Introduction: If you describe someone as a dreamer, you might mean that they spend a lot of time thinking about and planning for things that they would like to happen, but which are improbable or impractical in their own strength. Caleb was dreamer who was connected to a dream making God. God placed the dream in his heart and God would bring it to pass. The dreamer of our lesson is said to have wholly followed the Lord. What Does it Mean to Wholly Follow the Lord? Does wholly following the Lord mean to sell everything you have, give up all your possessions and go wherever a whim perceived from God takes you? I’m sure there are some inspiring and convicting sermons out there that would conclude that. But two and only two persons in the Bible are said to have wholly followed the Lord. Now we know, it was Joshua and Caleb. “Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God. And Moses sware 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.” (Josh 14:7-9 AV)
You may recall the events in Israel’s history. A leader from each of the 12 tribes was sent by God and Moses to spy out the Promised Land to get the answers to some important questions. They all saw the same thing, but 10 spies couldn’t get past how hard it looked. They were afraid, and they made the people fear. “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.” (Num 13:30 AV)
“And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.” (Num 14:6-9 AV)
We can conclude that wholly following the Lord means knowing God’s word and His desire and not being afraid to follow it and not rebelling at God’s command. It means trusting that God will make His promises work out. It means standing alone against the worldly tide sometimes. Once you know God’s will on a matter, you go for it and you don’t look back. Those who wholly follow the Lord will be successful—perhaps the envy of others—because they’ve learned to live above the conflict. They don’t live on nervous street. Notice Caleb and Joshua outlived every single person who left Egypt for the Promised Land. That’s because they wholly followed the Lord and were rewarded with the promise that they alone of all their comrades would enter the Promised Land. Not even Moses was allowed in. Wholly following the Lord can be boiled down to three words. Trust and obey. Others in the Bible did that, but only Joshua and Caleb are immortalized for it. They are the example to follow. Any of us can wholly follow the Lord. All of us should.
Forty-five years has passed, and Caleb was still holding on to his dream. God had promised to give him and his descendants every place he walked on and to bring into a land flowing with milk and honey. The dream for many was shattered at Kadesh-Barnea because the obstacles of the land seemed too great. Caleb refused to abandon His dream. What do you dream about? What size is your dream? Caleb held on to a giant-sized dream.
Joshua 14, we see much of the conquest over, but Israel had not taken possession of the Land. Joshua and the elders must deal with dividing the land by lot to the nation. Even though there were still pockets of resistance, Joshua next assignment was to divide the land. The lesson is really about the fulfilment of a dream. God is still the Dream maker. Caleb was able to hold on to his dream after wholly following the Lord through 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, and 5 years of conquest. What cause some people to fulfilment their dreams while others give up in defeat? Many of us know that there will be obstacles on the way and in the way of every God-given dream. There are several obstacles I want to mention that must be overcome.
1. Overcome the obstacle of false comrades. 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. 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. 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. 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.
Our comrades may not see what you see. Caleb and Joshua ready to go up at once, but their comrades had a contrary message. Caleb and Joshua find themselves standing alone, outvoted, and ridiculed for their faith and their pipe dream. When you are trying to give birth to a God-sized dream, we overcome false comrades. They will attempt to hinder your progress, steal your faith, and kill your dream. You can recognize them by their bad advice, discouraging words, and their faithlessness. True friends will help you stand on the word of God, and encourage you to keep following God. The first obstacle standing between claiming your mountain and fulfilling your dream maybe false comrades.
2. Overcome the Obstacles of faulty judgments. Jos 14:6 “Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea.”
Notice that Caleb did not approach Joshua alone or in private, he carried with him members of the tribe of Judah. It may surprise to discover that Caleb was not a Jew by birth. He is a gentile whose family probably left Egypt with the Jews. Perhaps, in Egypt his family were looked down on and mistreated because of his race. When he began following the Lord, Caleb decided to wholly follow the Lord. Prejudice is hard to die, if at all. There is something deeply demeaning about prejudging people, question their morals, and questioning their motives. To overcome being prejudged, Caleb makes his appeal openly and in full view of all Israel. Caleb’s family had probably joined the tribe of Judah. Yet he did not make his appeal based on his tribe, nor his accomplishment in battle. His appeal is based on the witness of God, the testimony of Moses and the witness of Joshua. Caleb understood himself to be a child of Promise, adopted into the family of God, an heir of God who wholly followed the Lord. People may prejudge us and question our motive, but we must not allow them to rob us of our dream. We overcome false comrades and faulty judgments. When people see confidence and boldness, they may judge it as pride or arrogance. They may ask who do you think you are or what makes you think you get your inheritance first? Others may see your age as a hinderance and doubt your ability, but hold on to your dream. Don’t waste time and energy answering your critics, keep moving toward your dream. Don’t be afraid to say, “Give me this mountain.”
3. Overcome the Obstacle of old Age. Jos 14:10 “And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. 11 As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in. 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.”
Others may ridicule him for his age and his bold request, but Caleb celebrates it. At 85 years old, Caleb is still enthusiastic about his life and his prospects for the future. His age was no barrier or hindrance in doing God’s will. God alone give longevity and allows His servant to fulfil his purpose and even their dreams. Caleb has seen the giants on this mountain, he understands the opposition, and he is counting on God. Yes, he is healthy and strong, but victory comes from the Lord’s help. Generally, in society today, seniors only think about retiring with enough money, having a nice house, and living life without a care. That’s not Caleb! He wants to set an example of courage and determination. He desires to show this new generation the benefits of wholly following the Lord. If the oldest man among us is not afraid of the strongest giants among the enemy, we all should be encouraged to go in and possess the Land.
What will you do with all your talents and skills you have acquired over the years? How will you use them now that you are older? Caleb refused to allow his age to rob him of his dream. To fulfil His dream, Caleb overcame false comrades, faulty judgments, old age and final his present enemy.
4. Overcome your Presence Enemies. Jos 15:13- 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. 14 And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak. 15 And he went up thence to the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher. 16 And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. 17 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. 18 And it came to pass, as she came unto him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou?
The final obstacle is facing the present enemy. There are three giants in this hill country, and Caleb must drive them out. Giants don’t leave on their own, they must be forced out. Caleb first gives a part of his inheritance to Joshua. He understands that Joshua was a part of the Promise. If Joshua deeds himself a portion, people might misunderstand and accuse him of selfish motives. Second, Caleb takes the lead and drive the sons of Anak: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. Finally, He raises up younger leadership by issuing a challenge. Whoever is willing to go up and take Kirjathsepher will be rewarded. Overcoming the present enemies included Caleb honoring Leadership (honoring the Past), Conquering his enemy (enjoying the Present), and Giving opportunity to others, (celebrating the future.)
Of all the tribes and leaders of Israel, only Caleb was able to completely fulfil his dreams. Only his tribe took full possession of their land. Why? Because Caleb wholly followed the Lord God of Israel. The secret of his success was that he was willing to trust and obey. He was willing to wholly follow the Lord. Caleb was able to wholeheartedly follow the Lord. During the years of recorded history of Israel, the words of wholly followed the Lord are the words that best described Caleb. Today, many make bold declarations and confessions, but they fail to wholly follow the Lord. Some follow with a half heart, others follow sometimes, but fall short of their dreams and expectations. Some allow life’s obstacles to block their way, so they give up. Obstacles come to everyone! They cannot be avoided. There will always be false comrades walking with you; friends and enemies making faulty judgments about you and your motives; and real present enemies that must be conquered and driven out. They won’t leave on their own. They will always be leaders who need a lift or encouragement. They will always be some present victories to celebrate. We must not camp out here, keep moving toward your dream, your God-given destiny. There will always someone who need help opening up a door for them to serve and move towards their dream. Caleb did all three: honored the past, enjoyed the present and celebrated the future! Don’t let nothing stop you from wholly following the Lord.
God is still the Dream Maker. There is a reward for those who wholly follow the Lord. God will sustain you and keep you until you fulfil his purpose.
Ps 92:11-15 “Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me. 12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 13 Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. 14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; 15 To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.”
Ps 112:1 “Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. 2 His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.
