What Lessons That We Can Learn from Caleb?
He leads me …
Remember Joshua and Caleb, the two spies of the promised land who had a good report of what they saw, while the other ten spies were scared and could not see any way that the land could be captured? There are some good accounts of Joshua who led the people into the Promised Land after Moses died, but we do not read much about Caleb. What we do see, however, provides us with some interesting insights.
Just over a year after they had left Egypt, the people of Israel were getting close to the Promised Land (Canaan). The Lord told Moses to send out 12 men - one leader from each of the twelve ancestral tribes - to explore the land of Canaan, which He was giving to the Israelites (Numbers 13:2). Joshua and Caleb were chosen as two of the twelve spies.
After 40 days of investigating the land the spies reported back and to the people about an amazing supply of fruit, milk and honey in the land (Numbers 13:23-27). Then 10 of the 12 spies had some bad news. The people there were powerful, with large fortified cities. They then said that they saw some of giant Anakim there, who made them feel like grasshoppers they because they were so tall’ (Numbers 13:28, 33).
But Joshua and Caleb disagreed. ‘Caleb reassured the people as they stood before Moses. “Let us go up at once and possess it,” he said, “for we are well able to conquer it!”’ (Numbers 13:30 TLB).
The distressing report from the 10 spies scared the people so much that they wept all that night and longed for the days in Egypt, even if their slave masters killed them (Numbers 14:1-4). Joshua and Caleb pleaded with the people to trust God for His promise, but the people were so angry with this explanation that they wanted to stone Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 14:6-10).
Despite this, not only did Joshua and Caleb keep their positive attitude, but their response to the people had also referred to the Lord, who had clearly said that He had promised them this land (Genesis 12:7; 13:14-18; 15:18–21; 26:3; 28:3-4, 13, 15; Exodus 23:23-31; Numbers 33:53; Deuteronomy 4:40; 19:8-9). The ten spies had not mentioned the Lord at all. They had only referred to what looked like overwhelming obstacles against them. Joshua and Caleb had seen the same giants and the same heavily fortified cities, but they were trusting God and His promise to enable them to conquer the land.
The opposition by the people spread throughout the camp resulted in conflict and defiance – the outcome from fear and unbelief. The Lord was angry with the people and assured them that none of their generation would enter the Promised Land, except Caleb and Joshua. In fact, God made a promise at this time that Caleb would own all the land that he had walked over when he was a spy (Numbers 14:24).
The people then wandered around in the wilderness for 40 years until all the adults 20 years and older died, except Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 14:30; 26:65; 32:12). During this time Caleb travelled in the wilderness with Israel patiently waiting for the Lord to fulfil His promise for Caleb to occupy his land while the people that he had left Egypt with progressively died off.
Joshua's conquest of the Promised Land started with the conquering if Jericho and Ai after crossing the Jordan River. This was followed by the overthrow of a southern alliance of kings and their armies and then a northern alliance was defeated. During the southern campaign (Joshua 11), Hebron was conquered by Joshua's army, but some scattered inhabitants returned when the Joshua’s army left. This remnant of people remained there until Caleb was ready to take possession.
Caleb and the other spies had walked hundreds of miles up to the northern end of the Promised Land and back again. But of all the land that could have been his if he wanted it, Caleb chose Hebron.
From what we read of Caleb, it looks like he wanted Hebron because of the Anakite giants that had terrified his fellow spies 45 years earlier. ‘We looked like grasshoppers in their eyes,’ they insisted. But Caleb meant business. He knew that the giants had no hope at all against the Lord! Forty-five years before he had clearly stated, ‘Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us’ (Numbers 14:9 NIV). Finally he had a chance to prove it as leader of the men of Judah, Caleb was ready to reconquer the Anakite giants, who apparently had escaped the initial battles, and then lived in Philistine cities nearer the Mediterranean Sea (Joshua 11:21-22).
So, Caleb took his case to Joshua. In Joshua 14: 6-12 we read – Caleb said to Joshua, “Remember what the Lord said to Moses, the man of God, about you and me? I was forty years old when Moses, the servant of the Lord, sent me … to explore the land of Canaan. I returned and gave an honest report, 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. So that day Moses solemnly promised me, ‘The land of Canaan on which you were just walking will be … that of your descendants forever, because you wholeheartedly followed the Lord my God.’
“Today I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey. 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 gave Hebron to Caleb, and Caleb responded by driving out three groups of giant Anakites from Hebron. Then for some reason, Caleb decided not to lead the next attack on Debir himself. Maybe he was not as confident about his health as he had let on initially, and maybe he wanted to be sure that he got to enjoy the blessing of the land that the Lord would give him. We do not know for sure. Anyway, Caleb sends out a challenge that anyone who attacks and captures the town could have his daughter Acsah in marriage. Othniel, the son of Caleb’s brother Kenaz, agreed to the challenge and proceeded to defeat Debir.[1]
So, as we look at Caleb’s life in the Bible, some interesting aspects about his personality start to emerge. Let us look at them and see what we can learn from this man of God.
1. After the 12 spies had explored the Promised Land, 10 of them were frightened and said that they would be overwhelmed by the giants with their fortified cities. Caleb strongly disagreed and reassured the people saying, “Let us go up at once and possess it, for we are well able to conquer it!” (Numbers 13:30). Caleb could remember many examples of what God had done for the people both in Egypt, and in the wilderness. God had also promised several previous generations that He would give the Israelites the land of Canaan to live in. Based on what he has seen and knew, Caleb strong believed that God would do what He had promised. As Christians, do we always follow God’s Word?
2. Caleb’s strong faith meant that he was courageous too. The rejection of Joshua and Caleb’s report by the people developed to the point that they wept all night thinking that their husbands would be killed in battle and their children left fatherless. Caleb’s faith was fearless enough to withstand this negativity from the camp (estimated to be 3 million people). We learn from this that Christians should not only see the basic facts of life, but should also boldly obey the Lord, even when the obstacles are big.
3. Caleb was one of the spies because he was a leader in the tribe of Judah. By not compromising his beliefs he showed outstanding leadership. It was not about what he wanted. He considered everyone. Remember that Jesus told His followers to love their neighbour as much as they loved themselves.
4. When Moses chose Joshua as his successor to lead Israel, Caleb did not respond with rivalry, jealousy, or envy. He completely supported Joshua and surrendered to his leadership. Are we people of integrity and grace when we are passed over for opportunities that we believe we are qualified to do?
5. We can see from Caleb’s general conduct that he was not a person to question, murmur, or doubt God during the forty years he waited in the wilderness for his land. During his travel to Canaan, he went through all the same hardships as the other Israelites. The longer he was in the wilderness the harder it must have been to believe that he would get the land God had promised him. Yet, Caleb was so convinced by faith that God kept His promises, that he was willing to fight the same giants that had scared the rest of Israel (Joshua 15:13-14). Do we allow the Lord to have His way in our lives – even when it takes a long time - or do we get frustrated and try to hurry things along a bit?
Hopefully we can be encouraged that the God always honours those who genuinely follow Him.
Dear Reader – If you have found some value in this blog, please feel free to send a copy on to your family and friends. Kind regards, John
[1] Caleb: Give Me This Mountain (Joshua 14:6-15), Dr. Ralph F. Wilson, JesusWalk, California;
https://www.jesuswalk.com/joshua/7_caleb.htm
Bible Character Study on Caleb, David Peach, What Christians Want To Know;
https://www.Whatchristianswanttoknow.Com/Bible-Character-Study-On-Caleb/
