Wholehearted and Courageous

 DEVOTION

JOSHUA

WHOLEHEARTED AND COURAGEOUS

Judges 1:9-18

9 After that, the men of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, the Negev and the western foothills. 10 They advanced against the Canaanites living in Hebron (formerly called Kiriath Arba) and defeated Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai. 11 From there they advanced against the people living in Debir (formerly called Kiriath Sepher). 12 And Caleb said, "I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher." 13 Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage. 14 One day when she came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, "What can I do for you?" 15 She replied, "Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me also springs of water." Then Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs. 16 The descendants of Moses' father-in-law, the Kenite, went up from the City of Palms with the men of Judah to live among the people of the Desert of Judah in the Negev near Arad. 17 Then the men of Judah went with the Simeonites their brothers and attacked the Canaanites living in Zephath, and they totally destroyed the city. Therefore it was called Hormah.   18 The men of Judah also took Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron — each city with its territory.

Although this narrative is mainly about the conquests of the territory the Canaanites were living in, we find this man Caleb still out and about fighting against the Canaanites. We know that when he and Joshua and ten others were sent into the land to spy it out while  all of Israel waited on the east side of the Jordan. We also know that after they came back, only Caleb and Joshua said Israel could take the land, and conquer, driving them out of the promised land. But, as we know Israel refused, and so wandered for forty years. After all fighting men or adults died in the wilderness, their children were brought back to cross Jordan under the command of Joshua, and Caleb was also there. God testified about Caleb when he declared that no one who has treated him with contempt would see the promised land, but that because his servant Caleb had a different spirit and followed the LORD wholeheartedly, the LORD would bring him into the land, as recorded in Numbers. Caleb was now about Eighty-Five and still going strong. The character of Caleb is our story. He was a man of God, who followed the LORD wholeheartedly, never giving up, but always moving forward with the LORD as his commander. So we see Caleb had faith, he was devoted to following the LORD, as was rewarded. Caleb had strength; he was not what we picture what an eighty-five-year-old man looks like. We do not think Caleb was self-deceived, for he knew God was powerfully working in his life, even at Eighty-five. Caleb also loved the LORD, but we see that he also loved the mountains, the hill country of Hebron, which was occupied by powerful forces and heavy weaponry, as we saw in the book of Joshua. That was no problem for the likes of the man of God, Caleb who followed the LORD wholeheartedly. He set his path to the mountain, just as Jesus set his path to Mt Moriah, the city of Jerusalem. What mountain have we set our path to? Without question, the answer to that is the mountain of God. We also realize our need to follow our Lord wholeheartedly, as Joshua, Caleb and of course, David did. God testified about David that he found a man after His own heart. We know none of them were perfect men, as none of us are, but we must follow our Lord wholeheartedly, living courageously, no matter what age we are, for it is not us who conquest anything, but it is the LORD powerfully working for, in and through us, to accomplish his will.