Caleb was 40 years old when he saw the Promise Land with 11 other spies
Caleb was full of faith and wholeheartedly believed
God would give them victory of the giants in the Promise Land
Sadly, ten of the spies not only were afraid, but made the people fearful
Caleb’s middle age years were full of living with
Fearful brothers and sisters, fellow Israelites
Over 40 years a whole generation of fearful people died
But Caleb was kept alive
At age 85, Caleb said to Joshua
Give me the land God promised by Moses
Caleb’s faith kept him alive
Caleb remained healthy in spirit, healthy in his soul and healthy in body
His hope and faith kept him through his middle age years
When all those around him died
I hope you and I are kept alive to conquer the giants at age 85
I pray the years of strength of youth and zeal will not diminish throughout
The years of 40 to 85 years old
Lord Help me to have the faith of Caleb
May I follow you wholeheartedly every day of my wilderness experiences
So I might have the strength to take the Promise Land
Kept Alive
Twelve men were chosen to spy out the land
God had promised to the Children of Israel.
All 12 men saw the greatness of the Promise Land.
Two of those men were Joshua and Caleb.
Forty five years later,
Caleb leads a delegation from the
tribe of Judah to meet with Joshua.
Caleb took Joshua down memory lane…
"Remember what the Lord said to Moses, the man of God,
about you and me when we were at Kadesh-barnea.
Joshua 14:6
For 45 years, Caleb hung on to God’s promise.
Forty of those years, Caleb suffered
with the rest of the Israelites
wandering in the wilderness
for no fault of his own.
Caleb had not forgotten what he had seen
in the Promise Land
and now he reminds Joshua of those days, 45 years ago…
7 I was forty years old when Moses, the servant of the Lord, sent me from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land of Canaan. I returned and gave an honest report, 8 but my brothers who went with me frightened the people from entering the Promised Land. For my part, I wholeheartedly followed the Lord my God. 9 So that day Moses solemnly promised me, 'The land of Canaan on which you were just walking will be your grant of land and that of your descendants forever, because you wholeheartedly followed the Lord my God.'
Joshua 14:7-8
After walking down memory lane, Caleb said…
Now, as you can see, the Lord has kept me alive'
Joshua 14:10
Caleb knew it was the Lord that kept him alive.
Why are you alive, why am I alive?
Caleb said God had kept him alive
because of God’s promise.
Being kept alive was not easy.
Remember the 40 year journey through the wilderness…
A whole generation died.
We get an idea why they died from verse 8…
But my brothers who went with me frightened
the people from entering the Promised Land.
We see Joshua and Caleb who gave an honest report
and whole heartily followed the Lord…
Were kept alive for 45 years
as they saw a whole generation die in the wilderness.
Caleb was kept alive because of God’s promise.
The time of being kept alive was challenging.
Imagine believing you could be living in the Promise Land,
but you are not because your family was fearful.
Imagine the daily frustration
for 40 years of walking through the wilderness
with frightened, faithless, family.
Imagine the countless funerals
where Caleb must have thought
it didn’t have to be this way.
Caleb at 85 years old said…
I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. So give me the hill country that the Lord promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great, walled towns. But if the Lord is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the Lord said."
Joshua 14:11,12
Not only did God keep Caleb alive
because of the promise…
Not only was he kept alive
because God had a purpose and plan…
Caleb was kept alive because he never stopped
believing in the purpose of God.
While all his brothers and sisters died in the wilderness
because their bodies became weak,
his body remained strong.
Caleb’s faith challenged him to
stay healthy…
Spirit, soul and body.
Not only was Caleb ready to conquer the Promise Land…
He conquered personal physical decay.
Caleb lived in the same elements
as the generation that died in the wilderness.
He had access to the same food.
Yet, Caleb kept himself in the
same condition at the age of 40.
Caleb’s hope made a difference
in how he lived each day for 45 years.
You have to be actively doing the right things every day
to be as strong at 85 as you were at 40.
Caleb’s faith was remarkable…
To think he believed he could overcome
the giants in Canaan at age 40.
But to see he continued to condition himself
for 45 more years to overcome the giants
in Canaan at age 85 is challenging to all of us.
Take some time in a quiet place with the Lord.
What is it God wants you to live for?
What is he keeping you alive for?
If you are older, can you think of some dreams, or promises
God put on your heart in your youth?
If you are young…
Why would God want to keep
you alive as long as Caleb, who lived to be 110.
The ten spies who lacked faith
all died within 40 years of seeing the Promise Land.
Not only did they die…
But they frightened the people
who also died in the wilderness.
They gave up in spirit, soul, and body and died
without seeing the promise or purpose of God for them.
I can not tell you how challenged
I am by Caleb’s life.
As we grow older…
We let go of the things that are so important
so why would God keep us alive.
Caleb was kept alive by God.
But it is clear to see his faith
caused him to live his life differently
than all his brothers and sisters,
the fellow Israelites.
How about you…
What is keeping you alive?
What will keep you alive till you are 85 or even 110.
What do you and I have to do
to have the will to live like Caleb?
We have to have a conquering faith
that does not give up.
A conquering faith that causes us to live
differently than those who are dying.
We must live healthy lives.
Healthy in spirit,
healthy in soul
and healthy in body.
But to do that…
You and I need to see what Caleb saw.
You and I need to see God’s promise like Caleb saw it.
We need to live every day with purpose.
We need to live each day with hope.
And we need to get our purpose and hope
where Caleb got his purpose and hope.
The 40 years of living with frighten people
had to be the bigger battle…
Bigger than conquering the giants of Canaan.
I hope you and I are kept alive
to conquer the giants at age 85.
I pray the years of strength of youth and zeal
will not diminish throughout
the years of 40 to 85 years old.
Lord Help me to have the faith of Caleb.
May I follow you wholeheartedly
every day of my wilderness experiences…
So I might have the strength to take the Promise Land.
Scripture Reading
Joshua 14:6-15 NLT
6 A delegation from the tribe of Judah, led by Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, came to Joshua at Gilgal. Caleb said to Joshua, "Remember what the Lord said to Moses, the man of God, about you and me when we were at Kadesh-barnea. 7 I was forty years old when Moses, the servant of the Lord, sent me from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land of Canaan. I returned and gave an honest report, 8 but my brothers who went with me frightened the people from entering the Promised Land. For my part, I wholeheartedly followed the Lord my God. 9 So that day Moses solemnly promised me, 'The land of Canaan on which you were just walking will be your grant of land and that of your descendants forever, because you wholeheartedly followed the Lord my God.'
10 "Now, as you can see, the Lord has kept me alive and well as he promised for all these forty-five years since Moses made this promise—even while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Today I am eighty-five years old. 11 I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. 12 So give me the hill country that the Lord promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great, walled towns. But if the Lord is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the Lord said."
13 So Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave Hebron to him as his portion of land. 14 Hebron still belongs to the descendants of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite because he wholeheartedly followed the Lord, the God of Israel. 15 (Previously Hebron had been called Kiriath-arba. It had been named after Arba, a great hero of the descendants of Anak.)
And the land had rest from war.
No comments:
Post a Comment