Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Character Needed - Bible Sketches 22



CHARACTER NEEDED – BIBLE SKETCHES
Character Needed, by Robert Allen, published by Regular Baptist Press, includes 33 skits illustrating the truths of each of the verses in Proverbs 15.  These Character Needed – Bible Sketches are designed to accompany those contemporary plays, illustrating the same character traits by use of a Bible story.  


CHARACTER NEEDED


  
NO HELP NEEDED

Proverbs 15:22
Joshua 7:1-12; 8:1-29

Character Trait: Accepting Guidance

Cast of Characters

                        Joshua
                        Narrator
                        Soldier 1
                        Soldier 2

JOSHUA:                   All right men.  I want your attention.  The spies have returned from Ai and we’re going to hear their report.  Then we will decide what to do about this city.

NARRATOR:             The men who met with Joshua were excited.  They had just won a tremendous victory over the city of Jericho.  The wall had fallen down, and they had been able to take the city without losing even one soldier.  It had been exciting to be part of that great battle.  Now they knew there were other battles to fight.  Just up the road was a little city called Ai.  They knew that was the next city they would have to defeat.  So they had sent up some spies to see what the city was like.

JOSHUA:                   Men, let’s hear your report.

SOLDIER 1:               It’s a small city just like we thought.  They don’t have a big wall like Jericho.  Just a small wall.  And their gates aren’t strong.  They can’t have more than a couple hundred men in their entire army.  It looks to me like this will be an easy city to defeat.

JOSHUA:                   What do you suggest?

SOLDIER 1:               Well, I think it would be silly to send our entire army up there.  Why don’t you choose two or three thousand of us. We’ll take the city without any trouble and the rest of the army can get ready for the next battle.

JOSHUA:                   That’s a good idea.

SOLDIER 2:               But, sir.

JOSHUA:                   What is it, soldier?

SOLDIER 2:               What about the Lord?

JOSHUA:                   What do you mean?  Out with it now.

SOLDIER 2:               Don’t you think we should ask Him?

JOSHUA:                   Ask Him what?  He’s on our side.  Didn’t you see what happened at Jericho?

SOLDIER 2:               Yes, sir.

JOSHUA:                   What do you want to ask Him for?

SOLDIER 2:               For help, sir.

JOSHUA:                   That’s not necessary.  Ai is so small.  We don’t need to bother God about helping us defeat this city.  Jericho was different.  This time we can do it ourselves.

NARRATOR:             So three thousand men marched up to Ai.  They were so confident that they marched right up to the gates of the city and blew their ram’s horns.  To their surprise the gates opened up and the army of Ai attacked.  There were more than they had expected and they were well armed.  The men of Israel turned to flee and thirty-six died.  Joshua knew immediately what had gone wrong.

JOSHUA:                   You were right, soldier.  We should have asked God for help.

NARRATOR:             So Joshua prayed.  He tore his clothes to show his great sorrow and he bowed before the ark of the Lord, asking God to give the victory.

JOSHUA:                   Oh, Lord God.  What shall I say, when Israel turns their backs before the enemy?  For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it and shall surround us and cut off our name from the earth; and what will happen then to Your great name?

NARRATOR:             God heard Joshua pray.  And he told him what was wrong.  A man named Achan had sinned and needed to be punished before God could again bless His people with victory.  If Joshua had asked God before the battle, he would have known that and the army wouldn’t have been defeated.  All al the people came together and punished Achan for his sin.  Then they set off toward Ai once again.

JOSHUA:                   Men.  I want your attention.  We are going to have a prayer meeting and ask God for help.  Then we will decide how to fight the battle for Ai.

NARRATOR:             So they prayed and God gave them a plan.  This time when they went out to battle they were victorious, because they had remembered to ask God for help.



 

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