Joshua 14:6-15:196Then the children of Judah came unto 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 Kadesh-barnea. 7Forty 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. 8Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the Lord my God. 9And 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. 10And 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. 11As 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. 12Now 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. 13And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance. 14Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel. 15And the name of Hebron before was Kirjath-arba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. And the land had rest from war. 1This then was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah by their families; even to the border of Edom the wilderness of Zin southward was the uttermost part of the south coast. 2And their south border was from the shore of the salt sea, from the bay that looketh southward: 3And it went out to the south side to Maaleh-acrabbim, and passed along to Zin, and ascended up on the south side unto Kadesh-barnea, and passed along to Hezron, and went up to Adar, and fetched a compass to Karkaa: 4From thence it passed toward Azmon, and went out unto the river of Egypt; and the goings out of that coast were at the sea: this shall be your south coast. 5And the east border was the salt sea, even unto the end of Jordan. And their border in the north quarter was from the bay of the sea at the uttermost part of Jordan: 6And the border went up to Beth-hogla, and passed along by the north of Beth-arabah; and the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben: 7And the border went up toward Debir from the valley of Achor, and so northward, looking toward Gilgal, that is before the going up to Adummim, which is on the south side of the river: and the border passed toward the waters of En-shemesh, and the goings out thereof were at En-rogel: 8And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same is Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of the giants northward: 9And the border was drawn from the top of the hill unto the fountain of the water of Nephtoah, and went out to the cities of mount Ephron; and the border was drawn to Baalah, which is Kirjath-jearim: 10And the border compassed from Baalah westward unto mount Seir, and passed along unto the side of mount Jearim, which is Chesalon, on the north side, and went down to Beth-shemesh, and passed on to Timnah: 11And the border went out unto the side of Ekron northward: and the border was drawn to Shicron, and passed along to mount Baalah, and went out unto Jabneel; and the goings out of the border were at the sea. 12And the west border was to the great sea, and the coast thereof. This is the coast of the children of Judah round about according to their families. 13And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the Lord to Joshua, even the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron. 14And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak. 15And he went up thence to the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjath-sepher. 16And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. 17And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. 18And 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? 19Who 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. (Joshua 14:6‑15:19)
Caleb, who was one of the spies who had been sent to spy the land by Moses, now asks for his inheritance. The Lord delights to have us take Him at His Word, as Caleb did here. The Lord had promised him a portion, and so he claimed it. And the Lord has given you and me a portion in Christ—a rich and abundant portion—and He delights to have us remind Him of what He has promised, and to see us rejoicing in it already by faith. Caleb’s portion was in the mountain where the giants dwelt, but he was not afraid of them because he counted upon the Lord. May we be more like Caleb, and ever be willing to wholly follow the Lord.
How carefully the borders of the possessions of each tribe were marked out, showing us that God knows all about us. He knows all about our neighbors and those with whom we work, and every detail about our existence. It is always comforting to the heart of those who seek to please the Lord to know that the Lord has put them in the very spot where He wants them. And He will enable us in those circumstances to live for His glory, if we only look to Him for grace and strength. This we learn especially in the case of Caleb, who was of the tribe of Judah, and who is brought before us again here. He drove out the giants from the city of Hebron, and then said that he would give his daughter to the man who would take Kirjath-sepher. Othniel took up the challenge and smote the city, so Achsah, Caleb’s daughter, became his wife.
Perhaps there is a little lesson here for those who are young and thinking of a partner in life. Too much attention is often paid to good looks and fine clothes, and other natural advantages, but one feels it would be a good thing if more consideration were given to the matter of devotedness to Christ. If young men and young women looked to see what there was of devoted service to Christ in their friendships, as with Othniel in our chapter, there would undoubtedly be more happy Christian homes, where Christ was given His rightful place.
We notice, too, that Achsah moved her husband to ask her father to give them a field, showing that she valued the inheritance her father had received through his devotedness. Perhaps this has a lesson for young married women too. They have a great influence over their husbands, and “move” them to seek certain things. Sometimes, alas, they move them to seek after earthly ease or position, but what a splendid thing it is when they encourage their husbands to seek after the things of the Lord. Such requests for “the true riches” are sure to be granted, but how often the acquiring of the things of earth has brought sorrow and trouble with it.
When Caleb had granted Achsah’s request, then she asked for more! She asked for springs of water, so he gave her the upper and the nether springs to go with the land. It is not just the knowledge of the truth that is needed, but that our souls should be fed and refreshed by it, like the water which makes the ground fruitful. May we be careful that there is the enjoyment of that which we possess in Christ—let us seek this as Achsah did. Perhaps the upper springs would speak to us of Christ in glory, and the nether springs of Christ in His pathway here, for surely as we think of Him in either way our thirsty souls are refreshed.
ML 05/17/1953