A Meditation* on Caleb

There are some inspiring and challenges lessons from Caleb in Joshua 14:6-15. He's 85 years old. Remember that Caleb and Joshua were in favor of going into the promised land -- but 10 others lost heart and discouraged Israel against going in. The result? Joshua and Caleb spent the next 40 years with these whiners and cowards, and dug a lot of graves. But they clung to the Lord's promises. Now the time has come for Caleb to ask for territory. Let's listen in to what a righteous 85 year-old says to the only other man who had shown courage so long before.

6 Now the men 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 brothers who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt with 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.' 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 desert. 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."

Notice a few things:

Caleb followed the Lord wholeheartedly. Caleb has been living in confidence that God will fulfill his promises. Caleb is just as strong as he was at 40 (think of that!).

Caleb does not ask for green pastures and a quiet retirement. He asks for the mountain of Horeb (where God had met Abrahm). Horeb means "fellowship" or "communion." Caleb wants to settle where he knows God is!

One minor problem: the Anakites (Goliath's people, remember?) have settled in this mountainous region in large, fortified cities.

So instead of asking for a quiet place to retire, Caleb is asking for a new challenge -- a mountain to conquer. How many 85 year-olds have you met who are flexing their biceps and shouting, "Bring it!" You have to love this guy.

And Caleb is confident that the Anakites will be easy to drive out if God is with him.

Ok, let's look at Joshua's response.

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.

Joshua blesses his fellow spy Caleb. I can easily imagine the smile on his face when Caleb asks for the mountain! Notice that the record doesn't go on about the difficulty of conquering the Anakites -- it simply states that Caleb had it for his inheritance and passed it on to his descendents.

May God help us to learn from Caleb, brothers. Where do we need to have more confidence in God's promises to us? What mountains has he put in your view, so you can say, "Bring it!" and charge ahead? What people or circumstances look like giants now, but seen in faith will shrink to their proper size?

*I took some of these thoughts from a CrossTrainer presentation by Jerry Foster.