Caleb’s faith

One hero in the bible is Caleb, who at age 85, embarked on his life’s most challenging task. Caleb and Joshua were selected by Moses to be part of the 12 spies who would check out Canaan. They were the only ones who came back with a positive assessment. They said, “Yes, we saw that the cities have walls as high as the sky, and the men there made us look like grasshoppers. But God will surely give it to us.” In the end, God disdained the negativism of the other 10 spies, who spurned His promise to give them Canaan. As a judgment, He said that Israel would not cross the Jordan and take over the land until those men had died.

That’s also when Caleb asks Joshua for the privilege of taking the hill country of Hebron. “Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites [giants] were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said” (Joshua 14:12). He tells Joshua that when he had earlier observed the land, he gave a report “according to my convictions” (to use his words). Then he added, “I followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly” (Joshua 14:8).

What a man! Caleb was not so much a visionary as he was a man of great faith!

Faith always sees the promises of God as certain – as though they had already taken place. Like Caleb, subdue the giants in your life with the best weapon of all – the weapon of faith.

Used with permission from Guidelines Philippines, Inc. To learn more about Guidelines and the ministry, please write to Box 4000, 1280 Makati City, Philippines or e-mail address [email protected]. You may also visit our website at www.guidelines.org.