Sabbath: Giants of Faith: Joshua and Caleb
Daily Lesson for Sabbath 15th of November 2025
Image © Pacific Press
Read for This Week’s Study: Numbers 13:6,30-32; Joshua 14:6-14; Luke 18:1-5; Joshua 19:49-51; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 12:1-2.
Memory Text: “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith” (Hebrews 13:7, ESV).
Every parent knows that their children learn by example, don’t they? How many parents have fretted over seeing their children follow their bad traits instead of their good ones? Whatever our age, we find it easier to do wrong than to do right. It’s just part of what it means to be fallen beings. “For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do” (Romans 7:15, NKJV). Who can’t relate?
From birth, humans are shaped by the power of example. We learn to do the most basic things in life—such as walking, talking, and expressing our emotions—by imitating those closest to us. As adults, we still need role models, and even if they are not perfect, we can admire and emulate those spiritual traits that made them giants of faith.
This week, we will take a deeper look into the personal examples of two giants of faith in the book of Joshua: Caleb and Joshua. What is it that made them stand out in their generation and play a key role in the life of God’s people during one of the most crucial periods of Israel’s history?
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, November 22.
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Those of us who have a rear vison mirror, and use it while moving forward are sometimes surprised at what we see behind us and how they affect us now.My current interest in bird photography started as a teenager with a church pastor who nurtured my interest in photography when all I had was a Kodak Box Brownie. (I still have one by the way). My interest in combining science and faith stems from my Physics and Chemistry Lecturers at Avondale. We buried my old Physics teacher a couple of weeks ago, and I remembered how often he would ask the question, “Have you ever thought about this?”, and he would then initiate a discussion that was both challenging and affirming.
In a sense these folk open my vision of God. I owe a great deal to them for providing me with a framework to build my faith. We often talk about the work of the Holy Spirit, but sometimes we forget that the Holy Spirit works through people. God is not visible, We cannot detect him with perturbations in the measurements of scientific instruments, but we can see him in the actions of people who have a relationship with him.
Jesus had this little conversation with Phillip:
And by extension, it is our responsibility to reveal the love of God so they too can see the Father.
This week we look at the leadership of Joshua and Caleb, and maybe we can discover what made them “giants of faith”.
Oh wow! Just as Christ said to Nicodemus “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. ” - John 3:8 KJV, so the evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit is in the works from the individual whose life the Spirit has control. "The blessing comes when by faith the soul surrenders itself to God. Then that power which no human eye can see creates a new being in the image of God." DA 173.1
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night…Then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”(Joshua 1:8–9, NKJV)
How can one possibly become a faith giant like Joshua and Caleb?
1. Becoming a faith giant is a life-long journey. Giants of faith grow gradually as they practice faith and obedience on small things first. “He who is faithful in little will be faithful in much.” (Luke 16:10 ).
2. Giants of faith see their circumstance through the eyes of God and not human eyes. Joshua and Caleb saw God, while the other spies saw giants in the land. Things totally change when we see them from God’s perspective.
3. Giants of faith fix their hearts completely loyal to God. The Bibles says that Caleb had “another spirit… and followed the LORD fully.” (Numbers 14:24). These giants are not part-time believers, but they follow God wholly.
4. Giants of faith take courage and strength from God’s promises. “I will be with you.” (Joshua 1:5). “Be strong and courageous.”( Joshua 1:9). Without God all human beings are like “grasshoppers” before the enemy.
5. Faith giants always stand firm regardless of what the crowd might say. Joshua and Caleb stood against an entire nation (Numbers 14) to the point of putting their personal lives in danger.
6. Faith giants are giants of patience. Joshua faithfully served Moses for 40 years and Caleb waited 45years before he inherited Hebron (Joshua 14). Faith grows through waiting and not through rushing things.
7. Giants of faith are people of hope. They have a sense of mission knowing that they are part of something bigger. They live beyond self. They are mission minded.
”And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God”(Hebrews 11:9-10).
Joshua and Caleb stand out not because of naive optimism; but settled assurance that God does exactly what He says. Their faith in God made them stand tall among the great figures in the Scripture, their courage flowed not from themselves but from confidence they had in God and His promises. The boldness of character was a trust that led them to the promised land of inheritance (Gen. 12:1–4). The two men looked beyond what their eyes could see and anchored themselves in the faithfulness of the Lord.Their bravery easily centered on God who created heaven and earth. They choose to rely on God's strength and skill when it mattered most, they declared like David believed that the battle belonged to the Lord (1 Sam. 17:45–47). Joshua and Caleb were convicted that God would conquer the land not because Israel was strong, but because God had pledged His presence and power.
Their stance demonstrates that genuine courage grows from trusting God rather than measuring circumstances through human limitations. Their faith-filled courage was notoriusly costly but also risky from human perspective. Just as the prophets were opposed for speaking God’s truth Joshua and caleb took a risky path against public opinion and common sense of their time (Jer. 26:8–11) Joshua and Caleb risked and choose to face hostility for confronting the people’s fear and rebellion. Their example teaches us that courageous faith on God’s promises and willing to stand for truth even when it provokes resistance is a neccesity in our Christian life. In this way, they join the long line of those who lived and sometimes suffered to become giants of faith (Heb. 11).
After a super-tight week of activities, it's beautiful to return and find these great leaders - Caleb and Joshua. They not only represent faith in God and total trust in His will and might but also lived lives as an offering to God, embodying hope and bravery.
When the Israelites worriedly murmured about their fear of the "mighty" men of Canaan, comparing themselves as the scripture says Moses and Aaron were shattered (Numbers 14:5). The people had doubted God, even preferring Egypt, and demanded a new leader to take them back (Numbers 14:4).
There are people among us who change the atmosphere in a room. Their presence brings hope and vibrance, a glow that brightens sombre moments and provokes nostalgia. They see things from the bright side, speaking with firm, positive, and hopeful confidence in God's promise and victory. This rare gift was evident in Joshua and Caleb, who stood firm despite facing an assembly ready to stone them for their views (Numbers 14:6-10).
This week, let's revisit their spirit of faith and positivity, trusting in God's love and blessing as we learn from these heroes of faith and hope - Caleb and Joshua.
Who of us have the same beliefs and convictions that Caleb and Joshua had back then?
When I think about the power of example, my mind goes back to Samson. Before Samson was even born, God gave very specific instructions to his mother on how to live, how to behave, and how to keep herself pure (Judges 13:3–5). Notice something important: God told her how to conduct herself, but He did not tell her every detail about how to feed or raise the boy. Why? Because the mother herself was to be the example Samson would follow. Her lifestyle her obedience, her consecration was to be the first sermon Samson saw. If Samson would grow as a Nazarite, he first needed to see a Nazarite spirit in the one raising him.
In the same way, the church is (Woman-church) His bride (Ephesians 5:25–27). Souls who come to Christ should learn the way of heaven by observing how the church lives. Our behavior, our unity, our purity, our humility, our faithfulness these become the silent lessons shaping new believers. A church cannot expect to produce strong, consecrated disciples if its own lifestyle does not reflect the character of Christ.
This week’s study reminds us of the same truth: people grow by example. Caleb and Joshua stood firm because they had learned to trust God with unwavering faith (Numbers 13:30–32; Joshua 14:6–14). The persistent widow in Luke 18:1–5 teaches us steadfastness in prayer. Paul calls us to reflect Christ by beholding Him daily (2 Corinthians 3:18) and to present ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1–2). And Hebrews 13:7 sums it all up:
“Remember your leaders… consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.”
Just like Samson’s mother, and just like Caleb and Joshua, our lives preach louder than our words. May every believer, every leader, and every church member live in such a way that those watching us are drawn closer to Christ.
Faith is not believing that God will do what I say; rather, faith is believing that God will do what He has said He will do. Nowhere is this lesson clearer than in the book of Joshua. Joshua consistently relied on the writings of Moses, words received directly from God, as he led Israel in the conquest of Canaan.
He also learned this truth the hard way: when he trusted the Gibeonites without seeking the Lord, and when he advanced against Ai without God’s direction. Both moments revealed the consequences of moving ahead apart from God’s word.
In the same way, we miss opportunities to grow our faith - faith in what the LORD can do and what He has already said He will do, when we neglect the Old Testament. Seeing Christ in the Old Testament, rightly understood, strengthens our faith in deeply practical ways.
We have been given all the tools, gained inside in the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, been set free from the bondage to sin – why would we still do what we do not want to do?
We have been offered to receive a new nature – a new heart and a new mind. If we are found in Christ Jesus, we do not do what we do not want to do, and do instead that which is right – our wanting to do and our doing have merged; became one.
There was a separation between willing/wanting to do and doing before we became the children of God who now live in His spiritual Kingdom here on earth after having accepted our new nature.
The example of Caleb's and Joshua's faith is that it remained singly focused on their task at hand - no oscillating between faith and doubt, debating hardship or convenience -, but doing that which they knew to be God’s Will and Way – 2 Cor.3:18.
Examples. When kids reach 10, it may be too late for a change in the conduct of the parents. Nevertheless, the Lord is merciful, and it is never too late to follow in Jesus’ steps and also to become a good example!
Caleb and Joshua. These were not ordinary leaders. They were not famous because of their titles but because of the quality of their faith and the depth of their obedience. What made them stand out so powerfully in their generation?
At a time when fear crippled an entire nation, when the majority chose doubt over God’s promises, Joshua and Caleb stood firm. They saw the same giants, the same fortified cities, and the same challenges as everyone else—but they responded differently. Where others saw obstacles, they saw God. Where others trembled, they trusted. Where others complained, they believed.
Their faith was not passive—it was courageous, active, and costly. These two men played a pivotal role during one of the most crucial transitional moments in Israel’s history: the crossing into the Promised Land after 40 years of wandering. They became living examples that faithfulness is more powerful than fear, and that God rewards those who cling to His Word even when the crowd does not.
They had unwavering trust in God’s promises
They had courage when they were surrounded by doubt
They had consistency over decades
They were obedient even when it required sacrifice
Their leadership was rooted not in position, but in character
Joshua and Caleb show us that God doesn’t look for the majority—He looks for the faithful. And through just two obedient men, God preserved a vision, sustained a nation, and opened the way for victory.
May their example inspire us to be a different voice in our generation—one that stands with God even when others bow to fear.