The Bible Recap Kids – Day 84 (Joshua 9–11)

Host: Miss Emily
Date: March 25, 2026

Episode Overview

Miss Emily recaps Joshua chapters 9 through 11, focusing on Israel’s encounters with the Gibeonites and other Canaanite nations. The episode explores themes of God’s mercy, the consequences of deception, and the difficult aspects of God’s character. Miss Emily presents complex ideas in a gentle, accessible way for young listeners.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Gibeonites’ Deception (01:00–02:00)

• The Gibeonites, knowing Israel shows mercy to people from outside Canaan, decide to trick them.
• Miss Emily: “The Gibeonites heard that Israel shows mercy to people outside of Canaan. So they lie to Israel and pretend like they don’t live in Canaan.”
• They ask Joshua for a protective covenant (an agreement or promise of peace).

2. Israel’s Mistake – Not Consulting God (02:00–02:30)

• Joshua and the Israelites make an agreement with the Gibeonites without asking God for guidance.
• Miss Emily: “Joshua doesn’t ask God about it, but agrees to it anyway.”

3. Consequences and Mercy (02:30–03:00)

• The Israelites realize the truth but keep their promise. Instead, they assign the Gibeonites to manual labor in the Promised Land.
• Miss Emily: “The Israelites assign the Gibeonites to do manual labor in the promised land.”

4. Hardened Hearts and Miraculous Victories (03:00–04:00)

• God hardens the hearts of the other nations, causing them to refuse peace and go to war against Israel. This fulfills God’s plan.
• Miss Emily: “God hardens the other nations’ hearts and no one besides the Gibeonites makes peace with Israel.”
• God performs miracles—most notably, making the sun stand still—so that Israel can keep fighting and win.
• Miss Emily: “God uses miracles, even making the sun stand still so the battle day is longer to help Israel with battle after battle after battle. Wow, they defeat six more cities.”

5. Struggling to Understand God’s Mercy and Justice (04:00–05:00)

• Miss Emily addresses the challenging questions about God’s actions, especially in Joshua 11:20.
• Bible Verse Quoted: “For the Lord hardened their hearts and caused them to fight the Israelites. So they were completely destroyed without mercy as the Lord had commanded Moses.” (Joshua 11:20)
• Miss Emily reassures listeners that while God’s hardening of hearts can seem unfair, all people are sinners and deserve separation from God. The real “unfairness,” she emphasizes, is that we actually receive God’s mercy.
• Miss Emily: “We are all sinners and our sin means we deserve death and separation from God forever. So what’s actually unfair is that we won't get that—we get God’s mercy instead.”

6. Encouragement to Trust God’s Goodness (05:00–end)

• Acknowledging that these are hard parts of God’s character to understand, Miss Emily encourages listeners to trust that God is good and merciful, even when it's hard to understand.
• Miss Emily:
  • “You know, these are hard parts of God’s character to understand. And you can ask him to help you trust his good heart even when you don’t understand all of Him.”
  • “He’s where the goodness is, he’s where the mercy is, and he’s where the joy is.”

Notable Quotes

• “They ask Israel for a protective covenant and Joshua doesn’t ask God about it, but agrees to it anyway.” – Miss Emily (02:20)
• “God uses miracles, even making the sun stand still so the battle day is longer… Wow, they defeat six more cities.” – Miss Emily (03:30)
• “God shows mercy on whom he shows mercy.” – Miss Emily (03:40)
• “So what’s actually unfair is that we won’t get that—we get God’s mercy instead.” – Miss Emily (04:40)
• “He’s where the goodness is, he’s where the mercy is, and he’s where the joy is.” – Miss Emily (05:20)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 – Introduction & Recap start
• 01:00 – The Gibeonites’ deception and the protective covenant
• 02:00 – Israel’s decision and the consequences
• 03:00 – Hardened hearts and miraculous victories
• 04:00 – Wrestling with God’s justice and mercy
• 05:00 – Encouragement to trust God’s goodness

Episode Tone & Takeaways

• Conversational, gentle, and encouraging.
• Miss Emily simplifies tough theological concepts for kids and reassures them of God’s unwavering goodness and mercy.
• Listeners are reminded: it's okay to ask God for help understanding the hard parts of His character.

This episode highlights how even difficult passages in the Old Testament reveal important truths about God’s justice, mercy, and goodness. Miss Emily encourages curiosity, questions, and trust in God’s heart, making the Bible's message approachable for young readers.