“Now, look: Adonai has kept me alive these forty-five years, as he said he would, from the time Adonai said this to Moshe, when Israel was going through the desert. Today I am eighty-five years old, but I am as strong today as on the day Moshe sent me — I’m as strong now as I was then, whether for war or simply for going here and there. Therefore, give me this hill, the one Adonai spoke about on that day; for on that day you heard how the ‘Anakim were there with great, fortified cities; perhaps Adonai will be with me, and I will drive them away, as Adonai said.”-Joshua 14:10-12
Following on the heels of yesterday’s post, Caleb reminds Joshua that Moses promised to give him the land he had personally scouted out 45 years earlier.
Well, which territory are we talking about?
If we go back to the story of Moses sending out 12 spies to reconnoiter the land, we see it was Caleb’s responsibility to scout out the area of Hebron.
So that’s our answer right there.
Hebron is the territory he is asking Joshua to hand over to him as his clan’s land inheritance.
Next, from verse 10, we’re given an interesting tidbit of information.
We’re told Caleb was 40 years old when he went with the group of 12 spies to reconnoiter Canaan and then we’re told that Caleb is now 85 years old.
Doing some basic math here, that means the spying out of the land took place about 45 years ago.
We also know that 2 years had passed from when Israel left Egypt and formed the scouting party.
Hence, approximately 7 years have passed since Israel crossed over the Jordan River.
In other words, up until this point in time, all of the battles we’ve been studying about since we began our study of the Book of Joshua occurred within a 7-year time span.
Note also mention of that race of giants called the Anakim who were inhabiting Hebron.
What’s amazing is we find that Caleb is still filled with the same testosterone-bursting boldness now as back then when he was a much younger man.
Think about it.
Nobody wanted to mess around with the Anakim.
But here we have an 85-year old man still bold and crazy for the Lord and still just as ready to wipe out the Anakim now as he was 45 years earlier.
Boy, I hope I’m that young when I turn 85.
The takeaway here is awesome.
Age doesn’t really matter.
If you maintain your child-like faith and enthusiasm for the promises of God, instead of turning bitter and cynical through the passage of time as so many do, the Lord will keep your spirits eternally fresh and your bones strong ready to wage war for His Kingdom anytime.
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