March 9 Daily Devotional

Joshua 14–15

Mention has been made of Caleb the son of Jephunneh before. We remember that he was one of the twelve men that Moses sent out to spy out the land of Canaan. When Joshua and Caleb re­turned they reported, “The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land … Only rebel not ye against the Lord.” These two men of faith were permitted to enter the promised land while the other ten spies had to die in the wilderness.

At the time the land was portioned out, the children of Judah came to 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. Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the Lord my God. And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children’s forever, because thou hast wholly followed the Lord my God. 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. 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. 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.” And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance, because that he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel. And the name of Hebron before was Kirjath­arba.

And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak, and he went up thence to the inhabitants of Debir (Kirjath-sepher). And Caleb said, “He that smiteth Kirjeth-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.” And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. “And it came to pass, as she came unto him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou? Who answered, Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs.”