Joshua 13 gave us a hint that all was not well with the people of Israel in Canaan; they had grown complacent. It is often all too easy for us to become complacent in our spiritual life – either through laziness or fear. But Caleb gives us a shining example of faithfulness to the Lord! He recalls his past life and remembers the time when he and Joshua – almost at the cost of their lives – showed faith in God when the other 10 spies gave a bad report of the Promised Land. And Caleb said that during the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, his faith in God had remained strong.
Strong faith requires a devotion to the Lord, even at the cost of standing alone in this world. However, as was the case with Caleb, the Lord stands by us and gives us strength. Just as He told Joshua, He tells us to be strong and very courageous, for He will never leave us nor forsake us.
The anchor for Caleb's soul was the promises of God, and not his own faithfulness. He knew that the Lord had promised to defeat the Canaanite giants, and he was prepared to take Him at His Word and run the race with perseverance and take down the giants.
Moreover, by Caleb's example, he spurred on the next generation to face the challenge and have faith in the Lord and His promises as well.
This is a story of God's faithfulness to His promises, reminding us how we must cling to those promises and walk by faith in light of them. Will the Lord Jesus be enough for us as we cut across the grain and take a stand for Him? |
