Post 202

Caleb, The Man Who Followed God Fully

Moses sends out 12 spies to see the Land that God promised to give them. After 40 days they come back and 10 of them give an "evil report". They are filled with fear and say, There's no way we can take it. They are all giants, their cities are impenetrable. But 2 spies, Joshua and Caleb, are filled with faith and come back with a good report. Caleb says "Let us go up at once, and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it." They knew it would be impossible for them, but they knew that God is the God of the impossible, and Hi would keep his promise. The rest of the spies don't like this idea at all. Then Joshua and Caleb say "If the Lord delight in us, then He will bring us into this land...the Lord is with us: fear them not!" When the people heard that they got very mad.

The people believed the spies with the evil report, and because of their lack of faith they were cursed to wander in the wilderness for 40 years until they all died. However, God was very happy with Joshua and Caleb, those 2 faith filled spies. God said "my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land where into he went; and his seed shall possess it.

Numbers 13:30 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.

Numbers 13:33 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.

Numbers 14:6 And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:
7 And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.
8 If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.
9 Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.
10 But all the congregation bade stone them with stones.

Numbers 14:24 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.

Numbers 14:30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

40 years passed, and that whole generation had died. Except for Joshua and Caleb, God had appointed Joshua to be the next leader of Israel. Joshua brought them into the promised land and they were taking it over.

Then Caleb came up to his old friend Joshua. It was now 45 years since they had been spies. He was just as strong now at 85 years old as he was when he was 40. He wanted to take on those giants.

Joshua 14:6 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 Kadeshbarnea.
7 Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart.
8 Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God.
9 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.
10 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.
11 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.
12 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.
13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.
14 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.
15 And the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. And the land had rest from war.

So that's just what Caleb did. He conquered that land just as the Lord had promised. Notice that verse 12 tells us he had a good heart. He wholly followed the Lord as said in verse 9 and 14, and direct from the Lord in Numbers 14:24.

It is hard to imagine that someone could have "wholly followed the Lord". It's almost unbelievable. But that's what God said about Caleb, "Caleb...hath followed me fully". What an example of a pure heart filled with faith and an unshaken belief in God's word. Thank You Lord for Caleb!

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Life is such a blessing, God is so Good to me. I love you all.

Now go follow God fully!