Based on Joshua, Lesson 2
STEP 1: ANSWERING QUESTIONS (discovery)
In preparation for the discussion group, every participant is expected to do his/her homework. To do this you only need your Bible and the workbook. Every participant receives their own workbook containing the questions and the commentary. The workbooks have enough room for you to write you answers to the questions and any insights you may gain from the passage.
Below are a number of questions from this lesson on Joshua, in order to give you an impression of the types of questions in the workbooks. There are 17 questions in the entire leson. They could be spread out over two Bible study sessions. This lesson covers 3 chapters from the book of Joshua. The answers to the questions can always be found in the Bible!
Faith and worship - Joshua 3 - 5
Begin by reading Joshua 3 - 5 in its entirety and then re-read the texts referred to in each question as you answer it. Make a note of the Bible verse where you found your answer. Questions with an asterisk (*) are for deeper thought.
Preparations for the trip across the Jordan - Joshua 3:1-6
2. a. What do you think Joshua means when he says, “Consecrate yourselves” (3:5)? Use a dictionary if you wish.
b. Why does he tell the people to do this?
b. Why does he tell the people to do this?
3. a. Read Exodus 25:10-22 and Hebrews 9:4. What is the main purpose of the ark, and what items are
contained in it? Why is the ark essential to the Israelites?
b. How are the people to follow the ark, and what will they gain by doing so?
God once again parts water - Joshua 3:7-17
4. a. Why does God exalt Joshua?
b. What is the inherent danger for a leader God has lifted up, whether the person is Joshua or a leader in our world today? (See Isaiah 42:8.)
b. What is the inherent danger for a leader God has lifted up, whether the person is Joshua or a leader in our world today? (See Isaiah 42:8.)
*c. How do you think this danger can be avoided?
6) When Joshua speaks to the people of Israel, how does he exalt the Lord?
A memorial is set up- Joshua 4:1-11
7. a. Whom do the 12 men represent? (See Joshua 3:12.)
b. What are these men directed to do, and what is the significance of this act? How will future
generations benefit from it?
b. What are these men directed to do, and what is the significance of this act? How will future
generations benefit from it?
9) What is something that God has done in your life that you could use as a memorial
for His might and faithfulness?
What significance can this have for you, your family and your friends?
The Israelites arrive in the promised land - Joshua 4:12 - 5:1
10. What eternal truth is revealed in the miracle of the Jordan and memorialized in stone?
STEP 2: DISCUSSION GROUP (interaction)
The discussion group during the Bible study meeing is the next step. The discussion is regarding the questions that have been answered and is led by a trained discussion group leader. The leader sees to it that everyone who has completed their homework has a chance to share and those who have not done their homework can listen to the discussion. This is an enriching and important step in the learning process. God's Word is alive and powerful and as a result of the discussions participants gain deeper insight into the passage their have studied on their own at home. 45-60 minutes is usually needed for the discussion time. We advise you to keep the discussion groups small...no more than 10 participants. If your Bible study group is larger than 10 people, then we suggest that you divide the group into 2 smaller discussion groups. This insures that each participant has adequate opportunity to contribute to the discussion.
STEP 3: SUMMARY (listening)
Next all the discussion groups come back together to listen to a summary that has been prepared by a leader. This summary is usually focussed on the application of the biblical principles that are in the Bible passage being studied. Henk van den Heerik used the following theme in a presentation he made on this lesson:
SEEING A SIGN, BEING A REMINDER
STEP 4: COMMENTARY (reading)
The commentary is to be found in the workbook and is intended to be read at home. This is the final step in the lesson. Once the lesson is completed, you are ready to begin answering the questions for the following lesson. (step 1)
Below is a shortened version of the commentary for this lesson, entitled 'Faith and worship'.
Knowing that God was totally trustworthy, Joshua followed Him wherever He led. When God directs us, like Joshua, to the brink of turbulence, can we walk by faith with Him? Even in an “impossible” circumstance, Joshua trusted God. God above, not the swirling waters below, was the focus of his vision. As we trust Him, God has promised to bless us as He blessed the Israelites (Psalm 40:4); He will never leave or forsake us. We can believe Him, even when He leads us into the darkest hour of our lives (Matthew 28:20). Let us rest in Him as we encounter prob-lems that seem to have no human solution.
When all have crossed over, God tells Joshua: “Choose twelve men ... to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and ... put them down at the place where you stay tonight” (4:2-3). These memorial stones will remind the Israelites and the generations to come of God’s mighty deed on their behalf. This first miracle establishes Joshua’s credibility with the people, now in awe of him just as they had been of Moses. The priests bearing the ark wait patiently in the riverbed until God gives the command through Jo-shua to come out. When they do, the river again flows, flooding its banks. This takes place on the 10th day of the first month, the Jewish month of Nisan (late March or early April). Hearing about this miracle terrifies the hearts of the pagan kings in Canaan, who are then afraid to face the Israelites.
PERSONALIZE this lesson. The 12 stones of memorial served to remind the Israelites of God’s powerful, loving care for them. As believers in Christ, we have also been given a way to remember God’s powerful, loving care for us. All God’s benevolence toward us is manifested in His Son, Jesus Christ. The Lord’s Supper was established as the one act in which we are to participate in remembrance of our Lord’s death. It is a sign among us to proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes again (1 Corinthians 11:24-26). The bread represents His body, given on our behalf (Luke 22:19); the cup symbolizes His blood, shed for the forgiveness of our sins (Matthew 26:28). (Others believe that the bread and wine become the very body and blood of Jesus.) Jesus died as the perfect “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Believers are exhorted to remember Jesus Christ by observing the Lord’s Supper and to respectfully worship Him “in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).