In an earlier message, when I spoke about the importance of casting a vision, I briefly touched on the topic of blessing. When we begin claiming new territory for the Lord, and as we invite others to join us to do the same, blessing is a vital component in keeping people motivated to continue fighting for the Promised Land. John Maxwell says that when we bless others, we are communicating our faith in them, which will in turn spark them into action.(1)
When Jacob blessed his grandsons Ephraim and Manasseh, he said, “Let my name be upon them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac” (Genesis 48:16). This was an immense bestowal of trust and confidence that he placed on his two grandchildren, for Jacob was willing to leave his own name and reputation with them. He even expressed how his blessing would enable them to succeed, and “grow into a great multitude in the midst of the earth” (48:16).
Our communication of blessing – or bestowal of blessing – is vital for producing a great multitude of Christ-followers in the midst of the earth. If we want to possess new territory for the Lord and win the land for Christ, and also leave behind an ever-increasing legacy of faith, then we must bless those whom we are leading; and then, as they begin living in the confidence of the blessing, they will help us in claiming the land. This morning, I wish to share how this works.
Seeking Out Spiritual Children (vv. 16-17)
16 And Caleb said, “He who attacks Kirjath Sepher and takes it, to him I will give Achsah my daughter as wife.” 17 So Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it; and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife.
Caleb had recently declared, “Give me this mountain of which the LORD spoke in that day” (Joshua 14:12). He then jumped at the opportunity of conquering his possession, beginning with Hebron and the sons of Anak (15:13-14). He then set his sights on Debir (15:15), and Caleb promised his daughter in marriage to whomever seized and conquered Kirjath Sepher on his behalf.
As Caleb began working to expand his boundary lines, he was simultaneously prospecting for a new son-in-law to propagate his blood line. He wanted to find the strongest and bravest man suitable as a husband for his daughter, and the person who won Achsah’s hand in marriage was Othniel (v. 17). From Caleb’s search for a son-in-law, we learn something that we can apply to our own efforts. Caleb was able to see more than just the acquisition of real estate. He realized that the land would mean nothing without descendants to occupy and maintain it. When we become task-oriented, focused only on the vision, we can easily forget the main reason why we were called.
Jesus stated our true purpose in the Great Commission. He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20a). We were called to the divine purpose of 1.) leading people to faith in Christ, and 2.) growing them in their new relationship with Him.
When we are pursuing a calling, we should be aware that we are doing so with the intention of sharing our faith. But all too often, believers can become so focused on conversion that they drop the ball when it comes to teaching and discipling. In other words, we can become so focused on possessing the land that we might forget about filling it with spiritual offspring.
Whenever we fail to disciple new believers, they will often fall and drift away from the faith altogether. We will then be left with many trophies and no shelf on which to place them. If we only look at conversion experiences as notches on our belt, and we fail to invest in people’s spiritual growth, then our belt will crack and fall apart and we will lose our spiritual britches; meaning, we will lose everything we worked for.
Caleb realized that the key to maintaining the land was multiplying his family; and as a believer, our task is growing the family of God by investing in the lives of others. When we are leading a group of people, whether we realize it or not, we are a parent with spiritual offspring. For example, Beth Moore says, “When older women pour their lives into younger women and their children, they are birthing spiritual offspring . . . I will always have the opportunity to ‘mother’ a few spiritual offspring as long as I am willing to invest myself.”(2)
The apostle Paul had spiritual children. In stating how he wanted to help the Galatian believers to grow in Christ, he once addressed them as, “My little children, for whom I labor . . . until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19). Paul informed the believers at Corinth, “I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel” (1 Corinthians 4:14-15).
John also discipled believers whom he considered to be spiritual offspring, referring to them as his “little children” (cf. 1 John 2:1, 3:18). For example, he stated, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (3 John 1:4). We must be intentional about seeking out spiritual children on whom to bestow the double blessing of salvation and discipleship. It takes both in order to produce a group of believers who will continue multiplying into a great spiritual nation who will one day take this world for Christ.
We can only measure the success of our efforts by how our spiritual children reproduce. D. James Kennedy says, “The Great Commission commands us to make disciples, not merely to get decisions . . . Those who are satisfied with merely proclaiming the gospel and receiving professions are like immoral seducers. The seducer is satisfied merely to exploit and then tell of his exploits rather than entering into a meaningful marriage commitment. Do not judge the effectiveness of your evangelism . . . by what you see in the person you have evangelized. Measure your effectiveness by your spiritual grandchildren.”(3)
Kennedy states how it doesn’t stop with just leading an individual to Christ. We must disciple and grow a new believer until he or she reproduces. We are not only seeking spiritual children, but spiritual grandchildren as well.
Remember to Share A Blessing (vv. 18-19)
18 Now it was so, when she came to him, that she persuaded him to ask her father for a field. So she dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you wish?” 19 She answered, “Give me a blessing; since you have given me land in the South, give me also springs of water.” So he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.
Achsah requested Othniel to ask her father Caleb for a field, likely as a dowry. When Caleb invested in his son-in-law through a land grant, that gift was his way of communicating a blessing. It was Caleb’s sign of faith in how he believed Othniel would multiply the productivity of that particular field. Remember, when you invest in the lives of others, you are bestowing a blessing on them.
Caleb then turned to Achsah asking if there was anything that she wanted; and just as her father had earlier declared, “Give me this mountain” (Joshua 14:12), she had the confidence and faith to say, “Give me springs of water!” (v. 19). Achsah’s faith-filled request was her petition for a great blessing from her father.
In a book entitled The Prayer of Achsah, Delores Tansil says, “Achsah desired to receive the same covenant blessings her father obtained as a result of his walk of faith . . . As Achsah esteemed her father, she was actually esteeming God. She was pursuing the God of her father, Caleb, to bestow upon her and her family life-sustaining blessings.”(4)
Achsah and Othniel had been given the field. They had possessed their allotted territory; however, the ground did not hold everything needed to produce a great yield. The region in the south was very dry. Caleb had given them land, but Achsah realized they need water for irrigation, or the land would be less fertile; therefore, she asked him for springs of water.
Jesus asked, “What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?” (Matthew 7:9). If our spiritual offspring should ask us for bread, or come to us for instruction in the Word of God, then we must not brush them aside and ignore them. We need to trade our heart of stone for some genuine compassion, and be responsible enough to engage in discipleship.
We can lead people to salvation, which is the Promised Land; but if we fail to disciple them, we are leaving them spiritually dry with nothing to help them grow, prosper, and produce. If our spiritual children should ask us for a blessing, or demonstrate some sort of need, then we must not fail at showing our love and support; for by our concern we are communicating a blessing.
Perhaps someone under our care has demonstrated initiative by going above and beyond the call of duty in a particular area of ministry. We must be sure to recognize the individual for his or her service, because people need affirmation and encouragement in order to be motivated to excel. If someone should go out of his or her way in serving the Lord, then we should go out of our way in blessing that individual.
Caleb went out of his way in blessing his daughter Achsah for her boldness. She had simply requested one spring, but Caleb decided to give her two springs – both the upper and the lower one. We just read where Jesus asked what father would give his child a stone if he asked for bread. He continued to elaborate, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:11).
The heavenly Father wants to give good gifts to those who ask Him for a blessing. One commentator says, “In the upper and nether springs we have a type of the temporal and spiritual mercies from our Father above. As heirs of the promise, His children can humbly and confidently ask and expect great blessings from His generous hand. Both upper, or heavenly provision, and nether, or earthly necessities come from Him in whom are all our springs.”(5)
Symbolically speaking, Caleb wanted the best of both heaven and earth for his daughter, and we should desire simply the best for our spiritual children. Tansil says, “Blessings produce good and favorable results. Parental blessings bring the gift of happiness, well-being, prosperity, victory, and God’s favor not only for us but also for everyone attached to us. Once a blessing is released, it is extended and tends to continue from generation to generation.”(6)
Did you happen to catch the part about “generation to generation”? The Lord had earlier shared with Abraham, “Blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies” (Genesis 22:17). The Lord wants us to share both the blessing of faith in Christ and discipleship, knowing that our blessing will continue from generation to generation, as we produce spiritual offspring and they continue to multiply as the stars of the heaven and as the sand of the seashore. And as they multiply, they will possess the gate of their enemies, tear down spiritual strongholds and conquer the land.
Time of Reflection
When we begin taking in new territory for the Lord by leading people to faith in Christ, we must never forget that we will lose ground unless we begin bestowing the blessing. One way to show our blessing is by casting our vote of confidence in those whom we lead, such as when we give them ownership and responsibility over a project. However, the best way to show our blessing is by taking the time to invest in our spiritual offspring through discipleship. When we are willing to teach and mentor another individual, we are communicating a message that they are worthy of our time, because we are certain of their success.
Achsah had said, “Give me a blessing . . . give me also springs of water” (v. 19). This reminds me of what the Samaritan woman once said to Jesus. First of all, Jesus told her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water . . . Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:10, 13-14). The woman at the well replied, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw” (John 4:15).
Just as Achsah requested of her father, “Give me also springs of water” (v. 19), and as the Samaritan woman said, “Give me this water” (John 4:15); our heavenly Father is waiting for the lost to cry out to Him for the blessing of living water – the water that springs up into everlasting life. This living water is found in Jesus Christ; by believing in Him as Savior and Lord. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” So, as we close, I want to extend an opportunity for you to walk the aisle, to come forward and pray to receive Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life.
NOTES
(1) John Maxwell, Becoming A Person of Influence (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1997), p. 131.
(2) Beth Moore, Breaking Free (Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing Group, 2000), p. 159.
(3) D. James Kennedy, Evangelism Explosion, Fourth Edition (Tyndale House Publishers, 1996), p. 103
(4) Dolores Tansil, The Prayer of Achsah (Longwood, FL: Xulon Press, 2005), p. 28.
(5) Herbert Lockyer, All the Women of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1967), p. 27.
(6) Tansil, p. 28.
