(15-20 minutes, easy set-up)
Students will study Numbers 14:20-38 to examine Caleb’s faithful trust in God’s promises despite challenges and opposition.
Provide a copy of the Student Worksheet and a pen for each student. Also provide a dry erase board and marker.
Learning Goal: Students will examine Caleb’s faithfulness in God’s promises.
Ask: How many of you have seen the movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade? What do you remember about the challenges that Indy faced as he tried to retrieve the cup of Christ so he could save his father? Allow students to respond, leading them to recall the scene where Indy had to cross a vast open chasm where he could only see darkness and what appeared to be a bottomless pit. Point out that Indy had to believe that a bridge existed over the chasm, even though he couldn’t see it. Say: In faith, Indy stepped out into the void. As his foot came down, it landed on the first step of the unseen bridge. Then step by step, Indy continued across the bridge over the chasm. Share that the Israelites faced a similar situation as they followed God out of Egypt into the Promised Land. Explain that students will discover how the strength of their faith in God determined how people responded to challenging situations. Distribute pens and copies of the Student Worksheet to students.
1. Weak faith will keep people from seeing God’s power (Numbers 14:20-23).
Explain that the verses in today’s study begin in the middle of a series of events, so knowing what happened before will bring perspective to these verses. Enlist a student to read the background story written in the center of their Student Worksheet.
Divide students into three groups (or multiples of three groups if your class is very large). Instruct Group 1 to read Numbers 14:20-38 and determine what factors influenced the Israelite’s faith in God and how they responded to this situation. Instruct Group 2 to read Numbers 14:20-38 and determine what influenced Caleb and Joshua’s faith and response to the situation. Instruct Group 3 to read Numbers 14:20-38 and determine what factors influenced the ten spies faith and response to the situation. Instruct groups to list their responses in the appropriate column on their worksheets.
Enlist a student from Group 1 to read Numbers 14:20-23 aloud. Ask: Why did God say that the Israelites would not enter into the land? (Because they had grumbled against God and didn’t trust Him to give them the land because it was inhabited by giants.) Ask: Why were the Israelites, who had already witnessed God’s miraculous powers many times, unwilling to trust God? Emphasize that the Israelites still had a very weak faith in God so they were easily influenced by the ten spies who said the challenge was too great. Say: When our faith is weak, we will not be able to see God’s power in action. Encourage students to write power on the first line of their worksheets.
2. Bold faith will be rewarded with God’s blessings (Numbers 14:24-25).
Enlist a student from Group 2 to read Numbers 14:24-25 aloud. Ask: What promise did God make to Caleb? Why? (God promised that Caleb and his descendants would possess the land because Caleb had a “different spirit” and “followed God fully.”) Ask: Why do you think Caleb had such faith in God when others did not? Allow students to respond, and then emphasize that when we trust God completely, we will experience His blessings. Encourage students to write blessings on the second line of their worksheets.
3. Weak faith can keep others from believing God’s promises (Numbers 14:26-37).
Enlist a student from the third group to read Numbers 14:26-37. Ask: What did God say would happen to the Israelites over the age of twenty because they had refused to trust Him? (They would wander in the wilderness for forty years before they died. None of them would enter the land.) Ask: How did the ten spies influence this entire generation to doubt God? (The ten spies were so overwhelmed by the people in the land that they couldn’t trust God, so they spread fear and doubt among everyone else causing everyone to doubt God.) Ask: As a result of their lack of faith and negative influence on the nation, what did God do to the ten spies? (They died immediately from a plague that spread through the congregation.) Ask: Why is it important to realize that we have the ability to influence others’ trust in God? Point out that when we allow our weak faith to make us doubt God and lead others to do the same, we can keep others from believing God’s promises. Encourage students to write promises on the third line of their worksheets.
4. Bold faith will bring you into leadership (Numbers 14:38).
Enlist a student from Group 2 to read Numbers 14:38. Ask: How did God reward Caleb for his wholehearted faith in God? (Only Caleb and Joshua remained alive to enter the land.) Explain that Moses passed the leadership of the nation over to Joshua before he died and that Caleb was a mighty warrior who led Israel to enter the Promised Land forty years later. Ask: Why was it necessary for Israel’s leaders to have a bold faith in God? Encourage students to write leadership on the fourth line of their worksheets. Point out that Caleb’s wholehearted faith in God revealed his trust that The Future is in God's Hands. Explain that Caleb understood that God would be faithful to keep His promises to Israel despite any seemingly formidable circumstances.