Order of Service

Joshua 14:12a

Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spake in that day.

Introduction

These are the words of Caleb. In my opinion, Caleb is one of the most honorable characters in the Bible. There are many great characters in the Bible that we can emulate: Abraham, Moses, Ester, Ruth, Job, and many, many more. None were perfect, but they had qualities we all can use as positive role models.

Caleb had a servant’s attitude. He served under Moses, and then he served under Joshua. He was just as dedicated as Joshua, but he was not chosen to succeed Moses. Joshua was the successor to Moses. Although Caleb never became the “head man in charge,” he was not envious of Joshua and never tried to start a coup and divide the people. Don’t get me wrong, we need leaders, but we also need followers. I like to call them “supporters.” If the organization is structured correctly, there will always be more supporters than leaders. I know you have heard the phrase that may be politically incorrect today, “Too many chiefs and not enough Indians.”  Caleb was more dedicated to the cause of getting the people to the Promised Land than to a particular personality. So, he served diligently under Moses as well as under Joshua.

In order to understand this text fully, we have to rewind our mental tape and go back to Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Soon after the children of Israel left Egypt, Moses sent twelve spies on a reconnaissance mission. They were sent to develop a strategy to conquer the land. On paper, it was a perfect committee; there was a member from each tribe. Joshua and Caleb were among the twelve.

The committee came back with mixed opinions about the success of a mission to take the land. Ten said they could not win a victory. Only Joshua and Caleb were positive and believed a victory could be won. The naysayers said the land was good, flowing with milk and honey. There was only one problem: the inhabitants.  The Canaanites were large in size and in number. “Compared to the Canaanites, we look like grasshoppers.” Faint hearts prevailed, and the people did not listen to the reports of Joshua and Caleb. As a result, they wandered in the wilderness for forty years. What could have been a forty-day’s journey became a forty-year’s sojourn.

Now, let’s fast forward forty years to our text. They have entered the Promised Land, and they were deciding which tribes would get which portions of the land. They were casting lots to make it fair, because everybody wanted the best, most fertile land. Caleb spoke up, pointed his index finger and said, “Give me this mountain. It is rough terrain, and there are some very bad people up there, but I will take it. I am eighty-five years old, but I will take it. I have waited forty years to acquire it. Take me out of the pool, and don’t cast lots for me, because I will take the land that nobody wants. It will be difficult, but I accept and embrace the challenge”.

Exposition

1. Caleb Remembered God’s Promise To Him.

(God Had Promised Caleb This Portion Of Land – Joshua 14:9.)

(Caleb Had Climbed This Mountain Before During The Reconnaissance Mission.)

2. Caleb Wanted To Dwell On Higher Ground.

(Caleb Liked A Challenge.)

(Caleb Had “Godly” Confidence In Himself.)

(He Took What Nobody Wanted And Found Success.)

3. Caleb Was Grateful To God For His Many Blessings.

(He Was Eighty-Five Years Old And Still Functioning.)

(He Was One Of The Two Who Left Egypt And Entered The Promised Land.)

(Even Moses Did Not Make It.)

(He Outlived The Naysayers.)

Closing Thoughts

Everybody has a mountain to climb at each stage of life. Find your mountain and conquer it. It is sitting there just waiting for you to climb and conquer it. The mountain, although not desirable in most people’s opinion, possesses strategic importance.  Once gained, it could be a springboard for future conquests.

Give God Glory! Give God All The Glory!

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