Introduction: Do you have heroes in your life? I certainly do not have “hero worship,” but there were two prominent men that I really liked. One of them was U.S. President Ronald Reagan. The other was Christian psychologist and founder of Focus on the Family, Dr. James Dobson. I have a picture of them together on my desk. I recall my father visiting my office and seeing that picture and another of my uncle (his older brother). My father wanted to know why his picture was missing! I loved, admired, and respected my father. And I have a picture of him in my office today. My uncle’s picture amused me. It was from a news article titled “Best Shot in Sawyer County,” and it pictured my uncle standing with his gun and looking generally disreputable. The award was for shooting ducks while in a canoe! Our study this week is about two heroes of the Bible, Joshua and Caleb. Let’s dive into our study of the Bible and learn about why they are true heroes!

I. The Spies

A. Read Numbers 13:25-27. This is the report of the spies sent by Moses to learn about the land promised to God’s people. God’s people are now at the border of the promised land. How would you feel if you were one of the former slaves in Egypt? (I would be delighted. This is like a travel brochure of a place to which you would like to move. It sounds fabulous!)

B. Read Numbers 13:28-29 and Numbers 13:33. This is a “first the good news and second the bad news.” How bad is this news? (They thought that they had to fight and defeat the inhabitants to live there. The problem is that the local fighters are very big. Some are giants.)

C. Read Numbers 14:1-2. How do the people react to this “bad news?”

D. Read Numbers 13:30. Caleb has a much different opinion. In fact, he says “we are well able to overcome” the opposition. What does Caleb know that the other spies do not?

1. What is the impact of Caleb’s words on the people? (He was calming them – or at least trying to calm them.)

E. Read Numbers 14:6-9. This is the answer based on what Caleb believed that the others did not. How did Caleb view the reaction of the rest of the people? (He called it rebellion and fear.)

F. Read Numbers 14:10. Was Caleb convincing the others? (No! They wanted to kill him for his confident report.)

G. Read Numbers 14:11. How did God view the reaction of the people? (God said that they despised Him. They did not believe God. It was a failure of faith and open rebellion.)

H. Read Numbers 14:36-38. Do you see any irony in this? The spies who frightened the people with the thought that they would die trying to defeat the opposition ended up dying from a plague.

1. Is there a lesson in this for us today? Or does this kind of thing only happen in the Old Testament?

II. Caleb

A. Read Joshua 14:6. Do you recall from past lessons where Gilgal is located? (It is where Israel first camped after crossing the Jordan River.)

B. Read Joshua 14:7-9. What is Caleb doing? (He is claiming the land promised to him by Moses.)

C. Read Joshua 14:10-12. How would you feel if the unfaithfulness and rebellion of others caused you to waste 40 years of your life?

1. How does Caleb view those lost 40 years? (He says that he is still as strong as he was 40 years ago. He is still in the fight at 85 years of age.)
2. Exactly where does Caleb want to fight? (Read Numbers 13:32-33. The place Caleb claims at 85 years of age is where the giants live in their fortified cities! Here is a hero! Here is a man without fear!)
3. Look at Joshua 14:12 again. Is Caleb expressing a lack of faith in God? (Certainly not after we see what territory he claimed. But he is acknowledging the authority of God. It is God’s will, not Caleb’s will that will control the blessings of God.)

D. Read Joshua 14:13-15. Who won the war against the giants? (Caleb won because “he wholly followed the Lord.”)

III. Othniel

A. Read Joshua 15:14-16. Do you think Caleb needed anyone else to lead in the capture of Debir? (Why would he? Caleb has driven out the second generation of giants.)

1. If Caleb needed only God, and not any other man, why would he make this offer? (He wanted his daughter to marry someone like himself. He wanted a faithful and fearless son-in-law.)

B. Read Joshua 15:17. What do we learn about Othniel? (He was Caleb’s nephew, and he captured the city of Debir.)

1. Based on very scant evidence, how would you describe Othniel? (He had ambition. He trusted God. He was a fighter. He was courageous.)
2. There is a movement in my country to feminize men. A popular phrase is “toxic masculinity.” What do the examples of Caleb and Othniel teach us about encouraging men to become more like women? (Caleb knew what kind of man he wanted to carry on his family.)

C. Read Joshua 15:18-19. To whom did Achsah first bring her plan? (Her new husband, Othniel.)

1. What did Othniel do about it? (Nothing.)

a. Why do you think he did nothing?

1. When Othniel did nothing, Achsah decided to take her request to her father. She rode up to Caleb, and Caleb could see that she was on a mission because he asked, “What do you want?” What does this tell us about Achsah?
2. Notice that Achsah does not ask to have the property given to both of them; she essentially says that Caleb has given her land (presumably Debir, although the reference is vague). Is that true?
3. What indication do we have that Achsah is a very bright and practical woman? (Land is not very good unless it has water. This suggests that bold, brave Othniel needed a wife who was considering things he had not thought about.)

IV. Joshua

A. Read Joshua 19:49. Does it seem odd to you that the man who led Israel to defeat its enemies and take much of the land promised to it was the last one to receive his land?

1. What does this tell you about the nature of Joshua? (He was unselfish.)

B. Read Joshua 19:50. When do you think God commanded this inheritance? (That command is not recorded in the Bible. It seems logical that at the same time Caleb was told that he could have the land of the giants for this faithful spy report, Joshua was also promised this city.)

1. What is the problem with Joshua’s inheritance? (It needs remodeling! It must be “rebuilt.”)
2. What new picture of Joshua’s personality do we learn from this? (Joshua could have demanded the best of the defeated cities be given to him. He did not. He accepted a city that needed to be fixed up.)

C. Read Joshua 24:30. Where did Joshua spend the rest of his life? (He lived in Timnath-serah the rest of his life.)

1. What kind of hero is Joshua? (He is a servant leader.)
2. Was Joshua a perfect leader? (No. We discussed in past lessons that it was questionable for Joshua to send out spies. We were sad when Joshua blamed God for the defeat at Ai and expressed fear for the future.)
3. Why didn’t God make Caleb the leader to take Israel into the land promised to the people? (If we knew more about Caleb we likely would find that he was imperfect.)
4. What is the lesson for us? (We should aspire to be leaders like Joshua and Caleb. Fearless, faithful, and unselfish.)

D. Read Hebrews 12:1-2. Who is our ultimate Bible hero? (Jesus. The “cloud of witnesses” refers to Hebrews 11, which recounts the names of heroes of the Bible who, although flawed, promoted the Kingdom of God.)

E. Friend, will you aspire to be a hero in advancing the Kingdom of God? Will you be faithful, fearless, and unselfish? Why not ask the Holy Spirit to work with you to attain hero status?

V. Next week: Heirs of Promises, Prisoners of Hope.

Copr. 2025, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.

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