Audience
Teens, Adults
Time
30-35 minutes
Description
This game helps participants to remember that we have an Enemy (Satan) and that he is constantly trying to take away from us what God has given to us. If we don’t do battle for it, we can easily lose it. The “Promised Land” in our lives can be anything that you want to focus on for this lesson (e.g., a people group for Christ, God’s purposes for our lives, our children, our marriages, our health….)
The Bible story is about Caleb, who received the hills of Hebron as a promise from God (Numbers 14:24). In order to reclaim the land, though, Caleb had to fight against the Anakim (or Anakites), a fierce and giant people. (Goliath, the giant that David defeated, was a descendent of the Anakim.)
Scriptures
o Genesis 13:14-18
o Numbers 14:24
o Joshua 14:6-15
Materials
o Gameboards (one for every two people – you can make these yourself or use the template in the file, “Reclaim the Promised Land – Game Kit.ppt” at www.teachingthem.com on the Lesson and Material Downloads page.
o Rules & Instructions Sheet (one per pair of participants (you can find this in the same file)
o Sample Game sheet (one per pair of participants (you can find this in the same file))
o Debrief questions sheet (one per pair of participants (you can find this in the same file))
o Game pieces (24 for each player – you can find these in the same file)
o Cutting board or scissors
o Glue stick
o Ziplock bags (gallon size – one per pair of participants)
o Bible
Preparation
o Create a gameboard (one for every pair of participants), or print out the one in the file mentioned above. (You can do variations of this game by creating larger gameboards and larger game pieces so that groups can compete against each other, or you could even do a life-size version by marking off the gameboard grid on the floor and making the participants into game pieces. If you make the participants into game pieces, you will need to give them cards to hold or wear around their necks that are different colors on each side so that they can flip them to show who they belong to.)
o Print out the game pieces in the file mentioned above (48 for each pair of participants). There is a sheet of blue pieces and a sheet of red pieces.
o Glue the two game pieces sheets together back-to-back so that the red pieces show on one side and the blue pieces show on the other. The “Top” of each page is labeled so that you can line them up precisely. (Be careful not to use too much glue that it creates bumps in the paper, but be sure to evenly coat the entire page before you glue the two sheets together. If your glue coating isn’t even, some of your pieces might not stick together after you cut them up.)
o Allow time for drying.
o Cut the pieces out along the border lines. If you were careful to line up the two sheets of paper, you will then have 48 game pieces that are red on one side and blue on the other.
o Put a gameboard, 48 game pieces, a Rules & Instructions Sheet and a Debrief Questions sheet in a plastic zipper bag for each pair of participants. (This will make it easier to pass out the games when it comes time.)
Procedure
Use the following script (or modify to suit your needs):
- “When Abraham (“Abram” at the time) left his people and his home, God took him to a new land and made him a promise.” (Have a volunteer read Genesis 13:14-18.)
- “God gave Abraham what was then known as the land of Canaan.”
- “Abraham lived in it for some years, and so did his son, Isaac, and his grandson, Jacob, but then God took Abraham’s descendents into Egypt for about 400 years.”
- “While in Egypt, they became slaves to the Egyptians and cried out to God for help.”
- “God sent them Moses, who led them out of Egypt and showed them where the ‘Promised Land’ (promised to Abraham and his descendents) was.”
- “Unfortunately, when they saw the enemies living in their land, they lacked the faith to trust God to help them reclaim it.”
- “So, God made them wander in the desert for 40 years, until the old generation of Israelites had died and a new generation was ready to reclaim the Promised Land.”
- “There were only two people left from the old generation who were allowed to enter the Promised Land.”
- “Forty years earlier, Joshua and Caleb had scouted the land, seen the terrible enemies but still believed that God would give them the land.”
- “For their faithfulness, God allowed them lead the rest of the people into the land.”
- “God made Joshua the leader of all the Israelites, and He made Caleb a special promise.” (Have a volunteer read Numbers 14:24.)
- “Caleb remembered the promise, and even though he was 85 years by the time he was ready to claim it and even though the land was full of giants, he was still strong and ready to do battle against those enemies in order to reclaim it.” (Have a volunteer read Joshua 14:6-15.)
- “Caleb is an inspiration for us even today, because we are still engaged in a battle for ‘the Promised Land’ in our own lives.”
- “’The Promised Land’ in your life is anything that God wants you to have that your Enemy, Satan, has taken away.”
- “We’re going to play a game that deals with this ongoing battle, and I hope it will help you remember that you have to keep fighting to keep position of your ‘Promised Land.’”
- “We’ve got to be like Caleb, who continued fighting the toughest enemies into his eighties!” (Divide group into pairs.)
- “I’m passing out to each pair a game kit, that has the gameboard, game pieces and rules and instructions for the game.”
- “Please read over the rules and instructions, and let me know if you have any questions.”
- “There is a ‘Sample Game’ sheet in your game kit that shows what a typical game might look like.” (Allow them to read over the instructions and ask any questions before beginning. Then, allow the pairs to play the game. Afterward, have them discuss the Debrief Questions and then rejoin their table groups. Conduct a large group debrief to capture some of the strategies for reclaiming territory Satan has stolen and for protecting territory we have already claimed from him. Conclude with a final comment. You can use the following one if you like.)
- “While the Israelites were in Egypt, Satan stole the Promised Land from them.”
- “But God had promised this land to Abraham’s people, and it was His will that they take it back.”
- “While we or those who came before us have been in Egypt (Egypt usually represents sin, pride and trusting in our own efforts in the Bible), Satan has stolen much of the territory that God wants us to have.”
- “It’s time for us to have the courage and determination of Caleb to reclaim our Promised Land.”
- “We won’t get it without a fight, but if we trust in God, He will be faithful to give us victory.”
Teach Them 