The descendants of Anak were nearly ten feet tall. They lived on Caleb’s mountain in fortified cities with walls up to heaven. It took forty years in the desert and five years of war to get there, but when Caleb arrived to finally take possession of his mountain… his hill country… he had no fear. He had no doubt. He wholeheartedly followed the Lord.
They said to all the people of Israel, “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey.
Numbers 14:7-8
The Lord did not leave the children of Israel when He sent spies into the Promised Land to review their inheritance. He was the same God in that moment as He had been all along. Not one of them could have failed to see His greatness.
The ten plagues of Egypt,
The parting of the Red Sea,
Bitter water made sweet.
Manna every morning,
Quail in the evening,
Water gushing from a rock… twice.
The angel of God in a pillar of cloud.
The angel of God in a pillar of fire.
He did not depart from them day and night.
The size of the giants in the land did not diminish the Lord’s power or rob Him of His strength. It wasn’t a weakness in Him that brought doubt into the hearts and minds of His children that day. No, they had witnessed all His miracles, but still failed to see Him.
Walking along the road with the King of Heaven for less than two years at that point, hearing His voice directly, and they had already lost their awe.
They were too familiar with His works.
Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.
Numbers 14:9
Caleb and Joshua took God at His Word. Out of twelve leaders of Israel, only these two men saw Him for who He really is. Why should we tremble at these ten-foot giants when God is on our side? “They are bread for us!”
They are our inheritance. A blessing, not a curse.
Hearing this, the people picked up stones to kill the faith of these two men, but God intervened on their behalf. He struck down Israel’s rebellion with 40 more years in the desert… with Caleb and Joshua right by their side. They would have to wait with everyone else, even though they were brave and full of faith.
No one could have known that it would be Joshua, not Moses, who would finally lead Israel into the Promised Land. With great loyalty, obedience, and preparation, he waited in the shadows for four decades before receiving Moses’ mantle of leadership.
Caleb served as a steadfast leader of the tribe of Judah, upholding his wholehearted devotion to God. Although he suffered through the wanderings due to others’ disobedience, he remained faithful and patient… a silent, encouraging presence among the people.
He had an excellent spirit.
So give me the hill country that the Lord promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great, walled towns. But if the Lord is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the Lord said.
Joshua 14:12
The descendants of Anak were a tall, militant people living high up in their fortified cities, but Caleb trusted God to deliver the land, and that is exactly what He did. With God’s help, Caleb drove the three sons of Anak out of Hebron. By faith, at the mature age of eighty-five, he overcame significant obstacles and once again proved the power of His miraculous God.
When our own mountains of challenging circumstances come in this life, and they always will, what will we say and how will we respond? When the initial shock wears off and our blood pressure begins to even out again, where will we land when it comes to faith in God? Will we speak out our faith like Caleb, saying surely our God will give us the victory… or will we shrink back in fear?
Here are a few things we need to remember:
- This mountain is our inheritance from the Lord. If we take God at His Word, we will realize that He “works everything together for our good.” He didn’t leave or change when we came to this challenging place in our journey, and He was not surprised by it in the least. If He “will never leave us or forsake us” (Hebrews 13:5-6), and He “will accomplish everything that concerns us” (Psalm 138:8), then we can see every mountain before us as an opportunity to prove His strength and power.
- Are we fully convinced? Caleb and Joshua were fully convinced that with God’s help, they could possess the land. When they saw giants, they saw opportunities to stand and fight and overcome. They were not afraid because they did not rely on their own strength to save them. “If God was pleased with them,” they would win, no question, for what can stand in God’s way?
- In Mark 5:36, Jesus tells Jairus, “Do not fear; only believe.” This is a command we are able to follow today. We can replace our fear with faith in God’s power, even when facing impossible situations like death. Fear and faith cannot coexist, so we must trust in God’s ability to heal and to save, and not focus on hopeless circumstances.
- In Mark 5:36, Jesus tells Jairus, “Do not fear; only believe.” This is a command we are able to follow today. We can replace our fear with faith in God’s power, even when facing impossible situations like death. Fear and faith cannot coexist, so we must trust in God’s ability to heal and to save, and not focus on hopeless circumstances.
- What we say matters. Proverbs 18:21 tells us that “life and death are in the power of the tongue.” Our words, whether positive or negative, frame our world and shape our reality. It is from “the overflow of the heart [that] the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). Caleb and Joshua operated from their faith in God, while the children of Israel spoke only their fear.
- What we think matters. Proverbs 23:7 tells us, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” This is why it is so important that we don’t think about things like the world does, with only human wisdom and varying opinions about what is right or wrong for us to do. Instead, we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds… by allowing our minds to be cleansed by the washing of God’s Word. That we determine in ourselves to believe what He says, see through His eyes, and walk in His ways. It’s only then that we will be able to discover the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God! (Adaptation of Romans 12:2).
- What we do matters. Fear is insidious, and fear is a trap. It starts subtly and creeps in, but it is a destructive force that erodes our faith, little by little, eventually causing torment and separating us from the peace of God. Fear is our enemy who works to replace trust in God with paranoia, control, and doubt.
- But we know that God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear. No, He has given us a spirit of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline. These are God-given abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7).
- So instead of shrinking back in fear, we will rest with great confidence in the One who is deeply concerned about our well-being. He will never leave us or forsake us. Who can come against us when God is on our side?
And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.
Romans 8:28 AMP
Broken & Sown 