How did Caleb grow in faithfulness?
“[None of them will see the good land I promised] except Kalev (Caleb) the son of Y’funeh - he will see it; I will give him and his descendants the land he walked on, because he has fully followed (or remained faithful to) Adonai.” (Deuteronomy 1:36, CJB)
He was of a different spirit. He was not swayed by the flood of negativity and faithlessness around him. He may have lived in an environment where greed, selfishness, pride and rebellion were praised rather than censured, but he remained uncorrupted.
Numbers 14:24 declares, “But my servant [Caleb], because he had a different Spirit with him and has fully followed me - him I will bring into the land he entered, and it will belong to his descendants.” (CJB)
Caleb stood strong in the Lord against great opposition. At a time of national apostasy, where people are attacking God’s motives, he along with Moses, Aaron and Joshua, boldly stood for God.
Even while there was a talk of stoning them, he boldly silenced the people before Moses and said, “We ought to go up immediately and take possession of it; there is no question that we can conquer it.” (Numbers 13:30, CJB)
He showed deep sorrow in the face of unfaithfulness. (Numbers 14:6-7) (Moses, Aaron and Joshua showed the same sorrow)Our true selves come out when we are under pressure. Caleb was at his best even in times of crises. He was tested along with all the other Israelites but he came forth shining as gold.
Rewards of Caleb’s faithfulness:
He earned the privilege of leading the next generation to their promised land. He became one of the most respected or shall we say fearsome leaders in Israel.
God honored him by referring to Caleb as “My servant.” This is one of the greatest honor you can receive from the Lord. (Numbers 14:24)
He did not grow weak. (Caleb speaking to Joshua during their conquest in the promised land) “Now, look: [the LORD] has kept me alive these forty-five years…Today I am eighty-five years old, but I am as strong today as on the day [Moses] sent me - I’m as strong now as I was then, whether for war or simply for going here and there.” (Joshua 14:10-11, CJB)
There’s a great lesson here: Even if your promised land is “delayed” due to unfaithfulness around you, God will preserve your strength and vigor until you enter in. Faithfulness makes our spirits young.
He got what he desired from the Lord: Horeb and its surrounding cities. These were the lands of the giants, the most difficult to conquer, but the best of all the land. (Joshua 14:14) Furthermore, David, who was from Caleb’s tribe of Judah, conquered Mount Zion- the future site of God’s temple and Jerusalem, the city of the great king - our Lord Jesus Christ. Even a cursory glance at the map would show that the tribe of Judah got the biggest share of inheritance in Canaan.
He had the pleasure of killing and driving away the giants in the land. (Joshua 15:13-14) He drove out the very giants that the Israelites said would devour them alive. Furthermore, his tribe’s descendant David and his warriors finished off the last of the giants. (1 Chronicles 20:8)
His name became synonymous to whole-hearted faithfulness to the LORD. (Numbers 14:24, 32:12, Deuteronomy 1:36, Joshua 14:14)
He imparted his unconquerable spirit to his family. Achsah, Caleb’s daughter, did not rest until she was fully satisfied with her inheritance. (Judges 1:11-15) His son-in-law, Othniel, became the first national judge in Israel. As long as Othniel lived, there was peace in the land.
How did Joshua develop faithfulness?
“Y’hoshua the son of Nun, your assistant - he will go in there. So encourage him, because he will enable Isra’el to take possession of it.” (Deuteronomy 1:38, CJB)
Joshua grew from being an ordinary Israelite to becoming one of the leaders in his tribe (he was one of the 12 leaders chosen as spies) and until he became the successor of Moses as leader of the whole nation.
Joshua was faithful in smaller successes. He won smaller battles in preparation for greater ones. (Exodus 17:8-16) He steadily progressed to become the military-general of the whole nation. Moses even changed his name from Hoshea (salvation) to Joshua (the LORD is salvation). Numbers 13:16. A change of name signifies a change of character. Joshua has God attached to his name, which can mean he entered into spiritual maturity in his relationship with God.
Other examples of name changes: Abram (exalted father), after having a life-changing encounter with God Almighty, became Abraham (father of many). (Genesis 17:1-6) Abraham received his new name when he was 99 years old, when God took action to his promise. A year later, Isaac was born. Jacob - the supplanter, after wrestling with the Angel of the Lord, became Isra’el - prince with God. (Genesis 32)
He was a loyal servant. (Exodus 24:13) Joshua had a humble heart of a servant. For Joshua, serving was a privilege and no task was too menial. In Exodus 24:13, Moses went up to Mount Sinai (with all the raging fire of God burning and the top of the mountain glowing red hot) together with Joshua as his personal assistant attending to his needs. While Moses stayed 40 days and nights speaking with God, Joshua patiently waited. (He was spared from the delusion of idolatry down below at the camp.)
Joshua developed intimacy with God. “Adonai would speak to Moshe face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Then he would return to the camp [to minister tot he people]; but the young man who was his assistant, Y’hoshua the son of Nun, never left the inside of the tent.” (Exodus 33:11, CJB) While others were busy with their own businesses, Joshua was busy developing a close relationship with God. He took the time to be holy and separated himself to get to know the Lord.
He meditated on God’s word daily. (Joshua 1:8) As he stayed in God’s presence daily, I believe the Lord instructed him in His word as well and the Lord commanded him to take His words to heart.
Rewards of Joshua’s faithfulness:
His daily fellowship with God produced in him an unshakable faith. He became strong in the Lord and full of might because God was with him. (Numbers 14:6-8, Joshua 1:9) His fellowship with God brought him to a new paradigm - delighting in God.
When the whole camp was overwhelmed with impossibility, Joshua proclaimed: “If Adonai is pleased with us, then he will bring us into this land and give it to us - a land flowing with milk and honey.” (Numbers 14:8, CJB) He understood that the real secret to success was God’s favor.
He carried God’s presence. “And the LORD said to Moses: ‘Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.” (Numbers 27:18, NKJV)
The Lord promoted him to succeed Moses as leader of the whole nation. (Numbers 27:18-23)
He was filled with the Spirit of Wisdom. (Deuteronomy 34:9)
He caused all Isra’el to inherit the land. (Deuteronomy 1:38) He not only went himself, but he also strongly influenced others to possess their promised land. All those who went with him to possess the land stayed faithful to the Lord all their days. (Joshua 24:31)
His whole household remained faithful to the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)
He got what he wanted - Almighty God. What could be a greater promise than in Joshua 1:9, where God declared to him: “Haven’t I ordered you, ‘Be strong, be bold’? So don’t be afraid or downhearted, because Adonai your God is with you.” (CJB)
Also, Joshua and Caleb had the joy of leading faithful followers. All the grumbling, complaining and rebellion died in the wilderness.
Delighting in the Lord is an awesome thing. God’s favor causes us to inherit all the best that He has for us. Take note of Joshua’s words, “If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it to us.” (Numbers 14:8, CJB) We win God’s favor as we grow in Christlikeness. To walk in God’s favor, we must have all three: called and chosen and faithful.
May the Lord delight in our faithfulness and cause us to inherit His good promises… And may all who come behind us find us faithful and inspire them to be faithful as well, in Jesus’ name, amen:)
(Re-writing Deuteronomy 007)
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