The story of Caleb is well known. One of the original twelve that were sent to spy out the land of Canaan and, with Joshua, made up less than 17% of those who voted to trust the Lord. Unfortunately, although the majority saw, tasted and touched the good of the land, they failed to believe in God for the possible. He must have been deeply disappointed. But he decided to wait, believing his time would come.
For the next forty years, he lived with this congregation who had chosen a wilderness existence, always demanding miracles but never content. Every day when they went out to collect manna he went with them. But still, Caleb waited. He did his duty. He stood by Moses and Joshua in war and strife. He was satisfied to be counted as one of the congregation. He lived with the cloud and the pillar of fire. He saw the water flow from a rock, ate the quail and wore shoes that never gave in. He walked around a mountain with the congregation and watched as Moses climbed it and disappeared, for forty days and nights in the thunder and lightning. This was a mountain he did not climb. It was not his mountain. He climbed Mount Nebo with Moses and looked over the promised land, but that was not his mountain. He crossed the Jordan without getting his feet wet and he fought to help the other tribes gain their promised portion of the land. Still, he waited. Then one day, when he was 85 years old, he came to Hebron and turning to Joshua, said, "Give me this mountain! It was promised to me."
More than four decades earlier God had promised him this piece of land and he had waited. Now was his time. I can imagine him with a sword in one hand and the promise of God in the other shouting at the sons of Anak: Get off my mountain. He evicted them.
We grapple with faith and what it means to be faithful, but Caleb’s life is a demonstration of faith and he has a testimony that can be summed up in two words, LOYALTY and PERSEVERANCE.
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