Caleb’s Reward (Joshua 14:6-15)

“He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son!” Revelation 21:7

Today we continue in Joshua and hear of Caleb’s reward.

Caleb’s Reward (Joshua 14:6-15)

A Difficult Journey

We have just returned from our holiday in Clacton and Dartmouth. Travelling to and from Clacton is easy, it takes between two and three hours. On the other hand, travelling to and from Dartmouth is another story, especially in the summer.

Our journey from Clacton to Dartmouth took around 9 hours on one of the hottest days of the year. On the journey temperatures ranged from 30 to 34 degrees centigrade, and at times the traffic was frustratingly slow. If you have ever driven on the A303 in August, you will know what I mean!

That is not to say, that the travelling was all bad. I enjoyed travelling in our new electric car and experimenting with all the gadgets, and there was some great scenery on route. It was good too to spend time with family in the car and to enjoy listening to different family selections of music on the way.

Travelling is not always fun. So why keep going on such a long journey? Because we wanted to reach our destination. If the destination is good enough, then the struggles of the journey are worth it.

In many ways this is like the Christian life. It is full of joys and struggles, but in the end, what makes persevering with the Christian faith to the end is the destination, our eternal inheritance, a place with God in the new heaven and new earth.

But how do we get there? How do we keep going on the journey and not give up and turn around?

To answer that question, we have a great example in Caleb.

We only hear about Caleb at two points in his life. Firstly, when he is 40 and secondly, when he is 85.

The first time he was one of the twelve spies, sent by Moses to spy out the promised land soon after Israel had been rescued from slavery in Egypt by God. The second time is 45 years later, once Israel are in the land having won all the significant battles and preparing to share out the land as an ‘inheritance’ from God, which is the context of the Bible reading we have just had.

Here is a man, whose faith and passion are just as strong at 85, as they were at 40. He is a man who shows us what it means to persevered in a life of faith. So, what are the qualities that enabled him to keep going, to reach his inheritance? What are the qualities that we need to keep following Christ through all of our lives?

I have five quick points, that spell out the name, Caleb.

Courageous

Firstly, Caleb was courageous. At 40, he showed immense courage. When the Twelve spies returned from the land, they all agreed that it was an amazing land, full of wonderful fruit. But they also reported that the people of the land were particularly strong and fearsome, with well-fortified cities. The most worrying people were the Anakites, who were particularly tall.

For ten of the spies, this meant that Israel had no chance of invading the land. They said, “We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes and we looked the same to them.” They said Israel should give up on the journey and return to Israel.

Caleb, supported by Joshua, however, had a different take. He believed that with God’s help they could easily win the battles and defeat even the Anakites. And although, he was outnumbered and even threatened with being stoned by his own people, Caleb was willing to speak up and tell people that.  It can take immense courage to stand out from the crowd and argue for God, but Caleb was willing to do that.

Secondly, at 85, Caleb was keen to prove his point. He didn’t just want any inheritance; he wanted the land of the Anakites. At this point, although the tribes in the land had been defeated in major battles, inheriting the land also meant having to fight against the inhabitants of the land who were still there. Yet, Caleb still believed that he with God’s strength could defeat them. He still had courage to fight the battle.

If you are to persevere to the end of the Christian life you need the same kind of courage routed in faith. There will be times, when you will need to stand up and be counted as a Christian, even when everyone around you seems to be against you. Without such courage, your faith will not last. But, don’t be concerned, God will give you the courage when you need it. As he said to Joshua:

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

All-in

Not only was Caleb, courageous, but he was all-in for God. He wholeheartedly followed God.

When Caleb, was willing to be an almost lone voice arguing against the other ten spies, the conclusion Moses drew was that Caleb was whole-hearted in his faith. He was all-in not partly-in. He did not just trust God with some parts of his life, but he gave to God the whole of his life.

This is emphasised in our passage. Three times, it reminds us that Caleb was wholehearted in following God. In contrast to the other spies, he says:

“I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.” (14:8)

 Moses’ promise to Caleb was based on his wholeheartedness:

“So, on that day Moses swore to me, `The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children for ever, because you have followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.’ ” (14:9)

 And the passage concludes that Caleb inherited the land because of his wholeheartedness:

“So, Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the LORD, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly.” (Joshua 14:14)

If we are going to persevere in our faith, we need to be all-in. We can’t trust God with parts of our lives but hold back other parts. As James puts it in the New Testament:

“… for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.” (James 1:7, NRSV)

We need to be all-in for following Christ.

Long-suffering

Caleb was courageous and all-in, but also long-suffering. Moses promised him when he was 40, that he would see his inheritance in the land, but he had to wait. He had to wait for 45 years. That takes patience or long-suffering.

He had to wait through all of Israel’s long wanderings in the wilderness, watching with frustration as the people of God constantly grumbled and rebelled.

He had to wait for Moses the great leader of Israel to die and for Joshua to take up the leadership and finally invade the promised land. He had to wait to see if he was right that Israel could defeat the lands occupants, despite their seeming strength.

Caleb was long-suffering. But he hung in there. He remained faithful to God and waited for the promise to him to eventually be fulfilled.

For us as Christians today, the Christian life is one of patience and waiting. The full promises of God, the great inheritance of the new heaven and new earth are still to come. Whilst there are blessings of faith in this life, the greater blessings are yet to come. So, we wait, through the struggles of this life, frustrations with the church or the people of God and all that being a Christian involves.

But, ultimately long-suffering pays off. Just as at the end of a long journey you reach the destination you have been heading for, so at the end of this life, we reach the far better life to come.

As Paul says in Romans,

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)

Enthusiastic

Caleb was courageous, all-in and long-suffering, but he remained enthusiastic in following the vision that God had for him. When he was 40, he was enthusiastic about embracing the opportunity God gave them to enter the promised land straight away, even though sadly, the people did not share his enthusiasm.

Here at 85, his enthusiasm has not waned. You can feel the enthusiasm shining through in his speech. He may be eighty-five, but he is raring to go and take the inheritance he has been forty-five years for. He is not worried about the remaining Anakites, he knows that God will help him beat them.

This is in sharp contrast to the attitude of some of the other Israelites on receiving their allocation of land. In chapter 17, having been allocated the hill country in the middle of Israel, the Ephraimites complain:

“The people of Joseph replied, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the plain have iron chariots, both those in Beth Shan and its settlements and those in the Valley of Jezreel.”” (Joshua 17:16)

Their comments echoed the grumbling and complaining of the ten spies who Caleb had originally opposed, despite all that had happened to prove Caleb right and the others wrong since then.

There is always a temptation to cynicism and grumbling. Much of the internet is taken up with it, but it is not the result of the internet, it is a reflection of human nature. As Christians, who know we are saved through Christ, and that our inheritance is secured by his resurrection, our attitude needs to be different. It needs to be enthusiastic praise, for all we have in Jesus Christ. As Peter says:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” (1 Peter 1:3)

Blessed

So, Caleb is a great example to us. He was Courageous, All-in, Long-suffering and enthusiastic. That is what kept him going to the end. That is what enabled him to be a faithful warrior of God at both 40 and 85. And the result? He was blessed!

He was blessed with long life and a strength into old age, but more importantly he received his inheritance. Where others failed because of cowardice, half-hearted commitment, impatience or grumbling, Caleb overcame.

Will we follow his example and also overcome the enemies of faith in this life, that we may receive God’s promised inheritance? Will we endure the struggles of the journey and reach the destination God has provided for us?

As God says at the end of Revelation:

“He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” (Revelation 21:7)