Rev. Dr. A. A. Obe (JP)
February 12, 2023
THE MAN CALEB
TOPIC: THE MAN CALEB
TEXT: Numbers 13:6, 25-31; Numbers 14:6-10,19-24,30; Joshua 14:6-15
Numbers 13:6 – 6 Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.
Numbers 13:25-31 – 25 And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.
26 And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land.
27 And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.
28 Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.
29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.
30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.
31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.
Numbers 14:6-10 – 6 And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:
7 And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.
8 If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.
9 Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not.
10 But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.
Numbers 14:19-24 – 19 Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.
20 And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word:
21 But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.
22 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;
23 Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:
24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.
Numbers 14:30 – 30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
Joshua 14:6-15 – 6 Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the Lord said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea.
7 Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart.
8 Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the Lord my God.
9 And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children’s for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the Lord my God.
10 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.
11 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.
12 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.
13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.
14 Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel.
15 And the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. And the land had rest from war.
Definition and introduction
1. He was first mentioned when God told Moses to select persons from each tribe to spy the land of Canaan
2. When they returned, all others came with bad and discouraging report except Caleb & Joshua
3. Based on Caleb’s report, God blessed him and promised him the land of Hebron
4. He Possessed the Land of Hebron when He was 85 Years Old
5. He organized his family to fight the enemy (the people on the land were giant) and conquered the inhabitants of the land and possess the land for his inheritance @85 years of age
Note this:
Everything in life that is worth accomplishing has obstacles. But knowing God’s will for your life will allow those obstacles to become opportunities for God to work through us.
Things to note about Caleb:
1. He was from the tribe of Judah
2. He was a faithful man and served his God wholeheartedly. (He has the fear of God)
3. He was a devoted man and a loyal follower to a fault (very loyal).
4. He was a man with and upright spirit (he has a different spirit) Numbers 14:24. (24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.)
5. He was a man of Courage and conviction Joshua 14:7-8 (7 Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. 8 Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the Lord my God.)
Note this:
Based on the above observation about Caleb, God blessed him and even at his old age he fulfilled his dream.
Conclusion:
Brethren, you must never give up your dreams no matter what is happening around us. You must always believe in God your maker and believe in yourself that no matter what is happening now, it does not define your tomorrow. Matthew 19:26 – (But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.)
Prayers:
1. Oh Lord, give me the spirit of service in Jesus name
2. My Father and my Lord, help me to be faithful to you and to the work you place in my hands in Jesus name
3. Oh Lord, put in me an “encourager’s” spirit in Jesus name
4. Oh Lord, preserve my life and my family lives to see the good of the land in Jesus name
5. Lord Jesus, grant me the grace of longevity in the land of the living in Jesus name
6. My Father my Father, make me the Caleb of my time.
Rev. Dr. A. A Obe