Josh (02-01-09)
Feb 1, 2009
“Caleb stays strong” Josh 14:1-15
According to Ch 14 Caleb had found the fountain of youth .. & what’s his secret
Caleb was a man who “followed his God fully”
8) nevertheless my brethren who went up with me ( the 10 other spies who went with he & Joshua ) made the heart of the people melt with fear but .. (note) .. I followed the Lord my God fully ( see: Num 13:1-2 .. & v25 thru 14:1-ff .. esp v24 )
9) so Moses swore on that day, saying surely the land on which your foot has trodden will be inheritance to you & your children forever because you have followed the Lord my God fully
10) now behold / says Caleb .. the Lord has let me live just as He spoke these 45 years from the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, when Israel walked in the wilderness & now behold .. I am 85 years old today
11) I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me as my strength was then .. so my strength is now for war .. & for going out & coming in
Caleb is now 85 years old & yet he can say that he is as strong today as he was in the day Moses sent he & Joshua into Canaan as spies .. ( some 45 yrs ago )
Joshua & Caleb were certain that God would make Israel victorious / ( why ) they simply .. believed His Word while the other 10 spies .. & people didn’t
All the others .. saw the giants in the land instead of listening to the Word of their God & therefore they wanted to take 2nd best & return to Egypt into slavery
It is unwise to take your eyes off of our Lord & look at what might happen because of our fears & doubts
Can you think of another time when someone close to our Lord took his eyes off of Him & looked upon his circumstances & the results were terrible
Remember Peter in Matt 14:28-32
28) Peter said to Him .. Lord if it is You command me to come to You on the water
29) & He said “come” & Peter got out of the boat & walked on the water .. & came toward Jesus
30) but seeing the wind .. he became frightened & beginning to sink he cried out .. Lord save me
31) immediately .. Jesus stretched out His hand & took hold of him & said to him you of little faith .. why did you doubt
32) when they got into the boat, the wind stopped
No one in their right mind would think they could walk on water but when we keep our eyes on Jesus even the impossible becomes possible
The giants in the Promised Land made the others tremble they thought of themselves as grasshoppers but instead .. Caleb thought of God
Listen .. there was freedom from fear in the heart of this man named Caleb
As John Knox said “one with God is a majority” God is bigger than the giants / grasshoppers [1]
just what & where are your grasshoppers today
As Paul tells us in Phil 4:13
we can do / handle all things thru Him / Christ who strengthens us
You see .. God had called Israel to go into the land of Canaan & Caleb believed God & His Word … he & Joshua believed that with God it could be done [2]
I can do all things thru Him who strengthens me
You see .. without question Caleb lived .. a life of faith …
could that be secret of his long life & strength I think so .. with all of my heart ( in fact Scripture confirms my belief in that )
You see .. the secret of Caleb’s life ( both his length & strength of life ) is found in a phrase that is repeated over & over again in Scripture
( Josh 14:8-14 / Num 14:24 / 32:12 / Deut 1:36 )
where he .. wholly followed the Lord God of Israel
( watch this now ) lets see a man who wished to finish strong even tho Caleb was 85 years old he didn’t look for .. an easy task … a task that was suited for .. an older man he even asked Joshua for mountains to climb & for giants to conquer ( v12 )
You see .. Caleb believed what God said to Joshua in 13:1 that very much of the land remains to be possessed
So Caleb requests in v12
now then .. give me this hill country / the mt. side about which the Lord spoke on that day for you heard on that day that Anakim were there with great fortified cities Anakim were descendants of Anak .. a race of giants perhaps the Lord will be with me & I will drive them out as the Lord has spoken
Listen .. we are never too old to make new conquests when faith is our guide & when we walk .. in the power of the H.S.
Like Caleb .. we can climb mountains
& conquer giants if we .. ( what ) .. wholly follow the Lord
No matter how old / tired / distressed we become .. we must never retire from trusting & serving the Lord
( Caleb was truly a man of faith )
his strength was in His Lord believing that God would never fail him
Caleb was .. purely .. a man of faith … ( what God calls .. an overcomer ) simply because he had .. faith in his Lord
As ( 1 John 5:1-5 ) tells us [3]
1) whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God & whoever loves the Father loves the Child born of Him
2) by this we know that we love the children of God .. when we love God & observe His commandments
3) for this is the love of God that we keep His commandments come on .. how serious is God over His Word & His commandments are not burdensome
4) for whatever is born of God overcomes the world ( you want to overcome the world .. well ) this is the victory that has overcome the world & what is it .. of course its .. our faith
5) who is the one who overcomes the world but he who believes .. or has faith in the fact that Jesus is the Son of God
So Caleb’s fountain of youth .. was that
he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel
13) so Joshua blessed him & gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance
14) therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb .. the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite until this day .. because .. ( what & why ) because / he followed the Lord God of Israel fully
15) now the name of Hebron was formerly Kiriath-arba .. for Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim / the giants / remember v12 then the land had rest from war
Now here is where the study of God’s Word becomes so wonderful & fantastic [4]
Caleb was to reside at Hebron in Gen Abraham went to reside in Hebron too which means = “communion”
Hebron was a place of fellowship with God .. & now Caleb was to have his fellowship with God as he asks to reside at Hebron like Abraham once did / following wholly his God
Think of this .. someday we will be rewarded as believers in J.C. BUT .. we will not be rewarded according to the great amount of work done for God nor our position or popularity
The important thing will be … did you wholly follow the Lord .. or not oh that we .. God’s people would learn that the most important thing in this life is to wholly follow the Lord our God
Caleb .. God’s man who walked by faith took Hebron .. where he could have a lifetime of fellowship & communion with his God the giants there didn’t bother him being next to God .. was the issue with him [5]
Verses:
Num 13:1-2 & Num 13:25 thru 14:1-ff
Matt 14:28-32
Phil 4:13
Josh 14:8-14 / Num 14:24 / 32:12 / Deut 1:36
1 John 5:1-5
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[1]McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (2:29-30). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[2]McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (2:29). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[3]Wiersbe, W. W. (1996, c1993). Be strong (Jos 13:1). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[4]McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (2:30). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[5]McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (2:30). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.