Preserved by the Word
BY RODNEY NANTZ | COLUMNIST
“ I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in.” Joshua 14:11 NASBS What a great encouragement it is for every believer in Christ to read about how the power of the Lord sustained Caleb in the midst of the trials of his culture. Though he was from the tribe of Judah and had seen the many miracles the Lord had worked through Moses, he set his mind to know the Lord for himself. There is no doubt the great signs and wonders which he saw with his physical eyes left great impressions upon his mind, but it was God Himself Who called him forth from the tomb of his dead soul and breathed spiritual life into him. He embraced the law of God with all of his heart and did not say, “I will perform this one duty and neglect the others; I will be faithful to my conscience and to my God upon this point, but neglect the ones that challenge my flesh.” No, he took the commandments of the Lord and inscribed them upon his heart, seeking to understand all of the law.
At age 40, a series of events occurred that would test Caleb’s faith. When Moses brought the nation to the edge of the promised land, He sent Caleb and eleven other spies into the land to see all of its wonders. After forty days of observing the land the report came back to Moses saying, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey. However, 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.” The men who had spied out the land other than Joshua and Caleb said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” The entire nation fell into an uproar and The Lord struck them with a plague. As a result, the entire nation was made to wander in the desert for 40 years. But concerning Caleb the Lord said, “My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it.”
At the age of 85, Caleb entered into the land the Lord had promised him. During the years he wandered in the desert, he did not allow animosity to build up towards the people. He kept his hope fixed upon the author and perfecter of his faith, and followed the Lord with all of his heart. Christian, in this life we will have constant warfare against the flesh and against the rulers of the powers of darkness, but we must hold fast the word of truth without wavering. There’s no doubt, there were moments in Caleb’s life when he felt like giving up, but he kept the faith and never let the promises of God leave his heart. Remember, we too have a promise from Jesus Christ Himself, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”