Free Bible lesson for kids · The Promised Land
The Walls of Jericho
God told Joshua to march around Jericho with the priests carrying the ark and seven trumpets of rams’ horns: once a day for six days, and seven times on the seventh day. When the priests blew the trumpets and all the people shouted with a great shout, the wall fell down flat. Rahab and her family were saved, and the LORD was with Joshua.
- Bible passage
- Joshua 6:1–27
- Big idea
- When we trust God and obey Him, He does what we could never do.
- Memory verse
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.
Hebrews 11:30 (KJV)- Ages
- Preschool to preteen (3 to 12), with tips for each age
- Time
- About 45 minutes
- Included, free
- Animated story film, coloring page, class sheet, teacher guide, questions and answers, a game
The story
Jericho was shut up tight, and no one went in or out (Joshua 6:1). But the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have given into thine hand Jericho” (Joshua 6:2). The soldiers were to march around the city once a day for six days, with seven priests carrying trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark (Joshua 6:3–4). The people were not to shout or say a word until Joshua told them to (Joshua 6:10).
On the seventh day they rose early and marched around the city seven times (Joshua 6:15). Then Joshua said, “Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city” (Joshua 6:16). The priests blew the trumpets, the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat (Joshua 6:20). Rahab had hidden the spies, so she and her family were saved (Joshua 6:23, 25). “So the LORD was with Joshua” (Joshua 6:27).
Read it in the Bible: Joshua 6:1–27 (KJV)
1Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in. 2And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. 3And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. 4And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. 5And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him. 6And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD. 7And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD. 8And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them. 9And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets. 10And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout. 11So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp. 12And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. 13And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets. 14And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days. 15And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times. 16And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city. 17And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. 18And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. 19But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD. 20So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. 21And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword. 22But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot’s house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her. 23And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel. 24And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD. 25And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. 26And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it. 27So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country.
Questions to ask
How many times did Israel march around Jericho?
Once a day for six days, then seven times on the seventh day (Joshua 6:3–4, 15).
What did the seven priests carry before the ark?
Seven trumpets of rams’ horns (Joshua 6:4).
What happened when the people shouted with a great shout?
The wall fell down flat, and they went up into the city (Joshua 6:20).
What this story teaches
- God gave Jericho to Israel before the walls ever fell (Joshua 6:2).
- We obey God by doing things His way, in His time (Joshua 6:10, 16).
- By faith God’s people obeyed, and the walls fell down (Hebrews 11:30).
- God spared Rahab, who trusted Him and welcomed the spies (Hebrews 11:31).
- The victory came from the LORD, not from Israel’s strength (Joshua 6:16).
Jesus Gives Us Victory
The LORD gave Jericho to His people. Through Jesus Christ, God gives us the victory over sin and death.
1 Corinthians 15:55–57
A 45-minute lesson plan
| 5 min | Welcome and pray. Greet each child by name and pray: Ask God to help us trust and obey Him, even when His way seems strange. |
|---|---|
| 10 min | The story. Play the story film: each verse appears on screen in the King James Version while the scene plays. Pause to ask what happens next. |
| 10 min | Talk about it. Ask the three questions below. Then ask: “When we trust God and obey Him, He does what we could never do.” What does that mean for us? |
| 5 min | Memory verse. Say Hebrews 11:30 together, covering one word at a time until the children can say it alone. |
| 10 min | Activity. Younger children color the coloring page while you retell the story; older children do the class sheet (memory-verse fill-in, word search and questions). |
| 5 min | Pray and send home. Pray together and send the sheet home so families can talk about the first question this week. |
- Preschool: keep it short and physical. Act out the story, use a simple prop, and repeat the big idea in one sentence.
- Elementary: let children find the passage in their own Bibles. Ask “who, what, where” questions first, then “why.”
- Preteens: read the verses before and after the passage, and ask how this story fits the whole story of the Bible.
Game time
For kids · game · indoors · about 10 minutes
March Around Jericho
You need: Empty boxes or paper cups for a wall, a kazoo for each “priest”
- Build a wall of boxes or cups in the middle of the room.
- Everyone lines up behind the “priests” (two kids with kazoos) and marches around the wall without a sound, once for each day.
- On the seventh time around, the priests blow the trumpets and everybody shouts. A leader knocks the wall down.
- Rebuild the wall and choose new priests for the next round.
Joshua didn’t knock the walls down. God did, when His people trusted and obeyed.
For youth group · game · indoors · about 15 minutes
Wall Smash
You need: Cardboard boxes, foam balls
- Each team builds a wall of boxes on its side.
- Teams take turns throwing foam balls to knock down the other team’s wall.
- The last wall standing wins. Talk: what “walls” seem too big for you?
The people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down flat. No wall is too big for God.
Pray
Ask God to help us trust and obey Him, even when His way seems strange.