Are You a Giant-Slayer?
Joshua: Pass Over and Possess • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the Lord said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadesh-barnea. Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart.
Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the Lord my God. And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children’s for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the Lord my God.
And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.
Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said.
Introduction
Introduction
The book of Joshua begins a new section in chapter 13. To this point, we have seen the story of the Israelites entering and fighting in the land of Canaan. In our passage this morning, we will see the beginning of the possession phase of the book. God told them to pass over and possess the land.
We need to be looking throughout the book for our theme for 2025. The central focus of the book of Joshua is that God wants us to move forward and take ahold of the blessings of our salvation.
Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the Lord your God giveth you to possess it.
As we saw in our study of Ephesians, God has blessed us with spiritual blessings. All the saved have access to these blessings. Do we share them with the lost? Do we live them faithfully in our lives? Do we thank God for them daily? The book of Joshua leads us along the path of living the victorious Christian life. All we need to live victoriously, we already have in Christ. We must just cross over the river of fear and take ownership of the land of Promise!
Chapter 13 of Joshua gives us the context of our sermon this morning in chapter 14. We see the characterization of Joshua in verse 1 showing us where the story is going.
Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the Lord said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.
Even when we have been following God and winning victories through His power for many years, there will always be new things that God wants us to learn. There will be new places that He wants us to go to and new heights to gain in our Christian walk.
The characterization here is also a reminder that victories are not always won by groups of people. Most of the victories in our Christian life are based on choices we make ourselves. The rest of the conquest will have to be accomplished through the personal choices of the people in their own neighborhoods and cities. The life of a believer will be judged by God based on what we have chosen to do with the blessings that He has given us in salvation. God gives command to Joshua to begin the division of the land to the tribes that will complete the victory over the people in the land.
Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance unto the nine tribes, and the half tribe of Manasseh,
This next section of the book, dealing with the division of the land, begins with the first of the two faithful spies from the book of Numbers receiving their inheritance, as we will see this morning. At the end of the section in chapter 19, we find the other, Joshua, receiving his inheritance. God is careful to carry out the promises that He has made.
The rest of chapter 13, after verses 1-7, gives us the current status of the division of the previously conquered land. There is undefeated groups in both Philistia and Phonecia. There is the land of Sihon that was given to Reuben in verses 15-23. The land of the northern section of Sihon was given by Moses to Gad in verses 15-23. The final section of the previously conquered land was given to the half tribe of Manasseh from Og’s kingdom. This is the beginning of dividing up the rest of the land as both the Levites and the other nine and one half tribes have yet to experience rest.
We see in chapter 14 verses 1-5 a summary of the previous section to bring us to our text this morning. What does God want us to do with the blessings that He has promised us? How can we respond? We will see the answer through the character of Caleb.
Declaration
Declaration
It is true that God has been faithful to us in the past. However, there are giants that we must face today. Take up the task this morning of seeing personal victory as Caleb did. Three questions face us this morning as we see the testimony of Caleb.
1. Have you Faced the Giant of Impossibility ?
1. Have you Faced the Giant of Impossibility ?
Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the Lord said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadesh-barnea. Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the Lord my God.
In the book of Numbers, we find the first time that the children of Israel arrived at the border of Canaan. They had left the land of Egypt and seen the plagues God had brought on them. At Sinai and through the wilderness, God had provided for their needs. Now the land of Promise was before them.
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.
The spies were chosen and traveled throughout the land for forty days. In the Bible, forty is typically associated with testing. The land was covered from north to south and the report was returned to Moses. Ten men gave the first report to Moses. Despite the obvious richness of the land, they doubted that the giants in the land could be defeated, even by God. The second report, by two men, was one of confidence in the power and promise of God. Joshua and Caleb alone stood for the faithfulness of God against the doubts of the people.
And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
Caleb and Joshua alone lived to see the second entrance into the land. Because of the judgment of God, the people who doubted, over the age of 20, died in the next 38 years in the wilderness. God was faithful to Caleb and Joshua and preserved their lives. Now Caleb comes to Joshua to remind him of what God had promised.
Have you faced the giant of impossibility? What has God promised you that you don’t believe He will ever carry out? There are times in our lives that it seems the bad times will never end. There are times that it seems that there will never be a break in the rain or a rest from the struggle. Job speaks words of encouragement from his times of suffering,
Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, Neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; Yet man is born unto trouble, As the sparks fly upward. I would seek unto God, And unto God would I commit my cause: Which doeth great things and unsearchable; Marvellous things without number:
When there was doubt all around him, the status of Caleb in verse 8 was that he “wholly followed the LORD my God”. When the hearts of the people were made to fear the struggle ahead, the heart of Caleb was one of sure confidence that something could be done. One person tells us the story that
Joshua: No Falling Words Joshua 14:12
An American shoe company sent a salesman to a foreign country. He had hardly arrived before he cabled for money to come home. His reason: ‘No one over here wears shoes.’ The company brought him back and sent another salesman over. Soon he cabled: ‘Send me all the shoes you can manufacture. The market is absolutely unlimited. No one here has shoes.’ So the sheer difficulty of the task stimulated Caleb’s request. But we must remember—if we believe
Have you faced the giant of impossibility? We are unable to move forward to the next giant until we believe that God will give us victory through His promises. He says He will be with us. Is He? He says that He will provide for our daily bread. Has He? Do you believe that God will do the impossible in the challenges of your life?
2. Have you Faced the Giant of Impatience?
2. Have you Faced the Giant of Impatience?
And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children’s for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the Lord my God. And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.
The reward for Caleb’s faith was the promise of inheriting the area that he had spied in the land. We will see that this land was currently occupied by the giants. So, the man who had seen the giants up close believed that God would defeat them. If Caleb could believe that, so can we.
But what about when it has been ten years without a change? What about when it has been twenty years? What about when it has been thirty years? Will we still believe that God has our good in mind then?
But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.
Caleb had a different reaction to the coming battles because he had the Spirit of God inside. There was a faith that He had in God that brought triumph over the giant of impatience. Only a life lived in the power of the Spirit will stand the testing of time. Caleb was not just doing the right things. He was not just where God wanted him to be. He was strengthened through his faith.
Our own works are nothing. Only the working of the Spirit truly makes us like Jesus. What is on the outside is not what God sees only. God sees the inside as Paul tells us,
For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
The waiting of Caleb was one of hope. There was a confident expectation that God would do what He said. Moses had sworn that the land would be for Caleb, “Surely”. Because of the following of Caleb, God would lead him to victory and possession of the land.
Have you faced the giant of impatience? Where will your faith be in the time between the promise and the fulfillment? Peter tells us that many doubt the return of Jesus because all seems the same as it has been. When your life is just the same old thing, defeat the giant of impatience with the confident expectation of God’s working for you.
3. Have you Faced the Giant of Independence?
3. Have you Faced the Giant of Independence?
Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said. And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance. Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel. And the name of Hebron before was Kirjath-arba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. And the land had rest from war.
There is only one request that Caleb has of Joshua. Because of the giants that he has defeated before, the giant of impossibility and the giant of impatience, Caleb asks for the promise of God. The one request of Caleb is the promise of God, “give me this mountain,” in verse 12. One commentator tells us,
Joshua: No Falling Words The Anchor of Faith
his request is for nothing but what God had promised him (v. 9).
The triumph over the giant of independence is the last battle that Caleb has. Instead of being weakened by the years, Caleb is “as strong” as he was when God gave him the promise. He now asks for the last battle, the battle against the Anakims, the greatest of the giants.
As part of his request, he gives a caveat. In verse 12, Caleb claims there will be victory “if so be the LORD will be with me.” There is a possibility that God may be with him in verse 12 and there is a possibility that He will not. Regardless, Caleb will go forward following God. Proverbs tells us that God is ultimately responsible for the outcome of the chances that we take in our lives.
The lot is cast into the lap; But the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.
In verse 13, Joshua grants his request. He gives him the city of Hebron for a possession. There the Anakims are waiting for him. The city of Hebron was the site of the tomb of Abraham, Sarah and Jacob. It was the future home of David’s first kingdom. Caleb inherited the land around this historic city. Here, Abram had worshipped God in the book of Genesis.
Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.
The first mention of Hebron shows us the holiness of this place. Caleb, inherits Hebron because of his worship and faithfulness to God. The idea of wholly following God was the character of the life of Caleb. It is mentioned in verse 8, 9 and 14. What kind of legacy of dependence will you have after you face the giant of independence? The legacy of Caleb is seen in,
And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the Lord to Joshua, even the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron. And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.
Have you faced the giant of independence? Are you trying to overcome your sinful struggles on your own? Only when we rely on God for the triumph will there be evidence of our faith in battles won. The key to winning in the Christian life is to live a life of dependence on the sovereignty of God. He will be with us in our spiritual battles. Let Him take the lead in your life.
Conclusion
Conclusion
It is true that God has been faithful to us in the past. However, there are giants that we must face today. Take up the task this morning of seeing personal victory as Caleb did.
Caleb lived a long life. He saw the many ups and downs that the children of Israel experienced as they traveled from the land of Egypt to the land of Canaan. Through it all, God was faithful to what He had promised each and everyday. The character of Caleb was directed toward following God because of his choice of faith. When God promised to give them the land, only Caleb and Joshua stood with Moses to claim the truth of God’s statement. His faith was made sight at the mountain of Hebron.
One day, our faith will also be made sight. There is a place called heaven that Jesus has prepared for us. He wants all people to go there to be with Him forever.
But the sad truth is that many will not because they have rejected the free gift of salvation. Jesus came to earth and lived a perfect life. He died on the cross for the sins of all the world. On the third day, He arose to new life again from the tomb where He had been buried. One day He is coming again to earth to bring us to that heavenly home.
Caleb faced his giants and was a giant-slayer. Are you a giant-slayer?
Have you faced the giant of impossibility? Are there things that you don’t believe God will ever do that He has promised? Sometimes we need to look back in our life at the many times God has come through for us. We will find that He is always a faithful God and He is always working for our good.
Have you faced the giant of impatience? What are you doing in the mean time as you wait on God to work? Caleb was not busy with trying to do it himself. He was not fussing and complaining. Caleb was fighting and encouraging others to believe that God is a good God who keeps His promises.
Have you faced the giant of independence? God never has to help us or fight for us. There is no requirement for God to do us good. Yet, God wants to because He loves us. At the end of his life, Caleb was looking for higher plains to reach and greater areas of faith to have victory through.
1. I'm pressing on the upward way,
New heights I'm gaining every day;
Still praying as I onward bound,
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.
2. My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay;
Tho' some may dwell where these abound,
My pray'r, my aim is higher ground.
3. I want to live above the world,
Though Satan's darts at me are hurled;
For faith has caught the joyful sound,
The song of saints on higher ground.
4. I want to scale the utmost height,
And catch a gleam of glory bright;
But still I'll pray till Heav'n I've found,
Lord, lead me on to higher ground.
Lord, lift me up and let me stand,
By faith, on Heaven's table land;
A higher plane than I have found;
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.
- Johnson Oatman, Jr. Higher Ground
For surely, victory is through by faith appropriating the blessings of God.
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
The ultimate truth of the Word of God is that true victory is a result of faith. No greater object of faith can there be than the faith in the finished work of the cross. What is the foundation of your faith today? Hebrews tells us,
And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
Dear friend, be a giant-slayer in the land of Promise today! Let you faith be seen in the victories you win over the giants in your life!
