The Joshua and Caleb generation

Joshua 13-14:15 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible (link on links page)

Canaan Divided among the Tribes

13 Now Joshua was old and advanced in years when the Lord said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and very much of the land remains to be possessed. ² This is the land that remains: all the regions of the Philistines and all those of the Geshurites; ³ from the Shihor which is east of Egypt, even as far as the border of Ekron to the north (it is counted as Canaanite); the five lords of the Philistines: the Gazite, the Ashdodite, the Ashkelonite, the Gittite, the Ekronite; and the Avvite ⁴ to the south, all the land of the Canaanite, and Mearah that belongs to the Sidonians, as far as Aphek, to the border of the Amorite; ⁵ and the land of the Gebalite, and all of Lebanon, toward the east, from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. ⁶ All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon as far as Misrephoth-maim, all the Sidonians, I will drive them out from before the sons of Israel; only allot it to Israel for an inheritance as I have commanded you. ⁷ Now therefore, apportion this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”....

Caleb’s Request

14 Now these are the territories which the sons of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the households of the tribes of the sons of Israel apportioned to them for an inheritance, ² by the lot of their inheritance, as the Lord commanded through Moses, for the nine tribes and the half-tribe. ³ For Moses had given the inheritance of the two tribes and the half-tribe beyond the Jordan; but he did not give an inheritance to the Levites among them. ⁴ For the sons of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim, and they did not give a portion to the Levites in the land, except cities to live in, with their pasture lands for their livestock and for their property. ⁵ Thus the sons of Israel did just as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they divided the land.

⁶ Then the sons of Judah drew near to Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know the word which the Lord spoke to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh-barnea. ⁷ I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought word back to him as it was in my heart. ⁸ Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt with fear; but I followed the Lord my God fully. ⁹ So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden will be an inheritance to you and to your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God fully.’ ¹⁰ Now behold, the Lord has let me live, just as He spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, when Israel walked in the wilderness; and now behold, I am eighty-five years old today. ¹¹ I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in. ¹² Now then, give me this hill country about which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out as the Lord has spoken.”

¹³ So Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. ¹⁴ Therefore, Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite until this day, because he followed the Lord God of Israel fully. ¹⁵ Now the name of Hebron was formerly Kiriath-arba; for Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim. Then the land had rest from war.

I continue to be encouraged by this portion of scripture every time I read and reflect on it. For me it emphasizes a kingdom truth that is critical to all of us, but particularly to those of us who may be considered to be "older". In  our society and culture we tend to view 60-70 as a time to stop working. A time to turn things over to the next generation, relax and enjoy life. Certainly there are good elements of that practice and mindset. Most of us look forward to a time when we can give up the daily rigors of work and do more of what we want to do.

Much like our society and culture the structure of the church in this country lends itself to some of this same mindset. We tend to rely on a small group of people to do most of the ministry and work in the church. Not to take away from the calling of those who are in ministry, but still often it is viewed as something you do until you reach a certain age and then retire. Many of the accounts in scripture teach us that in the kingdom of God we never retire. Abraham was an old man when he finally received the fulfillment of the promise that he was given by God. Moses life can be divided into three forty year periods. Forty years living among the Egyptian people as royalty. Forty years in a remote land, tending sheep in preparation for the forty most important years, from age 80 to 120 when he led the nation of Israel out of captivity and to the promised land. Deuteronomy 34:7 says this about Moses: Although Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died, his eye was not dim, nor his vigor abated. God sustained him to complete all the work for which He had trained him.

We sometimes hear the term "the Joshua and Caleb generation" spoken to empower the next generation of leaders. It is important, even critical that we do, in the church, continue to raise up and empower leaders, and it is important that current leaders know when God is calling them to release some of their responsibilities to others. This should not be something that is centered around the magical age of 65 though. Rather it should be according to God's plan and direction. As servants of God and our Lord Jesus, we should never look to retire from ministry. We should instead seek only to take on the next thing God has for us. Let's look at today's text to see the truth about the Joshua and Caleb generation.

 Now Joshua was old and advanced in years when the Lord said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and very much of the land remains to be possessed... Joshua wasn't finished yet though. God was simply revealing His plan.  He says: I will drive them out from before the sons of Israel; only allot it to Israel for an inheritance as I have commanded you. ⁷ Now therefore, apportion this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”....

Now for the really good part.   Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know the word which the Lord spoke to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh-barnea. ⁷ I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought word back to him as it was in my heart. ⁸ Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt with fear; but I followed the Lord my God fully. ⁹ So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden will be an inheritance to you and to your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God fully.’     Caleb held onto a promise that was given to him forty years earlier. How many of us even really remember the things God spoke to us forty years ago? Let alone have held onto that promise and have the will, the desire, the physical  and mental strength to pursue and obtain that promise from all those years ago. Listen to Caleb. 

 Now behold, the Lord has let me live, just as He spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, when Israel walked in the wilderness; and now behold, I am eighty-five years old today. ¹¹ I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in. ¹² Now then, give me this hill country about which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out as the Lord has spoken.”

This was no small task that Caleb looked to take on at 85. The Anakim where those of whom it had been said:  “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.” ³² So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. ³³ There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” (Numbers 13:31-33)     The Nephilim /ˈnɛfɨˌlɪm/ (Hebrew: נפילים‎) were offspring of the "sons of God" and the "daughters of men" before the Deluge according to Genesis 6:4;     There were giants in the land. Yet Caleb, at the age of 85 remains undaunted. He has held onto the promise that he was given forty plus years ago.

Caleb says, " I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in." He is confident in his own strength, yet his true confidence and trust is in God, the one who gave him the promise.   Now then, give me this hill country about which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out as the Lord has spoken.”  What is the result?  So Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. ¹⁴ Therefore, Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite until this day, because he followed the Lord God of Israel fully.

What has God promised you? Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.(1 Thessalonians 5:2)  For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.(Pilippians 1:6)   For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.(Jeremiah 29:11) 

What has God promised you?       What has He called you to?        What His plans were for you is what His plans are for you.         He has not forgotten and He has not called you to retire.                                            Will you, like Caleb, trust Him fully?

I encourage you today, to walk in the spirit of the Caleb generation and say:

  GIVE ME THAT MOUNTAIN !