During my private reflections, the name of Caleb came into my mind. So, I went to my Bible to remind myself about his life and the influence he had on the people of Israel. I found snippets of his story, although brief, in the b’ooks of Joshua and Numbers and was impressed by the strong faith he demonstrated in his God, a lesson that we could all learn from.
If you recall, Caleb was an Israelite man whose story offers an example of faithful commitment to the Lord. Led by Moses, Caleb came out of Egypt with the Israelites through the Red Sea and into the wilderness. Caleb along with Joshua and ten other men were selected to explore the Promised Land and give a report to Moses and the people.
After a 40-day exploration of Canaan, the explorers reported, “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large.”
However, Caleb had a different attitude from the other ‘spies’. Caleb silenced the people and told Moses, “We should go up and take possession of the land for we can certainly do it.” When the people complained that they could not go up to conquer the land, Caleb and Joshua responded strongly by tearing their clothes apart and told the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them” (Numbers 14:6-9).
Because of their unwillingness to heed the words of Caleb and Joshua, God judged the people of Israel by making them wait 40 years to enter the land. He promised that every person 20 years old or older would die in the wilderness and would not see the land, with two exceptions – Caleb and Joshua. God’s reason for this was, “Because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it” (Numbers 14:24).
Even in his advanced years Caleb still possessed a “different spirit” – a faith committed wholeheartedly to following God’s will. For forty years he dreamed of the day when he would drive the heathen from the land.
Other than Joshua, Caleb was the only ‘spy’ sent into Canaan by Moses who believed God’s promise that Israel would conquer the promised land, and he was promised an inheritance on account of his great faith.
When it came time at last to enter the promised land, Caleb, by now an old man, still had courage and strength to fight and settle the land. God guaranteed Caleb an inheritance in the land of promise because “he followed the Lord God of Israel completely” (Joshua 14:14).
Caleb’s faithfulness is emphasised in Joshua 14:9, which could be translated as, “I filled myself up after the Lord, my God” or “I myself filled my heart with the Lord, my God.” Compared to the ten spies who filled their hearts with fear of the giants, Caleb filled his heart with the Lord. This showed his loyalty and faithfulness to God.
The faithfulness of Caleb as well as Joshua in the situation I have told teaches us that we are to stand for God, despite the circumstances that surround us. When we do, God may choose to bless us in ways that will extend far into the future.
Sometimes because of the circumstances we face we misplace our focus on God and our purpose in life and this can impact our commitment and desire to be godly servants. This ‘different spirit’ described as dwelling in Caleb unfortunately can disappear from our lives.
Despite the challenges we face in our personal lives and the church in Australia, let us sense the spirit, the zeal, and the courage of Caleb and be inspired to live with a ‘different spirit’.
Bill Gillard