Lesson
75 Joshua 11–24 Dec 9th
Introduction
After
fulfilling the Lord’s command to conquer the promised land and to destroy the
wicked nations that were there, Joshua divided the land among the tribes of
Israel. Joshua called the Israelites together and warned them against cleaving
to other nations and worshipping other gods. He invited them to cleave to the
Lord.
Note:
In the next lesson (lesson 76) you may decide
to ask several students to be prepared to summarize an assigned scripture
account for the class. You may want to give those students their assignment the
day you teach this lesson.
---Write
the following questions on the board for students to see as they come into
class:
How many years do you have until it is
time for you to leave home?
What are some of your concerns about
leaving your home and living somewhere new?
---As
class begins, invite a few students to respond to these questions. You might
list some of their answers to the second question on the board. You may want to
explain that even if students are not leaving home soon, they may have to face
a similar circumstance, such as living in a new place, that could be
challenging for them.
---At
the end of his life, Joshua gave the Israelites counsel concerning what to do
after he was gone. Look for principles, as you study Joshua
11–24,
that can help you make the right choices as you become more independent.
---The
Israelites’ obtaining the promised land could be compared to when a young adult
is preparing to leave home or live somewhere new. The Lord had brought the
children of Israel out of Egypt, taken care of them in the wilderness, and
prepared them to make and keep covenants. In Joshua 11 we read how the
Israelites were able, with the Lord’s help, to possess the promised land.
---Report what you find.
---Turn
to Bible Maps, no. 3,
“The Division of the 12 Tribes” (in the Bible
appendix) and look for how the promised land was divided among the tribes of
Israel.
---Summary
of Joshua
12–21:
Joshua gave each tribe an inheritance in the promised land and that the
tabernacle was set up at a place called Shiloh (see Joshua
18:1).
The Levites were not given a specific
piece of land but were given 48 cities among each of the other tribes’
inheritances. This would allow the Levites to continue their priesthood service
among the Israelites.
---How had the Lord blessed the
Israelites?
---Read
Joshua
22:4–5
aloud looking for what Joshua told these tribes to do as they went to make
their homes on the east side of the Jordan River.
---What did Joshua counsel them
to do?
---Summary
of Joshua
22:7–34:
When the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh traveled to their own lands, they
built an altar to witness that Jehovah was their God.
II.
Joshua 23 Joshua calls Israel together and warns
them to not worship other gods but to cleave to the Lord
---Write
God and Israelites as column headings on the board.
---Summary
of Joshua
23:1–2:
After several years of peace, Joshua had grown old, and so he gathered all of
the Israelites together to counsel them.
---Divide
the class in half.
Assign one half to read Josh
23:3–11,
looking for what Joshua said God had done and would continue to do for the
Israelites.
Assign the other half to read the same
verses but to look for what Joshua counseled the Israelites to do.
---Mark
what you find.
(Note: You might want to explain that
there were still remnants of the conquered nations in and around the promised
land [see Joshua
23:5, 7].)
---After
two or three minutes, invite a few students to come to the board and write
under the corresponding heading what they found in their verses. Their lists
might be similar to the following:
|
God
|
Israelites
|
---Underline
the word cleave in the list on the
board.
---As
it is used in verse 8, the word cleave
means to cling, adhere, or be loyal to something or someone.
---What behaviors or actions
might you see in a person who is trying to cleave unto the Lord?
---Whom do you know who is a
good example of someone cleaving unto the Lord? How have you seen the Lord
bless that person for being devoted to Him?
---From what we have learned
from Joshua
23:3–11,
what can we do to have the Lord with us and strengthen us?
(If
we cleave unto the Lord and obey Him, then He will be with us and strengthen us.)
---How can this principle be
helpful to you as you prepare to leave home?
---If
possible, bring some thorns to class (or you could show a picture of thorns or
draw one on the board).
---Have you ever “cleaved” to any thorns
before? Share an experience you have had with thorns.
---Report what you find.
---What consequences did Joshua
say Israel would experience if they chose to serve or cleave unto other nations
or gods?
---From what we learn in these
verses, what could happen to us if we cleave to other gods?
(If
we cleave to other gods, we will bring negative consequences upon ourselves and
lose the blessings of the Lord.)
---How could this principle be a
helpful warning to someone preparing to make important life choices?
---What are some things people
might cleave unto instead of the Lord? What could be some negative consequences
or lost blessings for doing so?
---Think
of someone in your lives who has done a lot for you and write the person’s name
in your class notebooks. Take 30 seconds and record a few things that person
has done for you.
---After doing this activity,
how do you feel about that person?
---We
read in Joshua 24 that Joshua
related to Israel the things God said He had done for them and their ancestors.
---Mark each time the Lord used the word
I.
---Report
one way the Lord had helped Israel.
---If you had been an ancient
Israelite, what feelings might you have had toward God after being reminded of
what He had done for you?
---Report what you find.
---How do you think remembering
what the Lord had done for them might have affected the Israelites’
determination to accept Joshua’s invitation?
---How will remembering what the
Lord has done for us affect our determination to love and serve Him?
(Remembering
what God has done for us strengthens our resolve to love and serve Him.)
---List
in your class notebooks some of the things the Lord has done for you.
---What might the phrase “this
day” indicate about when we should choose to be devoted to the Lord? How would
it bless you to make that choice earlier rather than later in life?
---What phrase in this verse
indicates that Joshua chose this path for himself, regardless of what others
might choose? (“But as for me and my house.”)
---What principle about agency
can we learn from this verse?
(We
can choose to serve the Lord regardless of what others choose.)
---What are some examples of
situations in which it could be helpful to follow this principle?
---When have you or someone you
know chosen to follow the Lord regardless of what others chose to do?
---Mark the phrases “choose you this day
whom ye will serve” and “but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” in
Joshua
24:15.
---Why is it important to make
the decision to serve God today, instead of waiting until some future date?
President
Howard W. Hunter explained Joshua’s conviction to serve the Lord
regardless of others’ choices:
“After
Israel had rested from the wars with their enemies, Joshua, who was now very
old, called all Israel together. In his farewell address he reminded them they
had been victorious because God had fought for them, but if they now ceased to
serve the Lord and keep his law they would be destroyed. …
“This
great military and spiritual leader then urged a commitment, and made one
himself and for his family: ‘Choose you this
day whom ye will serve; … but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’
(Josh.
24:15.)
“Here
was a great statement of full commitment of a man to God. … He was telling the
Israelites that regardless of how they decided, he would do what he knew was
right. He was saying that his decision to serve the Lord was independent of
whatever they decided; that their actions would not affect his; that his
commitment to do the Lord’s will would not be altered by anything they or
anyone else would do. Joshua was firmly in control of his actions and had his
eyes fixed on the commandments of the Lord. He was committed to obedience.
“Surely
the Lord loves, more than anything else, an unwavering determination to obey
his counsel. Surely the experiences of the great prophets of the Old Testament
have been recorded to help us understand the importance of choosing the path of
strict obedience”
---Read
each scenario, and then think about what the person could do to choose to serve
the Lord even though others are not doing so.
Scenario 1:
A young woman was invited by a young man to attend a dance with a group of
friends. After the dance, the couples drove to the house of a group member
whose parents were not home. One young man put on an inappropriate movie. When
the young woman asked her date to take her home, he refused.
Scenario 2:
A young man whose family is not active in the Church attends his Sunday
meetings every week by himself. Though he really would like his parents to hold
family home evening, family prayer, and family scripture study, and he
sometimes encourages them to do so, the young man’s family refuses to do any of
these things with him.
---Create
a poster that illustrates these phrases “choose you this day whom ye will
serve” and “but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”
---Invite
students to put their poster where they can see it daily to remind them to
choose to serve God every day.
---Summary
of Joshua
24:17–33:
The Israelites covenanted to serve the Lord. Joshua designated a great stone as
a reminder of this covenant. The people served the Lord throughout the rest of
Joshua’s life and for many years after.
---Share
what you learned about how to show the Lord that you love Him and choose to
follow Him.
President
Thomas S. Monson shared how a picture in his office helps him remember
Joshua’s declaration to choose to follow the Savior:
“Joshua
of old declared, ‘Choose you this day whom ye will serve; … but as for me and
my house, we will serve the Lord’ [Joshua
24:15]. …
“… Positioned
on the wall of my office, directly opposite my desk, is a lovely print of the
Savior, painted by Heinrich Hofmann [see Jesus Christ, Gospel Art Book
[2009], no. 1]. I love the painting, which I have had since I was a
22-year-old bishop and which I have taken with me wherever I have been assigned
to labor. I have tried to pattern my life after the Master. Whenever I have a
difficult decision to make, I have looked at that picture and asked myself,
‘What would He do?’ Then I try to do it. We can never go wrong when we choose
to follow the Savior” (“Choose You This Day,” Ensign or Liahona,
Nov. 2004, 67).
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