For the past few weeks we have been studying the life of this man named Caleb.
In continuation we will meditate today on Joshua 14:12, “So now give me this hill country of which the LORD spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the LORD said.” (ESV)
These are the words of Caleb to Joshua after they had entered the Promised Land. As the land was being divided amongst the tribes of Israel, most may have requested to take possession of the land that was easy to conquer and inhabit, but contrarily Caleb requested for the hill country that seemed tough to conquer. The reason was because Caleb, though he was eighty five years old, was one who welcomed challenges, believed he could overcome them and had no fear whatsoever. Though Caleb would be called a senior citizen in our terms, he was a man who was filled with faith in God and zeal for the Lord.
If you are wondering as to what was the confidence that prompted Caleb to ask for the hill country, it was the assurance that God was with him. This was the boldness that Caleb had that when God was with him, he could face any challenge. The place that Caleb wanted to possess was a hard place, where the inhabitants were giants, and the city fortified. In spite of all the hurdles Caleb was confident to ask for the possession of the hill country that seemed daunting to everyone else.
There are many who want to opt for the easy way out of any and every situation. We must have the same faith that was found in Caleb. Only if we have the courage to face every challenge that comes our way and overcome them, can we enjoy the fruit of the Kingdom of God.
Caleb’s inheritance
When Caleb accepted the challenge to take possession of the hill country, this was the outcome.
We read in Joshua 15:13-14, “According to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, he gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh a portion among the people of Judah, Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron (Arba was the father of Anak). And Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak, Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai, the descendants of Anak.” (ESV)
There were huge giants in that hill country, but Caleb won and conquered them with ease.
Whether it be matters pertaining to ministry, studies or work, let us never try to do things in a dishonest way, so that we can achieve what we want with ease. We must ask God for strength to overcome every challenge. Sometimes in ministry we may face oppositions, but we must continue to preach the word truthfully, and be a good testimony before others. There is a lot of advertising these days on social media where people like to be seen with prominent leaders, but never really care to know the hardships these leaders underwent to get to where they are right now.
Let me give you some examples from the bible to help understand this point better.
The zeal that consumed Jesus
We read in John 2:13-16, “The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade."” (ESV)
The place was the temple at Jerusalem. Every year the Jews from all over made their way to this temple in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover festival. This temple which was a glorious place of worship over time became a business center. There was more importance given to money transactions, rather than to things pertaining to God. I am sure that those who were devoted to God would have agonized over this situation, and even discussed the matter in their homes. However, Jesus did not just lament about the predicament, but made a whip of cords to drive out all those who engaged in business in that temple. When Jesus did that he was putting himself in a dangerous position as the Pharisees and the religious leaders could have gotten together forcefully against Him. Jesus was so consumed with zeal for His Father’s house that nothing deterred Him from doing what was right.
The Lord Jesus knew that there was a way for the temple to function, and worship to be carried out. He therefore did not hesitate to do what was necessary to cleanse the temple of God.
We read in Matthew 21:13,And He said to them, It is written, "My house shall be called the house of prayer"; but you have made it a den of thieves. (MKJV)
God’s temple which was meant to be a place of prayer had become a business center for thieves.
If God has entrusted some things to us, within the framework of authority that is given to us, it is important that we should take a stand when things are not right, and speak about it. When we do not do this, there will be a steady decline in those places where we refused to speak up. There are many who feel that if they put up a short post on social media against any atrocities their responsibility is over. This is not so, for whenever there is disorder in any place we are called to speak up, and do the needful just as Jesus did. God’s will is that we do this so that we can set things right immediately without letting them get out of hand. If we ignore these warnings at the initial stages, things will soon get out of hand, and cause much devastation. Just as Jesus did, we should not fear those who have physical or financial clout, but must be willing to take a stand when things are going wrong.
The women who stood by Jesus
We read in Luke 8:3,“and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.” (ESV)
Amongst those disciples who followed Jesus, there were some women who supported the ministry of Jesus out of their own means. There is not much mention about them except the fact that one of them was Joanna whose husband Chuza was the household manager in Herod’s palace. Herod was a cruel king, and it was in his reign that John the Baptist was beheaded. Chuza was holding a responsible position in the palace of Herod, but his wife Joanna had no inhibitions or fear to express her commitment to Jesus. Joanna was able to handle all the challenges of the society she lived in, and courageously supported Jesus. It is possible that Joanna may have had to face all sorts of opposition, and even threats that this news could reach King Herod. Nonetheless, Joanna knew that she could boldly follow Jesus because He was well able to protect her from all harm.
We read in Luke 23:11, “Herod and his soldiers made fun of Jesus and insulted him. They put a fine robe on him and sent him back to Pilate.” (CEV)
Joanna the wife of Chuza knowing that Herod was a hard and cruel king, realizing that her husband worked for him, did not fear him, and did not hide her faith and commitment to Jesus.
There are many who want to secretly follow Jesus without others knowing about it. Many will justify their secrecy saying that others can’t understand the circumstances that surround them. Remember that when Jesus took on Himself yours and my sin, He did not do it secretly, but courageously and openly. Jesus was crucified, died, buried and resurrected with power and glory. If we want to follow this Jesus, we too must be willing to face all the challenges, and courageously proclaim our faith in Him to others.
Let me share the life of another man who was in stark contrast to that of Joanna.
The secret follower
We read in John 3:1-2, “And there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to Him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no man can do these miracles which you do unless God is with him.” (MKJV)
In this portion of scripture we read about a man named Nicodemus who was a man of good standing, and a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin. Nicodemus had an excellent revelation of who Jesus was which he also mentioned to Jesus. He knew that Jesus was a teacher come from God and that God was with Him. This Nicodemus came to Jesus secretly, and the conversation with Jesus impacted him, and even enlightened him on who Jesus was. However, Nicodemus was hesitant to follow Jesus openly and kept it a secret all through.
For three and a half years, Nicodemus was secretly following Jesus. Finally, when Jesus was arrested, falsely charged, tortured and nailed to death on the cross, this is what Nicodemus did.
We read in John 19:39,And Nicodemus also came, who at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. (MKJV)
Here we see that Nicodemus brought hundred pounds of mixture of myrrh and aloes to embalm the body of Jesus. The man who kept his faith a secret for three and a half years was only now trying to make recompense for it. Just imagine if Nicodemus had openly declared his faith in Jesus, maybe many other Pharisees would have believed too. But Nicodemus was waiting and watching, and thereby missed many opportunities. He was more concerned about his position, and the opinions of people rather than about following Jesus openly.
Do not keep procrastinating your decision to follow Jesus or to proclaim Him to others. As children of God how many of us are willing to openly declare that we are followers of Jesus at our work place, and amongst those who are not yet in the fold. To everyone who is a child of God, who has received God’s gift of salvation through Jesus, and the forgiveness of sins, there is a mandate that Jesus gave. Jesus commanded that we go into all the world, and preach the gospel to all nations. The gospel is the good news that there is no need for man to continue in his sins because Jesus paid the price for it all on the cross of Calvary, and there is freedom from sin for everyone who believes in Jesus. Sadly, many are so hesitant to share their faith. The Lord encourages us to be bold like Caleb and have faith to overcome all the challenges that come our way. Let us make a decision to be a good testimony with family, friends, at work or in society. No one can follow Jesus secretly, we must be willing to confess our faith, and share the love of Christ with those around us for this is our responsibility.
We read in Matthew 10:32,“Then everyone who shall confess Me before men, I will confess him before My Father who is in Heaven.” (MKJV)
There are two important lessons we learnt. One is that when things are not being done in an orderly way we are called to do all we can to set things right. God will surely bless our efforts in this process. Second is that if we have tasted who the Lord Jesus is, we must have the courage to testify to our faith at every opportune time, and God will help us to do this.
Worship God the right way
We read in 2 Samuel 6:1-3,“Again David gathered every chosen one in Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose and went with all the people with him from beyond Baale of Judah, to bring up the ark of God from there, which is called by the Name, the Name of Jehovah of Hosts who dwells above the cherubs. And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab in Gibeah. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart.” (MKJV)
In this incident the Ark of the Covenant was a symbol of God’s presence. David wanted to bring the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. The Covenant box was to be carried by poles, and by the priests only. However, the men planned to set the Ark of the Covenant on a new cart, and lead it to Jerusalem.
It is important to note that anything that we do for God should be done His way. We often think that we can do things any way we want to. Even today there is much misunderstanding about how worship should be done. Many think that flashy lights, and best of music will bring the presence of God into the worship. The fact is that God said that one should worship Him in Spirit and in truth. Our worship should be done with the adornment of holiness. If not we can never experience the presence of God.
At one point of the journey the cart slipped, and as the Covenant Box tilted, Uzzah put out his hand to steady it, and God punished him with death. When David heard of this he was filled with fear because the presence of God that was supposed to bring life brought death instead. David did not understand God’s ways, and in fear David commanded that the Covenant Box be kept in the house of Obed Edom. David was now in a dilemma as to whether he should bring the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem or leave it in the house of Obed Edom. The Ark of the Covenant was in the house of Obed Edom for three months, and Obed’s household is blessed bountifully because of the same. Everyone around noticed this change and transformation. Only then David realized that he had made a mistake it not bringing the Covenant Box back to Jerusalem. Finally David decided to bring the Covenant Box back to Jerusalem just the way it should be brought.
Every time you are hesitant to do what God wants you to do, just decide to move on, and do things God’s way. It is not good to stop doing what God wants us to do. The third giant many of us are battling with is that of hesitation. At one point we were so eager to do something for the Lord, but because of problems and issues many have decided to remain silent, and not do anything about it. If we do not do what God wants us to be doing, we will miss out on the blessings that God has in store for us.
As the Ark of the Covenant was brought in David danced before the Lord with all his might. David’s wife was watching David from the house, and she despised David. Just compare David and his wife, for as David praised the Lord with all his heart, his wife simply sat inside the house and found fault with her husband. The outcome was that David’s wife was forgotten, but David grew from strength to strength, was elevated as king, and ruled for many long years.
Overcome the challenge called hesitation. The things that you have left undone God wants you to do them and thereby fulfill His purposes. Take a stand to speak up against those things that are not pleasing to God in the church or organization. Share the love of Jesus with boldness. Worship the Lord in a way that is pleasing to Him. When you do so, just as Caleb and his descendants inherited the hill country, so to all the blessings that God has in store for you will be yours.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by Sis. Esther Collins
