Caleb at 85 years of age was still a battle-ready warrior
Anyone who reads about Caleb in the Old Testament Book of
Joshua will be taken over with amazement and admiration. According to Chapter
14, Caleb was 85 years old and was not your typical senior citizen. At that
time, he told Joshua, the leader of the Jewish nation, that he wanted his
portion of the “promised land” that Moses had promised him before Moses died. [1]
Caleb reminded Joshua that he was one of the 12 “spies” whom
Moses had sent to scope out the promised land and report back on whatever they
found. Moses planned to use the intelligence to determine what was needed to
take the land.
Ten out of the 12 spies returned with frightening reports that
the land contained giants and other seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Plainly,
they were scared to death. Caleb and Joshua reported the facts, and said yes,
there were giants and formidable armies that they would need to fight against,
but they were confident that with the Lord's help the Israelites could defeat their enemies. [2]
Forty-five years had passed since Moses’ initial promise, and Caleb
said he was still battle-ready; he told Joshua that he was able to eliminate and or
subdue the enemies who occupied his portion of the promised land.
Consider this, Caleb could not be in this kind of shape at
age 85 if he had spent the previous four-plus decades living out an arm-chair
existence. We’re talking about a man who clearly had invested time in regular
training, who likely watched what he ate and drank, and who kept an eye on the future.
He was also a man who followed the Lord’s commands faithfully. The time had
come for him to take his next great leap.
Why would he want the portion of the land promised to him
at this time? For one, he wanted to ensure that his descendants would be able
to enjoy the promised inheritance after he died. He was also certain that he was in the right
spiritual and physical state needed to take out his enemies on the battle
field.
Joshua agreed that Caleb was eligible for the land in
question, and told him to go ahead and take possession, which included having
to wage armed battles. Caleb was victorious, and no doubt was able to live out
the rest of his life knowing that his descendants would live and thrive in the
land that he had fought to obtain [3].
Caleb’s life serves as a good example of what the Christian
life is like. Yes, Jesus Christ already won the "big war," through his death, burial
and resurrection. But we still have to fight individual and corporate battles
to overcome our enemies. We will be required to do so. For some, this means
overcoming besetting sins, dealing with fear and other deeply entrenched negative
emotions and attitudes. The Lord has given us all the weapons we need to lead a victorious
life, but not everyone is willing to pick up those tools and use them to slay
the giants.
To walk by faith demands that we persist in order to win whatever
battles God determines we must face. This is how we grow in strength and
character. Unless we persist and push through to victory, we will keep finding
ourselves back at the drawing board, until we take up the weapons of God and
apply them in our lives.
Remember how the Israelites wandered in the wilderness after being
led out of Egypt and never arrived at their divinely ordained destination? They complained
and kept looking back at their old lives, as if slavery was better than the
hard-fought freedom that lay ahead. Well, long story short, the Lord did not
allow the unbelieving, disobedient and rebellious Israelites to enter the promised land; they continued wandering around in
circles for 40 years. Our lives can be like that, too. The Lord had to wait on
another generation to grow up and was willing to believe and obey the Lord as
well as the leaders He had appointed over them. [4]
Speaking of Joshua, he too is an excellent role model to
imitate. He was a man of faith and one who obeyed God in everything. He also had
a very big job before him, leading the Israelites that were to settle in the promised land and defeating their enemies. Joshua did not do all the work for them. Many
of the tribes had to fight smaller battles beyond Jericho to truly possess what
was already theirs by divine promise.
What is the promised land in the life of Christian
believers? The blessings of God that represent the wonderful inheritance He yearns
to give his children. We can’t flow in those blessings until we slay the giants.
It can be uncomfortable, scary and seemingly difficult, but if we prevail, through persistent
faith we will overcome.
This world and the things in it will pass away one day. If
Jesus does not return in our lifetime, then we will die knowing that we can’t
take anything with us, except for eternal salvation and the promises of life in
the new world and the new heaven. [5] We will also pass away from this life
with the promise of resurrection firmly in place. For the Christian, the grave
is only a temporary experience. However, while we are in this world and life, we
are expected to occupy and be victorious. We are God’s ambassadors to humanity,
and we must live and act like it, sharing the good news of the Gospel with
everyone who will listen. [6]
Like Caleb, we must achieve battle-ready status and remain
that way. It is no coincidence that Paul the Apostle used a Roman military
uniform to illustrate the Armor of God in Ephesians, Chapter 6. [7] Paul was not a soldier. He referred to himself as a Pharisee (Acts 23:6). Yet, with a military
example, he shared divine insights into how Christians can respond to obstacles
and attacks. Ephesians indicates that we will be
involved in spiritual warfare, period.
Caleb also shows us that this is not a one-time thing. As
in, we pray once and forget about it: neglect to study the Bible, fail to ask
the Holy Spirit for wisdom and guidance, and fail to fellowship with other believers.
The result? We leave ourselves vulnerable to attacks from a corrupt world that is
hostile to the things of God, our own sinfulness and the satanic enemies of our souls.
If we have become spiritually lazy or neglectful, then let’s
use the inspiring story of Caleb to stir ourselves and once again become battle-ready!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, please forgive me for neglecting
to pray, for not reading the Bible regularly, for failing to ask the Holy
Spirit for wisdom and guidance, for ignoring Christian fellowship, and for failing
generally to maintain and grow in my faith in you. Help me to start afresh and to
continue by also putting on the entire armor you’ve provided, so I can enter
more fully into your ‘promised land’ and take possession of your inheritance
for me. Forgive me for sinning against you and against others. I especially repent
of my rebellion against you. Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, for doing everything
for me to be able to lead a godly and productive life that honors the Father. [8]
Shalom!
Rev. Diana Washington Valdez
Faith Today Christian Ministries
Shalom!
Rev. Diana Washington Valdez
Faith Today Christian Ministries
11.. Joshua,
Chapters 14-15.
22. Numbers,
Chapters 13-14.
33. Joshua,
Chapters 14-15.
44. Numbers,
Chapters 1-14.
55. Revelation
21:1-5.
66. Matthew
28: 16-20.
77. Ephesians
6: 11-18.
88. John
19:28-30/Jesus said "it is finished."
