LESSON 2   
   *October 2 - 8   
   Caleb: Living With the Wait   
      
   SABBATH AFTERNOON   
      
   Read for This Week's Study:   
      
   Numbers 13, 14; Joshua 14; Judg. 1:12-15.   
      
   Memory Text:   
      
   "My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I   
   say, more than they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope in the Lord:   
   for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption" (Psalm   
   130:6, 7).   
    He saw the best of times and the worst of times. Caleb knew what slavery was   
   like. He had been there when the Lord had led his people out of Egypt with a   
   mighty hand. He had seen the sea open before Israel and swallow the Egyptian   
   chariots and army. He had been with Israel at Mount Sinai and had seen Moses   
   descend from the mountain with God's law. He was one of the first to see the   
   land of Canaan. And through no fault of his own, he had to spend his best   
   years wandering in the desert with the Israelites. He watched all of his   
   generation die there too. At last, as an old man, he is able to enter into the   
   land of Canaan. Even then he shows courage and faith in God.   
      
   Caleb is a leader who seems to work more behind the scenes than in front of   
   the audience. This week we will learn from his gentle leadership style. We   
   will get to know a great leader willing to take risks and to lead by example;   
   someone who is generous and encourages leadership in younger people. But   
   beyond the many positive character traits of Caleb, we will study a story   
   relevant to us, who live at the end of earth's history as we wait to cross   
   over into the heavenly Canaan.   
      
   *Study this week's lesson to prepare for Sabbath, October 9.   
   SUNDAY   
   October 3   
      
   "The Facts"   
      
   About fifteen months earlier, Israel had left Egypt. Tents dot the desert of   
   Paran, close to the border of Canaan. Everyone is excited to know about the   
   land that is soon to be their home. At God's direction, 12 explorers are   
   chosen. Caleb is to represent Judah as one of the 12 who will conduct a   
   fact-finding mission to Canaan. The spies spend forty days exploring the land,   
   and finally they return and prepare to give their report.   
      
   Read Numbers 13:26-14:2. What lesson can we learn about living by faith and   
   not by sight from this account?   
      
   The spies bring along something that they can see, smell, and taste. Although   
   the twelve spies were all exposed to the same facts, they come to very   
   different conclusions.   
      
   Ten of them interpret the fertile land and great cities to mean that they are   
   doomed, that there is no way these wandering ex-slaves can take the land.   
   Conveniently, they seem to forget that they would not be standing on the   
   border of the Promised Land if it were not for the miracles of the plagues in   
   Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, the water from a rock, and the daily manna   
   that they received for more than a year. God did all these things for them,   
   and now, for some reason, they fail to trust Him and His promises, going by   
   what they see instead of what God has promised. How easy for all of us to do   
   the same thing!   
      
   What we see, and how we interpret what we see, can have very direct personal   
   consequences. Our interpretations of "facts" form the building blocks of our   
   daily decisions, and these "facts" so often interact with our emotions. The   
   idea that we can believe whatever we like without those beliefs affecting who   
   we are and what we do is a myth.   
      
   Facing the "facts" without God's Word will lead to interpretations that point   
   away from God and toward faithlessness. Facing the facts with God will lead to   
   evidence that will help us to trust God and strengthen our faith in Him.   
   Why is it so easy to live by sight and not by faith? When was the last time   
   you faced something similar to what we have read today? How did you respond,   
   and what did you learn from your response and all that followed afterward   
   about trusting in God and in His promises, despite the "facts"?    
   MONDAY   
   October 4   
      
   Standing Tall When It Counts   
      
   It is not always easy to stand out and stand tall. Group pressure is a   
   tremendous force. The sheer power of thousands of people cheering in a stadium   
   for the home team carries an energy that is very intimidating to opponents.   
   Not many of us would be foolish enough to shout for the opposing team or wave   
   the other team's colors in the middle of the opposition. This is the reason   
   why supporters of opposing teams, such as in soccer, often are kept apart   
   during games. When they do meet, reason steps aside and violence often results.   
      
   For the Israelites, though, this was no game. Their future and their survival   
   seemed to be threatened, and they all wept. To witness thousands of people   
   weeping together must have been very moving. And here Caleb, who normally   
   seems to be in the background, steps forward.   
      
   Focus on Numbers 13:30. What can we learn about Caleb and about trusting in   
   God's promises from what he said?    
   The same information can be conveyed in many ways. How we say something is as   
   important as what we say. Caleb shows a lot of character by not arguing with   
   or insulting the faithless ten spies in public and not remonstrating with the   
   people for their lack of faith. Instead, Caleb talks courageously and calls   
   for trust and action. However, the people do not want to hear this. They have   
   made up their minds and try to stone Moses, Joshua, and Caleb.   
      
   Read Numbers 14:1-10, 20-24. What do we see here as an end result of rejecting   
   God's Word and thus coming to a faulty interpretation of the "facts"?    
   Caleb must have been bitterly disappointed. He had seen the good land. He was   
   faithful and ready to enter. But now he must wander in the desert for 40 years   
   because of everyone else's fault. Caleb, however, has a strong sense of   
   community and realizes what it means to be part of a whole. He leads by   
   example and encourages. Caleb does not break away and start a new movement.   
   The spirit of simply leaving when there is trouble or lack of faith may be a   
   current phenomenon, but it is not biblical. In Caleb we see a man who stays   
   on, even during the punishment years, without a spirit of "I told you so."   
   In what ways have you suffered from other people's bad choices? How have you   
   handled yourself in these situations?    
   TUESDAY   
   October 5   
      
   Claiming God's Promises   
      
   Forty years have passed. The Israelites have crossed over the Jordan into the   
   Promised Land. Like hungry people eyeing a table loaded with good food, they   
   gaze toward the Promised Land. Campfire discussions center on what the best   
   sections of land are and who is going to get them. Long before entering the   
   Promised Land, Moses already had recognized the potential for in-fighting and   
   left directions for the division of the land. The division of the land is   
   touched on in Joshua 14.   
      
   Read Joshua 14. What request does Caleb make, and why do you think he made it?   
   What does this tell us about him and his faith?    
   Amid the dividing of the land, Caleb steps forward and, surprisingly, asks for   
   land. This is not to be land for his tribe but rather for him personally. At   
   first glance, this meeting between Joshua and Caleb, the two oldest men in   
   Israel, seems a little out of character. Even though Caleb insists that he is   
   strong and ready for battle, first and foremost he wants to claim a promise   
   given to him by God.   
      
   Caleb obviously is unafraid to claim God's promises. Caleb's request is not   
   motivated by selfish ambition. The principle of "getting to give" is deeply   
   entrenched in the old man. Caleb does not make claim to the nicest, most lush   
   areas; rather, he chooses the area inhabited by the sons of Anak--giants. That   
   is, the land he is asking for isn't yet conquered. These very giants had made   
   the Israelites so afraid forty years earlier (Num. 13:33).   
      
   Caleb, perhaps, is eager to see that the current generation does not make the   
   mistakes of their forefathers. Now Caleb demonstrates his faith in God by   
   choosing the most challenging, instead of the easiest, territory.   
      
   Once again, Caleb is leading by example. In the process, he is living an   
   object lesson. He is in effect saying: "If God can use one of the oldest men   
   to drive out the giants, then the rest of you need not fear. God can and will   
   give the victory." Joshua 15:13, 14 records Caleb's victory over Sheshai,   
   Ahiman, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak. What had terrified a whole nation   
   was conquered by one old man who trusted in God's power.   
   Read Joshua 14:14. What does it mean to serve the Lord "wholeheartedly"? What   
   kind of things in our lives, if not constantly put down, will make this   
   difficult for us to do?    
   WEDNESDAY   
   October 6   
      
   Passing on the Legacy   
      
   In some cultures, old age is highly respected, and older people are well   
   integrated into society and looked to for advice and wisdom. In other   
   cultures, senior citizens are seen as being no longer productive and are   
   ignored and marginalized. The latter view seems to be growing worldwide. Caleb   
   gives a wonderful example of the positive use of one's old age.   
      
   Caleb avoids the extremes normally associated with the senior years. He does   
   not allow himself to be intimidated by others because of his years. He does   
   not simply give up on life and withdraw. He does not use his age as an excuse   
   for not being involved in his community. Neither does he hang on to his   
   position and see all attempts of younger people to lead as personal threats.   
      
   What does Psalm 92:12-15 say about old age?    
      
      
   It has been said that God has no grandchildren. As long as God remains the God   
   of my fathers, He has nothing to do with me, personally. Caleb knows that   
   every generation must have its own experience with God. The Israelites,   
   collectively and individually, could not live off the miracles of Egypt, or   
   even the wilderness experience of their parents. Caleb sees it as his duty to   
   create an environment for the younger generation to take their first steps of   
   faith.   
      
   What sort of experience is Caleb facilitating in Judges 1:12, 13? How does he   
   do this?    
      
      
   The people of Judah are taking possession of their land. The tribes of Judah   
   and Simeon cooperate and work together in faith in order to make good on God's   
   promises. But on coming up against the fortified city of Kirjathsepher (vs.   
   12), they face a tremendous challenge. We know from archaeology about the   
   often elaborate design of Late Bronze Age fortification systems in Palestine.   
   However, instead of focusing on the walls, Caleb sees this challenge as an   
   opportunity for growth. Here someone can claim God's promises and have the   
   victory. Although it may sound strange to us, Caleb offers a wonderful   
   incentive. Whoever conquers the city would become his son-in-law. Othniel,   
   Caleb's nephew (Judg. 1:13), takes up the challenge, and God gives him   
   victory. Through  Caleb's nurturing, a new hero is born. Caleb's investment   
   would pay rich dividends in later years. God would use this young man as   
   Israel's first judge and deliverer (Judg. 3:7-11).   
   As you have matured, how have your attitudes changed? What have you learned   
   simply by having more years of experience? How can you avoid letting the years   
   simply entrench you even more deeply in wrong habits and attitudes?    
   THURSDAY   
   October 7   
      
   Giving Freely   
      
   Read Judges 1:14, 15. What more does this tell us about the character of   
   Caleb?    
   Inheritance was very important to the Israelites. Owning land to pass on to   
   your heirs was seen as a way of ensuring that your legacy would not die out.   
   As a matter of fact, this was so important that detailed laws were given to   
   provide for an heir if a man died childless, so that someone would take the   
   deceased's name and continue his legacy (see the Levirate laws in Deut.   
   25:5-10).   
      
   At Caleb's age, he would have been thinking seriously about his own   
   inheritance. The later genealogical records show that Caleb had sons. He would   
   have been eager to leave them as much as possible. Although Acsah was his   
   daughter, any land that was given to her would effectively leave Caleb's   
   immediate family and become part of her husband's property. We do not know   
   exactly what prompted the Acsah's request for land, but we do know that   
   refusing her request would have been acceptable and in line with the social   
   norms of protecting one's own inheritance.   
      
   The surprising thing is that Caleb not only gives her the field but then also   
   gives the springs of water, too. And not just one spring of water but both the   
   upper and lower springs.   
      
   Generosity works both ways. Proverbs 11:25 states that "a generous man will   
   prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed" (NIV). When we are   
   not ready to give freely, it is perhaps a sign that we have not yet received.   
      
   What implications does this story have for our spiritual life in, for example,   
   the area of forgiveness? Read Matthew 6:15 and 18:21-35.    
   We can give only what we have. If we are unable to forgive, then it is a sure   
   sign that we have not claimed God's forgiveness for ourselves. Caleb had   
   received blessings from God and was happy to share them. He showed a   
   generosity way beyond the social norms of his time.   
   How generous are you with what you have? Do you find that the more you have,   
   the more willing you are to share with others, or do you tend to hoard? How   
   can you learn to be more willing to give of yourself for the good of others?    
   FRIDAY   
   October 8   
      
   Further Study:   
      
      
   "Caleb's faith now was just what it was when his testimony had contradicted   
   the evil report of the spies. He had believed God's promise that He would put   
   His people in possession of Canaan, and in this he had followed the Lord   
   fully. He had endured with his people the long wandering in the wilderness,   
   thus sharing the disappointments and burdens of the guilty; yet he made no   
   complaint of this, but exalted the mercy of God that had preserved him in the   
   wilderness when his brethren were cut off. Amid all the hardships, perils, and   
   plagues of the desert wanderings, and during the years of warfare since   
   entering Canaan, the Lord had preserved him; and now at upwards of fourscore   
   his vigor was unabated. He did not ask for himself a land already conquered,   
   but the place which above all others the spies had thought it impossible to   
   subdue. By the help of God he would wrest his stronghold from the very giants   
   whose power had staggered the faith of  Israel. It was no desire for honor or   
   aggrandizement that prompted Caleb's request. The brave old warrior was   
   desirous of giving to the people an example that would honor God, and   
   encourage the tribes fully to subdue the land which their fathers had deemed   
   unconquerable."--Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 512, 513.    
   Discussion Questions:   
      
     As Christians we are constantly bombarded with "facts" that are interpreted   
   in ways that contradict our faith. Notice, the key word is "interpreted." What   
   are ways that we can confront these challenges without making fools of   
   ourselves and yet at the same time maintain our integrity?    
    Dwell more on the idea that how we interpret "facts" isn't always correct.   
   For instance, we look at matter and see it as solid; yet, in reality, matter   
   is almost all empty space. We look at the ground and judge it to be unmoving,   
   even though it is moving very quickly through space. We can be in a closed,   
   empty room and hear nothing, even though the air in the room is filled with   
   radio waves carrying all sorts of sounds that we, left to ourselves, can't   
   hear. What lessons can we draw from this about what it means to live by faith   
   and not by sight?    
     Drawing on the life of Caleb, how can we nurture new believers, young   
   people, and children to fill positions of leadership and responsibility in our   
   church?    
    Caleb stuck with his people, even amid their gross sins and mistakes. What   
   lessons does this have for us, today, as Seventh-day Adventists?    
      
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