In this lesson, children learn that Caleb trusted God for a long time and kept following him wholeheartedly, even when he was old. This lesson is for children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach.
Big Idea
God keeps his promises, and when we follow him with our whole heart, he remembers us and gives us good things, even when we have to wait a long time.
Memory Verse
Joshua 14:8
Nevertheless, my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; but I wholly followed the LORD my God.
(WEB)
Put your hands over your heart and then stretch them out in front of you, like you are walking forward. Say the verse together while you move your hands, and then say “I follow the LORD!” with a big step forward.
The Story: Joshua 14 for Kids
A long time ago, God’s people, the Israelites, finally came into the land God had promised them. Joshua was their leader, and Eleazar the priest helped him. Together they shared out the land to each family group, just as God had told Moses to do. Every family got a part of the land to call their own.
One man named Caleb came to Joshua with an important memory. Many years before, Moses had sent Caleb and other men to look over the land. Caleb was forty years old then. He came back trusting that God could give them the land, but most of the other men were afraid and told the people not to go in.
Caleb said, “I wholly followed the LORD my God.” Because he trusted God, Moses promised him that the land he walked on would belong to him and his children. Now Caleb was eighty-five years old, and he was still strong, and he still trusted God. Caleb said, “Give me this hill country, and I will drive out the giants, because God is with me.”
Joshua was happy to hear Caleb’s words. He blessed Caleb and gave him the city of Hebron as his special part of the land. Hebron became Caleb’s home, and his family kept it for a very long time after that. The story tells us that God kept his promise to Caleb, because Caleb kept following God with all his heart.
Read It Together
Joshua 14:6-7
6 Then the children of Judah came near to Joshua in Gilgal. Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know the thing that the LORD spoke to Moses the man of God concerning me and concerning you in Kadesh Barnea. 7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land. I brought him word again as it was in my heart.
(WEB)
Point out that Caleb remembered what God had said to Moses many years before. Show the children that Caleb did not forget God’s promise, even after a long wait.
Joshua 14:10-11
10 “Now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as he spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that the LORD spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. Now, behold, I am eighty-five years old, today. 11 As yet I am as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me. As my strength was then, even so is my strength now for war, to go out and to come in.
(WEB)
Ask the children to notice that Caleb said God had kept him alive. Explain that Caleb was still strong at eighty-five because God was taking care of him every day.
Joshua 14:13-14
13 Joshua blessed him; and he gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. 14 Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he followed the LORD, the God of Israel wholeheartedly.
(WEB)
Point out that Joshua blessed Caleb and that Hebron stayed in Caleb’s family. Help the children see that God rewards people who keep following him faithfully.
Talk About It
- What did Caleb do when the other men were scared to go into the land?
- Why do you think Caleb waited so many years to get his reward?
- How can you follow God with your whole heart at school or at home?
- What is something God has promised us that we can count on?
- How did Caleb stay strong even when he was very old?
Activity Ideas
Caleb’s Heart Drawing
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and scissors. Have each child draw a big heart and write or draw one way they can follow God this week, such as sharing, praying, or helping at home. Cut out the hearts and display them on a wall or the classroom door as a reminder of Caleb’s faithfulness.
Giants and Strong Hearts Game
You will need a few pillows or soft balls and some open floor space. Set up a “giant” by stacking pillows at one end of the room. Each child takes a turn walking across the room while saying, “God is with me!” then tossing a soft ball at the pillows. Remind the children that Caleb was brave because God was with him.
Take-Home Promise Card
You will need index cards, a pen, and a small envelope for each child. Write Joshua 14:8 on the card in simple words, or have the children copy the phrase “I wholly followed the LORD.” Let them decorate the card and take it home to put by their bed or on the fridge so they can remember to follow God every day.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter shows that God is faithful to his promises across many years, and that faithful people can keep trusting God even as they age. Caleb’s story also shows that wholehearted following is a matter of steady trust rather than a single brave moment. Adults can draw encouragement from Caleb’s example in seasons of long waiting.
With children, avoid overstating the idea that God always gives us exactly what we ask for or that faithfulness guarantees an easy life. Keep the focus on God’s faithfulness and on the trust Caleb showed, rather than suggesting that obedience will always bring a specific reward.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank you for keeping your promises to us. Help us to follow you with our whole hearts, just like Caleb did, every day and every year. Give us courage when we are scared, and help us remember that you are always with us. Amen.
