Joshua 14:12 “Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said.”
The Setting of Caleb’s Story
The setting of Joshua 14 takes place during the immediate aftermath of the hard-fought campaigns for the conquest of the land of Canaan in which Joshua had led the Children of Israel over the course of the previous five years. The numerous battles and miraculous victories that God gave to His people are recorded in the book of Joshua, chapters 6-13.
When we come to Joshua 14, the major Canaanite kingdoms to the north and south had been destroyed, and all that remained of the enemy were a few isolated strongholds that Joshua left to each of the individual tribes to flush out and destroy.
With the enemy subdued, Joshua’s next task was to begin the work of dividing the land by tribe according to the Word of the LORD. This process of surveying the land and allotting each tribe its proper “inheritance” is described in detail in Joshua chapters 13 through 21.
Joshua 11:23 “So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.”
The Meeting of Caleb and Joshua
Joshua 14:6 tells us that “the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal” where he and the leaders of Israel were mapping out and dividing the lands they had recently conquered.
In the midst of this scene of excitement and anticipation, a gray-haired man could be observed slowly pushing his way through the crowd toward the place where Joshua was. When he finally made it to the front of the assembly, the older man then addressed the Hebrew leader and proceeded to request that his long-awaited inheritance be given to him.
The Nature of Caleb’s Request
Joshua 14:6b-12 “…and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea. [7] Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. [8] Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God. [9] And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God. [10] And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. [11] As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in. [12] Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said.”
At age 85 (according to verses 7 and 10), Caleb was asking Joshua for permission to climb and conquer a mountain that (according to verse 12) was still filled with entrenched Anakim warriors who dwelt securely behind the protective walls of their “fenced” cities.
There is no doubt that Caleb, who was an old and personal friend of Joshua’s, could have easily asked for a different inheritance – one that, perhaps, could be more easily attained. He could have also chosen to simply settle for the land at the bottom of the mountain and not even bother with trying to conquer the lands above him. After all, why not leave that sort of thing to the younger generations to come?
However, Caleb did not want another piece of land or a more easily attained inheritance! Instead, he wanted his mountain - the one that God had promised to give him.
The Power of Caleb’s Testimony
What would cause a man of Caleb’s age, experience, and reputation to be willing to risk his life in this way? What inner drive gave Caleb the courage and desire to serve God to the fullest and seek to fight the battles of the LORD until he drew his last breath?
Truly there is much to be learned from a man such as Caleb, whose life was anything but ordinary, and through whom, God was able to accomplish such extraordinary things. With courage, Caleb was used by God to climb and conquer his mountain!
Throughout the next few articles in this series, we will consider five important aspects of the life of Caleb that will also provide many valuable lessons and insights for our own lives as well.
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