Joshua 14 A Spy, Fit at 85

seekeroftruth

Well-Known Member
Joshua 14:6 Now the people 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. 7 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, 8 but my fellow Israelites who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear. I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly. 9 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.’[a]

10 “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 wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! 11 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. 12 Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”

13 Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. 14 So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly. 15 (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba after Arba, who was the greatest man among the Anakites.)

Then the land had rest from war.​

a. Joshua 14:9 Deut. 1:36

The commentary this morning is from blueletterbible.org.

This was the cause of Israel's forty years of wandering in the wilderness; God would not allow that generation of unbelief to enter in, so He waited for them to die in the desert (Numbers 14:26-38). The only ones of age at the time of the rejection who actually entered the Promised Land were be Joshua and Caleb, the two faithful spies.

So, it is fitting as Judah is the first tribe to receive its allotment on the west side of the Jordan, that Caleb be the first among the people of Judah to receive his inheritance.​

Caleb was one of the twelve men who went to check out Canaan. Caleb was probably as afraid of going up against the giants as the others were. Caleb reported the truth. Caleb believed God was in charge.

Look at verse 11. Caleb says even though he's eighty five years old, he's just as fit as the day he reported on the giants.

This makes perfect sense to me. I remember that their clothes didn't wear out. That was back at Deuteronomy 8:4.

All the other spies died. In my book... that means they wore out. But Caleb didn't wear out.... and Joshua didn't wear out. They stood up for the truth. They were brave when out numbered when they reported back to the Israelites. They were spies, just like the others. They were older just as the others.... but they were protected from time.... just like the clothes on their back and the shoes on their feet. God controls time.

:coffee:
 
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