Youth

Read Joshua 1:1-9.

1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ² “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. ³ I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. ⁴ Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. ⁵ No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. ⁶ Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
⁷ “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. ⁸ Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

What stands out to you in these verses?  Write out or highlight any verses that feel important to you.  

We have been learning about Moses this week.  In these verses, we learn that Moses passed away.  Who is his successor? 

Read Joshua 4: 19-24.

¹⁹ On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. ²⁰ And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. ²¹ He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ ²² tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ ²³ For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea^[b] when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. ²⁴ He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”

In these verses we see Joshua using stones as a way to mark and remember what God has done.  These stones help him remember God’s faithfulness. The stones are also a visual way that he and the Israelites can remember to tell the story of God’s faithfulness. 

As we have studied faithfulness this week, is there a way that you can think of to mark God’s faithfulness?  Maybe you could start your own collection of stones, or place a special bracelet around your wrist, or have a certain way of marking your journal, like a special color highlighter whenever you notice an answered prayer.  Is there something that you think God may be calling you to as you reflect over these verses? Choose to respond by remembering His faithfulness and then telling others the story.

Read Exodus 17:1-7. 

How do you notice God’s faithfulness as you read?

17 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. ² So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”

Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?”

³ But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” ⁴ Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.” ⁵ The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. ⁶ I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. ⁷ And he called the place Massah^[a] and Meribah^[b] because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Read Exodus 19:3-6.

³ Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ⁴ ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. ⁵ Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, ⁶ you^[a] will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

Reflect on these insights about this section of scripture (The Mosaic Covenant) taken from Blue Letter Bible (Check out the app or the website for this study guide as its awesome!) 

• Eagles Wings: God’s love and care was shown for Israel already, as He bore you on eagle’s wings. It is said that an eagle does not carry her young in her claws like other birds; the young eagles attach themselves to the back of the mother eagle and are protected as they are carried. Any arrow from a hunter must pass through the mother eagle before it could touch the young eagle on her back.
• Then you shall be a special treasure to Me: God intended for Israel to be a special treasure unto Him. He wanted them to be a people with a unique place in God’s great plan, a people of great value and concern to God.

Does anything in those verses or the study guide stand out to you? Reflect and write about it. 

Read Exodus 33:12-23.

¹² Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ ¹³ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
¹⁴ The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
¹⁵ Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. ¹⁶ How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
¹⁷ And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
¹⁸ Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
¹⁹ And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. ²⁰ But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
²¹ Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock.²² When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. ²³ Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

What stands out in these verses about God’s faithfulness? 

Do you believe God is faithful in your life?  How have you seen that to be true? Find a friend or a mentor and talk this out if you struggle seeing God’s faithfulness.  Praise and thank God for any faithfulness you do notice.

Read Exodus 14 about the parting of the Red Sea.

Read Exodus 15 with Moses’s response. 

What have you seen God do in your life recently or sometime in the past?

Write out a letter or a song/poem (if you feel creative!) praising God for His faithfulness through that event in your life.  

Exodus 7-11 describes Moses going to Pharaoh and telling him about God.  Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to Moses, and so 10 different plagues were sent upon him and his people.  Spend some time reading through these chapters. What do you notice? 

Imagine yourself in Moses’ shoes in these verses.  What do you think that he was thinking and feeling as he continued to do what God said, telling Pharaoh about God, watching and having a hand in the Egyptians suffering, and then continuing to see Pharaoh harden his heart?  Do you feel like you ever have a similar experience?

How do you notice God’s faithfulness and presence to Moses in these verses? (See Exodus 8:12-15 and 30-32, Exodus 10:18-20 for a few examples.) Do you feel like God is present to you like that? 

¹² After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh. ¹³ And the Lord did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields. ¹⁴ They were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them. ¹⁵ But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.

Exodus 8:12-15

³⁰ Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord, ³¹ and the Lord did what Moses asked. The flies left Pharaoh and his officials and his people; not a fly remained. ³² But this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the people go.

Exodus 8:30-32

¹⁸ Moses then left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. ¹⁹ And the Lord changed the wind to a very strong west wind, which caught up the locusts and carried them into the Red Sea. Not a locust was left anywhere in Egypt. ²⁰ But the Lordhardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go.

Exodus 10:18-20

Is there anything from these verses you want to pray, journal, or talk through with a friend or mentor?  If so, do it!