In today’s daily devotional on Joshua 14, we encounter Caleb, a remarkable figure whose unwavering faith and tenacity make him a biblical hero. After a grueling forty-five-year wait, Caleb, now eighty-five, stands ready to claim the land promised to him by God. Despite the giants that still inhabit the territory, Caleb’s spirit remains unshaken. His story is a testament to the virtues of patience, courage, and relentless faith. As we delve into this chapter, let Caleb’s example inspire us to face our own challenges with boldness and steadfast trust in the Lord. To understand why to complete the job, read the daily devotional on Joshua 13.
Joshua 14 Commentary by Allen J. Huth
In Joshua 14, we read the story of one of our biblical heroes, Caleb. Are you still willing to slay a few giants? Please read or listen to Joshua 14.
In 1995, I read Joshua 14 and wrote, “Caleb waits forty-five years for a promise of God to be fulfilled. He finally gets the land he walked on when he first spied out the Promised Land with Joshua. The giants were still there, but Caleb’s faith had not wavered. He still thought with God’s help, he could drive them out. Praise God for patience of a lifetime in God. Caleb: what a great example!”
What Was Caleb’s Inheritance in the Bible?
In 2004, I read Joshua 12-14 on the same day, while reading the Bible chronologically. I wrote, “Give me the giants! Caleb, forty-five years later, wants the exact land he saw, with the giants. He knew that God could defeat them and deliver the land to Israel. Now, forty-five years later, his faith has not wavered. He says, ‘Give me the giants, perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out of the land as God has spoken.’”
Why Is Caleb so Special?
In 2013, after reading Joshua 14, I wrote, “Joshua now apportions the Promised Land ‘as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses’ (v. 2). Caleb represented the tribe of Judah. I don’t think I’ve ever recognized that before. He is eighty-five years old and has been hanging out with Joshua for at least forty-five years. Caleb said, ‘I am still as strong today as I was in the day’ (v. 11). O Lord, keep me physically and mentally strong to do Your works these next ten years. And Caleb wanted the hill country with the giants. Joshua granted Caleb’s request. My battle cry, my prayer, since being elected to Gideon International Treasurer, is to be like David and run to the battle. Be with me, Lord.”
I wrote part of my prayer that day, “To be a Caleb. Keep me strong these next ten to twelve years spiritually, physically, mentally, financially to serve You very successfully.”
What Made Joshua and Caleb Different?
Let’s take a look at Joshua 14. Remember when Israel was leaving Egypt, Moses sent some spies into the Promised Land. The spies came back, two of them were Joshua and Caleb. The other ten said, “There are giants in the land. There is no way we can conquer this land.” But Caleb and Joshua believed in the Lord. When Israel was in the desert, all of the people died out except Joshua and Caleb. There is a great lesson just in that alone. Remain faithful. God will honor it and bless you.
It is forty-five years later. Caleb is eighty-five years old. He reminds his friend Joshua, “Hey, we were together back when we spied out this land.” Verses 7 and 8, “I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him word again as it was in my heart. But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the Lord my God.”
Verses 10-12 go on to say:
And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. 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.
Caleb and Joshua had gone a long way together. They are both in the fourth quarter of their lives. But Caleb is not ready to give up. He is not ready to quit. He says give me the hill country, the land with the giants and maybe the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out. That must have been a great conversation between a couple of old friends. How could Joshua deny Caleb’s request? He could not! So, he gave Caleb the land he desired.
What Does the Story of Joshua Teach Us?
The applications from Joshua 14 are apparent. Wholly follow the Lord your God, like Caleb. Never, never, never give up. How patient are you with the Lord? Caleb’s patience was forty-five years. I know my own patience runs thin over certain prayers I have prayed for many, many years and have yet to be answered. This chapter reminds me, stay faithful.
Lastly, I have a practical application in one of my journals. In 2013, I had been elected the International Treasurer of The Gideons International. Most often, the person elected International Treasurer serves three years as Treasurer, then three years as International Vice President, and then three years as International President. That is a nine-year run. So I was asking the Lord to have the strength of Caleb to serve and serve well.
Maybe you too see a mountain of opportunity to serve the Lord in your future, but you may need the strength of the Lord to do it. Caleb is a great example of how God can answer that prayer for me and for you. And Caleb was not looking for an easy way out, was he? He said, “Give me the hill country, not the flat country. Give me the country with the giants. Let me finish strong for the Lord.” May you and I both be Calebs. May we not shy away from the battle and may we finish strong in the Lord. Let’s pray.
What Is the Message of Joshua 14?
Father, we pray, over the years, that our faith does not wear out; it gets strengthened. Even though sometimes my prayers have yet to be answered, strengthen my faith in You today. Thank You for the great example of Caleb. Use us Lord, even in the later days of our lives. There are hill countries to be conquered. There are giants to be slain. Use us, Lord. And, like Caleb, we will give You the glory as You do. Amen.
