Numbers 14:24 - "But My
servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully,
I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take
possession of it."
In Numbers chapters 13 and 14 we are given the sad account of Israels unbelief concerning Gods promises to them about inheriting the land of Canaan. God told His people in no uncertain terms that He had given them the land of Canaan, this is the land that He promised to Abraham and his descendants, and now the people were in a position to go up and take possession of the land, however they didn't do so because they did not believe God. In Numbers 13 they sent 12 men into the land to spy it out for forty days, and ten of those twelve came back with a bad report. The other two, however, believed the Lord and encouraged the people to go up and take the land for the Lord was with them. These two men were Joshua and Caleb. And we find out that these two men were the only ones of the entire nation that believed God and followed Him with all their hearts. The writer of the book of Hebrews is talking about this event in Israels history and sums it up in chapter 3 verse 19 by saying - "So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief." And we also read in Numbers 32:11-13 - "'None of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob; for they did not follow Me fully, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have followed the Lord fully.' So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the entire generation of those who had done evil in the sight of the Lord was destroyed."
As I was considering these chapters over the last couple of days I was thinking about Joshua and Caleb. Out of the hundreds of thousands of people in the congregation of Israel, these were the only two who had faith in God. The Lords anger burned against the congregation because of their unbelief, and the entire nation wandered through the wilderness for forty years including those two men who believed God and followed Him fully. Caleb and Joshua both believed the Lord and yet they still had to spend forty years in the wilderness. The congregation of Israel did not enter into the promised land because of unbelief. Caleb and Joshua didn't enter the promised land either until forty years later, but why? They believed. If not entering the land was the result of unbelief shouldn't Joshua and Caleb have been able to enter immediately? God promised these two men in Numbers 14 that they would go up and inherit the land, but before they could do so they had to wait in the wilderness for forty years.
At the end of Numbers 14 there is a group of Israelites who try to enter the land by their own strength, but they were defeated by the people of the land because the Lord was not with them. So we see that the Lord did not go up into the land. Joshua and Caleb were ready to enter the land and they believed that God would give it to them, but they would rather go through the wilderness with God than go into the land of promise without Him. Through no fault of their own, Joshua and Caleb had to spend forty years in the wilderness. Due to the sin of others they had to wander in the wilderness, but God was with them every step of the way.
There are times of difficulty and trial that come into the life of every believer who seeks to grow in their relationship with God. Times of trial, some of which are due to the faithlessness and unbelief of others. But in whatever trying circumstances we find ourselves, we can be confident that the Lord will bring us through in His own perfect timing. During the wilderness wanderings God was still with His people, He didn't utterly forsake them. Joshua and Caleb, by faith, were content to wait on the Lord, even in the wilderness. Faith is patient to wait on God for His timing.
At the end of the forty years, according to the word of the Lord, the younger generation was able to enter the promised land under the leadership of Joshua and Caleb. After forty years in the wilderness these two faithful servants of God were finally able to enter into the land God had promised them.
Caleb recounts this in Joshua 14:7-14 when at last the time came to go up and possess the land - "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 word back to him as it was in my heart. Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt with fear; but I followed the Lord my God fully. So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden will be an inheritance to you and to your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God fully.’ Now behold, the Lord has let me live, just as He spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, when Israel walked in the wilderness; and now behold, I am eighty-five years old today. I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in. Now then, give me this hill country about which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out as the Lord has spoken.” So Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. Therefore, Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite until this day, because he followed the Lord God of Israel fully."
It is a difficult thing to wait on the Lord, but He will always show Himself faithful. On day that Caleb entered the promised land after waiting in the wilderness for forty years Caleb says that his strength was just the same then as it was forty years earlier. This makes no sense humanly speaking, but this is exactly what God has promised in Isaiah 40:30-31 - "Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."
God blessed these two men because they followed Him with their whole heart. Though they had to wait in the wilderness, He was with them, He led them through, He renewed their strength, and He gave them the land which He had promised to them. Whatever our circumstances, we need to learn from the examples of these two faithful men, who, by faith, in spite of difficult circumstances served the Lord wholeheartedly and were blessed as a result. We're told in Colossians 3:23-24 - "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ."
I don't know what wilderness you may be going through right now or how long you've been in it, but one lesson we can learn from these two men is that it's better to go through the wilderness with God, than to live in a prosperous land without Him. Psalm 37:7-9 says - "Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land." These men waited for forty years. That's a long time. I've barely been alive half that long. I don't know how your faith is being tested or what you're being forced to wait upon the Lord for, but I do know that in His perfect timing He will bring you out of the wilderness if you will wait on Him. It may take a year or two, or ten, or forty, but those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Psalm 27:13-14 - "I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord."
In Numbers chapters 13 and 14 we are given the sad account of Israels unbelief concerning Gods promises to them about inheriting the land of Canaan. God told His people in no uncertain terms that He had given them the land of Canaan, this is the land that He promised to Abraham and his descendants, and now the people were in a position to go up and take possession of the land, however they didn't do so because they did not believe God. In Numbers 13 they sent 12 men into the land to spy it out for forty days, and ten of those twelve came back with a bad report. The other two, however, believed the Lord and encouraged the people to go up and take the land for the Lord was with them. These two men were Joshua and Caleb. And we find out that these two men were the only ones of the entire nation that believed God and followed Him with all their hearts. The writer of the book of Hebrews is talking about this event in Israels history and sums it up in chapter 3 verse 19 by saying - "So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief." And we also read in Numbers 32:11-13 - "'None of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob; for they did not follow Me fully, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have followed the Lord fully.' So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the entire generation of those who had done evil in the sight of the Lord was destroyed."
As I was considering these chapters over the last couple of days I was thinking about Joshua and Caleb. Out of the hundreds of thousands of people in the congregation of Israel, these were the only two who had faith in God. The Lords anger burned against the congregation because of their unbelief, and the entire nation wandered through the wilderness for forty years including those two men who believed God and followed Him fully. Caleb and Joshua both believed the Lord and yet they still had to spend forty years in the wilderness. The congregation of Israel did not enter into the promised land because of unbelief. Caleb and Joshua didn't enter the promised land either until forty years later, but why? They believed. If not entering the land was the result of unbelief shouldn't Joshua and Caleb have been able to enter immediately? God promised these two men in Numbers 14 that they would go up and inherit the land, but before they could do so they had to wait in the wilderness for forty years.
At the end of Numbers 14 there is a group of Israelites who try to enter the land by their own strength, but they were defeated by the people of the land because the Lord was not with them. So we see that the Lord did not go up into the land. Joshua and Caleb were ready to enter the land and they believed that God would give it to them, but they would rather go through the wilderness with God than go into the land of promise without Him. Through no fault of their own, Joshua and Caleb had to spend forty years in the wilderness. Due to the sin of others they had to wander in the wilderness, but God was with them every step of the way.
There are times of difficulty and trial that come into the life of every believer who seeks to grow in their relationship with God. Times of trial, some of which are due to the faithlessness and unbelief of others. But in whatever trying circumstances we find ourselves, we can be confident that the Lord will bring us through in His own perfect timing. During the wilderness wanderings God was still with His people, He didn't utterly forsake them. Joshua and Caleb, by faith, were content to wait on the Lord, even in the wilderness. Faith is patient to wait on God for His timing.
At the end of the forty years, according to the word of the Lord, the younger generation was able to enter the promised land under the leadership of Joshua and Caleb. After forty years in the wilderness these two faithful servants of God were finally able to enter into the land God had promised them.
Caleb recounts this in Joshua 14:7-14 when at last the time came to go up and possess the land - "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 word back to him as it was in my heart. Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt with fear; but I followed the Lord my God fully. So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden will be an inheritance to you and to your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God fully.’ Now behold, the Lord has let me live, just as He spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, when Israel walked in the wilderness; and now behold, I am eighty-five years old today. I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in. Now then, give me this hill country about which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out as the Lord has spoken.” So Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. Therefore, Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite until this day, because he followed the Lord God of Israel fully."
It is a difficult thing to wait on the Lord, but He will always show Himself faithful. On day that Caleb entered the promised land after waiting in the wilderness for forty years Caleb says that his strength was just the same then as it was forty years earlier. This makes no sense humanly speaking, but this is exactly what God has promised in Isaiah 40:30-31 - "Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."
God blessed these two men because they followed Him with their whole heart. Though they had to wait in the wilderness, He was with them, He led them through, He renewed their strength, and He gave them the land which He had promised to them. Whatever our circumstances, we need to learn from the examples of these two faithful men, who, by faith, in spite of difficult circumstances served the Lord wholeheartedly and were blessed as a result. We're told in Colossians 3:23-24 - "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ."
I don't know what wilderness you may be going through right now or how long you've been in it, but one lesson we can learn from these two men is that it's better to go through the wilderness with God, than to live in a prosperous land without Him. Psalm 37:7-9 says - "Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land." These men waited for forty years. That's a long time. I've barely been alive half that long. I don't know how your faith is being tested or what you're being forced to wait upon the Lord for, but I do know that in His perfect timing He will bring you out of the wilderness if you will wait on Him. It may take a year or two, or ten, or forty, but those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Psalm 27:13-14 - "I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord."
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