Sabbath School lessons are part of a global study initiative undertaken by members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. As we enter the fourth quarter of 2025, we will explore the theme “Joshua” This week’s lesson, titled “Giants of Faith: Joshua and Caleb” covers the period from November 15 - November 21. Join Pastor Mark Finley for a brief preview of what to expect in this week’s study.

<p>Sabbath School lessons are part of a global study initiative undertaken by members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. As we enter the fourth quarter of 2025, we will explore the theme “Joshua” This week’s lesson, titled “Giants of Faith: Joshua and Caleb” covers the period from November 15 - November 21. Join Pastor Mark Finley for a brief preview of what to expect in this week’s study.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

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Sabbath School 4th Quarter 2025: Lessons of Faith from Joshua

Mark Finley

01 Recipe for Success

02 Surprised by Grace

03 Memorials of Grace

04 The Conflict Behind All Conflicts

05 God Fights for You

06 The Enemy Within

07 Ultimate Loyalty: Worship in a War Zone

08 Giants of Faith: Joshua and Caleb

09 Heirs of Promises, Prisoners of Hope


Thank you for joining us again and welcome back to Studies in the Book of Joshua. I know you're being blessed by these studies as I am. Every lesson seems to take us deeper into an understanding of God's plan, not only for Israel, but for our lives. You know, on 1 occasion I was flying, I was just a young man, 21 years old, and I was flying from Manaus, Brazil, where I had been a student missionary, down to the city of Belém, Brazil. And while I was on the plane, an old man came and sat next to me.

He was bearded, long hair. He was some kind of holy man. I don't know. But he came out of the jungles and was flying there, you know, on the plane with me. And we sat and had just this wonderful conversation.

He spoke some English. When he got up to leave, he just turned to me and he said, young man, everybody we meet leaves fingerprints or footprints on our soul. You left footprints on my soul today." And he just walked away, and I thought about that. Isn't that true? Everybody we meet, we leave a certain understanding, a certain blessing, a certain influence.

We leave an influence on the people we meet. The lesson today is titled, Giants of Faith, Joshua and Caleb. And really it's about the example that they led and left for future generations. Well, let's pray and jump right into our lesson. Father in heaven, thank you so much for the opportunity of studying your Word together.

Thank you for the powerful example of Caleb and Joshua, men of faith and courage and belief. As we study their legacy, help us to determine in our hearts, through the grace of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit to be faithful to you always. In Jesus' name, amen. Caleb and Joshua were mighty men of faith. I like what Hebrews 13, verse 7 says.

It's our memory verse for this week, and it's from the English Standard Version. It says, remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Every single 1 of us has an impact on other lives around us. It may be husbands influencing his wife, wife influencing the husband, parents influencing their children, influencing the people that we work with or the people that we go to school with if we're students.

And in the lives of Caleb and Joshua, we see 2 things. 1, how they were not influenced by the 10 spies that went into the land, how they were resolute and not be shaped by other people's opinion. But we see how Caleb and Joshua influenced an entire generation to be faithful to God. So let's just jump into our lesson. We go to Sunday's lesson, Numbers chapter 13, verse 6.

Numbers 13, looking there at verse 6. And the scripture says that here, the names of the tribe of Reuben, Shammah, the son of Zechar, from the tribe of Simeon, Shabbat, the son of Hori, from the tribe of Judah, Caleb, the son of Jebunah. So here is Caleb's background. He indeed is a mighty man of faith, comes from the tribe of Judah. When you look further in the passage to verses 30 to 32, we read, then Caleb quieted the people before Moses.

This is when they of course have just come back from the spying out the land. He says, let us go up at once and take possession for we are well able to overcome it. But the man who had gone up with him said, we're not able to go up against the people for they are stronger than we. And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out saying, the land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants. And all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature.

There we saw the giants, the descendants of Enoch, and we were like grasshoppers in their sight." But Caleb does not listen. Joshua does not listen to the naysayers. He doesn't listen to the critics. He doesn't listen to those who say it can't be done. You know, sometimes we'll have a church board meeting, we're talking about reaching the community for Christ, and talking about plans to reach out to save men and women.

Talking about taking our land for the kingdom of God. But there'll be those who say, can't be done. We tried it in the past. It doesn't work. God never does anything great through people who don't believe.

He doesn't do anything great through critics or skeptics. God does something great through people like Caleb and Joshua who have faith. Joshua 14, verse 6 and 14. God is revealing to us in this Sabbath school lesson a precious spiritual truth. That truth will become plain as we continue to study it.

Joshua 14, verse 6, then the children of Judah came up to Joshua and Gilgal, and Caleb the son of Juniphah the Kenzanite said to him, You know the word of which the Lord said to Moses, the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh Barnea. Now look at verse 14, Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Juniper, the Kenzanite, to this day because he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel. This is it. Faithfulness. Caleb trusted God and God blessed him because of that trust.

What does the scripture say in verse 14? He wholly followed the Lord God. Caleb had a resolute confidence in the promises of God. You look at Numbers 14, 6 to 10, rather than listening to the critics, he believed the promises of God. Rather than listening to those who said it can't be done, he believed what God said that it could be done.

Numbers 14, verse 6 and onward. And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb, the son of Juniba, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes. Verse 7, they spoke to all the congregation of Israel, saying, The land we pass through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. Now notice verse 8, If the Lord delights in us, then he will bring us into the land and give it to us a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread.

Their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them." What a powerful, powerful declaration of faith. All the congregation said, stone them with stones. Now the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the meeting before all the people of the children of Israel. Caleb and Joshua were men of faith, faithful to God.

They believed in the promises of God. They believed that God would work a miracle. They could defeat their enemies and enter the promised land. Now as they went into that promised land, The scripture says again and again, Joshua wholly followed the Lord. We find that, for example, in the 14th chapter of the book of Joshua.

We're looking there at Joshua chapter 14. And once again, we find that Joshua wholly followed the Lord. Joshua chapter 14. And I want to look at a number of verses here. I'm going to start with verse 8.

Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt but I wholly followed the Lord. Joshua, Caleb wholly followed the Lord. Verse 9, so Moses wrote on the day saying, surely the land where your foot is trodden shall be for your inheritance and your children's forever. Why? Because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.

Then look at verse 14. Hebrew therefore became the inheritance of Caleb, the son of Junipeth, the Canaanite, to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel. 3 times it says Caleb wholly followed the Lord. That applies of course to Joshua as well. Here in the last note of Monday's lesson we read, Caleb understood that the territory each tribe would eventually possess was directly proportionate to the extent to which they dared to claim the promises of the Lord, and how much land they were willing to tread upon by faith.

God's promises are not self-fulfilling. That means that they don't automatically fulfill. In the sense that they come true, irresponsive of our will. Rather, they require faith accompanied by resolute action. Faith and resolute action.

God's promises to Israel were dependent on these 2 things. Their trust in God, their faith in his promises, their belief in his word, And secondly, they were dependent on the action, the aggressive movement forward of Israel in light of the fact that they were slaves. They didn't have military equipment. They didn't have swords and spears initially. They were people that did not have the military hardware to attack the fortified cities of the Canaanites.

Not at all. But they did have the thing that the Canaanites didn't have. That's the promises of God. They did have the presence of God. They did have the Almighty God fighting for them.

They wholly followed the Lord. The Bible says, regarding Caleb in Numbers 14, 24, Numbers 13, 32, 12. Let's go back to Numbers 32, 12. You'll see an interesting statement here. We're gonna look at a couple passages to try to discover the heart of these men.

Numbers 32, verse 12. Notice what Scripture says. It says that the others drifted away except Caleb, the son of Junabib. So he was able to withstand the pressure, withstand to withstand the pressure, withstand the attitudes, withstand the compromise all around him. And let's look at Deuteronomy 1 verse 36.

Deuteronomy 1 verse 36. We're still in Monday's lesson. Trying to understand the character, the background of Caleb, Joshua. Numbers 1, it says, "'Except Caleb, the son of Juniper, "'he shall see it, to him, his children, "'I am giving the land on which he walked. Why?

Because he wholly followed the Lord. The Bible says also in Numbers that there was a different spirit in him, A different spirit. Do people see a different spirit in you than the spirit of the world? Do they see a different spirit in you than the spirit of conformity to those around you? Caleb and Joshua wholly followed the Lord.

Wholly followed the Lord, not partially. It was not that they gave lip service, but they gave the totality of their lives. They held nothing back from God. So God could bless them in powerful ways. And because they wholly followed the Lord, because they didn't hold anything back, because they didn't hold anything in reservation to God, they said, God, here I am.

God, like the song says, all to Jesus I surrender. All to him I freely give. I will ever love and trust him. Jesus was their all in all. They wholly followed the Lord.

As a result of that, they had a powerful example. You remember the Bible in Joshua describes some of that powerful example. Joshua 15, 16-19, Caleb said, he who attacks Kerbeth Shadda and takes it to him I will give Achishah, my daughter as wife. So Othiniel, the son of Kenneth, the brother of Caleb, took it and he gave him Achesha, his daughter as wife. Just as Caleb had no fear in moving up into the land, this young man, Othiniel, had no fear.

Why? Because he knew that the land was promised by God and God would be with him. You see, you have the generation of the spies who have lack of faith. You have Caleb and Joshua who wholly give themselves to the Lord who have faith and can get into the land. But they pass that down to the next generation.

Atheniel reveals his trust in God. Caleb and Joshua impact him for good. Notice the lessons here. We're gonna go to Luke chapter 18, verse 1 to 5, because Dr. Luke in the New Testament uses this as an example of faithfulness.

Luke 18, we're looking there at verses 1 to 5. And scripture says, Luke 18, then he spoke a parable to them, that men also ought to pray and lose not lose heart. And there was a certain city, a judge, who didn't fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city, and she came to him saying, avenge me and my adversary. And he would not for a while, but after what he said to him, though I do not fear God nor regard man, Yet because the widow troubles me, I'll avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

Then the Lord said, hear what the judge said. Shall not God avenge his own elect who cry out day and night to him, though he bears long with them. What relationship does this story have to the story we're talking about of Caleb and Joshua? Caleb and Joshua would not give up, they were persistent. Latheniel would not give up, he was persistent.

The woman who comes to this judge is persistent. She will not give up until she gets an answer. And here in the application of this story, the scripture says that as God's people cry to him, as they cry out against the evil and wickedness of our world. As they cry out against the injustice, the unfairness of our world. As they cry out against the sin and the wickedness of our world.

Jesus will avenge his people. As they are persistent, they too will enter into the promised land. They too will put their feet in that promised land. Here, When we come to Wednesday's lesson, we find the humble hero. Joshua could have chosen the best portion of the land himself.

Caleb was allowed to choose first, but Joshua just holds back, holds back. And he chooses a country piece of property that doesn't seem to have much promise according to scripture. Joshua chapter 19 verse 49 to 51. Joshua 19, 49 to 51. Joshua chooses a piece of property that doesn't seem to have much promise at all.

Joshua 19, I start with 49. When they had made an end of dividing the land as an inheritance according to the borders, the children of Israel gave an inheritance among them to Joshua the son of Nun, so he's he chooses last. According to the word of the Lord they gave him the city that he asked for. So he asked for a particular city. It's a small city.

It's in the country. It's called Timnath Sera. It's in the mountains of Ephraim. And he built the city. It seemed impossible, but he builds the city there.

These were the inheritances which Ebenezer gave. And he goes on to say, that when the children of Israel, this is verse 51, divided in inheritance by the lot in Shiloh before the Lord at the door of the temple, so they made an end of dividing the country. Joshua chose a place in the country so he could be closest to the tabernacle where the presence of God was manifest in Shiloh. What a man this Joshua was, filled with faith, filled with courage. He wholly followed the Lord.

He was persistent. But the most important thing in his life was the presence of God. The most important thing of his life was to live in God's presence. He didn't want the best, the grandest, didn't want the area with all the meadows and the streams and all the natural advantages. He wanted to live in the country, in the presence of God.

What a lesson for our lives today. Here, the scripture says in Thursday's lesson, the most important thing in our lives, too, is to be faithful to God. Look what it says in Hebrews 12, verse 1 and 2. Joshua wholly followed the Lord. Caleb had a different spirit within him.

These men looked to the promises of God. They looked to the word of God. They looked to their God in heaven. Here, the Bible talks about modern day Christians. And it says in Hebrews chapter 12 therefore we also since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses in that cloud of witnesses are Caleb and Joshua right let us lay aside every weight the sin that so easily it dismares us.

Let us run with endurance the race set before us. Let us lay aside every weight. Let us, let us, let us wholly follow the Lord with nothing, that old song, nothing between my soul and my Savior, not of this world's delusive dream, nothing between. Then verse 2, looking unto Jesus, looking unto who? Looking unto who?

Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Just as these men look to the promises of God, so we look to the promises of God. Jesus has begun something in us, Jesus will finish that. How can we then live in the promises of God? Here, under the second paragraph on Thursday's lesson, Christ Object Lessons, page 355, Ellen White says, Looking unto Jesus, we obtain brighter and more distinct views of God, and by beholding we become changed.

Goodness, love for a fellow man, becomes our natural instinct. We develop a character which is the counterpart of the divine character. Growing into his likeness we enlarge our capacity for knowing God. More and more we enter into fellowship with the heavenly world and we have continually increasing power to receive the riches of the knowledge and wisdom of eternity. Looking unto Jesus, we obtain more distinct views of the character of God.

And looking unto Jesus, Our hearts and minds are transformed by His grace. And remember in 2 Corinthians 3, verse 18, it says, for by beholding we become changed. And Ellen White adds, it is the law of the mind that the mind gradually adapts itself upon those subjects that it's allowed to dwell. We are transformed by grace as we meditate on the goodness of God. We are changed by love as we contemplate what Christ has done for us.

The fruits of the Spirit are manifest in our lives, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, self-control. They're manifest in our lives, those fruits of the Spirit, As we feast on the Word of God, which is as the tree of life for us, as we feast on God's Word, our hearts and minds are changed. What's the takeaway from today's lesson? Joshua and Caleb did not listen to the voices around them. They were wholly dedicated to the Lord.

They were not shaped by convenience or compromise. There was a different spirit in them. And why? Because they trusted the promises of God. May in our lives, We trust those promises as well.

And look to Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith. Let's pray. Father in heaven, you indeed are the author. You're the finisher of our faith. We praise you.

We Thank you. Fill our hearts with your love and grace. Lord, help us to trust you. Help us not be shaped by the world around us, but be transformed by your love, not conformed by worldly influences. Lord, may it be said of us that there's a different spirit in us, the Spirit of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit, who empower and strengthen.

In Jesus' name, amen. This media was brought to you by Audioverse, a website dedicated to spreading God's Word through free sermon audio and much more. If you would like to know more about Audioverse or if you would like to listen to more sermons, please visit www.audioverse.org.

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Series

Sabbath School 4th Quarter 2025: Lessons of Faith from Joshua

08 Giants of Faith: Joshua and Caleb

Description

Parent Series

Sponsor

Recorded

Other Teachings in Series

01 Recipe for Success

27m

02 Surprised by Grace

25m

03 Memorials of Grace

24m

04 The Conflict Behind All Conflicts

25m

05 God Fights for You

25m

06 The Enemy Within

22m

07 Ultimate Loyalty: Worship in a War Zone

24m

08 Giants of Faith: Joshua and Caleb

24m

09 Heirs of Promises, Prisoners of Hope

23m

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