6 Now the people of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the LORD said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh Barnea about you and me. 7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, 8 but my fellow Israelites who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear. I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly. 9 So on that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.’[a] 10 “Now then, just as the LORD promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! 11 I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. 12 Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the LORD helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.” 13 Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. 14 So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the LORD, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly. 15 (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba after Arba, who was the greatest man among the Anakites.) Then the land had rest from war. Joshua 14: 6-15, NIV
Caleb knew that this land had been promised to him. He never forgot what the Lord told Moses – that he was to give this land to Caleb. Caleb had to watch as an entire generation faded away – forty-five years before reaching his promised destination. But in spite of the long, treacherous struggle and wait, Caleb was determined to receive what God had promised him. He didn’t want just any land, he wanted the specific land that was designated for him. The “mountain” or hill country he was promised was Hebron. What was so special about Hebron?
The significance of Hebron:
-After going his separate way from his brother Lot, Abraham “pitched his tent” in Hebron
-Abraham’s wife Sarah, after her death was buried in Hebron, as were all three of the patriarchs, Jewish Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
-It became a Levitical city and a city of refuge.
-As King of Judah, Hebron was David’s royal residence, and he was anointed as king over all Israel there.
-When David became King of Judah, he chose to make Hebron Israel’s first capital city.
-Next to Jerusalem, this is the most important city in the Bible.
This was a rich land, a holy land, a historic land – a “promised land.” But in spite of all that, there remained a big issue with the land – the land STILL HAD GIANTS!!!
One might think that after having to wait all of that time, the land would have been “good to go,” care free, smooth terrain, no problem, right? Not so!!! Even though it was rich, historic, anointed, holy, BEAUTIFUL, it still had some problems – BIG PROBLEMS!!! But look at Caleb’s attitude – no matter the problem, he still not only wanted, but was willing to fight for what God had for him! Let’s think about what we can learn from this passage and Caleb’s attitude…
Things to learn from this passage:
(1) You may have to wait a while for God’s promise to come to pass
I imagine that it was no cake walk for Caleb. 45 years is a LONG TIME by anyone’s count. But Caleb was a man that wholeheartedly followed the Lord. When he received God’s guidance and promise given through Moses, he didn’t buck up against Moses, he didn’t go against Moses with the rest of the eight spies,he grabbed hold to God’s promises and ran with them. You will not be able to stand on God’s promise, stand firm against a majority who are fearful, doubtful, pessimistic, and contrary unless you wholeheartedly follow the Lord. You will not be able to hold on and hold out for God’s best for your life if you are “half steppin” with your faith. Coming to church every now and then, praying every now and then, barely if ever studying God’s Word, living in ways that you know go against what God’s Word teaches about holy living…Jesus said, “a little leaven, leveneth the whole lump.” A pinch of yeast can cause an entire loaf of bread to rise because of its potency. That is the thing with sin, disobedience, bad attitudes, rebellious spirits, foolish pride, unholy behaviors, etc. When you allow seeds of sin to take root in your heart you undermine the seed of faith, hope, love, trust, truth in your own heart. The thorn-bushes of sin will crowd out any seed of faith, hope and righteousness that propel you into having “Caleb-like” faith – a faith that helps you to hold on to the promises. We’ve got to nurture and build our faith so that we can hold onto God’s promises and receive that which He has promised – not just any old thing, but God’s best for us, a “Hebron blessing!”
(2) There are still giants in the “promised land”
Another thing we learn from this text is that even when we receive the promise, proverbial giants will often still be in the land. You finally land your “dream job” only to find out that the person or persons you have to work with are mean, jealous and undermining. You finally get your new home, only to find out the previous owners nor the realtor told you all of the expenses you would have fixing hidden problems. You finally get out of prison only to find out that you can’t find a job. You finally reach your educational goal, but now you’ve got to pay back student loans. You finally get what you’ve been waiting for only to find out that THERE ARE GIANTS IN THE LAND!!!
Be prepared for the giants. In other words, understand that in this world we will have tribulation, but Jesus said, “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” There will always be something that you will have to overcome. There is no perfect place, there is no perfect job, there is no perfect relationship, there is no perfect church, there is no perfect human beings…everybody and every place has some kind of issues. If you run away, you will still face issues because you can’t run from yourself and believe it or not WE ALL HAVE ISSUES!!! Don’t relinquish what God has for you in your promised place because of challenges, because of trials, because of discouragement. Learn from Caleb who declared, 12 Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the LORD helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”
Our third and final lesson,
(3) With the help of the Lord you can drive them out…
My father always used to encourage me by saying, “Chrissy, life could never be that hard. Always say to yourself, ‘With the help of Almighty God, I can make it!’” Caleb in our text recognized the giants. He called them by name. He acknowledged their strength, but then he affirmed his faith that even though they were strong, with God’s help, he could and would drive them out because God said that the land belonged to him! Learn how to claim your territory. Name your giants. Recognize what your problems, your issues, your stumbling blocks, your challenges, your weaknesses. When you know what they are and you can name them, then you can move on from there and process through understanding its strength. In other words, we’ve got to be strategic about facing and defeating our giants.
You cannot defeat or overcome your issues if you are unwilling to name them, understand their strength and then strategize on how to drive them out. You’ve got to name your issues. Don’t under estimate the strength, the pull the current power whatever it is has over you. For some, the giant is anger and hostility…can’t control your emotions. For some the giant is low self-esteem…because you don’t understand and embrace the beauty of who God made you to be you are ever comparing yourself, ever under-rating yourself, ever insecure about yourself. For some the giant is perpetually making bad choices. You don’t stop and think things through. You don’t pay attention to warning signs. You don’t look before you leap!
We all have giants. But with the help of the Lord, we can drive them out. It does not matter how old you are. God can help you to name, face and defeat the giants that seek to oppress and overpower you, blocking you from having the best blessings that God has for your life, for your family, for your household, your marriage, your children, your finances, your relationships. God will help you to name, face and ultimately drive out the giants that are holding you down, dragging you back, controlling you with heart ache and fear.
Do you want to drive the giants out? Learn from Caleb in our text…wholeheartedly follow the Lord – stop half steppin. Give your life, your heart, your mind, your mouth, your will, your finances, your whole self to the Lord. Do you want to drive out the giants? Stop playing games with God and yourself. Name your issues. Deal with them through prayer, faith, a decision to change and therapy is necessary. Deal with your giants! Do you want to drive the giants out? Take hold of God’s promises over your life. No matter how long it takes, no matter how difficult it may seem, no matter who does or does not stand with you – hold to God’s unchanging hand – follow God with your whole heart – trust and obey and God will give you what you need to be victorious in every arena of your life!
Post a comment or send me at email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com
Until next Wednesday
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris
www.shepastorchris.org
No comments:
Post a Comment