God compliments 2

CALEB


Caleb son of Jephunneh gets a very honorable mention from the Lord, and more than once. He was one of the twelve spies sent out to explore Canaan by Moses in Numbers 13. This was the first time they explored Canaan, that’s important. The Lord instructed Moses, “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.” Caleb son of Jephunneh was chosen from the tribe of Judah. That should give you a clue of his leadership qualities—Judah was the greatest tribe of Israel. Judah was also the one about whom Jacob said, “The scepter will not depart, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.” Genesis 49:10. The tribe of Judah was always the first to depart for battle against Israel’s enemies. Moses told the twelve spies to “See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many.” Now, the idea of that was to see that the land was indeed flowing with milk and honey, as God said it would be. Another idea that comes to mind is that the Lord wanted his people to see the strength of the nations He would drive out before them, so that they would know it was the Lord who was fighting for them. This is consistent with the army of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, at the crossing of the Red sea. This is consistent with Israel’s victory over the Amalekites at Rephidim. It would also be consistent with many other victories in Israel’s future, including battles fought by Gideon and David. When Caleb and the others came back from exploring Canaan, they reported that the land was plentiful. They brought back a single cluster of grapes so big and heavy that two men needed to carry it. Ten of the twelve gave a report that the land was indeed flowing with milk and honey, but also that “the people who live
there are powerful and the cities are fortified and very large.” Numbers 13:28. Caleb then stepped up; watch this. “Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, ‘We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.’ But the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are. The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.’” Numbers 13:30-33. In Numbers 14 we read that the people’s response was to grumble against the Lord, maybe even go back to Egypt! But not Caleb, he was with Moses and Joshua. He saw the giants in their fortified cities, and trusted that the Lord would fight for them. He tore his clothes because of Israel’s negative response. Caleb held fast to the Lord’s promise, and in the end was given his choice piece of land in Canaan! Joshua 14:13. Have you found the compliment? The Lord not only complimented Caleb, but also rewarded him greatly. “Nevertheless, as surely as I live…not one of the men who saw my glory…will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.” Numbers 14:21-24.
Would God say that about you today?