Joshua 4: Group Study Handout

Overview

When the nation finished crossing the Jordan, Yahweh instructed Joshua to select twelve men, one from each tribe (vv. 1-3). These men were to gather twelve stones from the riverbed where the priests stood and carry them to their campsite as a memorial (vv.

Key verse

“He spoke to the children of Israel, saying, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.”

Joshua 4:21-22 (WEB)

Outline

1. Joshua 4:1–3 God Commands the Memorial Stones
2. Joshua 4:4–7 The Purpose of the Stones
3. Joshua 4:8–10 Obedience and Action
4. Joshua 4:11–14 The Ark of the Covenant
5. Joshua 4:15–18 The Priests Come Up from the Jordan
6. Joshua 4:19–21 Setting Up in Gilgal
7. Joshua 4:22–24 Teaching Future Generations

Discussion questions

1. In v3, why does Joshua command the men to take 'twelve stones'?
2. What do the priests do in vv. 10-11 before leaving the Jordan?
3. The instruction in v7 about the memorial: how does it connect to the future generations?
4. In v23, why does the author compare the Jordan crossing to the crossing of the Red Sea?
5. When have you set up a reminder for a significant event, like the stones in v20?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Joshua 4: Joshua 3, Deuteronomy 4, 1 Samuel 7.

Before next time: read Joshua 5.