Old Warriors…

There are a lot of – let’s be honest – meaningless (to us) place names in these chapters. Don’t let your eyes glaze over while reading though. If not for detailed border descriptions like these, we wouldn’t be able to have maps like these:

Joshua is old now, but there is still land to conquer and giants to slay.

These chapters remind me of what my mom told us (when we complained) about picking green beans: It’s a good idea to look back at how much you’ve accomplished before you look at how much there is still to be done.

We get a recap of what Israel has done before we dive into all they have still to do.

We’re reminded of the fate of the infamous Balaam, son of Beor (of the talking donkey story). He was killed back in Numbers 31 along with the Midianites, but he is added here to the list bad-guys-taken-out.

We get lists of all the areas conquered so far. And there are a lot of giants and giant clans among them.

I LOVE the meeting of Joshua and Caleb! These two are the OG’s. That means “original gangsta” for anyone older than Millennials. I suspect there was more reminiscing and back-slapping than what is recorded here. These two are the only ones left of their generation. And the Lord still has work for them to do.

As we age we often think we can still do the things we did in our youth only to find out, our bodies and minds do not always agree. Like the time when I was (ahem) over 30 and decided to jump-summersault onto a stage (in a mercifully empty auditorium) because the Mission Impossible theme was playing and I couldn’t help myself. I ended up needing extensive chiropractic work. 🙄

I have a feeling that Caleb wasn’t just an old guy with warrior fantasies. At 85, he was probably in better shape than most of us.

“So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said.” Joshua‬ ‭14‬:‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

He’s eighty-five and itching for battle with giants. The Anakim are the giants that scared the other spies so bad 45 years ago that Israel had to spend 40 of those years going in circles in the desert. Imagine Caleb’s frustration! But finally – the time has come. Notice was Caleb isn’t saying.

He’s not saying. “Well, it would’ve been nice if I could’ve had this opportunity forty years ago. I’m too old now.” He’s not saying, “You kids deal with this. I’m moving to the cabin and enjoy retirement.” Caleb isn’t saying, “That ship sailed a long time ago. And I missed my chance.”

Moses didn’t start leading Israel until he was 80. Caleb is about to go take a homestead from a clan of giants at 85. Joshua will be leading the nation until he dies at 110!

Colonel Sanders didn’t start frying chicken until he was 62. 🍗 Grandma Moses didn’t start painting in earnest until she was 78. 🎨

I get that we live in a youth-saturated culture that seems to say “If you’re not an internet star or a millionaire 30, then you’re a complete loser and you might as well go sit in a corner,” but the Lord doesn’t roll that way.

Caleb spent his entire adult life with his dreams on the back-burner because of the failure of others. His plan of raising a family on his own homestead; conquered by his sword and bow to the glory of God, was postponed until it seemed hopeless; perhaps even pointless. His kids are all grown now. But he refused to give up.

He never forgot the promise of the Lord given through Moses, “Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.” Joshua‬ ‭14‬:‭9‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Caleb chose to believe that the reason he was still alive and able was because God fully intended to fulfill that promise.

“And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming.”
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭14‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬ 💪🏼

I’m deeply inspired by Caleb’s tenacious faith in the promise of God. The land that the LORD has promised to His servants will surely be ours. Even if we have to wait until we’re 85 to conquer it. As my Bible college president used to say often, “His delays are not His denials.”

I suspect that Caleb’s personal dreams weren’t the point of his request to Joshua. Or, at least they weren’t dreams based on his own comfort and convenience. He wanted his piece of God’s promise as a legacy- to the glory of God and the security of his family. And boy did he ever get it.

But that’s a story for tomorrow.