Giving it all away for others
Written by GodisLove1John416
Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 09:26 PM.
Forty years ago, Caleb had already seen a piece of real estate he wanted for himself and his family (Joshua 14:12). By the time Caleb approached Joshua about the land he wanted, he had already done a far greater share of all the fighting, claiming territories NOT for himself, but for others. Here is a man who had a talent for warfare and who used it for others. What would we do given a time period of 40 years of waiting? Caleb exercised his stewardship of time wisely. The chapter prior to this episode tells us that the children of Israel were already dividing the land. Caleb was last to claim the land for himself and he had to fight for it. It was not an easy territory because of the fortified cities and the presence of warriors but what good is a God given talent when one only takes the easy way out? For Caleb, it was a talent for warfare utilised to the maximum. He fought hard for one of the toughest territories and he got it. We learn a little bit more about him in Joshua 21:9-12. Caleb lived to fight for the land of Hebron, later to give the city and its suburbs to the Koharthites. The Koharthites were the descendents of Levi. Caleb had witnessed their rebellion against the leadership of Moses (Num 16:1-4). We live on borrowed time and as we pass each milestone of our lives, there is always a tendency to carry forward bad memories of the past to the present. Such experiences do cloud our judgment and decisions. Caleb did not protest when Israel decided to give what he had fought for to an infamous family line with a bad history. He had not allowed the past to cloud his gift for the future. He gave away his treasured possession ultimately to the Lord, for the city of Hebron became one of the Levitican cities of refuge (Jos. 21:13). In summary, Caleb used the time of 40 years that he had to exercise his talents for others. He maximised his talents to claim one of the toughest territories. Finally, he gave away what he had dreamed of, and fought so hard for to the Lord.
