A MAN OF FAITH
Opening Prayer
Lord, make me like Caleb.
Read JOSHUA 14:6–15
Allotment for Caleb
6 Now the people of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh Barnea about you and me. 7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, 8 but my fellow Israelites who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear. I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly. 9 So on that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.’[a]
10 “Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! 11 I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. 12 Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”
13 Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. 14 So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly. 15 (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba after Arba, who was the greatest man among the Anakites.)
Then the land had rest from war.
Footnotes
a. Joshua 14:9 Deut. 1:36
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
‘Who is like you, LORD God Almighty? You, LORD, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you’ (Ps 89:8).
Think Further
This passage tells how the city of Hebron gets assigned to Caleb. At first glance one could ask why this is considered significant enough to be recorded in such detail. The answer is probably that the writer wants to present Caleb as a hero of faith at a time when the Israelites are being drawn into idolatry by the people around them. Caleb deserves a special place in the Joshua story because he is an example of obedience and faithfulness to God. Remarkably, Caleb is not a pure Israelite but a Kenizzite or Edomite (6) (cf. 1 Chr 4:13, 15).
When Moses sent the twelve men to do a reconnaissance of the land of Canaan (Num 13, 14) and ten reported back that a military campaign was doomed to failure, with only Joshua and Caleb dissenting, the ten were just being realistic. As Jackman says, ‘Conquering Canaan was an impossibility in human terms, but the spies were unrealistic when they left God out of the reckoning’ (Jackman, 2014, p145). Caleb, however, is different: ‘my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly’ (Num 14:24). The fact that he has followed God wholeheartedly is mentioned three times in today’s passage (8, 9, 14). His survival through 45 years of turmoil, as well as his health and strength, are presented as a consequence of God’s blessing on him.
That Caleb has not lost the fire in his belly is shown in verse 12. Rather than asking for a nice retirement villa by the sea, he asks for the hill country where the giants are still to be found and the cities are well fortified. Caleb seems to be saying: ‘The more difficult the better, because God will keep His promises.’ Perhaps sensibly, Joshua gives him just one city!
Apply
Follow Caleb’s example by taking God’s promises and turning them into prayers.
Closing prayer
Lord, giants or no giants, nothing stands in the way when You decide to do something for Your people.
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