Caleb

Introduction

A. What motivates you? For most of us we have to have something to generate some energy and enthusiasm. Either a reward is needed or some inner challenge produces desires to accomplish something. I have known individuals who found less and less about which to be excited. Sometimes this lack of motivation came from no inner challenges and sometimes no external rewards. Life was not interesting enough to find excitement and to expend energy to move forward.

B. Today we are going to look at the life of Caleb, a man who was motivated to expend energy throughout his life. We are going to be encouraged to look at what motivated Caleb and to see what can motivate us in life as well.

History

A. We run into Caleb in Numbers 13 when he is one of the 12 spies chosen to go into the promised land on a reconnaissance mission. As spies they are to determine the terrain and fortification of the cities and how to attack the land and its peoples. You know the story well. Only Joshua and Caleb believe that God wants them to take the land. They champion the cause to go into the promised land. The other 10 spies persuade the people to turn away. The 10 spies believe that it is too difficult a task and that it would be better to return to Egypt.

B. How do you explain this difference in perception? Had not all 12 heard the same voice of God in calling them to go to the land? Had not all 12 heard the promises of God that the land was theirs? Had not all 12 been fed by the same manna and quail by the hand of God? Had not all 12 been slaves in Egypt before traveling to this promised area? How do you explain so many forgetting the past and the promises of God? The contrast is between the unseen and the seen; between faith and fear; between God’s power and man’s power.

C. You know the rest of the story. For the next 40 years the people wander from place to place. Directionless they exist on the grace of God and wait for all those above the age of 20 to die. By the time the 40 years has ended, Joshua and Caleb are the old grizzled leaders of Israel. They have been through slavery, deliverance, and 40 years of waiting. What happens to a person when another groups choices affects life for such a long time? Bitterness and resentment would not be unexpected. But when we come to Joshua 14 such attitudes are not what we find.

D. After 40 years, Israel goes into the promised land. Initial battles open up the land for the people to spread out. But as is the case in war, some battles are more easily fought than others. The division of land is given. Judah receives the southern part of the land. When we come to Joshua 14, Caleb is ready to fight for his share of the land. He rehearses what had happened 45 years before and God’s promise to give him land on which his feet had walked all those years before.

E. What we see is a man who is determined. A man who is highly motivated. A man who has been waiting a long time for something that should have been his 45 years before. A man of courage and conviction. Caleb wants what God promised him. This is a wonderful story. It is a story of motivation and conviction.

Lessons

A. What are we to learn from this episode in Caleb’s life? First, God’s promises motivated him to continue his journey. Nothing in the text leads us to believe that Caleb became bitter. As he walked every step wandering in the desert, he was waiting. God had promised the land when he was young and with every passing year, he was reminded that God had still promised him the land. He was motivated by God’s promised reward.

1. Aren't we like Caleb? The promise of an eternal life is given to those who walk with him. God's promise is very real. He wants to give us our own promised land.

2. The promise is so real that each day we take our journey with that thought in mind. Such a thought keeps us from sin. Such a promise helps us to make decisions which are bold and courageous. Such a promise means that each day brings us closer to its fulfillment. ILL. Promises.

B. Second, Caleb demonstrates that the past must not keep us from the future. No bitterness. No resentment. No blaming. Patience. The future unfolds in its own time. Caleb waits. He doesn’t allow the past to determine his future. One failure doesn’t mean another will come. His courage rises with the passing of time. Each day brings him closer to the fulfillment of the promise. ILL. Patience: jury trial

1. We, too, must learn to wait. We wait on our Lord's return. We do not allow our past to set the agenda for our future. We know that what happened in the past is dealt with by the grace of God.

2. Each step is one step closer to our ultimate goal—to be with God and to see his face. Each passing day brings courage and confidence. God has promised. We wait for the promise to be fulfilled.

C. Third, Caleb planned for not only his own future but the future of his family. In Joshua 15:13-19 we have the story of Caleb battling at the region of Hebron. One of the smaller cities waits to be overtaken. Caleb offers his daughter in marriage to the man who will lead the attack on the city. Othniel takes on the challenge and leads Caleb’s army to victory. Othniel becomes Caleb’s son-in-law. But don’t stop the story there. Go over to Judges 3. Otheniel becomes one of the judges in Israel. For 40 years he leads the people and peace reigns while he is judge.

1. While we have no record of interaction between Caleb and Othniel, it is hard to imagine that Caleb's faith didn't have an impact on Othniel.

2. In the same way, how we view our own future will have an impact on the next generation. Faith can be passed on. ILL. "Faith: Art Berg."

3. The faith of a mother was passed on to her son. We can do the same thing.

D. What motivates you? What promises are you holding on to which are making a difference in how you live? Are you holding on to bitterness and resentment? Are you still living in the past? Would you want another person to emulate your faith? All important questions to ask. All deserving an honest answer. Invitation.

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