The last time we left off, Caleb was approaching Joshua to receive his land inheritance.
Here’s the truth of what went down during that transaction.
Caleb ended up getting a whole lot less than he originally asked for.
He wanted ALL the territory he and his soldiers successfully conquered.
However, you can’t always get what you want.
At the end of the day, Caleb got Hebron and its surrounding land areas.
However, regardless let’s not forget that Caleb was greatly honored.
Why?
Because he was the very first Israelite to receive his land inheritance inside the land Hashem had promised to His people.
This is how the Lord rewarded Caleb for remaining faithful to Him and His chosen servant Moses…
…in spite of taking the unpopular position that Israel should have ignored the strength of the enemy and in faith attack the Canaanites…
…and in spite of the opposition he got from his brothers.
Another point we shouldn’t overlook is that Caleb’s clan belonged to the Tribe of Judah!
That’s right.
Judah would be the first tribe to inherit real estate inside the Land of Canaan…
…which leads me to another important point.
What we’re going to see unfold…
…is that the land will be handed out based on…
…the number and sizes of the clans inside the tribes.
This is a concept totally foreign to our way of thinking but any tribal society in the ancient Middle East would have perfectly understood what was happening here.
Some tribes had larger populations and as a result were more powerful than others.
And the same goes for the clans that made up each of the individual tribes of Israel.
Some of the clans carried a lot more power and authority, so as a result they were able to dominate and exert much more influence over their brothers within the tribe.
So keep in mind, a tribe was simply a collection of clans.
Therefore, any warfare that broke out within a tribe was always a battle between between the clans that made up that tribe.
We can know without a doubt that Caleb was the most powerful clan in the Tribe of Judah.
Why?
Because he got first pick of the land for his tribe Judah man!
However, here’s another interesting point to consider.
Even though Caleb got the land he asked for, it was still unconquered territory.
At this stage in Israel’s history, the objective was to just map out which tribe would be getting which territory.
Once the land assignments were determined, it was then the job of each tribe to go and drive out the Canaanites and maintain control over what God had given them.
And that’s the takeaway of today’s post folks.
I believe the Lord has wonderful plans for your life and has already given you an “inheritance”.
BUT it is still up to you to go out there and get it!
Remember, Noah had to go out there and build the Ark.
The Lord didn’t build it for him.
And the Israelites taking the Promised Land is also a perfect demonstration of this principle.
The Lord gave them the land but the Israelites still had to risk life and limb to get it.
The Lord has given but we still need to go out and get it.
As paradoxical as that sounds, that’s the spiritual principle we need to contend with.
See ya all next time!
Stay frosty!
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