FROM THE DAWGHOUSE…
LESSONS FROM CALEB
At my Forge men’s gathering recently, Rev. David Outing gave us some incredible insight on the man named Caleb – which means dog. Ha. Imagine that.
No doubt, I find Caleb to be one of the most inspiring personalities in the Old Testament. At eighty-five years old, he had not relinquished the spirit that had motivated him when he was forty. He still believed that through the help and power of God great things could be accomplished. Mountains could be possessed!
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.
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.” (Joshua 14: 9-12)
My takeaway from Rev. Outing’s talk was that there were four key lessons to be learned from the life of Caleb.
ONE: Caleb was not defeated or discouraged by what others thought of him.
I wish I could say the same.
I enjoy considering the meaning of names as I study; at times, especially in the Old Testament, they can reveal something to us about the person. The name Caleb does not reveal the character of this man but may be an insight into some of the obstacles he faced. Caleb literally means “dog.” One scholar says it means “raging with canine madness.” In our vernacular, I think we would say Caleb was a “pit bull.” The truth is that though Caleb was of the tribe of Judah, he was from a clan in Judah that had a lower culture and a poor reputation.
Notice his father was Jephunneh the Kenezite. This was a wild clan that lived as much amongst the Edomites as the Hebrews. They were not a well-thought-of group. My point is, Caleb was probably not the best educated, nor the most cultured, nor did he come from royalty; but he did have a heart for God. He was not going to let his education, his culture, or his family history stop him from being all he could be for God. He became a “pit bull” for God. No giant, no negative Hebrew could stop his zeal for serving the Lord.
TWO: Caleb refused to be influenced by the negative majority.
And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. Numbers 13:30
How often do you go with the crowd? The majority? I know I can too easily be swayed by the thoughts of the many. Yet Caleb, despite ten of the twelve spies bringing back a negative report, spoke in opposition to them and in favor of entering and conquering Canaan. How easy it would have been for him to just blend in. He could have let those articulate ten princes have their say and just nod in agreement. Why choose to go against such an influential crowd? Because the crowd was wrong! Caleb was not going to remain silent while the majority was doubting and disobeying God. Thank God that Caleb was willing to take a stand for what was right even when that stand was unpopular.
THREE: Caleb remained steadfast throughout his lifetime.
Do you wish you could say the same? I do.
Caleb said the Lord had kept him alive for forty-five years from that fateful day when the majority ruled. For forty-five years, Caleb had wandered in the wilderness through no fault of his own. He suffered the same hardships and trials as those who had disobeyed God. Yet, his zeal to serve the Lord did not wane. Truth be told, we need to learn from the steadfastness of Caleb. I remember a pastor sharing with me that the average time a person is passionate to serve God in our churches is three years. Frightening. Am I really that weak?
May God help us to have the spirit of Caleb to passionately serve Him all the days of our lives.
Many men and women, particularly my mom and dad, played a vital role in leading me to Christ and in encouraging me as a young man. I will never forget my mom, in her mid-70’s, telling me about all the work God continued to put before her. The Holy Spirit was always present in her life. When she went to Heaven, there is no doubt in my mind that she was still planning and serving until the last breath.
Age may require changes in the work of our ministry, but it never supplies a reason to quit serving.
FOUR: Caleb did not let obstacles keep him from the fight and, ultimately, the victory.
Joshua 15:13–19 tells how Caleb organized his family to fight the enemy and take the mountain, the walled city, and overcome the giants. Everything in life that is worth accomplishing has obstacles. But knowing God’s will allows obstacles to become opportunities for Him to work through us.
Two of the greatest soulwinners I have ever known are Steve Brown and Pete Alwinson. I have no doubt they have led thousands to the Lord and encouraged so many Christians to be better witnesses. They are fearless despite the obstacles…despite the hard work…despite the fatigue. When there were many reasons to say, I’m done, the journey is too difficult, they persevered in Jesus’ name.
Both have the spirit of Caleb, and I, like so many others, are better for it.
May God give us the spirit of Caleb. There is still so much to be done and more mountains to conquer!
-Joe Bouch
If you would like to listen to Rev. David Outing’s message at FORGE, you can take a listen on The FORGE Truth Podcast here.
