Study Questions for Groups
1. How did you show kindness to someone this past week?
2. What struggles have you faced over the last week?
Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the readers to read Joshua 24:1, 14-28, 31 one after the other, preferably from different Bible versions. (Option: Read Joshua 24:1-31.)
Ask the third person to retell the story in their own words as if telling it to a group of kids at Vacation Bible School.
3. What key terms do you see in this passage?
4. Let’s look more closely at some of the details:
• What are some specific ways the people could demonstrate they were choosing to serve and obey God?
• How would you characterize Joshua’s challenges to the leaders?
• What words and phrases are used to describe God in this passage?
• What did these leaders say and do to help the following generations continue to make the right choices?
5. What do you learn about God from this narrative?
6. What do you learn about human nature?
7. What do you learn about obedience in this passage?
• What is the relationship between forsaking other gods, yielding your heart to God, serving him, and obeying him?
8. What can you do to pass on your choices to serve and obey God to the next generations?
9. Based on our study and discussion, complete this sentence: “This week, I will . . .”
10. What challenges will you face this week?
For next week: Over the next week, read and reflect on Judges 2:10-19 as we begin studying the books of Judges and Ruth and the theme, “Reverse the Trend.” You can also read next week’s supplemental texts as well as the Study and Application sections as part of your personal study.
Author: Michael C. Mack
Michael C. Mack is editor of Christian Standard. He has served in churches in Ohio, Indiana, Idaho, and Kentucky. He has written more than 25 books and discussion guides as well as hundreds of magazine, newspaper, and web-based articles.
