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Home , Anakim, Caleb

“Wholehearted Following” ( 14:6-15) – July 19, 2020 Series: The - Summit EFC - Pastor Caleb Pipes

Good morning Summit! It’s great to be gathered with you here at Frank Start Park once again.

This week, over 100 of our congregants are down at Hidden Acres for the All-Church Retreat. Pastor Doug is preaching down there right about now, and we are going to be preaching on the same thing: Joshua 14.

We’ve been in the book of Joshua over the summer, and we have seen how the Lord provides for the nation of Israel a land to live in. They took possession of the land in the first half of the book. In the second half of the book, we see the land divided up amongst the tribes.

Chapter 14 is the beginning of the division of the land west of the , and the first person to approach Joshua for his allotment is Caleb.

Now, let’s get this out of the way: that’s my name too. My parents named me after this guy. And I’m glad they did! I didn’t know many other Caleb’s growing up. I heard my name mispronounced a . Often, people wanted to spell it incorrectly. I’ve even developed a habit of just spelling my name for people when they ask for it.

At a coffee shop when they ask for my name I say, “Caleb, C A L E B” When I don’t do this, I get cups back that read Cable, Taylor, Caden, Kale. It’s a mess.

But I’m glad that I have this name. I wouldn’t trade it for any other name, even a name that is easier for some people to pronounce. Want to know why? This guy!

Caleb is a great example of a person who wholeheartedly followed the Lord. Do you want to know what it looks like to follow the Lord with all of your heart? There are several people that you can look at for that example in the Bible. But Caleb, even though he is not in the story very long, is a prime example.

This morning I want to look at a few qualities that Caleb demonstrates for us as a person who wholeheartedly followed the Lord. Let’s turn to Joshua chapter 14 and read verses 6-15:

Then the people of came to Joshua at Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said to the man of in Kadesh-barnea concerning you and me. 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 him word again as it was in my heart. But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the Lord my God. And Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.’ 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. 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. 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 . It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said.” Then Joshua blessed him, and he gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. 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. Now the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-. (Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim.) And the land had rest from war.

Do you want to be a person who follows the Lord with all their heart? When we look at the life of Caleb we learn three qualities that we should have. 1. Courage (v. 6-8)

In verses six through eight we read that Caleb approached Joshua in order to ask for his inheritance. Caleb starts off by reminding Joshua of the land that he was promised by God. Why was Caleb ?

If you recall, Caleb was one of twelve spies who were sent into the land of 45 years prior to this point. In Numbers 13, we learn that these spies were sent in order to find out what kind of opposition they would face in the land, and if the land was good.

When the spies returned from their mission, ten out of twelve spies agreed that the land was too dangerous. They said to Moses in Num. 13:28 “the people who dwell in the land are strong and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there.” These spies did not want to take the risk of entering the land.

But Caleb rose up and said: “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” Caleb, with Joshua, was willing to go against he testimony of the other spies. In Numbers 14:8 they say to the people, “If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us…”

They understood that nothing was too great for God. Caleb courageously stood up in opposition to the majority opinion. He was convinced that being fearful and ignorant of the power of God was a mistake. In Joshua 14:6-8, Caleb reminds Joshua of his wholehearted devotion to the Lord. Verse eight says, “But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the Lord my God.”

This is Caleb reflecting upon his past. As we’ll find out, at this point, Caleb is 85 years old. When he was younger, he stood up against the trend of his time. The majority of people rebelled against God and would not follow his commands.

But Caleb stood firm. He was unwavering. He may have even appeared stubborn and ridiculous to his peers. But Caleb knew the truth, that God was on their side and would fight for them.

Caleb had courage. He stood up against falsehood and proclaimed God’s truth. He was willing to fight and rush headlong into the battle because he was convinced that God was on their side.

He wasn’t foolishly optimistic. He wasn’t wrongly placing his confidence in the armies of Israel and their military might. Caleb was convinced that the promises of God were true. The root of Caleb’s courage was his conviction in the power and might of God.

If we want to be people wholeheartedly following the Lord, we must have the courage to trust God’s word over the word of the world. Notice how Caleb, in his appeal to Joshua here, mentions the word of Moses. He approaches Joshua for his inheritance relying upon the revealed word of the Lord.

Do we rely upon the Word of God to give us courage? Any other foundation for courage is foolishness. We cannot have confidence in any other authority other than the word of God, And where the word of God speaks we can have confidence that it is true.

We must have the courage to look different than the world. We must be willing to endure ridicule to stand up for God’s truth. When the world goes down a sinful path, whatever that might be: - Sexual promiscuity and immorality - A disregard for human life at all stages of development - Ignoring the plight of the poor and afflicted - Corruption of authority and the wanton race for material gain We must stand up and proclaim the truth of God from his word.

When we prioritize God’s word over the word of the world, we tend to go against the crowd. Caleb could have easily given into peer pressure. He could have agreed with the other ten spies.

Instead, Caleb was willing to risk his social standing for God’s truth. As a youth pastor, this is something that I desperately want my students to learn. Are you willing to look different than the world even if that means your social life will be harmed? There are some older folks here today that would tell you that it isn’t worth giving into the pressures of the world. That gains us nothing, but following the Lord courageous, that’s worth it.

Proclaiming God’s truth and resisting the temptations of the world takes courage. Caleb helpfully demonstrated that for us.

But second, Caleb demonstrated… 2. Perseverance (v. 9-10)

Again, Caleb is 85 years old! The 12 spies were sent into the promised land 45 years before the events of Joshua 14. When Caleb courageously stood up for God’s truth, he was promised a part of the land by Moses for his faithfulness. Verse 9 says, “And Moses swore on that day, saying, “surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.”

This is the second time we have heard that Caleb wholly followed the Lord. First, in verse eight, he confessed it himself. And in verse 9 we hear that Moses confessed it as well. The Lord was going to honor Caleb for his faithfulness. But it didn’t happen immediately.

Caleb spent the next 45 years persevering. Verse 10 says, “And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke his word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old.”

Caleb did not know when he would receive his inheritance. He did not know what he would be commanded to do in order to receive this promised land. He had to endure great battles, trial, and surely many temptations.

Let’s think through some of the things that Caleb would have seen and gone through over these 45 years. He would have seen his entire generation die. For their rebellion in the wilderness, God had Israel wander in the wilderness for forty years, or until that generation had died. He spared only Joshua and Caleb.

Can you imagine? All of his friends and family. He outlived them all. How many funerals did this guy have to endure? Can you imagine the pain of living through that?

Caleb fought through all of the battles before the conquest of Canaan. At that time he would have already older. God preserved him in those battles, but he probably lost even more people that he was close to.

God saw him over the Jordan river. He saw fit to keep Caleb alive through all of the major battles in the land of Canaan. , Ai, , and the rest of the battles against the many nations in the land. Caleb survived them all as an old man!

Caleb was willing to persevere through it all. In the face of desperation, war, and loss, Caleb pressed on in the assurance of God’s promises to him. Do we want to live wholeheartedly before the Lord? We must persevere. But perseverance is not easy.

Paul tells his audience in the book of Ephesians to fight the enemy and put on the full armor of God. He says that need to be prepared to withstand the schemes of the evil one. We are in a struggle with a real enemy. With rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers in this present darkness. We are naïve to think that there are days that our enemy, the , takes a holiday. So, Paul tells the Ephesians to put on the full armor of God. The belt of truth, The Breastplate of righteousness, The shoes of the of peace, The shield of faith, The helmet of salvation, and The sword of the spirit.

We all know these. We can picture them because Paul gives us a picture of armor.

But the list ends with two actions that we must perform after we have the proper attire. First, he tells us to pray And second, he tells us to persevere. Eph. 6:18 says, “To that end, keep alert with all perseverance…”

Perseverance is essential to leading a life wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord. We know that the enemy is going to attack us. We should expect trials. We should expect loss and heartache. We should expect temptation.

And when each comes, we are called to persevere. We have been well equipped. We take up the armor, Paul says, in order to stand firm. This is what Caleb is able to do for 45 years. He perseveres and reaches the time when he can receive his inheritance. In the same way we must persevere until we receive our inheritance.

We must fight in order to persevere, but the Bible has more to say about perseverance. 1 Peter 1:3-5 tells us, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

We have an inheritance that imperishable. Notice, though, how it is by God’s power that we can persevere. This is an important truth: God will see his saints through this life of trials to their inheritance. He is the one that makes sure we persevere. Nevertheless, we must daily persevere like Caleb did. He has demonstrated how we must be courageous, and how we must persevere in order to follow the Lord wholeheartedly.

Caleb also demonstrates… 3. Energy (v. 11-12)

Energy? Yes, Caleb demonstrates great energy. Let’s read verses 11-12: 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. 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.”

Notice how read and excited Caleb is for this new task. He does not ask for something easy. He has no plans to retire in his old age. He is ready, once again, to do battle against the enemy.

Caleb demonstrates great energy for the cause of his Lord. He says that he is still as strong to today as he was in the day of Moses. At 85, he feels like a forty-year-old! The guy was energized and ready to work!

Another phrase to describe Caleb here is full of vigor. He has strength, a set will, ambition, and tenacity. He is not ready to phone it in, recline in his chair and hang up his sandals. Caleb wants to fight.

In fact, Caleb claims the most difficult spot in the land for his inheritance. It is the very place where the 12 spies first saw the great of the land. That is the Anakim. He wants THAT spot. He is ready to climb up a mountain, defeat the greatest enemy, and claim the land that he was promised. An 85-year-old. If this doesn’t get you energized for the Lord, I don’t know what will!

In his last statement here, he shows great confidence in the Lord as well as great humility. Even though he perseveres throughout his life, he acknowledges that the Lord doesn’t need to give him this land. He says, “it may be that the Lord will be with me.” He doesn’t presume upon the Lord.

At the same time, he actively seeks his inheritance. He has confidence in what the Lord has already done in his life and he is ready to risk it once again for the Lord.

I have a couple reflections on the energy that Caleb displays here for us. First, for those who are young with much life ahead of you: What excuse do you have? If an 85-year-old can display this kind of strength and willingness to follow the Lord no matter what lies ahead, why can’t you?

I’m including myself here. We saw that Caleb had courage and was willing to persevere. But he also shows us what it means to have full, unwavering confidence in the Lord throughout his life. When we think that we can’t add much to the Kingdom of God, or that God can’t use us in a magnificent way, we are distrusting the Lord. We lack confidence. When we are complacent and lazy, unwilling to contribute to the Kingdom of God, We miss our calling.

Like Caleb, our young people here at summit must be full of eagerness to serve and energy to continue the battle. How is the Lord going to use you for his Kingdom? Are you willing to find out?

Second, for those who are older, What excuse do you have? Caleb is 85 years old! No matter what stage of life we are in, no matter what bodily afflictions we have, we are always able to contribute to the Kingdom of God.

Have you retired from your career? Serve the Lord! Find someone to disciple, Lead or aid a ministry in need, Go kick some pagans off a hill and claim it as your own! Ok maybe not that. But you get what I am saying.

We might reach the age where we no longer have to work. That’s totally fine. But we should never view that as an opportunity to quit serving the Church in some capacity. One thing I will say about Summit that I love is the amount of “speeders” here that are willing to pour into the church. It is really encouraging.

Caleb was full of energy to serve the Lord. And no matter what age you are, the is ready to equip you with that kind of energy.

Does Caleb succeed? In verses 13-15 we learn that Joshua grants Caleb’s request and blesses him. What was once a mountain named after a pagan man, became Hebron, a major in the land of Judah.

In chapter 15 we learn that Caleb was successful. When we wholeheartedly follow the Lord, the Lord will see us to our inheritance. Maybe you have not wholeheartedly followed the Lord in your past. Take this opportunity now to turn your heart to the Lord. He has made a way for you to live for him through His Son Jesus Christ. You can be like Caleb.

My prayer for myself is that I would demonstrate, like my namesake did, how to wholeheartedly follow the Lord. Let’s pray.