Strong For A Lifetime: Caleb, A Perfect ISI Life Example
Devotional Contributor: Al Schierbaum
Scripture: What verse or verses you will use for the devotion?
Joshua 14:10-14 “And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the LORD spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. [11] I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. [12] So now give me this hill country of which the LORD spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the LORD said." [13] Then Joshua blessed him, and he 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 to this day, because he wholly followed the LORD, the God of Israel.”
Observation: Who are the key people or characters? Where is the setting? What dialogue or event took place?
Forty-five years before our passage, Joshua and Caleb along with ten other tribal leaders were sent by Moses to scout out the promised land and bring back a report of the land and its’ people. God had promised the land to Abraham’s descendants, but the Canaanites still inhabited it. Ten of the 12 leaders came back with a report that the land is beautiful, but the people are big and much more advanced militarily. They did not trust God and put doubt in the hearts of the people. Joshua and Caleb on the other hand, recognized the military differences, but trusted God in-spite of them and encouraged the people to move forward. Sadly, the people listened to fear and God disciplined them for forty years in the wilderness. At the end of the forty years, Moses died and Joshua was chosen to succeed him. Under Joshua the walls of Jericho came down and the people entered the land. Jericho was just the beginning, the Israelites still had to conquer the rest of the land. Each tribe was given a portion of the land to conquer, Caleb was given the area of Hebron, where some of the biggest and baddest Canaanite warriors lived. Our scripture is the conversation that took place between Joshua and Caleb as they entered the land. Some may have doubted Caleb’s ability to get the job because of old age, but because of his continued seeking and trusting God, Caleb was as strong at 85 as he was at 40.
Application: Why is the passage important and how should I/we live it out?
Caleb is a perfect ISI example of what a lifetime of strength looks like. Caleb was strong in faith, family, finance, faculty, and fitness. To be strong and willing to take on big challenges at eighty-five is a testament to how he lived his life in pursuit of God, working hard, and having a purpose to live for. You will not be strong at 85 by accident, it takes intentional living.
Since faith and obedience are keys to strength; Are you pursuing God with all your heart? Are you doing the next right thing immediately? Are you aggressively dealing with your fears and doubts? Are you intentional about being strong in faith, finance, family, faculty, and fitness? If not, what is your plan?
Request: What prayer will you request to God in light of the truth learned?
Dear God, I desire to be strong in You for a lifetime. I ask that you bless me to be strong in faith and obedience to Your Word all the days of my life. Amen.