Strong and Courageous: A Study in JoshuaSample

What does it say?

Caleb claimed the land promised to him by God through Moses, because he followed the Lord wholeheartedly.

What does it mean?

The men of Judah came to receive their portion of land from Joshua. Caleb took the opportunity to remind Joshua of Moses’ promise to him. Forty-five years earlier Caleb came back from spying out the land and reported back to Moses, “We should go up and take possession of the land.” He had no doubt God would give it to them. But because of the disobedience of others, Caleb had to wait 45 years to receive the land of Hebron. Yet he didn’t allow himself to become bitter. How? It is noted three times in this passage that Caleb “followed the Lord ... wholeheartedly.” And, at 85 years of age, Caleb was still strong enough to drive out the inhabitants and claim his inheritance.

How should I respond?

Sometimes we suffer consequences when others fail to follow God’s instructions. How have you been the victim of another person’s bad decision? How are you responding? Your attitude will largely depend on where your focus is. Determine right now to “follow the Lord wholeheartedly” while you wait for Him to make the next move. Scripture promises that even in the worst situations, God is still in control and has your best interest at heart (Romans 8:28). But greatest of all is the knowledge that God can be glorified, even through human error!

For further reading: Joshua 15-21:42, Cities allotted to each tribe