Caleb: Man of Strength

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.

As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.

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 Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said.

And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.

Joshua 14: 11-13

Background

According to Numbers 13, Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, was one of the twelve spies sent by Moses into Canaan. Their task, over a period of 40 days,^[3] was to explore the Negev and surrounding area, and to make an assessment of the geographical features of the land, the strength and numbers of the population, the agricultural potential and actual performance of the land, settlement patterns (whether their cities were like camps or strongholds), and forestry conditions. Moses also asked them to be courageous and to return with samples of local produce.^[4]

In the Numbers 13 listing of the heads of each tribe, verse 6 reads “Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.” Caleb’s report balanced the appeal of the land and its fruits with the challenge of making a conquest.

Verse 30 of chapter 13 reads “And Caleb stilled the people toward Moses, and said: ‘We should go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.'”^[5] Caleb and Joshua said the people should trust God and go into the land; the other ten spies, being fearful and rebellious, argued that conquering the land was impossible.

• excerpt taken from Wikipedia

Caleb’s Strength

When reading the verses above, the natural inclination is to focus on Caleb’s age juxtaposed against his physical strength. In our current mindset, it is amazing to think of an 85 year old man “boasting” of his strength at that age compared to what is was 40 years prior; and not just his physical strength but his ability to use that strength to go to war; and not just to go to war but to conquer a mountain! What an amazing mentality and an amazing testimony. Caleb did have that strength at 85 years of age. However, that strength came from more than physical capabilities. That strength came from within.

Strength of Heart

From the account in Numbers 13, we read that Caleb was chosen as one of the twelve princes (a more correct interpretation of the word spy) to represent the children of Israel from the tribe of Judah. Being chosen was a great honor and it spoke to the character of the man Caleb. These twelve men were all men of respect amongst the children of Israel and more importantly with Moses and before God. However, Caleb seemed to have a different heart. While all twelve went throughout the land to bring back a report, only Caleb and Joshua brought back a report of ensuing victory. They all saw the same thing. However, Caleb looked through a “different” pair of eyes. Instead of looking through his natural eyes, Caleb saw through “spiritual” eyes. Those eyes were directly connected to a heart that was solely focused on God Almighty. This was not a religious heart. This was a heart who knew God and trusted in God. Caleb’s heart was truly a heart of faith. Caleb refused to allow what he saw with his natural eyes to diminish that faith that he had in his God to conquer. It was Caleb who stilled the people and tried to encourage them to “go up at once” and possess the land. He did not want to delay. Caleb had a firm belief that, with God, the children of Israel were “able to overcome” any of the enemies or obstacles that the other 10 spoke of. Caleb knew about the children of Israel but he also knew his God.

Strength of Consistency

Caleb was forty years old when he and Joshua, along with the other 10, went to “espy” out the land. In my minds eye, I picture Caleb’s parent being true to God and raising Caleb to truly fear and serve the Lord from the heart. Their message became a foundation for Caleb. However, in year forty, the time had come for Caleb to take that which he had been taught and to put it into practice. It was year forty, that the true test of Caleb’s faith would come to light. This man, along with the other princes, would spend 40 days searching throughout the “promised land” to bring back a report to Moses.

Caleb saw nothing but victory. He continued to live in that victory another 45 years. Another attribute that contributed to Caleb’s overall strength was the consistency in faith that he lived by. He never wavered. The zeal that he had to take the land, at the age of forty, was the same zeal that he had to take his inheritance at 85. Some might say that he was bull-headed or stubborn. While that may be true, that stubbornness was rooted in a holy determination to do God’s will. Caleb not only stayed consistent in taking the land. He actually wanted to take the most difficult inheritance. The Anakim were giants that put the other 10 into fear. 45 years later, Joshua wanted to conquer that very land that put the other’s in fear. He not only defeated the Anakim but he took their mountainous range.

Strength of Faith

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11: 1

Before Caleb ever stepped foot into the “promised land” he had the assurance the children of Israel, with the help of God, would prevail. Victory is a condition of the heart. Caleb had victory already lodging in his heart. That victory stemmed from his faith in the God of Moses. Caleb did not place his trust in the things that he saw around him. He placed his trust in God. Therefore his vision was not temporal but his vision was of faith. Caleb’s testimony of faith at the age of 85 showed that he had remained faithful. However, his faith was not just an inward thing. His faith was manifested in conquering the Anakims and possessing their very mountain.

Faith is not something where we have all of the answers. Faith is not something where we can rely on our own strength. When the princes went throughout the promised land, Caleb did not take the time to analyze every situation. He did not calculate the capabilities of the children of Israel verses the giants of the land. He simply trusted in God with all of his heart and did not lean on his own understanding. Faith arises when all of the answers are diminished. However, what Caleb had to do was to continue to place his trust in God even when he saw the giants in the land. The hardest battle to face is one that tries to destroy our faith in God. It was easy to see victory on the other side of Jordan. However, when Caleb crossed over and saw all that he saw in the land, his faith was put to the test. The battle was whether he would continue to trust in the Lord with all of his heart and lean not on his own understanding.

Strength Concluded

Caleb’s story is not one of a man who somehow found eternal youth. On the contrary, it’s a story of a man, who at his age, found that his strength never diminished. It’s a story of a man whose physical strength was rooted in his inner strength. Caleb’s inner strength was based upon his faith and trust in God. So when he stated, “I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me,” he was speaking of an outer and an inner strength. The truth of the matter is that Caleb’s strength was an eternal strength. As long as he continued to trust in God, his strength would never fade away.

Our strength can be just like Caleb’s. Our strength in Jesus Christ has to be rooted in an inner strength that comes from the heart. As we remain faithful, our strength can actually increase. Consistency is one of the best weapons that we have against the enemy. It is also our best testimony. While I am thankful God’s delivering power and the testimony of those that God has plucked out of the world (which is my own personal testimony), I am most impressed with God’s keeping power. For a person to remain faithful unto God while viewing the “giants” in the land shows the real power of God Again, those giants lived in the mountains). Today, we face many “giants” in our mountains. Those giants can come in the form of lusts, ambition, popularity and greed. They can also manifest themselves in politics, rights, and even in something called, “COVID-19.”

Caleb’s strength remained over an 85 year period. It never diminished even in the midst of giants. He conquered those giants and obtained his inheritance. God’s victory remained on full display. God’s power through Jesus Christ is the same today as it was in Caleb’s day. How many of us have the strength to conquer our giants and possess our mountains?