Word of Encouragement (06/27/2023)
Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, "You know what the LORD said to Moses the man of God in Kadesh-barnea concerning you and me. 7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him word again as it was in my heart. 8 But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the LORD my God. 9 And Moses swore on that day, saying, 'Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.' 10 And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the LORD spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old.11 I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. 12 So now give me this hill country of which the LORD spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the LORD said." (Josh. 14:6-12)
This, again, is an “indirect” prayer: this petition is made to Joshua, but insofar as Joshua was God’s representative, this was directed to God, who alone had the right to distribute the land to His people. Before Caleb makes the petition, he provides the historical rationale—the reason that he is still alive and the reason that he should get his request. It goes back to the time when Moses sent twelve spies (one from each tribe) into the land of Canaan. As you recall, there were two different reports—the majority report by ten spies and the minority report by Joshua and Caleb. It is to this event that Caleb refers in the prologue to his request.
Caleb describes what distinguished him from the other ten spies: “my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the LORD my God” (v. 8). They were on the same mission. They saw the same thing. They together brought the giant fruits from the land. Their report about the goodness of the land was the same (Num. 13:27). But the other ten spies made the people tremble with fear (Num. 13:31-33).
Caleb does not necessarily deny any of the facts—how the land of Canaan was occupied by peoples who were much stronger and bigger than the Israelites, even by the Anakim who were known to be giants and great warriors. But Caleb said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it” (Num. 13:30). This was not spoken out of self-reliance and pride, of course. It was rather his confidence in the faithfulness and power of God to fulfill his promise (Num. 14:7-9).
Isn't it fascinating? The twelve chosen men, who were sent into the land of Canaan to spy out the land, saw the same thing. Yet, the conclusions they arrived at from their common observation couldn't be more different. This was not a matter of seeing a cup half-full or half-empty, of being optimistic or pessimistic. We generally value optimism over pessimism for obvious reasons. Optimistic people emanate more energy and positivity, and they are more pleasant to be around. Being around pessimistic people drains us of our energy and life. But one can be overly optimistic to the point of being out of touch with reality. That can make those around him nervous. The contrast between the ten spies and Caleb was not psychological in character, something just in their hearts, between pessimism and optimism. It was a contrast between unbelief and belief—between what they thought of God (or the utter lack of their thought of God) and what Caleb thought of God.
May these words of encouragement help you see God in your life, not just generally but also specifically, even in your problems. As you do so, may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you may abound with hope (Rom. 15:13).