|
Caleb |
|
The voice of the minority is not often given a hearing. Nevertheless,
truth cannot be measured by numbers. On the contrary, it often stands
against majority opinion. Truth remains unchanged because it is guaranteed
by the character of God. God is truth; what he says is the last word. At
times, a person must even stand alone on the side of truth.
Caleb was not so much a man of great faith as a man of faith in a great God! His boldness rested on his understanding of God, not on his confidence in Israel’s abilities to conquer the land. He could not agree with the majority, for that would be to disagree with God. We, on the other hand, often base our decisions on what everyone else is doing. Few of us are first-order cowards like the 10 scouts. We are more like the people of Israel, getting our cowardice secondhand. Our search for right and wrong usually starts with questions such as "What do the experts say?" or "What do my friends say?" The question we most often avoid is "What does God say?" The principles we learn as we study the Bible provide a dependable road map for life. They draw us into a personal relationship with the God whose Word is the Bible. The God who gave Caleb his boldness is the same God who offers us the gift of eternal life through his Son, Jesus. That’s truth worth believing! 1- Strengths and accomplishments
2- Lessons from his life
3- Vital statistics
4- Key verse "But my servant Caleb is different from the others. He has remained loyal to me, and I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will receive their full share of that land" (Numbers 14:24). Caleb’s story is told in Numbers 13—14 and Joshua 14—15. He is also mentioned in Judges 1 and 1 Chronicles 4:15.
|
|
Caleb 1. The son of Jephunneh #Nu 13:6 32:12 Jos 14:6,14 He was one of those whom Moses sent to search the land in the second year after the Exodus. He was one of the family chiefs of the tribe of Judah. He and Joshua the son of Nun were the only two of the whole number who encouraged the people to go up and possess the land, and they alone were spared when a plague broke out in which the other ten spies perished #Nu 13:1-14:1ff. All the people that had been numbered, from twenty years old and upward, perished in the wilderness except these two. The last notice we have of Caleb is when (being then eighty-five years of age) he came to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal, after the people had gained possession of the land, and reminded him of the promise Moses had made to him, by virtue of which he claimed a certain portion of the land of Kirjath-arba as his inheritance #Jos 14:6-15 15:13-15 21:10-12 1Sa 25:2,3 30:14 He is called a "Kenezite" in #Jos 14:6,14 This may simply mean "son of Kenez" #Nu 32:12 Some, however, read "Jephunneh, the son of Kenez," who was a descendant of Hezron, the son of Pharez, a grandson of Judah #1Ch 2:5 This Caleb may possibly be identical with No. 2. 2. Son of Jephunneh; he was one of those sent to spy out the land, and, ounting on the power of God, he made an encouraging report. When 85 years of age he claimed the territory on which his feet had trod, and which God had promised him. Though the Anakim were in possession he was victorious and inherited Kirjath-arba, or Hebron. #Nu 13:6,30 14:6-38 Jos 14:6-14 15:14-18 Jos 15:13 does not mean that Caleb did not belong to the tribe of Judah, as some have supposed; but that though he was not a chief of the tribe, a special portion was given to him. He is a type of the Christian who by faith practically occupies and enjoys the place given to him by God, in spite of all there is to oppose him. |