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June, 1958
orable day, according to verse 10, Caleb had lived forty-five years, making him eighty- five when he received his inheritance in the land. W e also know that about thirty-eight years after the expedition of the spies, the nation of Israel entered the land for the first time. Subtracting the two numbers, we have about seven years as the period of the conquest. 3. “And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive” (v. 10). Forty-five years before, through Moses, God had promised a certain inheritance to this faithful man. And God had not only reserved the inheritance for the man, but He had also kept the man for the inheritance. An inheritance may be lost in two ways: the property itself may be lost, or the heir may die. T o insure the inheritance completely, both the property and the heir must be kept. Human insur ance can only safeguard the property, and even this is not absolutely certain. God alone is able to give us complete security. Perhaps the Apostle Peter was thinking of Caleb when he wrote of the “ inheritance incorruptible . . . reserved in heaven for you” (1 Pet. 1:4). But that is not all. He goes on in the next verse to say that we, the heirs, “ are kept by the power o f God.” Thus there can be no slip. The inheritance is reserved, and the heirs are kept. The day of possession is sure. Dr. George H. Morrison has Said: “ If you ask how we give God a chance, I answer that we do it first by trusting Him. Trusting is just giving God a chance. . . . A traveler wants to get to London by a certain hour in the evening. The railway company bids him take a certain train, and he will arrive at the appointed hour. The traveler knows nothing of the engine driver, or of the permanent way, or of the couplings — but the company gets its chance by being trusted. And much in the same way, when we trust God, we are giving Him the chance that He is longing for— to carry us in safety.” Beyond the “Jordan” He offers us in this present life a victory over spiritual enemies and a safe rest in the fullness of the Holy Spirit.— S elected . Brave Caleb J oshua 14:6-15 Memory Verse: “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee” (Psa. 56:3). Approach: Today our story is about a friend of Joshua’s. Years before our story, the children of Israel who were traveling from Egypt toward the promised land had Golden Text Illustration N umbers 13:30
Outline and Exposition I. T he C laim P resented (6-8) C ALEB’S claim was based upon the fact of his obedience to the call of G od: “ I wholly followed the Lord” (v. 8). Looking backward he remembered how he, and the other spies, had been sent from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, how the people had refused to enter th e.. land, and how they had been turned back into the wilderness until that generation had died. Caleb and Joshua were the only twTo individuals left of all who had come out of Egypt. And now to Joshua, the chosen leader, Caleb presented his claim. He reminded Joshua of the report that had been brought back to Kadesh-barnea by the company of spies (vs. 6-8). Caleb’s report had differed from that of the ten spies in that, while all had seen the giants in the land, Caleb had seen also the Lord. While the others made the hearts of the people to faint because of the enemies that lay in wait for them, he had tried to rouse the Lord’s people by saying: “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it” (cf. Num. 13:30). He had joined Joshua, who was also one of the twelve spies, in telling the people that “ if the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land,, and give it us” (cf. Num. 14:8). II. T he C laim R ecognized (9) Fory-five years before the period of our present lesson, Moses had recognized the claim of Caleb for an inheritance, and now Caleb reminded Joshua of the promise that had been made to him (v. 9). “The land whereon thy feet have trodden” was to be the particular portion assigned to Caleb, and the reason given was: “ Thou hast wholly followed the Lord.” Three times this asser tion is made concerning Caleb, and it re veals the secret of his remarkable life. He followed the Lord, not his own judgment. T o follow means to depend confidently upon a leader. It also implies the manifestation of a courageous spirit. III. T he C laim A cknowledged (10-15) There were three reasons which Caleb presented as ground for his claim. First, the Lord had kept him alive through forty-five years—the period during which the whole generation, with two exceptions, had died in the wilderness. Second, the Lord had preserved him in physicial strength so that he could say: “ I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me” (vs. 10, 11). Third (the factor of greatest im portance), the Lord, through Moses, had promised this particular portion to him (vs. 12, 13). It was not a place of ease that Caleb requested; the Anakim were there (these were the giants), and their cities were great and strong. But Caleb’s faith rose above all the difficulties. He was assured that “ if so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said” (v. 12). Joshua blessed him and acknowl edged his claim “ because that he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel” (vs. 14, 15). Hebron was the portion Caleb desired.
In the meaning of the word “ Hebron” may be found the reason for Caleb’s desire. Formerly the place had been called “ Arba,” after the name of the greatest of the Ana kim. But it was changed to “ Hebron,” which means “communion.” This was what Caleb wished— communion with G od! He knew, as every Christian must also learn, that no one comes to the place of communion without strenuous struggle against the forces arrayed against the soul. Hebron was also the place of death; there Sarah, Abraham, Isaac, and others, had died and were buried (cf. Gen. 23:2 ; 25:8-10 ; 35:27-29), and perhaps Caleb was enough of a patriot to wish to preserve the burial place of so many of the distinguished dead of his people. Furthermore, it was the place of glory for Israel, because there David’s kingdom began (cf. 2 Sam. 2:1-4). While Caleb had no part in the latter event, who shall say that his possession of that portion may not have added the touch which decided its future history? After Joshua had given the place to him, Caleb drove out the three sons of Anak (cf. Josh. 15:13-15). Then, when Hebron was possessed, “the land had rest from war.” Typically, these three sons of Anak, by the meaning of their names, reveal the hindrances which arise in the way of the believer’s possessing the place o f communion. They mean, in one word, Pride. If the fol lower of the Lord Jesus Christ is to know “ rest from war,” all self-glory must be slain. He must wholly follow the Lord. Points and Problems 1. The lesson o f this week is part of that section of the Book of Joshua which records the division of the promised land. Out of a total of twenty-four chapters, no less than ten chapters are given to the details of this division. Some have wondered why all these seemingly trivial details are given a place in the W ord of God. The reasons are both historical and typical. Under the Old Testa ment theocracy, church and state were one, and religious and civil laws were insepar able parts of the same great code or con-’ stitution. In case of a territorial dispute between tribes, the Holy Scripture itself would settle the matter. Typically, we may look forward to the millennial theocratic kingdom when church and state once more will be united under one divine head, who will settle the disputes between nations in accordance with the laws of God contained even now in the written Word (Isa. 2:4). 2. “ Forty years old was I” (Josh. 14:7). W e have here a clue to the chronology of the conquest of Palestine. Caleb was forty years old when he' went in to’ spy out the land from Kadesh-barnea. Since that mem- BLACKBOARD LESSON rus oo up at once, nr© p o s s e s s it ; eou ujerre lilELLn&LE TO OUEI5- c o m c it " •HEbeon- bECfllUETHEinHEttlTflflCE OTCnLEb- O V G
come to the edge of the land. Moses chose tw e lv e men to go over to spy out the la n d . C a le b and Joshua were two of the men chosen. Now it was a rich and fruitful land, but ten o f the men cam e back and told o f the w a lle d c it ie s and
giants that they had seen. They said that the children of Israel couldn’t possibly con-
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