TOPIC: Joshua

(RCCG Sunday School Manual For Young Adults And Youths (YAYA)
OPENING PRAYER: Dear Lord, help me to learn unique qualities from Joshua’s life.
PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE: The teacher should allow the assistant teacher to review the lesson for
the previous week.
MEMORY VERSE: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate
therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for
then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” – Joshua 1:8
(KJV)
BIBLE PASSAGE: Joshua 1:1-9 (KJV)
1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto
Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying,
2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people,
unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.

3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto
Moses.
4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the
land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with
Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the
land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the
law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left,
that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest.
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and
night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt
make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou
dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

INTRODUCTION: Joshua, the son of Nun (Joshua 1:1), can be described as Moses’ military leader
(Exodus 17:8-9). He was ordained and appointed to succeed Moses. God and Moses ordained
him (Numbers 27:18-23). He made his first appearance in Exodus 17:8-16. He is of the tribe of
Ephraim and his original name was ‘Hoshea’ meaning ‘Salvation’ (Deuteronomy 32:44) which is
also spelt ‘OShea’ (Numbers 13:8). Moses renamed him, Joshua, meaning ‘Jehovah
saves’ (Numbers 13:16). Alternative spellings of his name are ‘Jehoshua’ (Numbers 13:16), and
‘Jeshua’ (Nehemiah 8:17). He died at One Hundred and Ten years old (Joshua 24:29).

LESSON AIM: To teach the church lessons from the life of Joshua.
TEACHING OBJECTIVES: Through this study, students are expected to:
a. Know the background of Joshua.
b. Understand his character and achievements. c. Learn some lessons from his life.
TEXT REVIEW: Joshua 1:1-9.
A. God spoke to Joshua after the death of Moses that:
i. He should arise and go over Jordan with the Israelites. V2.
ii. He has given to him every……………..V3.
iii. No man will be ………………………V4.
iv. He will be with him as He was with Moses. V5
B. God commanded him to be strong and courageous because:
i. Unto the people …………………………V6.
ii. The people must observe to …………….V7.
iii. The Israelites must read, ………………V8.
LESSON OUTLINES:
. Character And Achievements
. Lessons From His Life
1. CHARACTER AND ACHIEVEMENTS
A. His Character
. Joshua was full of the Spirit of Wisdom (Deuteronomy 34:9).
. He was a warrior who led Israel to battle from Moses’ time (Exodus 17:9-15).
. He was a faithful minister of Moses (Exodus 33:8-11) and an optimist alongside Caleb
(Numbers 14:6-8).
. He accompanied Moses to Mount Sinai and waited for him at the bottom of the mountain
while Moses climbed the mountain to receive the Commandments from God (Exodus
24:13-14; 32:15-19).
. He was humble enough to understudy Moses. Joshua was committed to serving God and
also made his family to serve God (Joshua 24:15).
. His farewell message condemned idolatry as he wanted Israel to serve God (Joshua 23
and 24).
. He took counsel from God before doing anything (Joshua 5:13-14) except in the case of
the Gibeonites (Joshua 9:14-16) and the people of ‘Ai’ (Joshua 7:3) where he allowed
people to influence his decisions.
B. His Achievements
. Joshua succeeded Moses (Joshua 1:1-2, 5).
. Parted river Jordan (Joshua 3:13-17).
. Prayed and altered the course of nature (Joshua 10:12-14).
. He took the Israelites to the Promised Land and divided the conquered cities among the
tribes of Israel as God mandated him (Joshua 1:6).
. Joshua led the miraculous and historical conquest of Jericho (Joshua 6:1-27).
. He was able to charge the Israelites not to deviate from serving God; a legacy that lasted
after his death (Joshua 24:14-16; 20-24).
CLASS ACTIVITY 1: Mention one character/achievement that stood out for you in the life of
Joshua.
2. LESSONS FROM HIS LIFE
. Believers should hold unto God’s counsel and remain strong to the end (Joshua 1:6-7;
Ephesians 6:10-11).
. We should learn to be obedient and follow through with detailed divine instructions
(Joshua 3; 6:1-21; 1 Samuel 15:22; 2 Corinthians 10:6).
. We should be bold in the face of challenges (Joshua 5:13-14; 10:12-14; 2 Timothy 1:7).
. Like Joshua, believers must shun unfaithfulness (Joshua 7:19-26; 1 Corinthians 4:2).
CLASS ACTIVITY 2: Was it Joshua’s fault that he could not conquer more lands as revealed by
God?
CONCLUSION: Believers who remain obedient to divine instructions will enjoy divine help always.
EVALUATION: Mention four lessons from the life of Joshua.
CLOSING PRAYER: Father, help me to remain strong till the end of my life.
ASSIGNMENT: Identify five (5) Bible Characters who succeeded their leaders with biblical
references (2X5=10 Marks).