Joshua 14:13-15 "And Joshua blessed him,
and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.
(14) Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of
Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the LORD
God of Israel. (15) And the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba;
which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. And the land had rest from
war."
I realize that many times in the Old Testament, we can get bogged down with names. But I believe the names hold special meaning and have actually been a source of blessing as the Lord has moved me to spend more time thinking upon the names in relation to the situation and circumstance in which they are involved. In these passages, we see the names of Caleb, Jephunneh, Hebron, Kirjatharba, Arba, and Anakims. I won't go into the root meanings of each word, but will try to tell in paragraph form the impact of these names.
Caleb was a man who would not back down from a challenge. I find myself going back to the day when the twelve spies returned from the land promised to Israel. Ten of them said it was an impossibility. They were looking at it from the human standpoint. But thankfully, there were two men who stood strong in the promise of the Lord. Caleb and Joshua were the two who would not back down from what seemed like an ultimate challenge. Their answer to all Israel was this, "If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. (9) Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not." (Numbers 14:8-9) Caleb was ready to go that very day to take the land. He was prepared to do that because his dependence was upon the Lord, not himself.
Now, the land is being divided and Caleb, I believe, was thinking back to that day and the excuses the ten men made. As he looked at the mountain, he knew that in that very place dwelled the giants, the Anakims, and the great walled cities that choked the faith of those ten men. In this place was the man, Arba, who was the greatest of all the giants of the land. Caleb was going to associate himself with that place and this moment in time. He was prepared to attack and join himself to the place where fear defeated a generation of men. When I think of Caleb, I come to this point in his life. I'm sure he had many times of great actions, but this is the one that I always think about. Caleb had the opportunity to exhibit his faith with his actions. I want this mountain.
God gave him his desire "because that he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel." Caleb is a great role model for each of us. He was not going to sit back at the age of 85 and do nothing; rather, he went in the power of the Lord God of Israel to defeat the giants and take the walled cities of the land. That was his desire, not because he wanted people to see him; rather, his desire was for the people to know that God is true to His promises and His grace is sufficient for every need. I want to be more like Caleb as I face each day.
I realize that many times in the Old Testament, we can get bogged down with names. But I believe the names hold special meaning and have actually been a source of blessing as the Lord has moved me to spend more time thinking upon the names in relation to the situation and circumstance in which they are involved. In these passages, we see the names of Caleb, Jephunneh, Hebron, Kirjatharba, Arba, and Anakims. I won't go into the root meanings of each word, but will try to tell in paragraph form the impact of these names.
Caleb was a man who would not back down from a challenge. I find myself going back to the day when the twelve spies returned from the land promised to Israel. Ten of them said it was an impossibility. They were looking at it from the human standpoint. But thankfully, there were two men who stood strong in the promise of the Lord. Caleb and Joshua were the two who would not back down from what seemed like an ultimate challenge. Their answer to all Israel was this, "If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. (9) Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not." (Numbers 14:8-9) Caleb was ready to go that very day to take the land. He was prepared to do that because his dependence was upon the Lord, not himself.
Now, the land is being divided and Caleb, I believe, was thinking back to that day and the excuses the ten men made. As he looked at the mountain, he knew that in that very place dwelled the giants, the Anakims, and the great walled cities that choked the faith of those ten men. In this place was the man, Arba, who was the greatest of all the giants of the land. Caleb was going to associate himself with that place and this moment in time. He was prepared to attack and join himself to the place where fear defeated a generation of men. When I think of Caleb, I come to this point in his life. I'm sure he had many times of great actions, but this is the one that I always think about. Caleb had the opportunity to exhibit his faith with his actions. I want this mountain.
God gave him his desire "because that he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel." Caleb is a great role model for each of us. He was not going to sit back at the age of 85 and do nothing; rather, he went in the power of the Lord God of Israel to defeat the giants and take the walled cities of the land. That was his desire, not because he wanted people to see him; rather, his desire was for the people to know that God is true to His promises and His grace is sufficient for every need. I want to be more like Caleb as I face each day.