Following Wholeheartedly

Introduction

Recently I was struck by a small phrase in the book of Joshua about Caleb. Joshua is leading the people, they have crossed the Jordan and they are dividing up the land to the west of the Jordan. In this moment there is a conversation, and Caleb is reminding Joshua of what has been agreed already with Moses. You can read this in Joshua 14. 

It is during this conversation that we get verse 18, where Caleb recounts what happened after spying out the promised land; you can read about that in Numbers 13. 

“but my brothers who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt with fear. I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.”

Joshua 14: 18b

This is reccounting what the Lord said about Caleb in Deuteronomy 1: 36.

As I read this phrase it really jumped out at me, “I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly”, what a statement. It made me pause and ask the question: what does that look like? So,in this study we will look at the life of Caleb and see if we can get some idea of what it means to follow God wholeheartedly.

Who was Caleb?

We don’t know a lot about Caleb, but we can piece together some sort of picture from a few passages in the Old Testament.

We first meet Caleb in Numbers 13. Moses is told by God to send some men to explore the land of Canaan. Amongst the 12 chosen is Caleb, verse 6 tells us he is from the tribe of Judah, and he is the son of Jephuneh.

The tribe of Judah is the tribe Jesus is descended from, and it is the tribe most of Israel’s kings and rulers come from. We also know, from God’s instruction in verse 2, that Caleb was one of the tribal leaders.

We can only assume that Moses has told them that this is the land the Lord is giving them, God has certainly told Moses that.

“The LORD said to Moses, “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.””

Numbers 13: 1 - 2

When these men come back from Canaan we see something different about Caleb. It is at this moment we recognise that Caleb is seeing the world differently. While the rest of the men report how good the land is they also focus on the current inhabitants. They fail to see that this is where God is sending them.

What sets him apart as one who follows God?

We know that Caleb is from the tribe of Judah, and that he is not swayed by the opinion of his peers.

“Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.””

Numbers 13: 30

In this short sentence we see the difference. Caleb is following God. Caleb remembers all that God has done up to this point, and that is fueling his belief that God is with them now, and they should follow where God is leading.

Sadly for Israel and the whole community there are more naysayers and they speak more loudly, and spread doubt, fear, and unbelief. The people run with this doubt, they forget all that God has done up to this point, and they long to be back in Egypt. Joshua and Caleb try to make the people see that God is with them, and that that changes everything.

“Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.””

Numbers 13: 6 - 9

Caleb, along with Joshua, trusts God. They do not deny the challenges and obstacles in the land. They are not avoiding the facts, or trying to deceive, they just have a different focus. They are focussed on God.

We must recognise that Caleb does not deny the obstacles, he doesn’t try to play them down or sugar coat them. Rather he has changed his perspective by trusting God. This trust enables Caleb to want to obey. I think he has kept in mind all that God has done so far, and with all that in mind he views the dangers ahead as an opportunity to see God move again.

This different focus is what leads to God telling Moses that Caleb follows wholeheartedly.

“But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it”

Numbers 14: 24

Sadly, the people listen to doubt and fear and God tells Moses they shall not enter the promised land, Caleb, however will; see Numbers 26: 64 - 65. We also read in Joshua that both Caleb and Joshua enter the promised land.

What about us?

This is all very interesting, but what about us? What do we learn from Caleb that we can apply to our own lives?

Well, the surface lesson is easy, we can and should trust God. But we can see from the rest of this story that it is not always easy. What do we do when there are giants in the land? We need to do what Caleb does. Acknowledge the giants are there, but see the good of what God is doing, and remember all that God has done before.

I admit that this is easy to write, and hard to do. Afterall, all twelve tribal leaders had the same testimony of God rescuing them, and only two applied it to their current situation. This leaves the question: how do we remember what has been done so that we can trust for what will be done?

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

Deuteronomy 6: 4 - 9

We talk about what God has done, we share testimonies in order to build faith. Yes, this passage is talking about the law that God gave to the Israelites, but they would surely have reccounted the whole story as they shared the law. It is in that story of rescue that we learn that we can trust God, it is through that story of rescue that we see that God is worthy of all our love.

What is our story of rescue? It is the story of salvation. Our rescue was won by Jesus on the cross, through His death, resurrection, and ascension. He has freed us from sin and shame, He has brought us into relationship with God, He has given us a sure and certain hope. This is our rescue story. We should remember and share this story.

I am also sure that anyone following Jesus has stories of how God has acted in their life, or in the lives of those around them. Across my life I have many such stories of God providing, healing, and comforting me and my family. I have to admit I don’t always remember them, particularly in times of challenge. I can be more like the ten doubting spies than like Caleb and Joshua.

I encourage each of us to think about these stories, to share them with others and let them fuel our trust in God for the situations we face today.