is being brave enough to do what you
should do, even when you’re afraid.
JOSHUA AND CALEB
Bible Reading: Numbers 13–14
MEMORY VERSE | “Love each other deeply. Honor others more than
yourselves.” Romans 12:10 NIrV
WEEK
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Over and over, God had promised children
to Abram.
“Look up at the sky. Count the stars, if you can! That is how many
children you will have,” God told Abram. In fact, God even changed
Abram’s name to Abraham, which means “father of
many children.”
God had sent Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. But once
Moses led them out into the desert, the Israelites weren’t very happy about
facing what lay ahead. They complained of being thirsty, and God gave them
water from a rock. They whined about being hungry, and God sent special
bread and quail to eat. They faced enemies who tried to wipe them out, and
God gave them victory.
But now, the Israelites had been traveling in the desert for over a year. They
had finally reached the home God had promised them—the land of Canaan.
But there was just one little catch—other people were already living in the land!
God told Moses, “Send one leader from each tribe to check out the land.”
Moses gathered twelve men, one from each tribe and gave them instructions.
“Okay, here’s what God wants you to do. See what the land is like. Is the soil rich
or poor? What are the towns and the people like? Are they strong? Are there
many of them? Find out and report back.”
1
The men set out to spy on the land of Canaan. Joshua and Caleb led the way.
“Check out all this incredible fruit!” Joshua exclaimed. “Figs . . . pomegranates . . .”
“These grapes are huge!” Caleb chimed in.
“Let’s cut some to take back,” Joshua suggested.
“It’s gonna take both of us to carry these!” Caleb added as they cut down a
heavy vine.
But the other spies weren’t paying attention to all the good things. They focused
on the city walls, which seemed miles high, and the giant-sized men looming around
every corner.
When the mission was completed, all the spies returned to camp. Moses gathered
the people together to hear their report. “What did you find?” Moses asked the
twelve men.
But the other spies weren’t
paying attention to all the
good things.
“The land is great, Moses, just like God said,” one of the spies began. “But—”
he trailed off and his fellow spies jumped in.
“The walls of their cities are like two miles high!”
“And they have powerful weapons!”
“The men are so big they make us look like little grasshoppers!”
Joshua and Caleb couldn’t believe their ears. “Stop it!” Joshua called out.
“Listen to us. The land is incredible. Just look at these amazing grapes!”
“We should go up and take the land,” Caleb agreed. “We can certainly do it!”
2
Unfortunately, the Israelites forgot the ways God had helped them face difficult
times. They listened to the other spies calling out things like,
“We’ll be run through with swords!”
“We should have stayed in Egypt.”
“They’ll capture our wives and our kids!”
“We should just go back to Egypt.”
Joshua and Caleb were furious. Joshua cried out to the people, “It’s a good land!
We saw for ourselves. If the Lord is pleased with us, He’ll lead us there.”
They listened to the other spies
calling out things like, “We
should have stayed in Egypt.”
“Don’t refuse to obey God,” Caleb agreed. “Don’t be afraid of the people in
the land. We’ll swallow them up. The Lord is with us!”
But the Israelites weren’t listening to anything but their own fears. The people
were so scared that they dared to defy God and the leaders who listened to Him.
And so God’s incredible glory came down to rest on the Tent of Meeting where
everyone could see it!
God told Moses: “How long will these people not trust Me? They refuse to
believe in Me, even though I have done so many incredible things for them!”
God did forgive the people for what they had done but there were still
consequences. None of the Israelites twenty years old or older would be allowed
to enter the Promised Land. They would wander in the desert for the rest of their
lives—40 years!
3
But God had seen that Joshua and Caleb trusted Him and were willing to face
their enemies—even when no one else was. God remembered their trust and
bravery. Even though they had to wait a long time, they both got to enter and
live in the Promised Land. God gave Caleb some of the best land. And He made
Joshua leader of the Israelites—Joshua led God’s people into the Promised Land.
Let's Talk
It’s easy to be brave when we have someone with us who isn’t
afraid. Kids, tell about a time when you were brave because
someone else was. But it’s a lot harder to be the only brave
one, isn’t it? Parents, tell about a time you were scared and
everyone around you was, too.
Stand up and hold hands as you pray together and ask God to
be with you when you feel like you are the only one showing
courage. You may feel silly, but think how much stronger you
feel when you realize you’re not alone. Ask God to remind you
in those times that even though it feels like you are the only
one, He will never leave your side.
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL READER’S VERSION™ Copyright © 1995,
1996, 1998 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
©2013 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved.