“But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it” (Numbers 14:24). Probably everyone has the desire to be known as somebody special. Surely you should be somebody special in the eyes of your wife or husband, son or daughter, mom or dad.
You might want to be considered “somebody special” because of the quality of work you do on the job or as a student. Although it is nice to be considered special by someone else, people do not always make you feel special when they should. However, if you follow the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are special in the sight of God, as Ephesians 1:3-14 proves.
Christians should always distinguish themselves as special people through their godly behavior. Caleb, who stood for God during a very trying time in Israel’s history, distinguished himself as somebody special. The account of the stand which he took along with Joshua is in Numbers 13:26-33 and Numbers 14:1-10. But in Numbers 14:24, God shows us what made Caleb so special.
Caleb was a servant. He put God’s plans ahead of his own. So, in a sense, God owned him. In Galatians 2:20, Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ.” He was God’s servant (Romans 1:1). As God’s servants, we have our own crucifying to do. Galatians 5:24 says, “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” Like Caleb, we must deny ourselves and take up our cross daily (Luke 9:23-24). Caleb had a tremendous spirit. Caleb was courageous and full of faith that God could bring them into Canaan. We need brethren who are optimistic that God’s will can be performed. Nothing discourages brethren more than a negative, pessimistic spirit. Those kinds of brethren are not assets to the work of the Lord — they are liabilities. We need to not fixate on the past but optimistically look ahead and fulfill God’s plans (Philippians 3:13-14).
Caleb had the strategy to follow the Lord fully. All Caleb did was follow God’s directions. He was obedient. What better strategy for life than to obey God (1 Samuel 15:22-23)? The will of the Lord was to do the will of the Father (John 4:34; 8:29). It should be our will too.
Caleb was an unquestioned success. Caleb received what he was promised. Caleb himself said, “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” (Joshua 14:9). Joshua 14:13 adds, “And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.”
As we imitate Caleb, we will be successful in the eyes of God and be rewarded just like him. The most glorious part of our reward is that it will far greater than a terrestrial home — it will be eternal. “And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away” (1 Peter 5:4; cp. 2 Timothy 4:7-8).
Kyle Campbell