Take Two: Joshua 14, Proverbs 6

Chapter 14 is one of my favorites. Caleb was one of the 12 spies who, with Joshua alone, came back with a favorable report after spying out the land. Josh 12:9 tells us that Moses promised the land which he had surveyed to him as an inheritance. Now 45 years later (Josh 14:10), Caleb is ready to go do the work to dispossess the people and take his inheritance.

Now if you will recall, Joshua had already dispossessed and destroyed the Anakites (Josh 11:21-22), except for those who had fled. It would seem that some had returned to their old homeland and set back up. This is another indicator of why God's judgment was not only "just," but demonstrated purpose as well. Whenever we refuse to completely irradicate our lives of sin...when we allow sin to cohabitate with us...when we give allowance for sin in our lives...we should just KNOW that it will rise back up and take possession of old ground in our hearts again.

Caleb did not ask for others to accomplish the task of taking back Hebron. He pointed to the fact that even though he was 85 years old, he was a strong as he was at 40 (Josh 14:11). This is incredible to me. 85 years old...after 40 years in the desert and now many years at war...how can he say such a thing?

It would seem to me that Caleb's strength was in some ways provided by the hope of the promise made to him by Moses. It was not so much that Caleb felt like a young man...as it was that Caleb was just as reliant of God to give him what was needed at 85 as He did at 40.

What is the expiration date on God's promises to you? Can you se yourself waiting 45 years for God to fulfill a promise? Would you be eager to work and risk to bring the promise to pass...even after 45 years? This is a picture of faith, and faithfulness. Go Caleb!

Proverbs 6:27-29 is the takeaway today. The specific sin referred to is adultery, but the principle is far-reaching. Can a man commit any sin and his actions go unpunished? Every deception...every theft (of time or taxes or anything), every embraced sin...will be discovered and will be punished. One cannot escape it...any more than he could walk across coals without being burned.