Caleb – the one wholly followed the Lord

When I thought of the name Caleb, I could only remember him as a spy sent together with Joshua, young and strong, to probe the land of Canaan.  The two of them were the only two who reported good news and had determination in conquering the Canaanites after spying out the land of milk and honey.

Is that all about Caleb?

After reading Joshua Chapter 14, I learned one description of Caleb – the one wholly followed the Lord.  This description appeared three times within ten verses. (verses 6-15)

Out of twelve spies, Caleb dared to stand out against the majority even though what he had seen were exactly the same as other people. What actually did they see? All the spies saw “the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large” (Number 13:28).

The ten spies drew a conclusion that “the land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours, its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height… we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them” (Number 13:32-33).

But why Caleb could come to a different conclusion? Is it because he is stronger than other people and he likes to fight? No. The Bible tells us a different story. The conclusion Caleb made was “in [his] heart” as he “wholly followed the Lord [his] God.” He just spoke as what his heart told him which reveals his strong faith and connection with God.  He noticed the gigantic size of the enemies, but more importantly, he saw the great miracles that God had done in saving the Israelite in different occasions.

In Joshua, Chapter 14, Caleb was now eighty-five years old and he requested Joshua for his inheritance, declaring that “Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said” (Joshua 14:12).  After forty-five years of waiting, Caleb’s faith in God has not diminished a bit but it has kept growing despite all the changes in his tribe.  Driven by his faith, not only did Caleb wait for the glorious day to come, he also trained himself so hard to stop his physical deterioration for preparing the war he had declared forty-five years ago. He said "I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength then, for war and for going and coming” (Joshua 14:11).

How long are we willing to wait for what God has granted us?  One year, two years, five years? When the future seems gloomy, it’s very difficult for us to keep our faith in God.  The waiting is already torturing, yet, Caleb didn't just stand still and wait. He equipped himself as he strongly believed that God would not forfeit his words. Today, we should learn from Caleb who had seen what other people saw but was willing to wait for the fulfillment of God’s words because he put God’s vision on top and wholly followed the Lord.