At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land. 26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.”
30 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.”
Numbers 13:25-30 NIV emphasis added
In Numbers 13 we meet a man named Caleb. He is the chosen representative to spy out the land of Canaan for the tribe of Judah. He spies alongside Joshua, here called Hoshea, and ten other men of the newly freed Israel. They go into the Promised Land and see such beautiful and productive land with amazing cities and some serious opponents. Ten of the twelve spies are so scared that they convince Israel that it’s impossible, but nothing can dissuade Caleb or Joshua. In fact, in Chapter 14 they go on to say that those giants and armies have no protection from Israel and that they are in fact like bread to Israel.
9 Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.”
Numbers 14:9 ESV
Like bread! Like a staple of mealtime that is commonly eaten and enjoyed. The NIV says “we will devour them.” The devouring of bread sustains and brings health (It’s okay gluten free friends! The process was quite a bit healthier then!) and at that point, all of Israel would have been making all their bread from the manna God sent them every morning. It was easily gathered, baked, eaten, delicious, and perfectly sustaining. That’s what this enemy keeping them out of their promised land was like. Easily gathered, delicious, and sustaining.
You may know the story. Israel believed the ten doubting spies and decided that the size and strength of the enemy was too much for them, even with the Lord of Hosts as their leader. It kept them out of Canaan for another 40 years and Caleb and Joshua were the only two adults present in Numbers 13-14 who made it to the Promised Land.
Here’s my favorite part about Caleb! 5 years after they finally enter the Promised Land and have defeated enemy after enemy Caleb comes to Joshua, who is now leading Israel after Moses has died. Caleb is now 85 years old and is as strong and as fierce of a warrior as he was 45 years ago when they spied out the land. That all by itself is a “God is so good!” moment but look at what Caleb asks for.
6 Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God in Kadesh-barnea concerning you and me. 7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him word again as it was in my heart. 8 But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the Lord my God. 9 And Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.’ 10 And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. 11 I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. 12 So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said.”
Joshua 14:6-12 ESV
Different translations highlight things differently, but do you know who the Anakim were? Those giants that so frightened the Israelites 45 years before. In Numbers my translation states Nephilim but many scholars argue that since the Nephilim would have perished in the flood this is a new group of giants.
Here, Caleb asks for their territory because he will not be satisfied with the normal armies and the rest of Canaan. For his tribe, he wants the land where the giants live. He’s crazy, right? Not really, this is just what faith looks like. God promised Caleb the land, and now Caleb wants it. He believed God when God said He would give him victory over the enemy. He believes he will be successful and he ties that future success directly to Yahweh.
I find that many gifts and assignments from God come with giants. The real question is that when I spy out the land He is giving me and run into the giants how do I react? Do I remember that God is with me? Do I remember the last time we killed giants together or do I just keep staring at the issues and the enemy until it makes my knees weak, and I turn and run? This is called disobedience by the way.
I have been Caleb before, and I have been the other ten spies. Fear sneaks in quickly when I forget who God is and who I am to Him. I need to spend that time with God and review all the things He has done for His people throughout the Bible and since then. I need to remember what He does for me and those around me, do my battle drills with Him, and sharpen my sword. I need to run into each battle and gain some victories with Him.
I’m 40 now, so if I stay rooted in Him, He will sustain my strength and in 45 years I will be as strong for battle as I am now. By then I will also have more experience in battle and a closer relationship to Yahweh, so I fully expect to operate better. I don’t want just any land, but I want the hill country where the giants live. I want to see things redeemed and given to God and His people when He says it’s time.
I need faith for this, and I know where to go to get it. Straight from the Source.
Want to learn to slay the giants like Caleb? Grab your ticket for the Strongholds Workshop on April 12th!
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