Wholehearted Caleb--A Challenge to Old Men

Joshua 14:7-12
"I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, 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. So on that day Moses swore to me, 'The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.' 
 
"Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am today, eighty-five years old!  I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said." 
 
 
You may have heard on the news today that Japanese mountain climber Yuichiro Miura reached the top of Mt. Everest.  Climbing Mt. Everest is one of those once-in-lifetime bucket list achievements for some people.  This is the third time Miura has done it.  

He's 80.  

​I'd say he's the "Caleb of Mountain Climbers."
 
The word most often used in the Bible to describe Caleb is "wholehearted."  He was always all in for God.  At 40 years old he had been one of the 12 spies to explore the promised land.  He and Joshua were the only two who believed that Israel could go in and possess the land.  It was not until 40 years later, when Caleb was 80, that Israel entered the land and began to conquer the people who lived there.  Caleb spent the next 5 years serving Israel and helping others secure their inheritance.  Not until age 85 did he gain the opportunity to conquer the land that would be his.  
 
The remarkable thing about Caleb was that he desired the land of the Anakites.  The Anakites were big and they had big, well-fortified cities.  They were the ones that made the spies "seem like grasshoppers" in their own eyes (Numbers 13:33).  At age 40 Caleb wanted to take them on.  At age 85 he did it and was victorious!
 
"I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.  Now give me this hill country…."  That sounds a little cocky, but when you're 85 and want to take on the Anakites, cocky is okay.
 
Wholehearted Caleb.  Always faithful.  Always all in.  Never resting on his past achievements.  Never relying on his reputation.  Always ready for another risk that would show off the mighty arm of God.  And always calling others to do the same.
 
When I get old I want to be like Caleb. 
 
Brian
 

No Lonely People

Psalm 25:16

Turn to me and be gracious to me,

for I am lonely and afflicted.

 

Psalm 68:5-6

5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,

is God in his holy dwelling.

6 God sets the lonely in families,

he leads forth the prisoners with singing;

 

 

My heart goes out to lonely people.  It’s ironic that we live on a planet of 6 billion plus individuals and can feel so isolated and cut off.  It’s strange that we can have 1500 “friends” on facebook and all we really share with them is pictures of our food.  

 

I think it is significant that the first thing God said was not good was loneliness—“It is not good for man to be alone”.    I recall a time in my life when loneliness was crippling.  I was a young man in his early 20s and had just moved to Houston, Texas (population 2.75 million) and I didn’t know a soul.  At the time I wasn’t very good at making new friends.  It took several months before I developed a circle of friends and didn’t feel as disconnected. 

 

It is not good for man to be alone because he gets into all kinds of trouble trying to soothe his loneliness in unhealthy ways.  I suspect that a lot of drug and alcohol abuse, sexual promiscuity, gaming addiction, etc. has its roots in loneliness.  It is in times of loneliness that we become an easy target for the enemy.

 

So what do you do if you struggle with loneliness?  It’s not an easy fix, but here are a few tips.

1.       Ask God for help, comfort and peace.  It was when I was alone that Christ became real as a Friend.

2.       Attend worship and volunteer for something.  This is no time to be sleeping in on Sunday morning.

3.       Join a community group (or four).

4.       Eat well and get plenty of exercise and sleep.  This can keep you from slipping into full blown depression.

5.       Pursue group hobbies—bowling leagues, softball team, cycling group, etc. 

 

And a word of encouragement to those of us who are not lonely—reach out to those who may be struggling with isolation.  Perhaps yours is the family in which God is placing them.

 

 

Brian