LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS
In Numbers 13:16-31, God instructed Moses to send twelve men (one leader from each tribe of Israel) into the land of Canaan to scout it out and bring back a report. After forty days, the men returned with samples of the land’s fruit, including a large cluster of grapes, and described what they had seen. The land was rich and fruitful, flowing with milk and honey, but the cities were heavily fortified and the people living there were large and powerful. The twelve men had seen the same things, but they did not all respond the same way.
Ten of the scouts allowed fear to shape their report, insisting the people of Israel could never overcome such strong opponents. But Joshua and Caleb responded with faith. Caleb spoke up boldly, urging the people to move forward and trust that God would deliver the land to them. This passage teaches us that two people can look at the same situation and come to very different conclusions based on whether they are trusting in their own strength or in God’s faithfulness. For young children, the key truth is when we trust God, we can think positively, because God is bigger than anything that scares us.
OPENING ACTIVITY 10:15–10:30 | Explorer Walk
Items Needed:
- Magnifying glasses
Tell the kids, “Today we’re going to be EXPLORERS just like Joshua and Caleb are in our Bible story. Lead the children on an “exploration walk” outside the church. Give them magnifying glasses. Point out things you “discover.” When you return, say, “Joshua and Caleb went on a very long exploration trip! They were brave because they trusted God.”
BIBLE VERSE GAME 10:30–10:40 | Catch the Balloon
Memory Verse: “We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” — 2 Corinthians 10:5 (ESV)
Items Needed:
- 6–8 purple or green balloons (blown up ahead of time)
- Marker
Write one word of the verse on each balloon. Toss all the balloons into the air and tell the kids, “We have to CATCH our thoughts! Every time you catch a balloon, bring it to the teacher!” Once all are caught, line them up in verse order and say the verse together three times.
SONG 10:40–10:50
BIBLE STORY 10:50–11:00 a.m.
Question 1: Where is this story found in the Bible? (Numbers)
Question 2: Is Numbers in the Old Testament or the New Testament? (Old Testament!)
God’s people had been wandering through a hot desert. They needed a NEW HOME! God had already picked the PERFECT place for them!
God said to Moses … can you say “Moses”? [Wait for kids to say “Moses”]
God said to Moses, “Send twelve leaders to go check out the land I am giving to you!”
“How many leaders? TWELVE!”
So Moses called twelve brave men together. Two of those men had very special names. Can you say “Joshua”? [Wait for response] Can you say “Caleb”? [Wait for response]
“Joshua and Caleb! Those are the men in our story today.
The twelve men packed their bags and marched, marched, marched all the way to the land of Canaan!
[March around a small circle with the children, then sit back down]
When they got there, do you know what they found? The land was BEAUTIFUL! There were big trees…
There were yummy fruits…
And guess what else? There was HONEY!
And milk!
The land was SO good!
But… [lower your voice to a whisper] …there was also something that made ten of the men scared.
The people who lived there were very BIG and very STRONG. And their cities had tall, tall walls around them.
When the twelve men came back to tell Moses what they saw, ten of the men said [use a shaky, worried voice] “We can NEVER go there! Those people are too big!”
“Have you ever felt scared of something really big?” [Let kids respond]
But then, CALEB stood up and said in a LOUD, brave voice, say it with me: “WE CAN DO IT! GOD WILL HELP US!” [Repeat together 2 times]
Joshua agreed with Caleb! Joshua and Caleb believed that God was BIGGER than any giant, BIGGER than any wall, BIGGER than anything scary!
“When we remember God is with us, we don’t have to be scared. We can think BIG, BRAVE, POSITIVE thoughts!”
Theological Questions:
- Why were Joshua and Caleb not afraid, even when the other men were scared?
- Who did Joshua and Caleb trust to help them?
Life Application Questions:
- Can you think of something that feels scary or too big for you?
- What can you say to yourself when you feel scared?
Prayer
“Dear God, thank You that You are bigger than anything that scares us. Help us to think good thoughts and trust You, just like Joshua and Caleb did. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”
BIBLE CRAFT 11:00–11:15 a.m. | I Can Do It Grape Clusters
Items Needed:
- Purple positive thought circles (grapes)
- Plastic bags
- Green paper leaf/stem cut out
- Glue stick
- White paper
Separate the purple positive thought circles into paper bags and tape them on the wall. Have kids take turns picking a grape off the wall and passing out grapes to glue onto their grape clusters. Discuss the positive thoughts.
Connect the craft to the story by reminding the kids: “Joshua and Caleb brought back real grapes from the good land God promised and TODAY, our grapes are filled with good thoughts God wants us to have, just like Joshua and Caleb had!”
BIBLE MOVIE AND SNACK
If time allows, offer a grape-themed snack (grapes, grape juice, or purple fruit snacks) to connect to the grapes Joshua and Caleb brought back from Canaan! Play a Bible story video about Joshua or God’s faithfulness.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE
Numbers 13:16-31 (KJV)
“These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua. And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain: And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds; And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.
So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath. And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs. The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence.
And they returned from searching of the land after forty days. And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.
And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”
PARENT TAKE HOME SHEET
TODAY’S KEY TAKEAWAY: Have Faith and Stay Positive
What I Learned Today:
Today we learned about Joshua and Caleb, two brave men who trusted God when everyone else was scared. God showed Moses and His people a wonderful new land full of good things, and Joshua and Caleb believed God would help them go in and take it. We learned that when we trust God, we can choose to think big, brave, positive thoughts!
Questions to Ask Me:
Theological Questions:
- Who sent twelve men to go explore the land of Canaan? (Moses, because God told him to)
- How many men did God tell Moses to send? (Twelve)
- Who were the two men who trusted God and said the people could take the land? (Joshua and Caleb)
- What does it mean to have faith? (It means to trust God even when things seem scary or hard)
- What does our memory verse say we should do with our thoughts? (Take them captive and make them obedient to Christ — 2 Corinthians 10:5)
Life Application Questions:
- Can you name something that feels scary to you? (Child’s own answer — affirm it and remind them God is bigger)
- What should we do when we have a scary or sad thought? (We can ask God to help us and think about good things)
- Were Joshua and Caleb scared? What made them brave? (They trusted that God would help them)
- When you feel like you can’t do something hard, what can you say? (God helps me! I can do it with God!)
- How did God describe the land He was giving His people? (It was flowing with milk and honey — it was very good and beautiful!)