Volume 31 – 1990 (PDF) - Searching The Scriptures

Page 12 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
A MAN OF A DIFFERENT SPIRIT
Its easy to give in to peer pressure and be like
everyone else around you. People expect you to conform
to their standards and be "normal. " But it takes someone
special to be different and Caleb was just such a
man. Numbers 13-14 tell his story...
When the children of Israel were delivered from
Egyptian bondage they crossed the Red Sea and journeyed
to Mt. Sinai where Moses received the Law. From
there they traveled north to the edge of the promised
Land and Moses sent in twelve spies, one from each
tribe, to spy out the land. Their commission was simple,
"Go up there into the Negev; then go up into the hill
country. And see what the land is like, and whether the
people who live in it are strong or weak, whether they
are few or many. And how is the land in which they live,
is it good or bad? And how are the cities in which they
live, are they like open camps or with fortifications?
And how is the land, is it fat or lean?" (Num. 13: 17-
20).
Caleb returned with a glowing report of the land and
counseled, "We should by all means go up and take
possession of it for we shall surely overcome it" (Num.
13: 30). But ten other spies had been intimidated and
discouraged by giants they saw in the land and cried,
"We are not able to go up against the people, for they are
too strong for us" (Num. 13: 31).
Caleb received a special blessing from God because of
his faith. The divine record said, "But my servant
Caleb, because he has had a DIFFERENT SPIRIT and
has followed me fully, I will bring into the land which he
has entered, and his descendants shall take possession
of it" (Num. 14: 24). Why was Caleb so different? Did he
not see the same giants as had the ten? Was he not with
them when they saw the massive fortified cities of the
land? Yes, he saw! And the things that made Caleb
different are things we need.
CALEB WAS A MAN WITH GREAT CONFIDENCE
IN GOD. He had seen the same obstacles as had the ten
but, going beyond the vision of the unfaithful, he (along
with Joshua) believed in the power of God. "If the Lord
is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land
... " (Num. 14: 8), Joshua and Caleb affirmed. To
Caleb, the God who had the power to deliver Israel
from Egyptian bondage and bring them through the
Red Sea also had the power to deliver into their hands
the sons
of Anak. There was no doubt. God was on their side. Such
faith and confidence made Caleb different. And that
same faith will make us different also. With the work of
God before us we can't look to our own strength. We must
have confidence in God and the strength which he supplies
(cf. Phil. 4: 13).
CALEB WAS WILLING TO BE USED. When God
commissioned Moses to choose the spies He commanded
him to choose men who were already leaders (Num.
13: 2). God could not use the kind of men who would hide
among the tents when volunteers were sought. Caleb's
willingness to be used set him apart as different (if not
from the other spies then certainly from other men).
Modern Caleb's do not hide when there is someone to be
visited or a Bible class needing a teacher. They don't have
to wait to be asked to do something, they are already an
example of busy activity in the kingdom. When volunteers
are sought their attitude is like that of Isaiah,
"Here am I, send me" (Isa. 6: 8).
CALEB DEMONSTRATED COMPLETE OBEDI-
ENCE. Moses' commission was simple... go spy out the
land. The task of these men was not to decide whether or
not they could take it. God had promised them the land
which flowed with milk and honey and by His power they
would receive it. Their responsibility was to faithfully
report all that they had seen while in the land and then
to obey God and trust Him for the rest. The ten unfaithful
spies demonstrated their faithlessness and disobedience
by their bad report of the land. No doubt they were the
leaders in the grumbling against Moses (Num. 14: 2) and
the effort to appoint another leader to take them back
into Egypt (Num. 14: 4). Caleb, on the other hand, followed
the Lord "fully" (Num. 14: 24) and thus
displayed his "different spirit. " Friend, it is not our
right to alter God's commands or make judgments on
whether or not He will keep His promises. My part, in
the language of a familiar hymn, is but to "trust and
obey. "
CALEB WAS NOT INTIMIDATED BY THE OB-
STACLES. Satan has always attempted to set obstacles
in the way of obedience to God. Surely the great fortified
cities of Canaan and the giants that indwelt them looked
formidable, even to Caleb. But, like David, he believed
that faithful men are giant killers and that God and one
are a majority in any battle. Such faith can overcome
seemingly insurmountable barriers. Good people, there
will always be "giants" in the land. But when viewed
through the eyes of faith these mountains become mole
hills. The spirit of Caleb is the spirit of overcoming, not
succumbing... and working, not shirking.
Tragically, there have been times when I have been
more like the ten than like Joshua and Caleb. Please
God, forgive me for the times I have grumbled and
complained because of obstacles when I should have
wholly trusted in You and gone about to do Your will. And
help us all to develop a "different spirit. "