“But my servant Caleb,
because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him
will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess
it.” ~Numbers 14:24
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Moses sent twelve spies into the promised land to search it out. On their return, ten of the twelve spies told of the difficulties the Israelites would face in conquering the land. Caleb was one of two who encouraged the people to go up and take the land.
What was different about Caleb? What was this “another spirit” that he had?
In the surrounding verses, I found three qualities Caleb had that I think may have contributed to that spirit.
1. Caleb had faith in God. “The Lord is with us,” Caleb say in Numbers 14:8-9. “If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us.” Caleb understood that God would give the people the strength to complete what He had commanded them to do. He had faith that God would accomplish His will. Do I have that same faith? Like Caleb, do I claim the promises of God to see victory in my life?
2. Caleb was obedient. “Only rebel not ye against the Lord,” Caleb says in verse 9. In recounting this story in Joshua 14:8, he says, “Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the Lord my God.” There was nothing halfhearted about his obedience; he did it fully. Do I listen when I feel the Holy Spirit impressing something on my heart? Do I choose only the commands I want to obey or do I ask for His help to do the difficult things – like loving my enemies or putting others’ needs ahead of my own?
3. Caleb had courage. “Neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not.” [Numbers 14:9] It takes courage to live the Christian life. Our choices are usually the opposite from what out culture embraces. But Caleb had God’s perspective – if He is with us, who can stand against us?
Let’s see if we can follow these same principles and develop a spirit like Caleb’s!
I want to have a faith like Caleb's! This is a great post! Way to tease out the meaning from these few verses!
Thank you, Nikki! Lately I've been reading through some Old Testament passages that I hadn't read in quite awhile and am really enjoying them.
This is a great lesson!!!
So true!! I often wonder how life would have been different if the people had trusted that God would protect and provide for them, just like he promised!!
This is definitely a theme I've noticed with all the "greats" in Scripture – these qualities are found in all of them, I believe. And to me, that is really encouraging – it means these qualities aren't out of reach, they are things we can also aspire to and be characterised by. Great reminder, Tracey.