“6. Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea. 7. Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. 8. Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God. 9. And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children’s for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God. 10. And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. 11. As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in. 12. Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said. 13. And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance. 14. Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel.”
In this passage of scripture, we find the word wholly underlined three times. This word is not underlined in your Bible, but for the sake of today’s thought! Looking at this word wholly we find it defined in the Webster 1828 dictionary as entirely; completely; perfectly; totally; in all the parts or kinds. Looking back at an earlier stage in Caleb’s life we can see his life started in bondage to the Egyptians. He had the Red Sea Crossing experience! He watched God destroy the entire Egyptian army! As he receives the law from Moses we find some very important words in Exodus 23:20-21, “Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.” Do you realize that when God spoke these words that He already had a mountain prepared for Caleb! You would think after a Red Sea Crossing that it wouldn’t be difficult to trust the Lord, but unfortunately it was.
In Joshua 14:8 he had a quick reference to Numbers 13 and 14 and how the children of Israel chose to follow men rather than God’s Word. Moses had sent 12 spies into the land of Canaan to search out the land. Caleb and Joshua came back with a good report saying that even though it looks difficult, we can conquer the land because God said we could. Unfortunately, 10 other spies said that there was no hope that they couldn’t conquer the inhabitants of the land. The people of Israel chose to follow the 10 rather than obey God, so God let them wander in the wilderness for 40 years. Not only did Caleb have to suffer 40 years in the wilderness for their decisions, but he also had to watch an entire generation die before he could move forward. One amazing example Caleb shows us is that even through difficulty he would follow God’s Word with all of his heart. Caleb made it! He is now about to inherit the mountain God had prepared for him.
Have you ever thought what it would be like to have a mountain? Can you imagine the deer, turkey, elk, or any other wild critter? I know plenty of hunters that would love to have a mountain or maybe even a valley. God had some great valleys for Israel as well! The truth is, God has great things in store for you, but you’ll never see them if you don’t serve Him wholly!
I believe the word wholly is a word that could be evident in the life of many believers, but not when it comes to serving God! What about turkey skills? Yep, we do everything we can to make sure we go hunting and know everything that there is to know about killing a bird. We could say that about all different kinds of wildlife that what hunt for. We could also say that about cars, football, work, or 4wheeling! You name it! What do you give your all to? Why can’t we have victory over our spiritual battles? Why can’t we have the mountains God has set aside for us? It’s because wholly is not in its right place! We are more concerned about ourselves, our friends, and our hobbies, than serving God! “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world…” God’s Word has always proven that He is faithful! Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to lead you in soulwinning? Is your prayer life and Bible reading time truly genuine, or just a ritual? Do you look forward to Sunday, or is it just another day? Maybe you’re not following the Lord wholly. The good news is that you can make a change today! Spend some time with God and allow Him to redirect some things in your life. Don’t miss the mountains friend! God is faithful!
Memory Verse
Joshua 14:14
“Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel.”
