Today’s Reading:
Read Joshua 6:1-5; 12-16
Brainstorm what you think you would need to fight a battle. Make a list – be as specific as possible.
The land of Canaan, the land promised to the Israelites that we call the Promised Land, was filled with people who did not worship the one true God. There were nations that worshiped false gods and practiced evil things. In order for the Israelites to live in Canaan, they were going to need to take over those nations. The rulers of the nations in Canaan had heard stories of the Israelites and of how God had provided for them, and they were very scared. Jericho was one of those cities and it was “strongly fortified because of the Israelites” (Josh 6:1). There was literally a wall surrounding the city to keep it safe.
The Lord promised Joshua that the land of Jericho would be the Israelites land. He told Joshua to lead the Israelites in marching around the city for 6 days and on the 7th day blow the horns. Take time to review your list of how you would fight a battle. Did you list marching around a city for 7 days as a way to win the battle? Probably not! The Israelites did just what God told them to do – and the walls to Jericho fell down! And, just as God had promised, the Israelites were able to capture the city of Jericho.
God continued to show the Israelites that if they were faithful to obey, He would not forget his covenant with them and He would provide for them.
Application/Prayer:
Talk about how God instructed the Israelites to fight the battle of Jericho. It was definitely different than what the Israelites would have expected. Read Isaiah 55:8. Thank God that He knows the best way- even if it is different from what we might think we should do.
March Memory Verse:
He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Matthew 4:4
Using the daily reading prompts from George H. Guthrie’s Read the Bible for Life, here’s how to use this devotional:
- Bring your Bible! Your kids need to see that everything you are reading to them or learning about comes from an actual Bible!
- Each day starts with a reading prompt. Read the selection as a family. If your kids are readers, encourage them to read along with you.
- After you’ve read the passage, read the short devotional thought that goes along with each passage.
- Prayer and application are important any time we read God’s word! After each devotional, there is a challenge to help apply what your family has read that day.
- There is a reading for six days of the week. The last reading of the week is a Gospel Conversation Prompt to help you connect the reading from the week with God’s plan for salvation.
Other Resources:
March memory verse coloring sheet