“Wholehearted Following” (Joshua 14:6-15) – July 19, 2020 Series: The Book of Joshua- 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 Jordan river, 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 lot. 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 Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God 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 cities. 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 Hebron 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. (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 promised land? If you recall, Caleb was one of twelve spies who were sent into the land of Canaan 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.