January 20 - Joshua 11-15
History is filled with people who started strong but did not finish well. As we live out our Christian lives, endurance is vital to our success. In fact, endurance or perseverance is the mark of genuine faith. Caleb, at 85 years of age, stands as a shining example of someone who held to his faith and never wavered.
Joshua 14:6-14 is more than just an old man’s request; it’s a testimony of a lifetime of faith and faithfulness to God. Caled waited 45 long years for the promise God made through Moses to come to pass. Think of an 85-year-old man standing up to claim his inheritance and saying, “give me this mountain.” It shows that genuine faith never gives up, no matter how long it takes.
The mountain that Caleb asked for was Hebron. The giants were still there. It would not be easy to conquer the territory and claim it. But Caleb didn’t ask for comfort and ease, he wanted a challenge. He was ready to defeat the giants and conquer his enemies.
Caleb begins by recalling God’s promise. Forty-five years earlier, when the children of Israel stood on the brink of the Promised Land, only Joshua and Caleb had faith in God’s promise. Joshua and Caleb were outnumbered 10 to 2. The others saw giants; Caleb saw God. The majority was wrong, but the people listened to their negative report. True courage is standing on God’s Word even if you must stand alone.
Three times in Scripture it says of Caleb: “He fully followed the Lord” (Numbers 14:24; Deuteronomy 1:36: Joshua 14:8-9). The Hebrew phrase used here carries the idea of full devotion to God. It’s not partial obedience or occasional faithfulness - it’s total surrender. Caleb’s obedience to God was not convenient, it was complete. He followed the Lord even when the majority turned away. He kept the faith even though the journey was long and difficult. Faith that pleases God is wholehearted faith.
Caleb’s faith remained strong over time. Forty-five years in the wilderness didn’t wear Caleb down. He didn’t grow old and bitter. Caleb declared, “I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me.” Just like it says in Isaiah 40:31, “They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.” God’s timetable is perfect. If He makes a promise, He will keep it. If we are patient and endure, we will see the promise fulfilled in God’s time.
At 85, Caleb still had a mountain to climb. No matter your age, if you wholly follow the Lord, He will give you the mountain He promised. “Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel” (Joshua 14:14).