BIBLE PERSONALITIES WHO KEPT ON THE SUNNY SIDE OF LIFE: CALEB
If you were a bit puzzled at the assertion made in our last study about the wilderness experience of Jesus, to wit, that: Jesus needed no plan for dealing with Satan’s three attempts to get Him to alter His mission - from other-centered to self-centered – think about it this way:
Spirit-filled-controlled-led believers need no plan per se for dealing with temptation because they (we) naturally, instinctively, never presumptively, act - in keeping with that spiritual nature imparted to us when Christ came into our hearts . . . (Recall Martin Luther’s reply when asked how he overcame the devil).
With Christ in our hearts and the Holy Spirit in control of our lives, it ought to be our second nature to choose Christ-centered living in a self-centered world!
How ought our second nature respond when we feel: overwhelmed by circumstances . . . victimized . . . driven in a direction not of our choosing? This Bible study series is intended to say: When you feel that way – overwhelmed, victimized, driven - let faith take over so that you choose to trust God, not circumstances.
The first of seven Bible personalities, who exemplified unwavering faith in God no matter what, is Caleb - whose positive testimony swayed a nation to trust God more than circumstances – Numbers 13:26-30 . . .
If you’ve ever wondered whether displacement of a population is the right thing to do, you’ll find no better argument in favor of it than this account of how God promised His people a “land flowing with milk and honey”, but warned them that they must displace inhabitants that persisted in rejecting the LORD their God as One God, thereby refusing to obey His commands.
As students of the WORD, we have become aware that the LORD is indeed the God not only of a second nature but also of a second chance. In many ways, He has revealed Himself to all people of the world so that all are without excuse.
“For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved”! Always was, is, and will be, the case . . .!
However, displacement is not for the “faint of heart” nor for the “weaker” (less mature) brothers and sisters of the Faith – a label which, at times, might have been applicable to any one of us.
As pointed out in the previous study, “A person has not shown true obedience until he or she has had a chance to disobey.” What a test of faith – to displace or to disobey! If given that choice - that chance - how would you respond?
Would you side with the majority who responded with a “nevertheless” – “yes, but . . .” (and they were not using hyperbole when they talked about all the obstacles to be encountered – Amalekites, Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Canaanites . . . mosquito bites!) So many “ites” – everywhere! In our day, so many “isms” – everywhere!
If any nation ever had an understandable excuse for disobeying the LORD, it would have been Israel, on this occasion of yet another moment of truth.
After all, the defiant, dishonorable ones were in the majority, as if to say, “If we stay united in our defiance – disobedience - we will constitute a mighty force to be reckoned with, and our objections will carry the day.”
Yet, the LORD God has spoken; the Spirit of God has led them thus far; the Word of God will not return unto Him void; surely there is one person of faith willing to stand up - alone if necessary - to speak for what is right! (Don’t you know? “The will of the majority is not always the will of God!”)
Who better to “speak up and speak out” than a member of the priestly tribe? “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.”
What would we have done through the years if there had not been a voice which we trusted to stand up and speak up on behalf of some of the great causes that have been championed during our lifetime – causes that turned out to be for the benefit of us all!
What was Caleb trying to get across to the people of God? Wouldn’t it be the same wise counsel we all would do well to heed? The promises of the LORD become reality to those who claim them by faith!
Well, like it is so many times in so many cases when God’s people are being put to the test, Caleb had to have help from his partner to stand by his side and to join him in the task of persuasion, even if it meant both of them would be risking their lives – Numbers 14:6-10 . . .
It’s not easy, folks, to stand alone for a worthwhile cause - but standalone we sometimes must! Yet, how much more effectively will be our persuasion if just one more person of spiritual stature stands with us! Step forward, Joshua!
What do we have here? We have two sons of two women well known for their godly dedication and determination! These stalwart sons stood together and dramatized what the outcome would be - if their nation refused to trust in the LORD . . . (“rent” means “remorse”).
The nation of Israel would live to regret turning its back on God in whom they said they trusted - as will any nation whose motto is, “In God We Trust”.
Just at the right moment, when things were about to get out of hand, with the crowd on the verge of taking matters into their own hands, what happened?
God showed up! The glory of God appeared! The presence of the LORD lit up the place! Into the darkness of that moment of rebellion, the brilliance of the Light of Truth shone through, as the LORD God came to Caleb’s rescue!
When God shows up, rest assured there’s going to be a message of hope! Soon, and very soon, some are going to wish they had responded to the promise of God in a positive manner, while one or two, or maybe a few, are going to reap the benefits (the rewards) of having trusted in God all the way – Numbers 14:21-24 . . .
God’s Glory will be seen in all the earth, and His Name will be praised by all people that dwell on the earth! Some will be caught up in it and share the glory, while, sadly, others will wonder what happened and why they were left behind.
Why is it that so many folks just don’t seem to get it? The LORD always has been, is now, and forevermore will be true to His Word.
Yet, despite the evidence of the truth of His promises – in this case, all the miracles wrought in the land of Egypt and in the wilderness; in our case, all the blessings showered upon us as freed people – there are those who persist in testing God . . . resist being put to the test of national trust in God or personal faith in God; the agnostics insist on “a way that seems right, but in the end, it leads to death.”
Unbelievers, skeptics – those who disregard the evidence and persist in provoking the LORD - bring upon themselves a fate to be avoided at all costs: The disobedient will never see the fulfillment of God’s promises. So, what are we to take away from this? When we are confronted with an argument about “a way that seems right”, let it be that we insist that such a way be “tested” by what is right in God’s sight.
To the Word we go, on the Word we rely, by the Word we decide!
Who will see the fulfillment of God’s promise of a place prepared for those who trust in Him?
“Caleb, because he had another spirit, and followed the LORD fully,” will be brought into that place, as will all “his seed” – meaning, all of us who, like Caleb, have within us the Spirit of the LORD and, therefore, choose to trust in God, not circumstances.
Want to bring glory to God, make His glory known to others? Trust in the LORD with all your heart; He will bring it to pass; and when you pass . . . you will see what great things the LORD has in store for those who trust Him. Amen.
