Lesson No : The Majority Is Not Always Right
In a world where democracy is the most favored system of government, we hear of the expression, The majority is always right. However, this was never the case in Calebs life.
Before the Israelites were able to enter the Promised Land, Moses sent out 12 spies to scout the land of Canaan. After 40 days, it was time for them to give their report. Ten of the spies said:
Then they told him, and said: We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong the cities are fortified and very large moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.
The report of the ten spies discouraged the people. It even melted their hearts. However, Caleb SILENCED the crowd and boldly stated:
LET US GO UP AT ONCE and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it .
Now, heres a man who stood out from the crowd and demonstrated a great zeal and passion for following Gods command. However, the Israelites were contaminated with the majority-is-always-right mentality. Because of the bad report given by the ten spies, they refused to enter the Promised Land.
What Can We Learn From Caleb’s Story
Calebs life sets an example for us of courage, and faithfulness in the face of difficulty. These qualities were rewarded in Calebs life and will be in ours as well.
Caleb was strong and courageous in the face of his peers because he knew what God had promised and trusted him. We can learn what God has promised us and have courage to testify when we need to.
God promised Caleb an inheritance in Canaan and not only kept him alive but preserved his strength as well. We can trust God to fulfill his promises to us with strength and vigor.
Caleb took his mountain because God helped him. We can learn to trust in Gods help because we have been promised his help to do all things through Christ and that he always causes us to triumph in Christ.
Caleb had to patiently wait for his inheritance while wandering 40 years with a bunch of complainers. He must have tapped into the power of joy. The joy of the Lord that Nehemiah says is our strength, and the joy that Jesus set before him empowering him to endure the cross.
God set the promise before all of Israel, but many died without obtaining it due to unbelief. We can learn that it isnt what we know, its what we believe that matters.
The judgment of God on Israel wasnt given immediately, but only after a night of persistent rebellious unbelief. We can learn God grace is ever abounding to us in our weakness.
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Lessons To Be Learned From Joshua And Caleb
1. I believe the Promised Land for todays Christian refers to Gods call on that persons life.
For the Christian that will fully surrender their entire life over to God the Father I believe that God will place a specific call or calls on that persons life.
However, it may take many years before God releases this person into what their true calling is going to be for Him. Sometimes it may take years of preparation to get ready for this call.
But once this call comes in and you are getting ready to cross over into your Promised Land, many Christians get cold feet at the last minute and walk out on their call.
They start to get too focused on all the negative possibilities they will encounter if they take the call just like the 10 spies did with God the Father. Fear starts to set in and they then bail out of the boat.
The Israelites lost their one and only chance to go into this Promised Land due to one main reason fear, and lack of full faith and belief in the power of God to see them through.
They were too scared of the giants and kingdoms they saw in the Promised Land they were supposed to possess and they did not have enough faith and belief in God that He could conquer and defeat these giants for them.
As a result, they lost out on the biggest blessing of their entire life.
I always tell everyone to stay with their leadings from the Holy Spirit.
The Bible says that the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth and teach us all things.
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Where In The Bible Is The Story Of Joshua And Caleb And The 12 Spies
The story of Joshua and Caleb is mentioned in many places in the bible.
Numbers 13: 1-33, 14 and Deuteronomy 1:22-40 are the places where the story of the twelve spies is mentioned in the bible. Numbers 14:24 verse 38 it is mentioned that Moses said “Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.â In Josh 14:12, Caleb said, “give me this mountain”. He was 85 years old and still wandering in the land. The giant Anakims were still ruling the land, while Caleb still remained faithful to the promise of the lord, and said that he was as strong as he was in the days of Moses. And he would still wait for the promise to come true. In a moving declaration, Caleb asked God for the mountain of Hebron.
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Facts About Caleb In The Bible For Kids
Caleb was one of the spies.
He was a representative of the tribe of Judah. He led Israelites to the promised land.
Faithful, brave, and ruthless is the meaning of the word Caleb. He was a companion of Joshua and Moses. He was the son of Jepunneh.He was sent into Canaan as one of 12 spies. He went into the land of the Negev and surrounding areas. He checked the agricultural state of the land, the strength of the population, and the geographical features of the land. They went into the land and brought local produce to show it to Moses. The other 10 spies were fearful of acquiring new land, in Canaan. They had doubts and instilled doubt in people in moving onto new land. Caleb and Joshua were the only two who encouraged and gave hope to the tribe. Caleb’s faith in god’s promises made him follow the path of the Lord wholeheartedly. He had a different spirit and faith in god.
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The Story Of Caleb In The Bible
Moses sent spies, one from each of the twelve tribes of Israel, into Canaan to scout the territory. Among them were Joshua and Caleb. All the spies agreed on the richness of the land, but ten of them said Israel could not conquer it because its inhabitants were too powerful and their cities were like fortresses. Only Caleb and Joshua dared to contradict them.
Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.
God was so angry at the Israelites for their lack of faith in him that he forced them to wander in the desert 40 years until that entire generation had died–all except Joshua and Caleb.
After the Israelites returned and set about conquering the land, Joshua, the new leader, gave Caleb the territory around Hebron, belonging to the Anakites. These giants, descendants of the Nephilim, had terrified the original spies but proved no match for God’s people.
Caleb’s name means “raging with canine madness.” Some Bible scholars think Caleb or his tribe came from a pagan people who were assimilated into the Jewish nation. He represented the tribe of Judah, from which came Jesus Christ, Savior of the world.
Was Hebron Reconquered By Caleb
The sequence of Caleb’s taking of Hebron in Joshua 14 is difficult for scholars to resolve completely. There are two differing points of view.
1. Detailed account. According to this view, the account of the taking of Hebron and Debir in Joshua 11:22-23 “is anticipated and summarized as part of the conquest of the southern coalition.” Thus the account in Joshua 14
“… is intended as a detailed development of the campaign in chapter 11 and is signaled by both accounts ending with the phrase, ‘Then the land had rest from war.’ Thus this account is part of the overall conquest of the south.”
According to this view, the account of Caleb’s driving out of the Anakites took place under Joshua’s generalship. Joshua is given credit, though his lieutenants fought the actual battles.
2. Reconquest. However, it is also possible to see the southern campaign in Joshua 11 as the initial campaign to defeat the kings of these cities. Hebron was conquered by Joshua’s army initially, but the inhabitants returned when the armies left, and they needed to be dislodged again by Caleb when he was ready to take possession.
This apparently happened to Jerusalem . The king of Jerusalem was captured and killed by Joshua , though some of his fleeing army were able to reach the fortified city of Jerusalem . But in Joshua’s time, the Israelites were not able to take Jerusalem the city was occupied by David only centuries later , though Jebusites still owned property in the city after its capture .
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Bible Character Study On Caleb
One of the well-known heroes of the Old Testament is Joshua, the military leader who led Israel into taking possession of the Promised Land. However, right beside this great man is Caleb. While Caleb does not have as many verses dedicated to him in the Bible, what we are told in few words speaks volumes to who Caleb was as a dedicated servant of God.
Joshua 15:13-14 And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the Lord to Joshua, even the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron. And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.
Interesting Facts About Caleb In The Bible
- Who was Caleb? The first, maybe surprising, fact is that he was not a native Israelite.
- Secondly, although he was not a native Israelite, he was recognised as a leader in the tribe of Judah.
- Caleb was a Kenizzite who were descendants of Kenaz, an Edomite from the line of Esau. The Kenizzites are listed as inhabitants of Canaan in the covenant that God made with Abram. They were a native tribe of Canaan who allied themselves with Israel.
- Caleb was commended by God for his faith.
- He was one of only two Israelite adults, over the age of twenty, who left Egypt and lived to move into the promised land.
- Caleb waited forty-five years to receive what had been promised to him.
- His faith and strength were not diminished in that time!
- He set a battle challenge, the man who could capture a city would win his daughters hand in marriage.
- Caleb was a generous man. He gave his daughter Aksah an inheritance in the land. And when she asked for more, he gave her double the amount.
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Story Of Caleb In The Bible
Caleb was a faithful man.
He was brought from Egypt and stayed true to god. He was not a native Israelite, and yet he was made a leader in the tribe of Judah. He was the descendant of Kenaz which was a tribe from Esau. He was from the tribe of Canaan. They sided with the Israelites. He was twenty years old when he moved to live in the promised land. He was 45 years old when he received the promised land. He led many battles in his life. He declared that the one who would win the battle and capture a city would have his daughter Achsah in marriage. When her daughter asked for an inheritance, he gave her inheritance n and. and when she asked for some more land, he doubled the amount as proof of his generosity.
Lesson No : Theres A Time That It Will All Be Too Late
God gave the Israelites a lot of opportunities for them to enter the land of Canaan. Actually, Gods command should be good ENOUGH for them to be a source of encouragement. It should be an assurance that they can overcome all their enemies that may prevent them from possessing the land. However, their fear and unbelief got the best of them.
It should be noted that God is the God of mercy, but He is also the God of justice. He was merciful to the Israelites and gave them great signs and wonders for them to believe that it was God who will come before them! However, they did not listen until it was TOO LATE.
We read that when Moses told them that they will not be able to enter the Promised Land, they mourned GREATLY ! However, no amount of tears and regret can save them now. A sentence had been made, and God made a decision already.
As Christians, God also has given us a lot of opportunities to change our ways and turn from our wicked ways. However, there will come a time when we will seek Him and find no one. There will come a time, just like in the time of Noah, that it will be too late for us to enter the Ark.
So it must be a time for us to hearken Gods call to repentance. We need to answer His call right NOW and not delay anymore. God has been so patient with us, and I hope that Gods goodness will lead us to repentance.
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Lesson No : Caleb Was Dependent On God
Caleb won a lot of battles during his lifetime. Even at age 85, Caleb exclaimed, As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in .
As this might be the case, Caleb didnt stop on relying God. On the day he claimed Gods promise, he said:
Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.
Caleb realized that he was nothing without God and that he won his battles, not because of his strength, military genius, or years of experience. It was God all those years that gave him the victory. And now that it was time for him to conquer their enemy, Anakim, he sought Gods blessing again, like what he has always been doing. He recognized that without Gods help and intervention, his fight will be in vain. After all, he was going to face a FORMIDABLE ENEMY, the giants of the land.
Surely, if he would win this fight, it would be through Gods intervention and grace. Nothing else can help him claim victory over this influential group of people. But with Gods protection and blessing, he will reign VICTORIOUS.
Lesson : Caleb Used The Eyes Of Faith
All the spies saw the same thing. However, not all of them used the eyes of faith.
The other spies saw fortified and secure cities that are impossible to break through. Caleb saw cities that are too small that they can easily conquer through Gods majestic power.
The other spies saw giants that they felt like grasshoppers in their presence. Caleb saw another opportunity to prove to the world that God is the LIVING GOD who do impossible things.
The other spies went home discouraged, depressed, and hopeless. Caleb went home with a burning zeal and intense urgency that they should not waste any time anymore and immediately conquer the land.
The other spies saw the problem. Caleb saw the solution.
What made Calebs perspective so different? It was because he was using the eyes of faith. The Bible tells us, For we walk by faith, not by sight .
As Christians, we are also called to use our eyes of faith. Though the things around us may look problematic, dire, and dismal, we can always look to God through our eyes of faith and keep on fighting the good fight that has been laid before us.
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Life Of Miraculously Saved
- Joshua 14:9 Meaning
- 10 And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old.
JOSHUA 14:6-15Verses in the Bible
- 6 Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the Lord said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadesh-barnea.
- Joshua 14:9 Meaning
- 10 And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old.
- Joshua 14:11 Meaning
- 12 Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spake in that day for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the Lordwill be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said.
- 15 And the sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh Iru, Elah, and Naam: and the sons of Elah, even Kenaz.
The King James Bible text is sourced from the BibleForgeDB database within the BibleForge project . Bible topic categories and verse references are from Nave’s Topical Bible by Orville James Nave . Popularity rankings are based on search volume data from the Google AdWords Keyword Planner tool.