March 22, 2000

EXPLORE THE BIBLE SERIES:
Caleb reaped the rewards of his faith in God
___ Joshua 14:6-15
___By Ellis Orozco
___Calvary Baptist Church, McAllen
___Joshua and the people of God had taken the Promised Land by storm. They drove out all the inhabitants of the land both on the East and the West of the Jordan River. Joshua then began the work of parceling out the land to the different tribes of Israel.
___At that time Caleb, son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, approached Joshua to remind him of a promise Moses had made 40 years earlier.
___Forty years prior to Joshua conquering the Promised Land, the people of Israel had the opportunity to inhabit the land. They sent 12 spies (one from each tribe) to evaluate the opposition. Ten of the spies returned with pessimistic reports. They felt fighting for the land was a losing proposition. Only two of the spies had the faith to fight.
___Those two spies were Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 13:30). Because of his willingness to risk everything for the Lord, Moses promised Caleb he would one day rule the land he had just seen. That land was Hebron. Forty years later, (Caleb was 40 years old when he spied-out the land and 80 when the wilderness years concluded and the Promised Land was conquered) Caleb was requesting his inheritance.
___ Caleb was courageous (Joshua 14:7). When everyone else said "no," Caleb said "yes." When the overwhelming majority was going one way, Caleb held to his convictions and went the other way.
___It requires courage to stand against your enemy. It requires even greater courage to stand against your peers. God makes the promise to Caleb because of his courage.
___ Caleb was obedient (Joshua 14:8). Caleb's ultimate obedience was to the Lord. There must have been a certain amount of politics involved in the decision to stay out of the Promised Land.
___It's not what Moses, the established leader, wanted to do. However, Moses realized he could not force the overwhelming majority of the people to do something they had no heart to do. They were punished for their disobedience with 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.
___Caleb was part of an elite group that had the vision to see what God wanted to do and the obedience to act on it. He was one of a very few who transcended the generations and entered into the Promised Land. His entrance to the Promised Land was attributed to his obedience to God.
___ Caleb was persistent (Joshua 14:10-12). Caleb never gave up on his dream to possess the land he had seen. He must have stayed up many nights during the wandering years dreaming that one day he would be drinking the cool waters of the streams of Jordan and running through the lush fields of Hebron.
___Caleb, even at the age of 80, expressed the strength of his persistence when he pronounced his willingness to fight the battle for the land God had promised him 40 years before (Joshua 14:12).
___ Caleb was rewarded (Joshua 14:13-15). Finally, God always keeps his promises. Caleb was blessed with the land he had dreamed of for 40 years. The ultimate satisfaction that comes from being obedient to the Lord has no earthly comparison. God rewards in ways that bring complete fulfillment and lasting joy. We can count on God to fulfill all his promises when we follow him in all our ways.

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