“Give Me This Hill Country” Joshua 14:6-14

“Age is just a number.” That sounds good to the ear. If asked how old we feel, many of us would say we’re much younger than our actual age. I personally think I’m in my mid-20s.

That is, until I stand up. That’s when my body reminds me that I’ve seen far more years than 24 or 25.

Our passage today looks at a man who may be older but doesn’t act like it. Caleb is a man who knows that God’s promises are valid and that they are to be claimed.

Background

To learn about Caleb, we need to go to Numbers 13-14, when we read about God telling Moses to send spies into the Promised Land to bring a report to him and the people. The 12 men, one from each tribe, spent 40 days exploring the land, and they came back with a report that the land was flowing with milk and honey. They brought back a bunch of grapes that had to be carried by two men.

Ten of the spies had a dark boding about the land, though. After confirming the abundance of the land, the ten said, “But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. 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. . . . We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are. . . . The land we explored devours those living in it. All the great people we saw there are great size. WE saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them” (Numbers 13:28-29, 31b, 32b-33).

Of the twelve men who went to spy out the land, only Joshua and Caleb said the land was theirs for the taking. Caleb’s own testimony was, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it. . . . The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, He will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them” (Numbers 13:30; 14:7b-9).

The people listened to the ten and ignored Caleb and Joshua. The result was that God condemned that generation of Israel to wander for 40 years and die out in the wilderness. Their descendants would be given the new land. We have been reading about this next generation and their conquests. Of those who were 20 years old or older at the time of the spies’ report, only Joshua and Caleb were able to enter the Promised Land.

From what we read about Caleb, we can see that he is a man if faith. He had a confidence in God and knew that God can overcome circumstances to bring glory and honor to His name. Caleb was a man who knew God and knew what a life of faith was. It is this life of faith that we see in today’s passage.

Central Truth: Caleb teaches us we need to claim God’s promises with confidence in Him.

Caleb claimed God’s promise by:

Following God wholeheartedly (6-9)

God had led Israel to great victories over the people of the Promised Land. He had used Joshua to bring judgment to the people of the land and to fulfill His promise to the people of Israel. As we read this passage, we are now at the time where the land is being divided up among the tribes. God is assigning the properties to the various tribes. Though the kings had been defeated, there were still pockets of resistance in the land. Though the wars were virtually over, there were still battles to be fought, battles to be won.

Caleb was from the tribe of Judah. It would be reasonable to believe that Caleb was a highly respected member of that tribe, one whose reputation was a man of faith and confidence. He was the elder of the tribe. Accordingly, the tribal representatives accompanied Caleb when Caleb approached his old friend, Joshua. Caleb has a request.

Caleb begins by reminding Joshua of that day long ago when the two men were chosen along with the other ten to explore the land and report to Israel their findings. He reminds Joshua that Caleb was a 40-year-old man at the time. There are two things Caleb reminds Joshua of, things that let us know Caleb’s heart and faith and his commitment to God.

The first thing he says regarding his report to Moses and the people, “And I brought him a report according to my convictions” (v. 7b). Caleb was a man who would speak his beliefs, regardless of what others might think. Caleb was a man who stood for what he believed to be true, and would proclaim that truth, regardless of how others might receive it. He reminds Joshua, “but my brothers who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt with fear” (v. 8a).

As Caleb is recounting that day so long ago, both he and Joshua must have remembered that day as one of bitter disappointment and sadness. Sometimes, when we stand for our convictions, the world will turn against us, even to the point of wanting to destroy us for our beliefs. Jesus reminds us of this truth: “If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20b). This doesn’t excuse us to remain quiet about our convictions or to hide our convictions. It is simply a reminder that standing up for Christ and for what we believe can lead to hardship and resistance. Remember that Jesus calls us to stand firm to the end (cf. Matthew 24:12).

Caleb continued his narrative with the second declaration that shows us his heart. “I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly” (v.8b). Caleb’s convictions led him along the only course that really available to him. He followed God. He loved God with all his heart, his being, totally. And that total love of God led him to believe God and to follow His instructions faithfully.

As a result, Caleb reminds Joshua of the promise that was given him on that day. “So on that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the Lord your God wholeheartedly” (v. 9). Caleb reminds us that God rewards His people for their faithfulness. In this case, it was the promise not only that Caleb would enter the Promised Land, but that he would lay claim to a portion of that land. God said it, Moses affirmed it, and Caleb believed it.

Knew his abilities (10-11)

One of the things that’s annoying about getting older is that younger people begin to assume one of two things. One, they assume we’re not able to do the things they do. Two, they assume we can do the things they still do. The reality is that we are quite often able to do a lot of the things they do, just not as quickly as we used to, and that we can’t do all the things they still do.

In these two verses, Caleb wants to lay to rest whether or not he is capable of claiming God’s promise to him. The first thing is he wants Joshua to know that God kept Caleb alive for this very reason. It’s been 45 years since Moses told Caleb of God’s promise, and while all the others died out in the wilderness, Caleb is still around. Caleb is very clear that it is God who has kept him alive in order that Caleb may claim the promise, even if he is 85 years old.

The second thing Caleb wants to let Joshua know is that Caleb will not be relying on others to claim the promise on his behalf. No, Caleb lets us know in no uncertain terms that he is just as able to claim the promise as when it was first told to him. “I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then” (v. 11). There is no doubt in Caleb’s mind that God has kept him alive and has kept him vigorous enough to do what it will take for him to claim God’s promise to him and his family. Judging from Caleb’s words, it would not surprise me to find that he will be in the midst of any and all battles that are to be fought in the claiming of the promise.

When God promises us something, He enables us to attain the promise. He keeps us in His watchcare and He provides for us beyond when the promise is ready to be kept. Caleb is our example of how God deals with His people when it comes to His promises to us.

When God gives us a promise, we need to have the faith that He will enable us to claim it.

Claimed the promise (12-14)

Caleb ends his statement to Joshua with the firm, “Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day” (v. 12a). Caleb has a confidence, borne from his faith in God and the evidence of God fighting for Israel throughout the conquest of the land. That confidence lets him know that God will deliver the land into Caleb’s hands, just as God promised 45 years ago.

I can only imagine Joshua as his old friend is telling him what he wants and why he wants it. I can see the smile of remembrance on his face, recalling the days so long ago when he and Caleb explored the land. He remembers the confrontation with the people of Israel, who he and Caleb stood with Moses and Aaron while the nation wanted to stone them. And he must have smiled with the same faith and assurance that God’s promises were being kept, and that God had indeed promised all the land to his dear friend.

It may have almost been like a revival or worship service as Caleb spoke and Joshua remembered. These two had been through so much together, and it must have done Joshua’s heart good to gladly bless Caleb in his effort to claim the promise.

Hebron is a city in the middle of the land that was given to Judah. It was an important city in the region. While we’re not told how Caleb took the land, we are simply told that the land promised to him by God did indeed become his land.

Notice the reason the Bible says why the land belongs to Caleb. It is “because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly” (v. 14b). Caleb’s faith wasn’t a token faith, it wasn’t a faith of convenience. It was wholehearted; it was real. Caleb knew God and followed God, and that’s why Caleb knew the land was his for the taking, since God had given it to him 45 years ago.

Conclusion

The Bible is filled with promises, promises made by God to those who follow Him. Some of the promises have been fulfilled already; others are awaiting the return of Christ. Still others are ours to claim right now. The promise God made to Joshua—“Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (1:9)—is a promise that is just as valid and real today.

When we claim God’s promises, our lives are transformed, our spirits are renewed and we grow closer to Him and His ways. His promises are found in His word, and those promises are for us.

Follow the Lord wholeheartedly. Have complete faith, love Him with all our being. And believe in Jesus. “But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not ‘Yes’ and ‘No.’ For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you . . . was not ‘Yes’ and ‘No, but always ‘Yes.’ For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through Him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 1:18-20).