Impact - Day 31

Day 31 – Dividing the Land

Joshua 14:6-9 Now the men of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the LORD said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh Barnea about you and me. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, but my brothers who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt with fear. I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly. So on that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.’

One final story as we conclude this study of Joshua. In Joshua chapter 14, significant portions of the land of Canaan have been conquered and are being given, tribe by tribe, for the people to inhabit as a gift from God. But the largest of the tribes, Judah, has yet to receive its territory. Only one elder statesman other than Joshua survived the wilderness wandering. Imagine the scene in which Caleb leads a delegation representing his people to his old friend.

The conversation that follows is more than a trip down memory lane. With earnestness, Caleb takes Joshua back half a lifetime ago, when the two young explorers attempted to persuade their countrymen to move forward into the land God had promised. And then the punchline, “Joshua, you remember a promise was made to me.”

The next two verses of the passage seem as unlikely as they are interesting:

“Now then, just as the LORD promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.” (Joshua 14:10-11)

It isn’t possible that Caleb is the one human we know whose aging process hasn’t affected his physical abilities. But what if he isn’t talking about physicality? Could he be talking about faith in the promise of God through the words of Moses?

For Caleb, as is often the case for us, the promise was followed by excruciating delays and painful loss. Many would have stopped believing and wouldn’t be ready to go on the attack forty-five years later. So, what if Caleb knew all along that it would be God who gave him the places he set his foot? What if the vigor he mentioned was his faith rather than skeletal structure or biceps?

Caleb’s story inspires me. I need to be ready for the long game. The timetable for the fulfillment of God’s promises is not always obvious and never rushed. I want a faith that grows during the wandering. Never forget that God has made you promises. Instead, be strong and courageous.

1. Who are the strongest people you know? How did you choose to define strength in your answer?
2. As you age, what capacities do you think will naturally weaken? Which ones could grow stronger?
3. Is there a promise of God that is easier for you to believe today than it was a few years ago? What promise would you like to be more confident of right now?