Give me this hill country about which the Lord spoke!

Joshua 14 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

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.

After the resurrection, in Luke 24:46-49 Jesus says:  “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”    That call, that commission to His disciples never expires. It was not just for those Jesus spoke to that day, but it was for us as well. It is not a commission which retire from when we reach a certain age, but rather we are called to be His witnesses for as many days as we are given.

In today’s text, Caleb should be a great example to us of continuing in the Lord, not stopping until we have attained the fullness of His promises.  The text says:  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. 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. 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. 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.’ 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. 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. 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.”      For forty five years Caleb walked obediently with the Lord. He worked, warred and watched as others received their inheritance. Surely he could have become discouraged during those forty years in the wilderness. Surely it must not have seemed right that others received their inheritance before him. After all, it was only he and Joshua who had been faithful. Those who were entering the Promised Land were a new generation. They had not experienced and endured all that Caleb had. Jesus Himself says:  “Many who are first will be last, and the last will be first." (Mark 10:31)  Caleb never faltered. He was not concerned with when, but rather with what the Lord had promised.

We who have been in the Lord the longest should have the same attitude as Caleb. Because God is eternal, in His time it does not matter who is first and who is last. Jesus says: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." (Revelation 22:13) In the scheme of eternity the order of human accomplishments are unimportant. Just as a parent should hope that their children can exceed what they themselves have accomplished and should lead the way for their children, so too should spiritual parents and leaders want their children to exceed and even precede them in attaining their inheritance. Yet still, like Caleb, we should never retire. We should never forget and give up on the promises of God. Caleb said that at eighty-five he was still as strong as he was at forty. That may not be true for many of us, in our physical bodies. But Jesus word to us is that: “I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”   While our physical bodies may lose some of their strength, our spirits, the Holy Spirit of God which dwells within us never loses its power. We continue to have the strength and vitality, in the spirit to walk, work and war for others and ourselves to obtain God’s promises.

Today, we as believers, celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Whether this is your first year in Christ or you have walked, worked, warred and even waited for decades, know that Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Jesus says: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)  May the same spirit which sustained and strengthened Caleb, the power of the Holy Spirit, promised and sent from God, strengthen and sustain you as you walk in the fullness of Christ and God’s promises.  Like Caleb may you say:  Now then, give me this hill country about which the Lord spoke.

Lord Jesus Christ, today as I celebrate Your resurrection, may I also hear Your call and commission. May I never grow weary walking, working and warring with and for You. Thank You for the power of the Holy Spirit, which never fails or fades.  May I not rest until the day I hear the words: 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'  Amen.