the scriptures
Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of
the Twelve Apostles taught how pondering on the scriptures blesses us:
“As you ponder—not just read but ponder and
meditate—on scriptural passages, the power of the Holy Ghost will distill truths in your mind and heart as a secure
foundation in this uncertain time in which we live” (“He Lives! All
Glory to His Name!” Ensign or Liahona, May 2010, 78).
President
Thomas S. Monson explained the benefits of daily scripture study:
“I
would encourage all of us to continue to read and study the scriptures, that we
might understand them and apply in our lives the lessons we find there. …
“Spending
time each day in scripture study will, without doubt, strengthen our
foundations of faith and our testimonies of truth” (“How Firm a
Foundation,”
Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2006, 68).
One
way to encourage students to study their scriptures daily is to provide regular
opportunities for them to share in class what they are learning and feeling
during their personal scripture study. Consider appropriate ways that you can
encourage and remind them to study the scriptures, but take care not to
embarrass or discourage students who struggle to study the scriptures on their
own.
Remind
students of the goal they set at the beginning of this seminary course to study
the scriptures daily. Invite them to share what they have done to keep this
goal.
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