28. Joshua Says Goodbye

Joshua 23:14 – 24:28

Joshua had led the Israelites in many battles and they had won many victories. Now the whole land belonged to them. They could live in houses and grow food and enjoy peace.

Joshua was old, so before he died he called the Israelites together to say goodbye.

“God has looked after us,” Joshua reminded them. “God has made lots of promises to us – and he has kept every single one of them. Now you must obey God so that you can keep enjoying life in the land he has given us.”

“Everyone has to choose whether to love and obey God or not,” Joshua said. “I am choosing to love and obey God.”

“We choose that too,” said all the people.

So, for a while, all God’s people lived happily, under his rule, in the land that he had given them.

29. Deborah, Barak, and the Big Battle

Judges 4 – 5

The Israelites were in big trouble.

After Joshua died, they kept forgetting about all that God had done for them. They kept failing to obey him and kept choosing to love not-gods.

So God kept letting their enemies defeat them.

The Israelites cried out to God to help them. So God gave them a leader called Deborah. She told them how to obey God.

Deborah told Barak, the not-so-mighty leader of the not-so-huge army of Israel, that it was time for battle.

“Go and fight!” Deborah told him. “God will give you victory over Sisera!”

So Barak fought. And God sent a storm to stop Sisera using his chariots so that the Israelite army could win the battle. God’s people enjoyed freedom and peace again.