PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verses 7-8): Per these verses, Caleb remained honest and loyal to the Lord throughout his time under Moses’ and Joshua’s command. Can I honestly say that I’ve remained and loyal to You throughout my life ever since coming to faith? I cannot, unfortunately. I have lied to myself, lied to other believers, and even tried to lie to You at times, Father. I have done things typically without true remorse that are not in line with a follower of Christ, which I would classify as not being loyal to You. Please forgive me for the disloyalty and dishonesty of my past, Father. Forgive me for my immaturity in my faith and in life in general. Help me to continue to pursue You properly, but also to continue to mature in my life, in my faith, in my relationship with You, and in my relationship with my wife, Father.
PROMISE (verses 9, 13): While under Moses’ command, Caleb and his family were promised a bit of land. Caleb was faithful to the Lord’s mission by remaining in battle under Moses and then under Joshua for 45 additional years after that promise was made. At that point, however, the promise made to Caleb had come to fulfillment and he received the land You had promised him through Moses. Joshua kept the promises of his predecessor, Moses, but also honored You as a result of keeping those promises.
ATTITUDE (verses 8-9): I know I have gotten much better as of late, but I also know I have struggled with this attitude towards You quite often in my past. Help me to truly embrace an attitude of loyalty towards You, Father. I no longer want to put loyalty to anything in this world ahead of You, because I know now that You are far more important than anything this world has to offer. Continue to remind me of this daily, Father, but also help me embrace and hone this attitude of loyalty towards You. I know I have faced trials in my life and as a result of those trials have been far closer to You in those moments then when times are good. Today I ask You to help hone my loyalty during the good times, Father, as this is where I get in the most trouble in our relationship. This is where I tend to become the most distant from You as a result of the good things in my life distracting me. Remind me of the bad times I had to go through to get to the good times, Father, so that I never forget or take the good for granted.
COMMAND (verses 8-9): Although I do not see a direct and obvious command in today’s scripture, I do see an implied command. Your servant, Caleb, had done everything for You out of loyalty. You actually mention loyalty multiple times just in today’s scripture alone. The implied command I see in today’s scripture is for me to remain loyal to You no matter how long it takes for me to receive my “promised inheritance” just as Caleb was for 45 years after being made the promise from You through Moses. He was promised that both he and his descendants would claim the land he walked on as an inheritance. He fought faithfully and loyally for 45 years after that point before bringing up the promise again, as the war seemed to be coming to an end. He knew he was getting older, even though he still felt strong. At the same time, he also wanted to remain loyal to You thoroughly throughout his lifetime, regardless of the outcome of this life. That’s an awesome command and example to follow—loyalty.
EXAMPLE (verses 13-15): I find these last few verses pretty amazing. Caleb came to Joshua with a big speech about the promise Moses made and Caleb’s honesty, loyalty, and dedication to the Lord. Without even skipping a beat or claiming that promise was under Moses, not him, Joshua quickly fulfilled the promise made to Caleb on the spot. He declared all of the land which was promised to Caleb and his future generations as the official inheritance fulfilled! Praise God for Joshua and Caleb’s loyalty in this great example. Caleb for being loyal to You throughout the wars and battled for many decades after the promise was made. Joshua for being loyal to You in the moment that he was approached about the promise and inheritance to Caleb, then immediately fulfilling that promise on the spot without question or hesitance. All of this is for Your glory, Father, not his own. Thank You for this great example of loyalty and promises fulfilled!
*DAILY NOTE: My note today is just about a word, a town actually, that’s mentioned quite often in scripture. I’ve never researched this or anything, but I found it interesting. In here You mention the tribe of Manasseh. I was born in the town of Manassas here in the US. I don’t know if the town was named after that tribe if you were to go back far enough in genealogy and such, but I do find that an interesting coincidence. Is my heritage a part of the tribe of Manasseh, Father, and You had me born in the city of Manassas as a pointer to me to research this further? I think I will dig into this more to see what I find out as it is pressing on my heart to learn more regardless of the outcome. How cool would in be to find out that I am actually a part of the tribe of Manasseh, though? Thank You for today’s conversation and for my “homework” on the tribe of Manasseh, Father.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
Comments