"As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in."
Joshua 14:11 NKJV
Those who think that age is conditioning or limiting will have their good reasons. And it is not easy to contradict if we are among those who are somewhat mature. The story of the aged Caleb, however, says otherwise, and fuels the conviction of those who do not intend to give way to the younger generation. Let us get into the specifics of this devotional's message. On the eve of the allocation of conquered territory in the promised land to the tribe of Judah, the now 85-year-old Caleb reminds Joshua when only the two of them, of the twelve sent by Moses to spy out the land, had claimed that conquest was possible (Numbers 13:30). Caleb was claiming a promise he had received forty-five years earlier (Numbers 14:24). Returning to that moment, Caleb had shown that he had a different attitude from the other spies by not allowing fear and disbelief to infect him. He minimized neither the giants nor the fortified cities, but considered God stronger than any problem to be faced, becoming a beautiful example of the faith that is “certainty of things hoped for” (Hebrews 11:1). For that courageous choice God decided to bless him particularly by promising him that land. Nevertheless, he was not spared the forty years in the desert.
Yet that time did not faze him in the least, and when the time came he came to claim his promised inheritance, “Give me therefore this mountain of which the Lord spake that day...” (Joshua 14:12). In these endless years he never lost sight of his inheritance and learned the value of perseverance by trusting in the promise he received. Who among us would have lasted that long? Forty years!!! Yet Caleb waited patiently. Surely there were occasions of discouragement, but he always knew how to look to the future with faith-filled eyes. Whenever the path in the desert became hard, he remembered the mountain on which he had walked, trusting in the faithfulness of the One who would one day give it to him. Caleb is a splendid example of how we should desire and expect the fulfillment of divine promises in our own lives, to the point that God testifies to him in this way, “he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully,” (Numbers 14:24). We, too, should be animated by another “spirit,” the holy one, capable of blowing upon us whenever we cross the wilderness of life, like the one that raised up and revived the army of dry bones before the eyes of the prophet Ezekiel (ch. 37).
At eighty-five years old when most people have lost many of their physical and mental faculties, Caleb had a mountain in his heart. He could have asked for a quiet place to spend the last years of his life, away from toil and battle. Instead he asked for the same territory he had trod forty years earlier: “Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.” (Joshua 14:12). He was ready to undertake a new challenge against the giants, trusting in God's help. Which mountains do you have in your heart to conquer? The one of power, popularity or wealth? Which mountain have you set your heart on? Caleb covets the mountain of Hebron, where God had spoken to Abraham (Genesis 13:18. Hebron means “fellowship,” and it speaks of intimate familiarity with God. And in order to have it he is ready for battle. And his constancy is rewarded “because he had fully followed the Lord, the God of Israel” (Joshua 14:14). How much could be said about this “fully”... God desires that we serve him with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our strength (Deuteronomy 6:5). And if we want to see His promises fulfilled, we cannot do otherwise. I too long for a place where I can be in fellowship with the Lord....
Weekly Bible Reading Plan # 30
July 22, Psalms 33-34; Acts 24
July 23, Psalms 35-36; Acts 25
July 24, Psalms 37-39; Acts 26
July 25, Psalms 40-42; Acts 27:1-26
July 26, Psalms 43-45; Acts 27:27-44
July 27, Psalms 46-48; Acts 28
July 28, Psalms 49-50; Romans 1
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