SCRIPTURE PASSAGES

Joshua 23:1-8

Joshua 23:12-13, 16

Joshua 24:14-24

Joshua 24:27-28

 

OVERVIEW

Have you ever sat down to talk with a person who is ancient—someone that is at least old enough to remember a time before cellphones? Often the conversation starts with “When I was a kid,” or “In my day.” Our lesson focuses today on how God lead Israel in the past, so they have confidence in God’s presence in their lives in the future. God promises to treat us like He treated Israel—meaning, He has been, He is, and He will be part of our lives for always.

 

 

OPENING ACTIVITY: HISTORY LESSON

 

Make a list of things that have appeared within the past:

10 years

20 years

30 years

50 years

100 years

200 years

 

DISCUSSION

• What two items on this list are items you wish had never been invented?
• Which one item has made the most positive impact and which the most negative impact on society?
• List three of the most influential people in the past three centuries.
• What characteristics do people who have been influential in the past have in common?
• Describe an item you would you like to see invented. Why do you think this invention would be transformational?

 

TRANSITION

“Historical significance is a complex interplay of factors, including impact, influence, innovation, legacy, cultural context, recognition, and documentation. It's a result of how a person or object's actions have shaped and contributed to the ongoing narrative of human history” (ChatGPT). How would you rate Israel on their ability to learn from the past? How would you rate yourself on your ability to learn from the past? How you live has a huge impact on how others view you and how you view yourself. As the leader of Israel, Joshua has the opportunity to remind people about where they’ve been, where they are, and to give them a choice about where they will end up.

 

BIBLE STUDY GUIDE

 

Read Joshua 23:1-8.

 

After a long time had passed and the Lord had given Israel rest from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then a very old man, 2 summoned all Israel—their elders, leaders, judges and officials—and said to them: “I am very old. 3 You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you. 4 Remember how I have allotted as an inheritance for your tribes all the land of the nations that remain—the nations I conquered—between the Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 The Lord your God himself will push them out for your sake. He will drive them out before you, and you will take possession of their land, as the Lord your God promised you.

6 “Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. 7 Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them. 8 But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now.

 

DISCUSSION

• Why does Joshua give Israel a history lesson?
• Is there a theme in this passage? What is it?

 

Read Joshua 23:12-13, 16.

 

12 “But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them and associate with them, 13 then you may be sure that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land, which the Lord your God has given you.

16 If you violate the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you.”

 

DISCUSSION

• In what ways does this passage remind us of how God treats His people?
• Why does God give this warning?
• Does this warning, in principle, apply to His people today?

 

Read Joshua 24:14-16.

14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods!

Again, Joshua gathers all the people of Israel including all the elders, judges, and other officials of Israel. He spends considerable time reminding them of what God has done, how God did it, and why God did it. It’s almost as if he knows that Israel has a short memory and is trying to reinforce how God made promises that He more than fulfilled so that maybe, just maybe, Israel’s faulty memory will be able to capture the moment and not forget. After all the reminders, Joshua gives them a challenge.

 

DISCUSSION

• What choice does Joshua present to Israel?
• How are those choices significant?
• Do you see any reflection in your life of how God has treated you?

 

Read Joshua 24:16-18.

 

16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”

 

DISCUSSION

• What was Israel’s response Joshua?
• What is your response to God?

 

Read Joshua 24:19-24.

 

19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”

21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”

22 Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.”

“Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied.

23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”

 

DISCUSSION

• After reading Joshua’s comments, how would you have felt if you were one of the Israelites?
• What was their response to his remarks?

 

Read Joshua 24:27-28.

 

27 “See!” he said to all the people. “This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God.”

28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance.

 

DISCUSSION

• Why do you think Joshua set up a stone?
• Do you have reminders in your life of what God has done for you? How do they affect your behavior?

 

APPLICATION

Without a doubt, God has interacted with all of us both individually and corporately. Sometimes in the moment it is hard to see how God is leading, but looking back, for many, it becomes clear. God has not changed and will not change how He deals with us, His children. Just as in Joshua’s time God fought battles for Israel, He is continuing to fight battles for us, and like Israel our response is mixed. God has a plan for each of us. He doesn’t always share it all at once, and often we choose to go directions that aren’t on His map. But the one thing that you can be sure of is that God won’t treat us any different than He did Israel: He is faithful, loving, kind, and always with us. What is your response to Him? When looking back at your life, what will you see and how will you respond?

 

FOLLOW UP

• Write yourself a letter.
• Share a list of the items that you think God has let you down on and where you have seen evidence that He is leading.
• After you write the letter, put it in an envelope and date it two years from the day you wrote it.
• Place the letter in a safe place so that you will be able to find it and read it two years from now. You will be able to see what God has done and His faithfulness to you.

SCRIPTURE PASSAGE

Joshua 24:1-33

 

LEADER’S NOTE

For a Relational Bible Study (RBS) you’ll want to get into the Scripture passage and encourage the youth to imagine participating in the story while it’s happening. Then you will be able to better apply it to your own situation today.

 

You will need to ask God for the Holy Spirit to be present as your small group discusses the questions (no more than 3-6 people in a group is recommended). Start with the opening question. It is a personal question and the answer is unique for each individual. There is no right answer and nobody is an expert here, so don’t be surprised when you hear different responses. You are depending on the Holy Spirit to be present and to speak through your group. Say what God prompts you to say, and listen to what others share.

 

Take turns reading the chapter out loud. Follow that with giving the students some time to individually mark their responses to the questions (a PDF version of the handout is available as a download). This gives each person a starting point for responding when you start to share as a group. Next, begin the discussion by asking the students to share what they marked and why on each question as you work your way through. Feel free to take more time on some questions than others as discussion warrants.

 

Encourage each person in the group to apply what is discussed to their personal lives and to share with the group what they believe God wants them to do. Then ask them to pray that God will help each of them to follow through in doing so. Remind them to expect that God will show them ways to live out the message of this passage in the coming week, and that they are free to ask others in the group to help hold them accountable.

 

DOWNLOAD THE HANDOUT

 

OVERVIEW

This RBS centers on Joshua 24, delving into the pivotal gathering led by Joshua as the people of Israel face the choice to serve God or pull away to outside influences. Participants are invited to consider the choice that the people of Israel had to make and then transition into personal introspection about how to prepare to make good choices in the future.

 

It's Your Choice!

 

What’s your favorite pizza topping? What makes that the best choice?

 

 

Read Joshua 24:1-33.

 

Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.

2 Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. 3 But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, 4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his family went down to Egypt.

5 “ ‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out. 6 When I brought your people out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea. 7 But they cried to the Lord for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time.

8 “ ‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land. 9 When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you. 10 But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.

11 “ ‘Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands. 12 I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. 13 So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’

14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”

19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”

21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”

22 Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.”

“Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied.

23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”

25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws. 26 And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the Lord.

27 “See!” he said to all the people. “This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God.”

28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance.

29 After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. 30 And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

31 Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.

32 And Joseph’s bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph’s descendants.

33 And Eleazar son of Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah, which had been allotted to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.

 

1. Joshua gathered the people of Israel to:

A. Talk about fighting.

B. Share land.

C. Remember how God helped.

D. Plan a party.

E. Say he's retiring.

F. Decide what to do with Rahab.

G. Make trade deals.

H. Discuss farming tips.

I. Other.

 

2. What choices did Joshua give the people?

A. Follow God who saved them from Egypt.

B. Follow the gods their families worshiped.

C. Follow the gods of the people around them.

D. Follow both God and other gods.

E. Forget all gods.

F. Make up their own religion.

G. Do what Moses said instead of Joshua.

H. Do whatever they wanted.

I. Other.

 

3. After Joshua declared, “Choose you this day whom will you serve . . . As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” how did the people respond?

A. Everyone left and went home.

B. The people made a strong promise to serve the God,

C. They had a big feast to celebrate.

D. The people decided to follow other gods.

E. They stared at Joshua in awkward silence.

F. Some people argued with Joshua.

G. They immediately went to battle against another tribe.

H. Joshua left Shechem in disappointment.

I. Other.

 

4. Why is it hard to make good choices?

A. Sometimes the right choice isn't the easiest or most fun.

B. Our feelings mess up our thinking.

C. It’s hard to fit in with friends.

D. People give us different advice, and it's confusing.

E. Being scared of messing up or getting rejected stops us.

F. It’s not hard to make good choices.

G. Other.

 

5. Complete this statement: A value or something important that guides the choices I make is:

A. Honesty—It helps me have good relationships.

B. Ambition—It makes me work hard for success.

C. Popularity—It's important to fit in.

D. Kindness—It helps create a positive atmosphere.

E. Family—It influences what I think is important.

F. Independence—It makes me want to decide for myself.

G. Other: _______________

 

6. Circle a number on the scale to show how excited you are about each of these choices you may face after high school from 1 (you're really not excited at all) to 5 (you're really excited).

 

	REALLY NOT EXCITED	A LITTLE EXCITED	SOMEWHAT EXCITED	QUITE EXCITED	REALLY EXCITED
Making my own rules.	1	2	3	4	5
Picking my dream job.	1	2	3	4	5
Figuring out where to live.	1	2	3	4	5
Learning to manage money.	1	2	3	4	5
Making new friends and keeping old ones.	1	2	3	4	5
Travelling wherever I want.	1	2	3	4	5
Having my own relationship with God.	1	2	3	4	5

 

7. What's one small step you can take to make sure you're making good choices, even when it's tough?

 

 

8. How can you make choices today that show you're following God, even when there are many other things trying to get your attention?

 

 

SUMMARY

In Joshua 24, the spotlight is on choices, just like the ones we face daily. Picture Joshua rallying the Israelites for a crucial decision-making moment—a bit like us considering our options. It's about sticking with God's path or drifting into different directions. Joshua's strong words, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord," highlight the impact of personal commitment. Our choices aren't always easy—emotions and peer pressure can mess things up. Yet, the call to stay true to our beliefs is unwavering. What we choose shapes where we're headed and mirrors our values. Joshua's story reminds us: every choice, big or small, weaves into the story of who we're becoming.

 

 

APPLICATION

Here are four ways to apply this week’s story and theme!

 

PROMISE STONES.

• Gather your friends and make promise stones just like Joshua's covenant rock.
• Pick a word or phrase that shows your commitment to following God.
• Decorate these stones with the chosen words to keep them as cool reminders of how we're all in this together on our faith journey.

 

OUR HOUSE.

• Grab a big poster and bring along anyone you consider part of your crew—your family, your friends, anyone who's got your back.
• Craft a pledge that's all about how we're sticking with God.
• Decorate the poster so it shouts out your promise.
• Hang it up as a reminder of that promise.

 

MODERN IDOLS.

The people of Israel had to put away false idols, but we don’t often worship other figures as gods in our days. An idol can be anything that becomes more important to us than God.

• What are modern day idols in your life that need to be put away or destroyed?
• Write down a list and ask God to help you put these idols away.
• Invite a friend to do the same; you don’t have to share your answers but pray for one another that God would take priority again in your life.

 

SONGS OF SHECHEM.

• Reflect on Joshua 24 and write down three lessons that really stood out to you.
• Then, dive into the hymns and worship songs your church loves and pick three that feel like they connect with those lessons.
• Put together a playlist with these songs—something you can play throughout the week or sing along with your friends.
• This playlist will be a musical reminder of the lessons from Joshua 24.