Give Me the Giants

Numbers 13:30, 14:6-9 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.” Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us—a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.”

Pastor Rick Crockett graciously preached the Sunday Sermon this last week, as Pastor Phil Smith rightfully takes a sabbatical to care for his ailing wife. Pastor Rick spoke of how we tend to think of life as a career, where we start a profession, work long and hard to provide for our family and build a nice nest-egg then retire and relax though our “golden” years, but the Bible doesn’t have this formula for Christian life. It’s not like our kids in the backseat on a long family road trip asking: “Are we there yet?”, because the end of this journey’s pilgrimage road is the destination of “Glory” in the kingdom of Heaven. But this purposeful life of the child of God, here and now, led by the Holy Spirit, living by the Spirit and walking in the Spirit (Galatians 5), created in Christ Jesus, doing the good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10), is the walk in front of us. Sin took the land, but the Lord, though His people, is taking on the giants and restoring it to godliness, holiness and righteousness. To this holy purpose, we are here and to this task we put our hand; there is no retirement this side of glory.

Joshua 14:6-14 then the sons of Judah drew near to Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know the word which the Lord spoke to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh-barnea. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought word back to him as it was in my heart. Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt with fear; but I followed the Lord my God fully. So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden will be an inheritance to you and to your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God fully.’ Now behold, the Lord has let me live, just as He spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, when Israel walked in the wilderness; and now behold, I am eighty-five years old today. I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and forgoing out and coming in. Now then, give me this hill country about which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out as the Lord has spoken.” So Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. Therefore, Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite until this day, because he followed the Lord God of Israel fully.

Caleb knew the Lord and understood his lifelong mission, to trust and follow God whole-heartedly. With his whole heart, he saw the potential and possibility because no matter how physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually exhausted he’d become, he grasped that in the purposes of the Almighty, whatever he cannot do, God can do. Our weak flesh may fail, but our God never will and uses us. 2 Corinthians 4:16 tells us, Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.

Perspective makes the difference, and though there appear to be “giant” problems in life, God overwhelms the giants. The real question in this day and age is: Can we say, “I followed the Lord my God fully”? Like the Israelite Spies on the “Promised Land” told Moses, there will be fearful false bad reports from those who do not trust in the Lord. But, this Creator God that carries us through our own “forty year wilderness” experience is in control and will do more. So give me the giants.

Psalm 92:12-15 “The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree; He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”

Pastor Rick encourages us to live out our faith, no mater what our age and lot in life. Declare Lord God’s power and might, proclaim Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and be a “door-holder” inviting people into God’s court of mercy and love. Finish well.

In Christ, Brian