God is worried that seeing war would be too much for the children of Israel right after being released from slavery. For this reason He takes the children of Israel the long way to the land of Canaan, which is today known as Israel.
Discussion Questions Regarding War:
- What do you think it would look like to see war?
- What would the children of Israel reconsider if they saw war?
- Why would the children of Israel reconsider if they saw war?
Creative Thinking About Slavery and War:
- Why would people released from slavery be more concerned about war than other people?
- What are the similarities and differences between the children of Israel who were slaves and those Jews who went through the Holocaust?
- War spelled backwards is raw. What connections can you think of between raw and war?
Homeschooling Activities for Everyone:
- Pick a war and write about it.
- Write a poem about war.
- Make a list of wars going on in the world right now and right a few sentences about each one.
- Write a speech to give to a government official about why your country should, or should not, take part in a particular war.
- For what principle would you be willing to go to war? Explain why this principle is so important to you.
- Write a journal entry for someone who goes off to war for something that they believe in.
- Write a journal entry for someone who goes off to war for something that they do not believe in.
- Many Jews, the descendants of the children of Israel, felt that they could not go to, or stay in Israel, after the Holocaust because of the war over the State of Israel.
- Try to find a Holocaust survivor to talk to or write.
- Research where survivors of the Holocaust went when it was over.
- If God was afraid of the reaction of the children of Israel if they saw war on the way to Canaan, which we call Israel today, why would He not just stop the war?