CALEB’S CRY
SCRIPTURE:
Joshua 14:12 “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.”
I. CALEB
A. Caleb’s Name
1. Caleb (“dog”) 1. The only one besides Joshua, of all those who left Egypt, who was permitted to enter Canaan. Son of Jephunneh, the Kenezite (Joshua 14:14). not a Hebrew, but so adopted, and the city of Hebron was given to him as his portion. (Smith’s Bible Dict.)
2. Caleb An Interpreting Dict. of Scripture Proper Names)
3. Caleb (dog, i.e., slave) The name is thought by some to go back to totemistic origins. It may rather speak of a man with canine qualities: the rabid one, biting, snarling. (Zondervan Pict. Encyclo.)
4. The name Caleb means whole-hearted. (Handfuls on Purpose)
B. Caleb’s Relationship
Caleb’s relationship with the Kenizites indicates the presence of non-Israelites who became identified with the people and faith of Israel. Caleb and his descendants are part of the tribe of Judah, but they appear to have come from a mixed background. (Zondervan Pict. Encyclo. pg 687)
II. CALEB’S CHARACTER
A. Designated
1. A spy (scout) sent out for six weeks of exploration.
Numbers 13:2 “Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.”
2. From the tribe of Judah.
Numbers 13:6 “Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.”
3. A mountain climber.
Numbers 13:17 “And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this [way] southward, and go up into the mountain:”
B. Determined (Dogged)
1. To possess the land.
Numbers 13:30-33 “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. (v. 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. (v. 32) And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. (v. 33) And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”
The ten saw great giants and a little God. The two saw a great God and little giants. How big is your God? (Ian Wilson)
2. Joshua and Caleb plead with the people to follow the Lord and possess the land.
Numbers 14:6-9
3. God pronounces judgment.
a. Wilderness Wandering for the congregation. Numbers 14:22-23
b. Death by a plague to the leading rebels. Numbers 14:36-37
C. Dependable
1. “followed me fully” or “wholly followed the Lord” 6 times
Numbers 14:24 “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.”
2. Preserved when other spies perished.
Numbers 14:38 “But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, [which were] of the men that went to search the land, lived [still].”
[Moving forward 45 years.]
III. CALEB’S CLAIM
Joshua 14:9 “And Moses swear 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.”
A. The dividing of the land begins and Caleb makes his claim to the mountains of Hebron.
CALEB BY PRIVILEGE REQUESTS AND OBTAINS HEBRON.
6-11. This incident is recorded here because it occurred while the preparations were being made for casting the lots, which, it appears, were begun in Gilgal. The claim of Caleb to the mountains of Hebron as his personal and family possessions was founded on a solemn promise of Moses, forty-five years before (Numbers 14:24; Deuteronomy 1:36; Joshua 14:10), to give him that land on account of his fidelity. Being one of the nominees appointed to preside over the division of the country, he might have been charged with using his powers as a commissioner to his own advantage, had he urged his request in private; and therefore he took some of his brethren along with him as witness of the justice and propriety of his conduct. (JFB)
B. God’s promise to Caleb.
JOSHUA 14:9-11
Jehovah swore at that time, that the land upon which his (Caleb’s) foot had trodden should be an inheritance for him and his sons for ever. This oath is not mentioned in Numbers 14:20ff., nor yet in Deuteronomy 1:35-36, where Moses repeats the account of the whole occurrence to the people.
For the oath of Jehovah mentioned in Numbers 14:21,24, viz., that none of the murmuring people should see the land of Canaan, but that Caleb alone should come thither and his seed should possess it, cannot be the one referred to, as the promise given to Caleb in this oath does not relate to the possession of Hebron in particular, but to the land of Canaan generally, “the land which Jehovah had sworn to their fathers.” We must assume, therefore, that in addition to what is mentioned in Numbers 14:24, God gave a special promise to Caleb, which is passed over there, with reference to the possession of Hebron itself, and that Joshua, who heard it at the time, is here reminded of that promise by Caleb. This particular promise from God was closely related to the words with which Caleb endeavoured to calm the minds of the people when they rose up against Moses (Numbers 13:30), viz., by saying to them, “We are well able to overcome it,” notwithstanding the Anakites who dwelt in Hebron and had filled the other spies with such great alarm on account of their gigantic size.
With reference to this the Lord had promised that very land to Caleb for his inheritance. Upon this promise Caleb founded his request (vv. 10-12) that Joshua would give him these mountains, of which Joshua had heard at that time that there were Anakites and large fortified cities there, inasmuch as, although forty-five years had elapsed since God had spoken these words, and he was now eighty-five years old, he was quite as strong as he had been then. From the words, “The Lord hath kept me alive these forty-five years,” Theodoret justly infers, that the conquest of Canaan by Joshua was completed in seven years, since God spake these words towards the end of the second year after the exodus from Egypt, and therefore thirty-eight years before the entrance into Canaan. The clause wgw Ëlæy; rv,a (v.
10) is also dependent upon wgw’ µy[iB;r]aæ hz,: viz., “these forty-five years that Israel has wandered in the desert” (on this use of rv,a, see Ewald, §331, c.). The expression is a general one, and the years occupied in the conquest of Canaan, during which Israel had not yet entered into peaceful possession of the promised land, are reckoned as forming part of the years of wandering in the desert. As another reason for his request, Caleb adds in v. 11: “I am still as strong to-day as at that time; as my strength was then, so is it now for war, and to go out and in” (see Numbers 27:17).
C. Hebron
HEBRON a community; alliance. (1.) A city in the south end of the valley of Eshcol, about midway between Jerusalem and Beersheba, from which it is distant about 20 miles in a straight line. It was built “seven years before Zoan in Egypt” (Genesis 13:18; Numbers 13:22). It still exists under the same name, and is one of the most ancient cities in the world. Its earlier name was Kirjath-arba (Genesis 23:2; Joshua 14:15; 15:3). But “Hebron would appear to have been the original name of the city, and it was not till after Abraham’s stay there that it received the name Kirjath-arba, who [i.e., Arba] was not the founder but the conqueror of the city, having led thither the tribe of the Anakim, to which he belonged. It retained this name till it came into the possession of Caleb, when the Israelites restored the original name Hebron” (Keil, Com.). The name of this city does not occur in any of the prophets or in the New Testament. It is found about forty times in the Old. It was the favorite home of Abraham. Here he pitched his tent under the oaks of Mamre, by which name it came afterwards to be known (Genesis 13:18 “Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.); and here Sarah died, and was buried in the cave of Machpelah (Genesis 23:17-20), which he bought from Ephron the Hittite. From this place the patriarch departed for Egypt by way of Beersheba (37:14; 46:1). It was taken by Joshua and given to Caleb (Joshua 10:36, 37; 12:10; 14:13). It became a Levitical city and a city of refuge (20:7; 21:11). When David became king of Judah this was his royal residence, and he resided here for seven and a half years (2 Samuel 5:5); and here he was anointed as king over all Israel (2 Samuel 2:1-4, 11; 1 Kings 2:11). It became the residence also of the rebellious Absalom (2 Samuel 15:10), who probably expected to find his chief support in the tribe of Judah, now called el-Khulil. In one part of the modern city is a great mosque, which is built over the grave of Machpelah. The first European who was permitted to enter this mosque was the Prince of Wales in 1862. It was also visited by the Marquis of Bute in 1866, and by the late Emperor Frederick of Germany (then Crown-Prince of Prussia) in 1869. One of the largest oaks in Palestine is found in the valley of Eshcol, about 3 miles north of the town. It is supposed by some to be the tree under which Abraham pitched his tent, and is called “Abraham’s oak.” (See OAK.) (Eastons Bible Dict.)
22. unto Hebron--situated in the heart of the mountains of Judah, in the southern extremity of Palestine. The town or "cities of Hebron," as it is expressed in the Hebrew, consists of a number of sheikdoms distinct from each other, standing at the foot of one of those hills that form a bowl round and enclose it. "The children of Anak" mentioned in this verse seem to have been also chiefs of townships; and this coincidence of polity, existing in ages so distant from each other, is remarkable [VERE MONRO]. Hebron (Kirjath Arba,) was one of the oldest cities in the world. (JFB)
Hebron means communion, fellowship, and it speaks of that place of sweet unbroken fellowship with the Lord. (Ian Wilson)
IV. CALEB’S CRY
Joshua 14:12 “Now therefore give me this mountain,”
A. Difficulty should not deter.
Caleb didn’t ask for an easy place; he asked for a difficult place.
(Warren W. Wiersbe The Bumps Are What You Climb On pg 128)
B. I will go and possess that which is mine. I claim the promises of God.
I’ve waited 45 years to return to the mountain and enjoy peace and prosperity
there in the presence of the Lord.
C. I will continue in a place of fellowship (Hebron) forever with the Lord.
V. CALEB’S CHALLENGE
Joshua 14:12 “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.”
A. Age Joshua 14:10 “and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old.” (Birthday?)
1. Caleb is at least 20 years older than any other Israelite except Joshua.
a. Age is no barrier to making conquests for the Lord. W.W.W.
b. Caleb’s body may have been in the wilderness [45 years of wanderings and wars, but his heart was in the Promised Land. Isn’t that the way Christians should live? W.W.W.
2. Alive and Healthy at 85
a. (v. 10). Now behold (behold and wonder) the Lord hath kept me alive these forty and five years, thirty-eight years in the wilderness, through the plagues of the desert, and seven years in Canaan through the perils of war! Note, First, While we live, it is God that keeps us alive; by his power he protects us from death, and by his bounty supplies us continually with the supports and comforts of life. He holdeth our soul in life. Secondly, The longer we live the more sensible we should be of God's goodness to us in keeping us alive, his care in prolonging our frail lives, his patience in prolonging our forfeited lives. M.H.
Joshua 14:10 Forty and five years The word of God to Moses was spoken after the return of the spies in the autumn of the second year after the Exodus (Numbers 13:25); subsequently, 38 years elapsed before the people reached the Jordan (Numbers 20:1); after the passage of the Jordan seven more years had passed, when Caleb claimed Hebron, before the partition of the land among the nine tribes and a half. These seven years then correspond to the “long time” (Joshua 11:18) during which Joshua was making war with the Canaanites. They are in the sequel of this verse added by Caleb to the years of wandering, since during them the people had no settled abodes. (Barnes’ Notes)
*It is an easy matter for a man to run hard for a spurt, for a furlong, for a mile or two: oh, but to hold out for a hundred, for a thousand, for ten thousand miles; that man that doth this he must look to meet with cross, pain, and wearisomeness to the flesh, especially if as he goeth he meeteth with briers, and quagmires, and other encumbrances that make his journey so much the more painful.
(John Bunyan Bunyan’s ?Practical Works?)
b. Verse 11. I do not ask this place because I wish to sit down now, and take my ease; on the contrary, I know I must fight, to drive out the Anakim, and I am as able and willing to do it as I was forty-five years ago, when Moses sent me to spy out the land. (Clarke?s Commentary)
If the joy of the Lord is our strength there is no reason why the lapse of time should weaken it. Those who lose their first love will also lose their first strength.
(Handfuls on Purpose)
B. Anakims ---He first had to kill the giants who stood in his way.
1. Defeated by Joshua earlier. Joshua 10:36-39
(v. 36) And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, unto Hebron; and they fought against it: (v. 37) And they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof, and all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but destroyed it utterly, and all the souls that were therein. (v. 38) And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir; and fought against it: (v. 39) And he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining: as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to the king thereof; as he had done also to Libnah, and to her king.”
Joshua 11:21-22 (v. 21) “And at that time came Joshua, and cut off the Anakims from the mountains, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel: Joshua destroyed them utterly with their cities. (v. 22) There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained.”
Joshua 14:12. The Anakims had in the course of Joshua’s campaigns in the south been expelled from “this mountain,” i.e. the mountain country round Hebron, but they had only withdrawn to the neighboring cities of Philistia (Joshua 11:22). Thence, they had, as must be inferred from the text here, returned and reoccupied Hebron, probably when Joshua and the main force of the Israelites had marched northward to deal with Jabin and his confederates. Caleb finally drove out this formidable race and occupied
Hebron and its dependent towns and district permanently.
2. Defeated by Caleb Joshua 15:13-14; Judges 1:20
(v. 13) “And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, even the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron. (v. 14) And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.”
Judges 1:20 “And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses said: and he expelled thence the three sons of Anak.”
C. Adversary Advantage
Fighting up a fortified mountainous region is certainly a disadvantage, but it is not an impossibility ---with God.
D. Application
1. You may be facing a mountain right now in your life. (Finances, Health, Relationships)
Your mountain may be inhabited by giants.
Don’t look upon that mountain as an enemy to shun: look upon it as an inheritance to claim. Ask God to give you that mountain, and trust Him to see you through to victory. W.W.W. pg 1209
2. We learn that the defeats of others need not make us losers as well.
Because of the unbelief of the ten spies and the rest of Israel, Caleb had to wander in the wilderness for forty years, when he could have been enjoying his inheritance. But Caleb didn’t give up just because the majority was wrong. W.W.W.
3. Caleb is a man who teaches us to look ahead and not back.
No, looking back in itself is not a sin. But when looking back keeps us from looking ahead, then we are disobeying God. W.W.W. pg 129
VI. CALEB’S CONQUEST
A. Caleb conquered the mountain after 45 years of waiting.
Joshua 15:14 “And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.”
B. Provided for the Next Generation
The beautiful thing about Caleb’s victory is that he was able to leave that mountain inheritance to his family. His children and grandchildren enjoyed that mountain in the years that followed. The decisions we make in life affect other people. If we run from the challenges of life, then we lose that inheritance to leave to others. W.W.W. pg 130
