Joshua 1–8; 23–24: Lesson 63

Joshua 23-24

“Choose You This Day”

Visit “Studying the Scriptures” to help prepare yourself spiritually to learn.

As you grow, many decisions and opportunities will await you. What will you choose to pursue? And how can you know what you should choose? This lesson can help you choose to serve the Lord over other influences.

Study the Scriptures

The influence of distractions

Read the following story from Sister Kristin M. Yee of the Relief Society General Presidency:

When I was just barely 17, I moved to San Francisco, California, USA, to go to art school. I dreamed of becoming an illustrator for Disney. …

During school, I had to juggle classes and homework and Church responsibilities. I had to figure out what my priorities were. Do I go visit people to minister to them, or do I study for this test? Do I read my scriptures now, or do I finish this assignment? (“Let Go, and Listen,” For the Strength of Youth, Sep. 2023, 25)

Have you ever felt stuck between choices? How do you choose the Lord over other things that might distract you? What might be the long-term effect of choosing things other than the Lord?

Seek the help of the Spirit to recognize what choices you can make to serve the Lord.

The Lord our God

The Israelites took possession of the land that God had promised them (see Joshua 5–12). The land was divided among the twelve tribes (see Joshua 13–22). Toward the end of his life, Joshua gave one final message to the Israelites (see Joshua 23–24).

Read Joshua 23:3–11; 24:2–11. Mark what the Lord had already done for Israel and what He promised He would do for them.

What are some examples of how the Lord has blessed us today? Keep these examples in mind as you continue studying.

Why were the Canaanites destroyed? Deuteronomy 9:4–5 teaches that the Lord drove the Canaanites out of the land because of their wickedness (see also Deuteronomy 20:16–18). In the Book of Mormon, Nephi taught his brothers that these people “had rejected every word of God, and they were ripe in iniquity; and the fulness of the wrath of God was upon them” (1 Nephi 17:35).

Read Joshua 24:14–15. Create a note next to these verses. Rewrite what Joshua taught as if he were teaching the same thing today. Add to your note your answers to the following questions:

• What are ways we can serve the Lord today?

• How can what you know about the Lord help you choose to serve Him?

Joshua 24:15 is a doctrinal mastery passage. Consider tagging doctrinal mastery passages with the topic they teach so you can find them easily later. Memorize the reference and key scripture phrase “Choose you this day whom ye will serve.” To help you memorize, you could use a picture or drawing that relates to choosing to serve the Lord.

The rest of this lesson will review two stories where the Israelites chose whether or not to serve the Lord.

Review the following study options. Complete one or more. Then complete the “Now What?” section at the end of the lesson.

Option A

What can I learn about choosing the Lord from the battle of Jericho?

Read Joshua 6:1–5, 10. Mark the instructions the Lord gave Israel for their battle with Jericho. How would you feel if you were an Israelite receiving these instructions?

Next, read Joshua 6:12–16, 20, looking for the outcome of the battle.

In your notebook, draw a picture of the walls around Jericho. You could label the walls with a challenge you are facing. You could also draw the Israelite soldiers marching around the wall. Maybe label the soldiers with ways you can seek the Lord’s help in overcoming that challenge.

Option B

What can I learn about choosing the Lord from Achan’s choices?

The Lord commanded the Israelites not to keep any items from the cities they conquered, including the city of Jericho (see Joshua 6:18–19). Unfortunately, an Israelite man named Achan took some clothing, gold, and silver from the city for himself (see Joshua 7:1, 21).

Read Joshua 7:1–7, 10–13, looking for how Achan’s actions affected the Israelites. Create a note next to these verses answering the following questions:

• When have you or people around you experienced negative consequences because of someone else’s poor choices?

• How might these experiences affect your desire to choose the Lord?

Now What?

Read the following quote from Sister Kristin M. Yee of the Relief Society General Presidency:

Heavenly Father will guide you. …

He wants to be a part of our lives. If we can just let Him into our lives, there are wonderful surprises waiting for each one of us. What else does He have in store for you that you can’t even see? (“Let Go, and Listen,” For the Strength of Youth, Sep. 2023, 25)

In your notebook, respond to one of the following sets of questions:

• What do you want to remember about the Lord that can help you serve Him when it might be difficult? How do you think remembering the Lord in those moments could help you?

• What will you start doing or stop doing to choose to serve the Lord? What blessings might you experience from doing that?

Share Your Thoughts

Lesson Purpose: To help you choose to serve the Lord over other influences.

Share one or more of the following with your teacher or class:

1. Your labeled drawing of Jericho and the soldiers.

2. Your response to the questions in the “Now What?” section.

3. Something specific you did to achieve the purpose of this lesson.

4. Any questions this lesson raised for you. How will you try to find answers to your questions?