Caleb, Man of Faith and Courage

GOLDEN TEXT: “Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” —Isaiah 40:30,31

NUMBERS 14:6-9; JOSHUA 14:6-14

CALEB was one of the spies sent into the land of Canaan soon after the Israelites left Egypt to learn what they could about the “courage,” a very apt description of how well it was fortified. Joshua, who later succeeded Moses as leader of the people, was another of the spies, and these two brought a favorable report, both as to the resources of the country and the ability of the Israelites, in the strength of the Lord, to conquer the Canaanites.

But this was a minority report. The majority of the spies, while not disputing the richness of the land, urged against any attempt of the Israelites to drive out the Canaanites. The Israelites followed the advice of the majority, and this led to the forty years’ wandering in the wilderness. The Lord decreed that with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, all the males of twenty years and over who left Egypt would have to die in the wilderness, that they would not be permitted to enter the Promised Land.

In our lesson heading, Caleb is designated a “man of faith and courage,” a very apt description of him. The secret of Caleb’s faith is expressed thus: “If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land and give it us.” This was an expression of Caleb’s confidence in the integrity of God. He believed that God would bless his people if they proved themselves worthy of his blessings. God had brought them out of Egypt for the express purpose of taking them into the Promised Land, and he knew that God was able to accomplish his good purposes in his people.

There is a principle involved in Caleb’s viewpoint which is applicable to the Lord’s dealings with his people in all ages. That principle is that those who are faithful in doing his will may be assured of his blessings. During this Gospel age of faith, when the Lord’s people are pressing toward a heavenly Canaan, his chief blessings are of a spiritual character. As they set their affections on things above, he gives them grace and strength to press forward in the narrow way of sacrifice.

But the goal of the Israelites in the wilderness was the land of Canaan, and they could have entered into that land at once had they all been blessed with the vision of faith as were Caleb and Joshua. But they were not, and while these two faithful spies shared the hardships of the nation for forty years in the wilderness, their faith in the Lord was finally rewarded. Joshua was honored with the responsibility of leading the entire nation across Jordan, and when the land was divided, Caleb received the portion which the Lord promised him.

When the time came for Caleb to put in his claim for the portion of the land which was due to him, he again showed his faith in the Lord’s integrity. Forty-five years before this he had said, “If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us.” Now he said, “I wholly followed the Lord.” Because he had wholly followed the Lord, he had courage to ask for, and believed the Lord would help him possess, the portion of the land which had been promised to him.

Faith in God must also include belief in his never failing ability to care for his own. In the verses preceding our Golden Text we are reminded of this. “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard,” we read, “that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?” (Isa. 40:28) And then the next verse reads, “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.” (verse 29) Then follows the Golden Text.

By contrast the Golden Text reminds us that even youths faint and become weary, and that “young men” “utterly fall.” This, of course, refers to those who do not look to the Lord for strength. “They that wait upon the Lord renew their strength,” because they depend upon One who “fainteth not, neither is weary.” We can always depend upon the Lord to help us. If we do not receive his help it is because we do not apply ourselves to obtain it. Either we are unfaithful in doing his will, or we fail to approach the throne of heavenly grace that we might obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Caleb was grateful that at the age of eighty-five his physical strength had not abated. The strength we receive from the Lord is spiritual. We have covenanted to lay down our earthly lives in sacrifice; but while doing this the inner man is renewed.

QUESTIONS

Who was Caleb, and for what service was he chosen soon after the Israelites left Egypt?

Why was he so confident that the Israelites could possess the land of Canaan?

What are the chief blessings enjoyed by the Lord’s people during the Gospel age?

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