Cast: A narrator (teacher), one child to
be Joshua, two children to be the Israelite spies, one to be Rahab,
one to be the King of Jericho and two children to be soldiers of
Jericho. Have the children act out the motions while you read the
following lines or you may have the children rehearse the skit before
the lesson, or perform it impromptu. If the teacher is reading the
lines for the children, he or she must say the name of the character
before reading the lines so the children will know when it is their
turn to perform.
Narrator: The Bible tells us that Moses and the Israelites wandered in the
desert without reaching the Promise land for 40 years. After Moses
died God told Joshua that he would become the new leader to fulfill
God’s promise to his people, and he would lead them into the
Promised Land.
So Joshua assembled the Israelites, and told them to get ready to
cross the Jordan River to take over the land. Before they took over
the land, Joshua chose two spies to check out one of the most wicked
cities, Jericho. There the spies entered the house of a prostitute
named, Rahab. The Bible tells us that Rahab and the people of that
entire region had heard about the power of the God of Israel, and that
she and they were very afraid. Because Rahab feared God, she wanted to
help the spies by hiding them from the King of Jericho and his
soldiers.
Joshua: (speaking to the spies) "Go look over the land God
promised to us, especially Jericho. Then report back to me. And
remember what God told me, ‘Be strong and courageous because the
LORD your God is with you wherever you go!’ "
Two Israelite Spies: (sneaking away and finding Rahab)
"Shalom! We are hiding from your King. Will you hide us and keep
us safe?"
Rahab: "I have heard miraculous stories about how your God
parted the Red Sea to help you escape from Egypt, and how your God
defeated all the armies that came against you. I will hide you because
I want to serve your God. Come get on my rooftop and I’ll cover you
with this grain so no one will find you!
King of Jericho: (speaking to his soldiers) "I have heard
that the Israelites are ready to take over our land. Go hunt their
spies down and kill them before they have a chance to defeat us!"
Soldiers of Jericho: (Pretending to look for the spies but do
not find them) "Oh spies, where are you?! If we find you we will
kill you! Come out, come out wherever you are!"
Soldiers: (find Rahab and speak to her) "We have heard
that you have helped those Israelite spies. Where are they? Tell us
now!"
Rahab: "The spies were here but they left. I don’t know
which way they went. Go after them quickly and you might catch
them!"
Soldiers: "OK. Thanks!" (soldiers run away looking
for the spies)
Rahab: "You-hoooo...spies...the coast is clear. You may
come out!"
Two Israelite Spies: "Wow, that was close! Thank you for
hiding us. We’ll be going now."
Rahab: "Wait a minute! Not so fast busters! Since I was
kind to you, please protect my family and me from death."
Two Israelite Spies: Your lives for our lives! If you don’t
tell on us, we will treat you kindly and protect you and your family
when we invade Jericho and take it over.
Rahab: "Here, crawl down this rope through the window.
Then run to the hills and hide there until the soldiers come back to
the city. Then you will know that it is safe for you to return to your
camp."
Two Israelite Spies: "As a sign of our promise to protect
you, and your promise to not tell on us, when we enter the land to
take it over, hang a scarlet colored cord in the window to show that
you have kept your word. When we see the scarlet cord, we will know
that you are on our side. God will then protect you and your family
from death when Jericho is destroyed."
Rahab: I will do as you say. (Rahab ties the scarlet cord on
the window [back of chair])
Two Israelite Spies: (reporting back to Joshua) "It is
time to take over the land. Everyone is afraid of God’s army. The
LORD has surely given them and the land into our hands!"
Joshua: "Let’s go and conquer the land that God promised
to Abraham and all our descendants."
(Give the children applause and have them sit down for the rest of
the story)
Narrator: Early the next morning the Bible tells us that Joshua
and the leaders of Israel crossed the Jordan River in a miraculous
way. God parted the water and led them through on dry land just like
he did for Moses and the Israelites when they crossed the Red Sea to
escape from Egypt. Then God told Joshua to do something very unusual.
This is what he said:
"See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its
king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the
armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of
rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the
city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear
them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a
loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people
will go up, every man straight in."
The Bible tells us that the Israelites did as the LORD commanded
and the city was utterly destroyed. Everyone and everything -men and
women, young and old, cattle, sheep, and donkeys. Everyone except
Rahab and her family because she had protected the spies and feared
God. From that day on Rahab and her family lived among God’s people.
In fact, the Bible tells us that she was a great, great,
great...grandmother of King David, and that means she was an ancestor
of Jesus!
(see Matthew chapter 1)
-The End-
Memory Verse
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be
discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you
go." Joshua 1:9
Pray
Dear Jesus, help us to be strong and courageous like Joshua, Rahab and
the two Israelite spies were. Help us to be willing to follow you no
matter what the circumstances are. Amen.
From Super
Heroes of the Bible - The Willing Hearts Who Changed The Course of
History
Copyright 2003 S. A.
Keith / SundaySchoolNetwork.Com
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