Caleb was old when he asked Joshua to give him the hill country. He had seen the Jerusalem hills before, he had seen the giants too, and he had thought about it for 40 years….because he was going back. He was going to build a home for his children there, so they could grow up in safety. He was in his eighties now but he felt like he did when he was in his forties. The vision of a home for his children had kept him young…..and now it was time to finish the task. Get rid of the giants, prepare a safe place for his children and grandchildren…..and worship the Lord.
We are in the same place today as Caleb…..except we are not at Jerusalem hills, ….we are at Eagle Hills. Some of us are old. What hair we have left is white, our fingers are crooked, and the last 40 years went by quicker than you can snap your fingers……(and I can’t do that anymore either). But my heart and my spirit feel like I did when I was 40 ….when the Lord became real…and I started following him.
There are still giants in the land…..they aren’t the Zamzummims that Caleb saw….but they still want to drag our children away. There is quite a variety of them…..Unbelief, Addiction, Immorality, Suicide ….to name a few ……and it’s not safe for the children. With the Lord’s help, Caleb dispatched them with the sword. With the Lord’s help, the Sword of the Spirit and the Love of Christ we can do the same. But we are the ones that have to act.
There was another leader in the Bible we should look at….. he chose not to act. He was a king, and a descendant of David, …His name was Hezekiah. Hezekiah was a good king and he followed the Lord. But in his old age he became prideful, showed his wealth to the Babylonians, and God sent Isaiah to tell him that after he dies the “giants” will drag his wealth and his children away. His response?……
“At least there will be peace and security in my lifetime”…..he simply wrote off his children…….and he did nothing.
Our work is not done….
the giants are still here, and the children are not safe yet…..
which will you be?…..Hezekiah or Caleb?
SELAH
SCRIPTURES: Joshua 14: 6-15
Joshua 15: 13-14
2 Kings 18: 1-8
2 Kings 20: 12-21
Ephesians 6: 10-22
Isaiah 40:11
John 17:17
PRAYER FOCUS: My children and grand children.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: The Sword of the Spirit is the word of God….”it is truth, spoken in love”.
~ Written by Gene Bennett