Family Devotional: Deborah and Barak
Dear Parents,
This week, kids learn that the time of the judges continued after the death of Ehud. The Israelites fell into a continuous cycle of sin, bondage, deliverance, and peace. Every judge was imperfect, yet God worked through the judges. At the time when the Israelites were oppressed by the king of Canaan, Deborah was the judge of Israel. Deborah sent for Barak and encouraged him to take up an army and fight the army of Canaan and its leader, Sisera.
Deborah reminded Barak that God would hand Sisera and his troops over to him. (Judg. 4:6-7) Barak agreed to go, but only if Deborah went with him. Deborah went, but she informed Barak that he would get no glory for the battle.
When Barak went down from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men, “The Lord threw Sisera and all his army into confusion with the sword before Barak” (Judg. 4:15). Everyone in the army died, but Sisera escaped on foot.
Sisera fled to the tent of Jael, who invited him inside and gave him a drink. While Sisera slept, Jael drove a tent peg through his temple and he died.
Judges 5 records a victory song Deborah and Barak sang on that day, praising God for defeating the Canaanites. The land had rest for 40 years.
The Israelites’ sin had resulted in 20 years of defeat. God fought for the Israelites and used Deborah, Barak, and Jael to accomplish the Israelites’ victory over Canaan. As you talk to your kids this week, highlight the actions of Deborah and Barak, who willingly served God and used their gifts for His glory.
Use the Christ Connection to emphasize that God does what is for His glory and our good. (Psalm 115:3; Romans 8:28) God fought for the Israelites and used Deborah, Barak, and Jael to defeat Canaan. In a similar way, God uses people and events to not only save us from our enemies, but to teach us about our ultimate good: salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Family Devotional: Israel's Unfaithfulness
Dear Parents,
Thank you for choosing to use the Gospel Project for Kids. Following Joshua’s death, the Israelites were without a leader. They fell into a cycle of sin that can be seen during each reign of the judges. The cycle is marked by an A-B-C-D-E pattern. Let’s look at the first judge, Othniel, to see this pattern.
First, the people fell into Apostasy. They turned away from God and served other gods. (Judg. 3:7) Next, they experienced a period of Bondage. God was angry with the Israelites, and He gave them into the hand of the king of Aram. (v. 8) Third, the people Cried out to God. (v. 9) Then, God sent a Deliverer to save them. (vv. 9-10) Finally, they had Ease in the land. (v. 11) Then Othniel died.
This pattern continued with Ehud. The people had again turned from God. Their apostasy made God angry. He sent them into bondage by strengthening the king of Moab to defeat Israel. The Israelites served the king of Moab for 18 years.
The Moabites were well-fed, especially the king. They enjoyed the fruit of the Israelites’ labor while the Israelites went hungry. By thrusting a sword into the king’s belly, Ehud disemboweled the king and left him dead on the floor of his room. The fat covered over the handle of the sword so that Ehud could not remove it.
After Ehud delivered Israel, the Israelites struck down the Moabites and there was peace in the land for eighty years. But Ehud would die, and they would need another judge to lead them.
As you talk with your kids this week, discuss that the Israelites needed someone better than a judge. The judges saved the people from the consequences of their sin, but not the cause of it. God’s plan was to one day send a true Deliverer—Jesus, His own Son—to be the King of His people. Jesus saves people from sin forever.
Family Devotional: Taking the Land
Dear Parents,
Last week, kids learned that God fought for His people at the battle of Jericho. When Moses was the leader of Israel, God gave His people instructions about entering the promised land. Among those instructions was the command to drive out the nations living in the land of Canaan. (See Deut. 7.) These nations were corrupt, and God would judge them for their sin. (Lev. 18)
In the first battle, Israel marched around Jericho and the Lord gave them the city. As Israel moved to take the rest of the land, God pledged His presence to Joshua and reminded Israel of what He required: If you want to be successful in the land, you must obey Me. (See Josh. 1:7.) The Israelites learned from experience that disobedience to God would result in certain defeat, as Achan’s sin brought about their downfall during the battle of Ai. (Josh. 7)
During the battles the Israelites faced in Canaan, Joshua was not in charge; the Lord was. God determined whom Israel battled and how Israel would win. Joshua 10–11 describes Israel’s defeat of five kings who attacked Gibeon, an ally of Israel. Miraculously, God sent hailstones and stopped the sun. He gave Israel the victory. God was with Israel as they conquered the rest of the land. Then He gave His people years of peace and rest.
Help your kids see the bigger picture beyond Israel’s individual battles against the Canaanites. Joshua’s name means “The LORD is salvation.” God fought for Joshua and the Israelites, saving them and giving them victory over their enemies. Sinners can look to God for victory over sin and death. God brought us salvation by sending His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross and rise again.
Family Devotional: The Battle of Jericho
Dear Parents,
The Lord brought His people into the promised land. Now they had a task set before them: conquer the people living in the land. Before the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, Joshua—in the way Moses had done decades before—sent scouts into the land. (See Num. 13:2-3.) The first city the Israelites came to was Jericho. God told Joshua that He had handed the city over to Israel.
The Lord’s reputation went ahead of the Israelites, creating fear in the people of Jericho. With the exception of one woman, the people of Jericho wanted nothing to do with God.
Rahab was unique among the inhabitants of Jericho. She wanted to be on God’s side. Hebrews 11:31 says that by faith, Rahab “welcomed the spies in peace.” Rahab didn’t hide the spies and help them escape from the city because she was especially courageous or because she had a strong desire to live; Rahab acted by faith. By faith Rahab believed God would win the battle, and she asked the spies to show mercy to her family and keep them safe. When the Israelites attacked Jericho, Rahab and her family received mercy and became part of God’s people. Jesus has won against sin and death. Everyone who trusts in Jesus receives mercy and becomes part of God’s family forever.
Rahab wasn’t the only one trusting in God. The Israelites fought the battle of Jericho by faith. (See Heb. 11:30.) Israel did not focus on what was going on inside the city of Jericho; they focused on doing what God had instructed. They obeyed even when it seemed nothing was happening. On the seventh day, the troops shouted, the trumpets sounded, and the wall around Jericho collapsed.
Joshua gave the people specific instructions to destroy everything in the city except for Rahab and her family. The Israelites were not to keep anything for themselves. The Lord would provide for all of their needs, so they had no reason to plunder Jericho. When the Israelites attacked Jericho, Rahab and her family were safe. They joined God’s people. (Josh. 6:25) By faith, we believe Jesus has defeated sin and death. Everyone who trusts in Jesus is safe and becomes part of God’s family forever.
Family Devotional: Crossing the Jordan
Dear Parents,
Thank you for choosing to use the Gospel Project for Kids. You and your children have been learning about the Israelites’ wandering in the wilderness. Forty years later, it was time for the next generation to enter the land. Only one geographical barrier separated the Israelites from the promised land of Canaan: the Jordan River. When the Israelites arrived, the Jordan River was flooded due to spring rains and snowmelt. Any other time, the river would have been manageable, but crossing the swollen river would have been as daunting as crossing the Red Sea. (See Josh. 4:23.)
The Israelites had mourned Moses’ death for 30 days (Deut. 34:8), but now this new generation looked to Joshua to lead them into the promised land. God had chosen Joshua and promised to be with him. Joshua prepared the people to cross the Jordan River, and they agreed to obey him as they obeyed Moses.
God gave Joshua a promise and a command. First, He promised to go before them and drive out all the people of the land. Then God commanded him to tell the priests to carry the ark of the LORD (a symbol of God’s powerful presence) into the waters of the Jordan. Then the waters of the river would be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above would stand in one heap. When this happened, all of Israel would know that God was with Joshua.
All of the people passed over on dry ground. Joshua set up 12 memorial stones as a reminder of God’s faithfulness in bringing Israel safely across the Jordan into the promised land.
The Israelites could do nothing apart from God. He was with them, and He was going to fight for them. In John 15:5, Jesus said, “You can do nothing without me.”
As you go through this week, emphasize with your kids that God was still at work with His people. God went ahead of Joshua and the Israelites into the promised land. He showed His power to them so they would trust in Him. When Jesus came to earth, He showed His power so people would trust in Him and be saved from sin. The cross is our reminder of what Jesus has done for us: a miraculous saving we could never do for ourselves.
Family Devotionals: Moses' Farewell
Dear Parents,
Decades had passed since God used Moses to rescue the Israelites from slavery and lead them toward the promised land. The Israelites had not trusted God then and had refused to enter the land.
After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, the Israelites were once again at the edge of the promised land. But this time, it was a whole new generation of Israelites—many of whom had not even been born when the people left Egypt and came to this land the first time. Their leader, Moses, was 120 years old.
Moses wrote the Book of Deuteronomy to tell the people all that God had done for them and to repeat the laws and instructions that God had given His people. At the end of the book, God told Moses that Moses would soon die, never setting foot in the promised land because of his disobedience. (See Num. 20:12.) Instead, God chose Joshua to lead Israel into the land.
God also revealed to Moses that even though Israel had just endured 40 years of punishment for not trusting Him, the people would abandon God again. Having the laws written out would not be enough to keep the Israelites from breaking their covenant with God. Moses emphasized that obedience would lead to blessing and life, but disobedience would lead to curses—namely, exile from the land.
Moses went up to a mountain where he could see the land that God had promised to give to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then Moses died there.
Emphasize to your children that Moses wasn’t perfect, but Moses was a good leader for God’s people. No other prophet in Israel was like Moses—until Jesus came. The Bible says Jesus deserves more glory than Moses. Jesus is our perfect leader. He died and was raised so that Moses and every believer in all of time can enter the promised land of God’s kingdom.
Family Devotionals: Balaam and Balak
Dear Parents,
God’s people, the Israelites, were in the wilderness. They had arrived at the promised land decades earlier, but the people had rebelled—refusing to trust God to give them the land. They believed it would be better to die in the wilderness than follow God (Num. 14:2), so God sent them into the wilderness for 40 years (vv. 28-29). In time, all of the adults died except for Joshua, Caleb, and Moses. The children grew up and more children were born. The Israelites disobeyed God time and again, but God still provided for them. He planned to keep His promise to give Israel the promised land.
As the Israelites traveled, God gave them victory over attacking armies like the Canaanites and Amorites. Not surprisingly, when Israel set up camp in the plains of Moab, on the east side of the Jordan River, Balak—the king of Moab—was terrified. The king knew he could not defeat the Israelites on his own, so he called on Balaam, a pagan prophet, to put a curse on them.
Though Balaam did not follow God, he knew of God and God spoke to him. God told Balaam, “You are not to curse this people, for they are blessed.” God’s plan all along was to bless humanity (Gen. 1:28), specifically through the nation of Israel (Gen. 12:3). So each time Balaam spoke over Israel, God did not allow him to curse the Israelites. Instead, Balaam spoke in four clear messages, insisting that God would bless the Israelites.
One of the ways God would bless the Israelites is found in Numbers 24:17: “A star will come from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel.” Balaam told of a powerful future king who would be victorious over his enemies. This prophecy referred to and was ultimately fulfilled by Jesus.
Teach your kids that God protects His people. His promises are sure. Balaam could not curse God’s people. God had blessed the Israelites, so Balaam blessed them too. Fourteen hundred years after Balaam announced God’s promise, Jesus was born. God sent Jesus to bless the whole world by rescuing people from sin.
Family Devotionals: The Bronze Snake
Dear Parents,
Last week, kids learned that the Israelites believed the discouraging report of the land of Canaan instead of Joshua and Caleb’s good report. As a result, God punished the Israelites for their lack of faith. The Israelites had been wandering in the wilderness when they complained to Moses and to God. God had done some pretty amazing things for the Israelites—He rescued them from the hand of Pharaoh, He parted the Red Sea so they could safely cross, and He provided manna for them to eat. But to the Israelites, this wasn’t enough.
God disciplined them because He knew their dissatisfaction was a sign of a bigger issue: a heart problem, a sin problem. They stopped believing that God is good. In their hearts, the Israelites believed the same lie that rattled Eve in the garden. Maybe God isn’t interested in giving us what is best. Maybe He is holding out on us.
God sent venomous snakes that bit the people and killed many of them. The Israelites repented. They wanted Moses to ask God to take away the snakes.
God provided a solution. He told Moses, “Make a snake image out of bronze and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will recover.”
In John 3:14, Jesus said, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.” What was Jesus talking about? Second Corinthians 5:21 says, “He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” So Jesus invites us, “Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth. For I am God, and there is no other” (Isa. 45:22).
As you talk to your kids this week, help them understand that the Israelites faced a huge problem because of their sin. God sent snakes to punish Israel, but anyone who was bitten could look at the bronze snake on the pole and live. Because of our sin, we face a huge problem: we are separated from God. We deserve to die, but anyone who looks to Jesus on the cross and trusts in Him will live forever with God.
Family Devotionals: Joshua and Caleb
Dear Parents,
Thank you for choosing to use the Gospel Project for Kids. Your kids have been learning about the Israelites—former slaves in Egypt—as they moved toward the promised land. Before God rescued His people from slavery in Egypt, He promised to bring the Israelites back to the land He had given to Abraham so many years before. (Ex. 3:8) From Egypt, the Israelites crossed the Red Sea and traveled toward Mount Sinai. When they were hungry and thirsty, God provided food and water. (See Ex. 16–17.) Israel spent one year at Mount Sinai, where Moses received God’s law, including the Ten Commandments.
Time and again, the Israelites rebelled against God, Moses interceded, and God pardoned the people. When Israel arrived at the edge of the promised land, God instructed Moses to send scouts into the land. Moses sent out a leader from each tribe. Twelve men, including Joshua and Caleb, traveled through the promised land of Canaan for 40 days. They returned with fruit—grapes, pomegranates, and figs—and gave a report on the land.
The scouts described the land’s abundance, as “flowing with milk and honey.” They gave an account of the people, various tribes who were physically strong and whose cities were fortified. Caleb’s immediate imperative—“Let’s go up now!”—was met with resistance by most of the group. Assessing their own strength against the strength of the inhabitants, they concluded that to move forward would mean certain defeat.
The Israelites complained: “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness!” Joshua and Caleb tried to persuade the people of God’s presence and protection, but the people would not trust God. So God gave them what they thought was better. He sent them into the wilderness to wander for 40 years. They would die there. Only Joshua, Caleb, and the Israelites’ children would enter the promised land.
Help your kids contemplate the punishment Israel faced for their rebellion. The Israelites rebelled against God because they did not trust Him. Jesus trusted God perfectly. He took the punishment we deserve for our sin, or rebellion against God. When we trust in Jesus, God forgives our sin and gives us eternal life.
Family Devotionals: Rules for Sacrifice
Dear Parents,
The tabernacle was complete. God now had a place where His glory could dwell without causing the Israelites to fear death. God had given His people laws from the mountain, and He gave them more rules for living and worshiping Him in the tabernacle. These rules are recorded in the Book of Leviticus. The reasoning behind Leviticus can be found in Leviticus 19:2: “Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.”
In Leviticus 17:11, God set apart the blood of a creature as the means for making atonement. This answers the question, “Why did Jesus have to die?” God’s requirement for the forgiveness of sins was the shedding of blood: “According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Heb. 9:22).
It is important to note a New Testament revelation about the sin offering. Hebrews 10:4 says, “It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” Then why did God require people to make sacrifices? The institution of a sacrifice was to point to something greater—the ultimate sacrifice God would make by sending His own Son, Jesus Christ, to pay for the sins of the world once and for all. (See Eph. 1:7; Rom 5:9.)
The sacrifices God required of His people were a hint of what God was going to do to forgive sinners. We no longer need to offer sacrifices because we trust in Jesus. Jesus offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice that takes away our sin once and for all.
You and your children may not be familiar with the Book of Leviticus. Use this week as an opportunity to emphasize God’s holiness and His requirement of a blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. Lead them to treasure Jesus as the perfect and final sacrifice “who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
Family Devotionals: The Tabernacle Was Built
Dear Parents,
Thirteen of the last sixteen chapters of the Book of Exodus contain instructions for building the tabernacle. The word tabernacle means “dwelling place.” The tabernacle was a portable tent where God met with His people. God wanted to dwell among them. (See Ex. 29:45-46.)
Moses had been on the mountain talking with God for 40 days. God wrote the Ten Commandments, the words of the covenant, on tablets. When Moses returned to the camp, he called all of the Israelites together and gave them the instructions God had given him. (Ex. 24:3-4)
God’s directions for building the tabernacle were very detailed. God was not trying to burden the people; He was trying to show them His holiness and absolute authority. God appointed Bezalel and Oholiab to oversee the building of the tabernacle, giving them wisdom, understanding, and craftsmanship. Every skilled person “whose heart moved him” eagerly worked on the tabernacle of the Lord. (See Ex. 35:30-35; 36:1-6.)
God gave the Israelites the tabernacle as a visual picture of His dwelling with them. The tabernacle—and later the temple that replaced it—was a temporary place for God’s glory to dwell until the coming of Christ. (2 Cor. 4:6) Every part of the tabernacle was designed to illustrate God’s relationship with His people.
Jesus is the New Testament fulfillment of the Old Testament tabernacle. John 1:14 says that “the Word became flesh and took up residence among us.” Jesus made His dwelling with people.
As you talk to your kids about the building of the tabernacle, show them God instructed the Israelites to build a tabernacle where He would dwell with them. God desires to be with His people. As part of His plan to save sinners, God sent Jesus to “tabernacle,” or dwell, with people on earth. Emphasize that in the future, He will dwell with us forever. (Rev. 21:3)
Family Devotional: The Golden Calf
Dear Parents,
God led His people into the wilderness, but He did not leave them there alone. The Lord was with His people. He provided meat, bread, and water. He guided them to Mount Sinai, where He met with their leader, Moses. The Lord came down on the mountain in fire, and He spoke through thunder. The Israelites could not have ignored His presence.
But when Moses went up on the mountain and did not return for several weeks, the Israelites felt abandoned. They appealed to Moses’ brother, Aaron: “Come, make gods for us who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!” (Ex. 32:1)
Aaron’s response led the people to commit a terrible sin. He gathered gold from the people and made an image of a calf, and the people worshiped the golden calf. God saw what the people were doing, and He told Moses to go down the mountain at once. Moses confronted his brother. Aaron claimed that when the people gave him the gold, he threw it into the fire, and “out came this calf!” (Ex. 32:24)
God punished His people for worshiping a golden calf, and Moses returned to the mountain to ask the Lord to forgive the Israelites’ sin. Moses could not atone for the people’s sin; God said He would hold the people accountable for their sins, but the Lord did not abandon the Israelites.
Introduce your children to the concept of idolatry. An idol is anything a person puts in the place of God. Explain that idolatry is a sin. The Israelites deserved to be punished for their sin. In the same way, we deserve to be punished for our sin. Point out that God’s people sinned against God, and Moses asked God to forgive them. Moses acted as their mediator, standing for them before God. Moses could not do anything to make up for their sin, but we have a better Mediator—Jesus. Jesus paid for our sin on the cross and stands for us before God. When we trust in Jesus, our sins are forgiven.
Family Devotional: The Ten Commandments
Dear Parents,
As the rescued people of Israel traveled toward the promised land, God gave them laws to guide them in how to live and to help them understand God’s perfect holiness. God’s laws covered every part of their lives and were summed up in the Ten Commandments.
The Ten Commandments can be grouped into two categories: The first four laws deal with a person’s relationship with God and the last six laws deal with a person’s relationship with others. God did not give laws for the sake of giving laws; the laws had a purpose. Not only did they show what righteous living looks like, they were part of the covenant God made with Israel, known as the Mosaic covenant. (See Ex. 19:3-8.)
God had promised Abraham that all the peoples on earth would be blessed through him. (See Gen. 12:3.) “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness” (Rom. 4:3). God’s promise to Abraham would be fulfilled in Jesus. But God gave the law to guide people until Jesus came.
As you talk to your children this week, avoid presenting the Ten Commandments as a burden—a list of laws they must try to keep to earn God’s favor. God is holy and separate from sin. His law shows us what He requires—perfect righteousness. Our sin separates us from God, but Jesus came to bring us back to God. Jesus is perfectly righteous. When we trust in Jesus, He takes away our sin and welcomes us into God’s family.
Point your kids to Jesus and help them understand that God is pleased with us because He looks at Jesus, who never sinned. Because of Christ, we have a right relationship with God. He gives us power through the Holy Spirit to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” and to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:37-39)
Family Devotional: Jethro Helped Moses
Dear Parents,
Moses and the Israelites had experienced a harrowing journey from Egypt into the wilderness. They made their way toward Midian, a land familiar to Moses. As a young man, Moses had fled from Egypt to Midian after he killed an Egyptian. (See Ex. 2:11-15.) Exodus 2 describes Moses’ first interaction with Jethro (also referred to as Reuel, Ex. 2:18), the priest of Midian. Moses rescued Jethro’s seven daughters from some shepherds at a well and drew water for their sheep. Jethro invited Moses to dinner. Moses stayed with Jethro and married his daughter Zipporah.
Moses and Zipporah had two sons. Moses’ family had been staying with Jethro, and now they were coming to meet with Moses in the wilderness—at the same place where God had spoken to Moses through the burning bush. Moses told Jethro about all the good things God had done for Israel, and Jethro rejoiced.
As the leader of God’s people, Moses had the job of judging the people. Anyone who had any reason to complain stood around Moses all day, waiting to present their case. Jethro observed Moses’ long and lonely work, and he confronted Moses about it. Judging all the people was too much responsibility for one person.
Jethro gave Moses advice about leading the people. Simply, don’t lead alone. He encouraged Moses to choose trustworthy men to act as judges over smaller groups of people. These men would judge the minor cases and bring the major cases to Moses. Then Moses would not have to work so much, and the people would not have to wait so long to solve their problems. Moses followed his father-in-law’s advice.
Moses needed others to help him lead God’s people and teach them God’s laws. God does not want believers to follow Jesus alone. He gives us brothers and sisters of faith who can help us love God, obey God, and tell others about Him. As you spend time with your kids this week, emphasize the importance of cooperation and humility in wisely carrying out God’s mission of making Jesus known.
Family Devotional: Bread from Heaven
Dear Parents,
The Israelites’ future looked bright. The Lord, through Moses, had rescued them from slavery in Egypt. He fought for them, displaying His power by parting the Red Sea and subsequently destroying Egypt’s army. God was working out His plan to bring the Israelites to the promised land, the land God promised to Abraham’s family.
But the journey from Egypt to Canaan was not direct. The Lord led His people into the wilderness. The Israelites’ bright future seemed to fade. Their dry mouths and rumbling, empty stomachs produced complaints and accusations. They doubted the Lord’s goodness.
The Israelites traveled three days into the wilderness and were unable to find water. When they found water at Marah, they must have rushed to it—only to find the water was too bitter to drink. The people grumbled to Moses. Of course, Moses had no power to change the water. But the Lord did. Moses cried out to the Lord, and He showed Moses a tree. Moses threw the tree into the water, and the water became drinkable.
Then the Israelites moved farther into the wilderness. Their hunger produced despair: “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt … Instead, you brought us into this wilderness to … die of hunger!” (Ex. 16:3).
Again, the Lord gave the Israelites what they needed. Moses and Aaron explained the purpose behind the Lord’s provision: “You will know that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt” (Ex. 16:6). God sent bread from heaven and quail for the Israelites to eat. They ate manna in the wilderness for 40 years.
As you talk to your children this week, remind them that the Lord is our Provider. In the New Testament, Jesus said that He is the Bread of life. (John 6:31-35) God provided manna from heaven for His people’s physical hunger, and later He provided His Son, Jesus, for our spiritual hunger. The Israelites needed bread to live for a little while, but whoever has Jesus will live forever!