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Caleb: A Man who Wholly Followed the Lord. Numbers 13:26-14:9 & Joshua 14:6-12 – Bible study

Caleb: A Man who Wholly Followed the Lord. Numbers 13:26-14:9 & Joshua 14:6-12 – Bible study

Caleb: A man who wholly followed the Lord
A MAN WHO WANTED A MOUNTAIN

Numbers 13:26-14:9 & Joshua 14:6-12

by Cooper Abrams

    Introduction:
    1. Israel had not made a complete break from Egypt. Egyptin the Bible is used as a symbol of the world or worldliness. Israelhad be delivered for Egypt, but they still retained in their minds muchworldly thinking. Today some believers because of a lack ofobedience to the Lord also hold on to much worldly thinking.

    God had brought Israel out of four hundred years of being inEgypt a place that God never intended them to be. In the later yearsa new dynasty of Pharaohs came to power who knew not Joseph. They enslaved the Hebrews and made them build the treasure cites ofRearmost. They cried to God for deliverance. God sent themMoses who led them from Egypt. God promised them the land ofCanaan over 500 years earlier. God had taken them through theparted waters of the Red Sea and then to Mt. Sinai where God gavethem the Law. Now they had traveled east and north to a small placecalled Kadesh-Barnea.

    Kadesh-Barnea for Israel was the place of decision? It wasmore than taking the land God had promised them. It a place to makethe decision to follow and trust God or not. It was a decision totrust God and obey His word or to trust their own wisdom andunderstanding.

    God told Moses to send into the land one man from each ofthe tribes of Israel. Deut. 1:20-22, explains that God told them toimmediately go and possess the land, but they wanted to first send inspies to look over the area so they could come back and plan theirstrategy. God was gracious although He had told them to goimmediately and take the land. He let them send in the spies whowere in the land for forty days.

    Of the twelve men who spied out Canaan, Joshua and Calebwere the two who brought back a good report. Only they had faith inGod.

    Others with the same background, Egypt, Passover, Red SeaCrossing, Mt. Sinai had seen God supply their needs. However theydid not truly believe God and with eyes of unbelief -(carnal) saw thetask as impossible.

    Joshua and Caleb through Eyes of Faith saw no reason todelay but to immediately go and take the land.

    It should be noted that BOTH REPORTS WERE TRUE!

      *Two men by faith trusted God and based on their trust on Hispromises and saw the land as theirs.

      *Ten men trusted in themselves and knew they could notdefeat the Canaanites.

      They were both right! -Two men saw God as their deliverer,10 men believed that man must deliver him self.

      *Two men were willing to let God use them,

      *Ten men opposed God’s will and hindered others.

      *Two men rejoiced in what God was to give to them

      *Ten men murmured, denied God, and Num. 14:10, says theywanted also to kill Joshua and Caleb because they wanted to followthe Lord.

    2. Caleb was no fool, he saw the giants. He was with Joshua,Israel’s military general. They knew it would be a fight. Yet, he knewthat God would fight for them.

      a. Num. 13:30..Caleb replied “..let us go at once and possessit.

      b. Num. 14:8-9, they stated the Canaanite defense wasdeparted, because the Lord is with us!

      c. Many say they believe the Bible and would fight if youdenied or said miracles of God were not true. Many today will claimto have great faith in the Lord. …….Yet, today they can’t seem torelate their faith into their lives. They say they want to serve Godand have the blessing of doing God’s will….yet the run hot one minuteand cold the next.

      -They always have always good reasons why they can’t trustGod in a particular matter. Their report -“Its great, boy itsgreat to trust the Lord, . . . BUT!” V27-28

      -They lived confused lives, tossed to and fro, up one day anddown the next.

    3. God is the same today as then, the same principals apply asthey did in the past.

    4. God has given us and an excellent example of a man whodespite all the difficulties and discouragements was a man who whollyfollowed the Lord.

    I. CALEB, WAS A MAN WHO WHOLLY FOLLOWED THELORD. Josh. 14:14.

    A. CALEB, had the same circumstances as the others

      1. Born in Egypt a slave.

      2. He saw the miracles God used to get the Pharaoh to get themgo.

      3. He saw the Red Sea parted.

      4. In Egypt, he too had longed for deliverance and suffered underthe cruelness of the Egyptians.

      5. Could I ask a simple question? How many of you here inthe congregation think that it is impossible to serve the Lord? I wouldlike you raise you hands…but do not raise them if you not honestlybelieve that a believer can not only desire to wholly serve the Lord butcan actually do it.

      6. If you raised your hand or did not raise you hand I haveanother question. Are you living wholly for the Lord? (No handsplease) Last question. . . why not? What is your excuse? Behonest with yourself. . .why are you not living wholly for the Lord?

      If it is impossible to wholly serve the Lord. . .then is God lying about Caleb? Was Caleb different from you and I? If youthink so . . .what is the difference.

    B. It was the Minority who believed the message of Moseswas from God and they followed him, trusting God. I haveheard those that say these men in the Bible were extraordinary mennot like us today. . .because they had such a great faith.

      I do not understand their reasoning and one thing points totheir being absolutely wrong. Why do they say that men are differenttoday and we cannot have men of great faith like Caleb….yet we havethe faithless today just like in Caleb’s day? Why can we have faithlessand disobedient men just like those of Caleb’s day. . .and not be ableto have men of faith who wholly followed the Lord? That I believeis a double standard.

      Sadly today in our modern “Christian” thinking it is themajority that rules. Yet, in the Bible I am hard pressed to show youfew examples of the majority being right.

      The example I find are those in the Book of Acts where thelocal congregation in Jerusalem and later in Antioch prayed fasted andsought God’s will….they have unity because they were as a grouptruly seeking God’s will.

      And the examples in Rev. 2:8-11, where the Lord Jesuscommended the congregation at Smyrna, who were hard workingbelievers who were being severely persecuted for their faith in Christand in the assembly at Philadelphia who were fighting Satan tooth andnail yet kept the word of God and had a B evangelistic out reach.

      1. Today in our modern churches some simply are only alongfor the ride. They don’t get involve much. They follow the heritageof the Jews who God delivered from Egypt. Sure they wanted to getout of Egypt, but as soon as trouble came they cried “it would havebeen better to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” Ex. 14:11-14

      Moses then told them plainly, fear not, God will fight for you,

      2. Rom. 9:6, says “For they are not all Israel, which are ofIsrael”

      3. Caleb, believed God. All of the Children of Israel werephysically delivered from Egypt, but Caleb was also Spirituallydelivered!

        a. The majority of Israel left Egypt with their heartsunchanged.

          b. Num 14:2, They had really not been spirituallydelivered. They saw with carnal eyes, eyes blinded to reality ofthings. They actually longed to be back in slavery and oppression inEgypt!

          c. It is impossible for the carnal heart, to try and trustGod. Blinded eyes to God`s presence, grope around in the dark,frighten, afraid, bumping into things.

      C. Caleb, had let God deliver him!

        1. With eye’s that had the scales removed, in thebrilliant light of God’s presence, he clearly saw things as they were.

        2. When God had revealed himself through themiracles in the desert, he had believed in God.

        3. He had taken part in the Passover, and had realized, the blood of the lamb, sprinkle on the door post was God’s sign andpromise of coming of the great Deliverer.

        4. Caleb also knew the promises and unconditionalcovenant that God had made to Abraham and had confirmed Isaac,and Jacob.

      D. Now Caleb delivered from bondage let go of the past. Helooked to the future trusting it God.

        1. He did not desire to return to slavery in Egypt! He hadtasted freedom and the blessings of God ….he could not return.

        2. He was not burdened by God’s commands given at Mt.Sinai. Because he believed God…God’s laws perfectly fit his life.

        3. Today, many see God’s instructions for life, commandments,statues, and principals as a burden. They hang on to the past sins andit enslaves them!

          a. Many fail to see that God gives one a new spirit newheart, new desires, goals and life. God give the very best one canhave.

          b. They fail to see how empty life is not obeying theLord, and how God brings purpose and fulfillment.

        4. Some are plagued by old sins and failures

          a. They carry the weight of their sins, not seeing God,lifts the burdens.

          b. Many can’t really forgive themselves, and can’t seethat God, completely forgives.

          c. Listening to the false, hellish teachings of works forsalvation, many in truth see the situation as hopeless, not worth theeffort.

          d. But God’s preacher the same as did Moses pointsmen, women, boys and girls to the Lord and says to the sinner, “Fearnot, stand still, and see the salvation of the lord” Ex. 14:12.

    II. CALEB NOW DEMONSTRATES HIS FAITH GOD.

      A. Canaan was a land of giants.

        1. Yet, seen thru the eye of faith, Caleb saw themtumbling down.

        2. He, saw God, in all His power as fighting for him.

        3. The faithless and unbelievers called him a fool,wanted to kill him for his faith, and yet who reallywas the fool.

        You let a Christian today try to step out by faith and serve theLord and you can rest assured that he will be criticized. The never-do-well spiritually crowd will always be ready to offer a word ofdiscouragement.

        It is not the persecution of the world, nor the world that ishindering the work of God today….it is faithless church members whoclaim to have something they show little evidence of having.

        4. Canaan Land and all the blessings of God, lay there fortaking, and yet they simply refused God’s free offer and gift.

      B. In Joshua 14:12, after having to wander in the desertfor 40 years, with all those who refused to trust God now dead,Caleb, a man who trusted God, again wants God’s promise andGod’s best.

        1. Josh. 14:8,14 states he wholly followed the Lord.

        2. Josh 14:10, he says God kept him alive, and he wasstill as B as he was forty years back when hetrusted God.

      C. Then in V12, still claiming God’s blessings, he cries”Give me this mountain!”

        1. V14, Says, Hebron became the inheritance ofCaleb…because he wholly followed the Lord.

        2. Caleb’s circumstances were no different fromanyone else of the Children of Israel in these circumstances.

        Yet, he was different, he was a man who just believed God, andwalked trusting Him.

        3. He let God, save him, and direct his life. Claimingthe mountain involved a fight. God did not just drop it out of the skyinto his lap. There was risk and danger in taking the promise ofGod.

        4. Caleb, at 85, he vigorously, attacks and defeats theAnakims, and takes the mountain. The mountain was actually abeautiful valley. It was where the huge cluster of grapes was broughtfrom. Hebron was were Abraham and Sarah, Isaac/Rebekah,Jacob/Leah are buried there.

        5. Caleb’s faith was wearing working clothes.

        James 2:18, “show me thy faith without works, and I will shewyou my faith by my works.” talk is cheap! The real show of faithwas not saying he had faith, but rather in going ahead putting ones allon the line, trusting God.

      CONCLUSION

        1. Would there be even one or two today, who would by simplefaith, place themselves in God’s hands, and let God save them?

        2. Is there a Christian, who sees that he or she has not been reallytrusting the Lord to direct all their life, and would simply come, kneelhere at the front and surrender your all to the Lord to let God use you.

        3. Maybe the Lord, has been dealing with someone about this matterof living by faith. You would want to come and ask me to pray withyou about it. Maybe the first step of faith, is asking for someone tospare the matter with you in prayer.

        Can you honest in the sight of God give any excuse or validreason that each of us are not wholly following the Lord?

        Then this is may be your Kadesh-Barnea. What will you do withJesus? Will you go forward by faith. Are you willing to claim themountain and being willing to endure the struggles of living for theLord and then reap the reward and blessings of God?

        5-23-1999

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